Pitchfork Album Reviews

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we investigate J Spaceman and Sonic Boom’s 1987 psychedelic rock album,…

The UK selector throws caution—and genre—to the winds on an audacious 82-minute set that careens between ambient, drill’n’bass, post-punk, breakcore, and more.

The Philly duo’s folk music radiates a special kind of energy. Their second album is tinged with psychedelia, a wicker wunderkammer of songs, spells, and secrets.

The London pop singer mines the pitfalls of young womanhood for dramedy on her sleeker, more polished second record, finding a sweet spot where goofy melodrama and emotional realism meet.

The Los Angeles synthesist steps out from improvising quintet SML to deliver a playful collection of rhythmic studies, electronic abstractions, and even a wriggly acid jam.

The final entry in a painting-inspired trilogy of records draws on the trumpeter and composer’s last live show before his death, highlighting his focused, distinctive musical presence.

The Irish band’s fifth album balances profound cynicism and genuine beauty as its ice-hearted stadium rock grows to darkly apocalyptic proportions.

The L.A. rapper knows that working artists don’t have it easy. His latest album attempts to reconcile a life of precarity with the spiritual rewards of finding one’s voice.

On his latest release, the prolific Harlem rapper burrows deep into the minutiae of his memories, pairing thrilling, detailed vignettes with ominous beats.

Building an international band that includes Eiko Ishibashi, Jim O’Rourke, and a whistler, the Australian guitarist shapes longform spells of emotional and musical ambiguity.

The pop star’s fourth album explores the cracks between the hits, the climaxes, and the comedowns. When he steps off the dancefloor, he finds a looser and more liberated sound.

The Bay Area rapper’s latest record boasts vivid scenes and careful character studies, backed by live instrumentation and occasionally staid samples.

A deep longing aches at the core of the Indianapolis indie-pop group’s music, making good on the bittersweet promise of twee at its most heartfelt.

The producer’s second LP flows through dulcet synth-pop collaborations, throwback trip-hop, and sound collages without leaving much impression.

Torn between Texas and Topanga but fully herself, the songwriter sounds at home in the outlaw country idiom on an intimate, searching new record produced by Shooter Jennings.

The British electronic producer formerly known as Blue Daisy and Black Dahlia unveils a new solo venture and a menacing new sound heavy on distorted drum machines and blown-out bass.