Halsey: If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Maesters Reznor and Ross manage fortifications as she fights misogyny while cosplaying as the Game of Thrones mass-murderer lady (the other one); all are happier and hookier when she deigns to sing human-scale lyrics about physical experience (“Honey”, “Bells in Santa Fe”, “Whispers”)
Doechii: Oh the Places You’ll Go EP
A concept mini-album about growing up Black, with epiphanies spurred by Paramore, Junie B. Jones, and Fear Factor as she progresses from making her Barbies fuck to substance abuse to social media fame (the only kind that matters) to fretting about only having one childhood memories song better than “Strawberry Fields Forever” (“Yucky Blucky Fruitcake”, “Black Girl Memoir”, “Oh the Places You’ll Go”)
Veteran London DJ’s 25th-ish album crams old school bloops into shapely 4-5 minute tracks that have beginnings and ends that at least live at opposite ends of the street from each other (“Wetware”, “Torpedo Tube”, “Dejected Ambient Twerp”)
James McMurtry: The Horses and the Hounds
The stories, many understandably about aging, are uniformly excellent, as are at least half of the songs (“Operation Never Mind”, “Canola Fields”, “Decent Man”)
Ashnikko: Demidevil
She/they recycles the good part of “Caught Out There” and everything but the good part of “Sk8ter Boi” to counteroffend against the cis-he/het-hims who have wronged her and assembles a heck of a group chat to back her up, not that group chats are the best way to do quality control (“Slumber Party”, “Cry”, “Deal with It”)
Joy Orbison: Still Slipping Vol. 1
Long-awaited debut “mixtape” that, while it would’ve meant more had it come out back when dubstep wasn’t a slur, yields plenty to grapple with: some dense-yet-relaxed drum-and-sometimes-bass, some good vocals, some unnecessary talky bits since this is a 2020s British dance album, an endless procession of warm chords; not much dubstep, though (“Layer 6”, “Swag w/ Kav”, “Better”)
Kamasi Washington/Robert Glasper/Terrace Martin/9th Wonder: Dinner Party EP
When Phoelix isn’t singing, this is easy jazz that occasionally risks mush, while when he is, it’s a vivid account of contemporary Black male experience, heartbreaking even when he’s singing “I just wanna love you so bad” like it’s the only thing anyone in the world wants; as with many dinner parties, sometimes you don’t go for the hosts (“Freeze Tag”, “Love You Bad”, “Sleepless Nights”)
Richard Egarr/Academy of Ancient Music: Dussek: Messe Solemnelle
This 1811 composition, possibly never performed until Egarr uncovered it in 2019, sounds like what haters accused Mozart’s sacred works (until the very last ones) of being—clever, and lacking any religious fervor—but outstanding soloists, especially soprano Stefanie True and tenor Gwilym Bowen, supply their own kind of devotion (“II. Christe”, “XV. Sanctus”)
The Weather Station: Ignorance
The 17 credited musicians do a pretty good job of spreading out and finding space to strum/blow/bow/tinkle in, while Canadian TV movie regular Tamara Lindeman’s singing and lyrics—written “in a period of intense reckoning with the global climate crisis”—aren’t actively distracting (“Robber”, “Separated”)
As with her debut, the terrific lead single’s dramatic and expressive, the rest is thoughtful and felt but a little too straight-down the-middle (well, queer-down-the-middle); at least she’s on pace for an A+ best-of in the 2040s (“Valentine”, “Glory”)
Courtney Barnett: Things Take Time, Take Time
Excellent guitarist makes a somewhat unfinished-sounding album that’s so doleful that her artfully inaccurate note jumps sound kinda like Billie Holiday—well, there was a pandemic (“Rae Street”, “Take It Day by Day”)
Turnstile: Glow On
Finally, an album for everyone who thought what hardcore always needed was for Mike Elizondo to make it glossy; Bad Brains will be around for your souls in the morning (“Blackout”, “Endless”)
Young Thug: Punk
An undeniably sensitive record full of personal revelations and acoustic guitar, which even Lil Wayne would agree is not the optimal use of Thugga’s talents (“Stressed”)