It seemed entirely possible that any new music from Janelle Monáe would be a long time coming. Although she had already started the process of developing her third studio album when she stepped into the job of big-time movie actress, … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Dirty Computer

I can’t claim to understand the vagaries of what drives country music radio, but the apparent middling affection for Kacey Musgraves is perplexing to the point of aggravation. Despite the Texas native’s place in the Universal Music Group Nashville stable … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Golden Hour

From the jump, Jack White always had the air of huckster about him. That he kept his music shiny and new through regularly applications of snake oil wasn’t a problem. Indeed, it was a major part of the appeal. Through … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Boarding House Reach

By the official tally, There’s a Riot Going On is the fifteenth studio album from Yo La Tengo, and the band’s first of predominantly new material since the masterful and underrated Fade, released in 2013. It’s been over thirty years … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — There’s a Riot Going On

Record albums aren’t novels. They aren’t films or plays or anything else that needs to follow the rules of traditional — or, for that matter, highly non-traditional — narratives. There is zero necessity for a compelling thesis statement or a … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Historian

Find the mid-nineteen-nineties version of me and ask him to indulge in a little pop culture forecasting. Specifically, get him to name the titans of alternative rock who’ll be still be around twenty years later, dishing out new music just … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — What a Time to Be Alive

Even as I’ll admit that I’m fairly detached from up-to-the-minute music scene scuttlebutt, it seems to me there’s a surprising lack of enthusiasm or even basic interest around the release of Colors, the new album by Beck. This is an … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Colors

  Of the wondrous “New York,” the lead single off Masseduction, Annie Clark recently said it was the first entry from her swath of creations under the name St. Vincent that she listened to and believed it could be someone’s … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Masseduction

There’s plenty to like about the music of Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, but I honestly don’t know that it would have ever occurred to me that the pair would make dandy collaborators. While they both exhibit an arch cleverness … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Lotta Sea Lice

Since the release of Sleep Well Beast, the seventh studio album from the National, the commentary has settled into two camps. There are those who insist that the album represents a serious modification of the band’s sound, pushing into intriguing … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Sleep Well Beast