Teeth Of The Sea – Wraith

★★★★

(February 22nd on Rocket Recordings)

Like a soundtrack for apocalyptic times, Wraith veers between pounding industrial, jazzy, introspective diversions, and moodier alt-psych excursions. Like the zee, it changes when you don’t look at it for too long.

Nakhane – You Will Not Die

★★★★

(February 22nd on BMG)

Theatrically ambitious and varied in it’s approaches, You Will Not Die nonetheless suffers from how pretty Nakhane’s voice is; it’s honestly pretty hard to take anything seriously when that butterscotch sound starts flowing.

James Yorkston – The Route To The Harmonium

★★★☆

(February 22nd on Domino Recording Company)

Restrained Scottish folk that manages to fit whole universes inside its sparse arrangements.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium – South Of Reality

★★★★

(February 22nd on ATO Records)

By all rights this shouldn’t work, but it does. Les Claypool’s grooves are at times absolutely demented and Sean Lennon at least turns in a passable take on his father’s voice. Claypool is absolutely the driving force here but Lennon probably makes a better foil than I’m giving him credit for.

Julia Jacklin – Crushing

★★★★☆

(February 22nd on Polyvinyl Records)

In a golden age where we’re revisiting the Nineties but this time through a feminist lens built on Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, and Sleater-Kinney, Julia Jacklin stands perfectly well alongside your Angel Olsens and your Soccer Mommys and your Snail Mails. That is to say, this album is so goddamn good.

Yola – Walk Through Fire

★★★★☆

(February 22nd on Easy Eye Sound)

Dan Auerbach is fully aware that the moment when country music went pop in the Sixties is one of the most thrilling moments in musical history, so his production on this record is to be commended. Still, the real hero is obviously Yola herself, who possesses a voice that is the soul of confidence itself. Country and soul are both distinctly American genres, but once again it takes the British to really interpret them properly.

Sleaford Mods – Eton Alive

★★★★

(February 22nd on Extreme Eating Records)

The English duo – disciples in the flesh of ornery former living cranky bastard Mark E Smith – turn in another album of edgy snark about the state of all the wealthy tossers around them, built over slabs of meaty bass and drums. There’s some more instrumentation this time around, though, and here and there some honest-to-god melody.

Du Blonde – Lung Bread For Daddy

★★★★☆

(February 22nd on Moshi Moshi Records)

Hard-edged, unflinchingly honest, and unfailingly loud. Rough and self-produced. Wilful, sometimes self-destructive, uncomfortable. Obviously, I love it.

Desperate Journalist – In Search Of The Miraculous

★★★★

(February 22nd on Fierce Panda Records)

What would it sound like if Florence + The Machine and The Joy Formidable went back in time to become Eighties rock superstars? Tune in tonight to find out.

Gary Clark, Jr – This Land

★★★★

(February 22nd on Warner Bros. Records)

The blues have mutated, ain’t no one safe.

Drenge – Strange Creatures

★★★

(February 22nd on Infectious Records)

Drenge attempts a melding of Nick Cave and Pulp. Sometimes, like on “Bonfire Of The City Boys” and “Prom Night”, it works. Other times…

Dream Theater – Distance Over Time

★★

(February 22nd on Century Media Records)

So I met this girl once at a party and it turned out she used to host a metal radio show on a local university station so we spent a couple of hours talking and swapping bands we liked back and forth. She was more into death metal and I was more into black metal but we both bonded over the fact that Dream Theater fucking sucks.

Feels – Post Earth

★★★☆

(February 22nd on Wichita Records)

Sleater-Kinney, but a little more spaced out and New Wave.

Spellling – Mazy Fly

★★★☆

(February 22nd on Sacred Bones Records)

Mazy Fly is all over the place – here it’s brittle, caustic New Wave, there it’s theatrical death-pop – and it takes a few listens to really sink in. It’s worth it, for all that, especially the second half.

Adia Victoria – Silences

★★★☆

(February 22nd on Atlantic Records)

Moody, atmospheric theatre-pop that is pretty much southern gothic in musical form. Produced by Aaron Dessner, who knows a thing or two about moody, atmospheric music.