Fever Ray’s Debut Turns 10
A gorgeous and mysterious meditation of experimental pop.
Ryan Pinkard
Ryan is a writer, editor and vinyl collector currently based in Los Angeles. He started Mini Music Critic in 2017.
Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ Turns 10
Merriweather Post Pavilion turns 10 years old today. The Sgt. Pepper of neo-psychedelia, the album
ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Tweedy Is at His Most Raw on ‘WARM’
Three decades into his career, Tweedy’s first proper solo LP is another understated work from the humble master.
ALBUM REVIEW: Ryley Walker Makes Dave Matthews Band Cool Again on ‘The Lillywhite Sessions’
But let’s not do it again.
Kanye West’s ‘808s & Heartbreak’ Turns 10
The album that made it okay to cry in hip-hop.
ALBUM REVIEW: Charles Bradley’s ‘Black Velvet’ Is a Reminder of What We Lost
The frequently compared late-bloomer deserves to be first remembered as the singular voice he was.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘The White Album’ Deluxe Edition Is an Exhaustive (And Exhausting) Document of Its Making
Did I need to hear Take 44 of “Long, Long, Long”?
ALBUM REVIEW: Action Bronson Shows His Maturity on ‘White Bronco’
But is that good thing?
ALBUM REVIEW: J Mascis Spins Another Melancholy Yarn on ‘Elastic Days’
The Dinosaur Jr. hero gets extra tender when left to his own devices.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘More Blood, More Tracks’ Reveals the Folk Album Hiding Beneath the Rock Classic
A gorgeous and fascinating dissection of one of the greatest breakup albums of all time.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Village Green Preservation Society’ Is The Kinks’ Magnum Opus
The definitive edition of the Kinks definitive masterpiece.
ALBUM REVIEW: NAO Soars Through Space on ‘Saturn’
British R&B doubles down on her electric sound on sophomore effort.
ALBUM REVIEW: Robyn Is as Sweet as Ever on ‘Honey’
A master class in seamless, universal dance pop.
ALBUM REVIEW: Colter Wall Reminds Us That Canada Has Cowboys Too on ‘Songs of the Plains’
Wall doubles down on the stripped-down sound of his striking debut.
ALBUM REVIEW: Petite Noir Melds African and Western Into Something Entirely New on ‘La Maison Noir’
La Maison Noir / The Black House is the new visual EP from Petite Noir,
ALBUM REVIEW: Phosphorescent Does It Again on ‘C’est La Vie’
A feat of album craft that never overstays its welcome.
ALBUM REVIEW: Molly Burch Demonstrates Her Range on ‘First Flower’
She just doesn’t quite reach her potential.
ALBUM REVIEW: Buck Meek Does Something Different on Solo Debut
Big Thief guitarist gives aa deconstructed take on desert-fried folk, country and indie rock.
ALBUM REVIEW: Mudhoney Calls B.S. on ‘Digital Garbage’
The grunge grandaddies still have a lot to say, and it’s more poignant and needed than ever.
ALBUM REVIEW: There’s No Pretending on Villagers’ ‘The Art of Pretending to Swim’
Another stunning work of remarkable craft and nuance from Conor O’Brien.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Double Negative’ is Low’s Most Radical Album Yet
It’s nothing short of stunning.
ALBUM REVIEW: First Aid Kit Keep the Sweetness Coming on the ‘Tender Offerings’ EP
An aptly-named companion EP to ‘Ruins’.
ALBUM REVIEW: Brandon Coleman Leads the Funky ‘Resistance’ on Debut
We’re talking George Clinton levels of funk.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘And Nothing Hurt’ Is Spiritualized at Its Most Intimate
Another cosmic ride you’ll be glad you took.
ALBUM REVIEW: Swamp Dogg Keeps It Weird on ‘Love, Loss and Auto-Tune’
The 76-year-old cult hero uses new technologies to do what he’s been doing since the ’70s.
ALBUM REVIEW: St. Paul & the Broken Bones Bottle the Classic R&B Sound on ‘Young Sick Camellia’
A convincing case for greatest active rhythm and blues band on the planet.
ALBUM REVIEW: Paul McCartney Keeps It Fresh on ‘Egypt Station’
The 76-year-old Beatle isn’t done until he says he is.
ALBUM REVIEW: Thou Brings It All Together on ‘Magus’
The heavy metal alchemists have birthed their masterpiece.
‘The Harder They Come’: The Film That Brought Reggae to the World
The cult classic hit U.S. cinemas today in 1973.
ALBUM REVIEW: JAIN Keeps Up Her Infectious Sound on ‘Souldier’
It lacks the standout cuts of her debut.
ALBUM REVIEW: Odetta Hartman – Old Rockhounds Never Die’
Combining the folksy charm of Joanna Newsom and the seedy edge of Tom Waits.
ALBUM REVIEW: Blood Orange Takes On Heavy Themes on ‘Negro Swan’
The results are powerful but hard to digest.
ALBUM REVIEW: Steady Holiday Balances Lightness and Darkness on ‘Nobody’s Watching’
Indie pop with a twist of David Lynch.
ALBUM REVIEW: Louis Cole Makes Pop for the Fringe on ‘Time’
If Thundercat tried to make a pop album, it would sound like this.
ALBUM REVIEW: Moses Sumney Packs An Album’s Worth of Artistry In ‘Black in Deep Red, 2014’ EP
We’ll take all we can get from Moses.
ALBUM REVIEW: Bon Iver and The National Collide on Big Red Machine
An indie rock fantasy 10 years in the making.
ALBUM REVIEW: Nicki Minaj Keeps Her Crown on ‘Queen’
A slow-moving steamroller flattening everything in its path.
ALBUM REVIEW: Amanda Shires Plots an Americana Revolution on ‘Into The Sunset’
A radical slice of country folk that goes down like cold beer on a hot day.
ALBUM REVIEW: Gia Margaret Shimmers on ‘There’s Always Glimmer’
It might just be the prettiest thing put to wax this year.
ALBUM REVIEW: YG Plays It Close to Home on ‘Stay Dangerous’
It’s still a sharp and vivid LP with some high-caliber features
ALBUM REVIEW: Santigold Fully Embraces the Dancehall Sound on ‘The Gold Fire Sessions’
Featuring the dizzy vibrations of a Major Lazer album.
ALBUM REVIEW: Thou Complete Their Trilogy of Influences with ‘Rhea Sylvia’
New EP explores the band’s indebtedness to ’90s grunge and metal.
ALBUM REVIEW: Tony Molina Puts Jangle-Pop Through His Minimalist Filter on ‘Kill The Lights’
Clocking in at 14 and a half minutes, it’s Molina’s most longwinded project yet.
ALBUM REVIEW: The National Celebrate Their Defining Album on ‘Live in Brussels’
You may as well listen to the original.
ALBUM REVIEW: Punch Brothers Process Politics and Relationships on ‘All Ashore’
Too bad it doesn’t pack a punch.
ALBUM REVIEW: Children of Zeus Show Hard-Earned Talent on ‘Travel Light’
An unassailably smooth debut from a team that honed their artistry on the streets on Manchester.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Internet Reach a New Synergy on ‘Hive Mind’
A personal best from the L.A. five-piece.
ALBUM REVIEW: Graham Nash’s Sprawling Career Gets Condensed on ‘Over The Years’
A perfect Greatest Hits starter pack for any fan of CSN/CSNY.