If you’re anything like us, you’re probably overwhelmed by the sheer number of albums being released on a weekly basis.
We’re here to make your music discovery a little bit easier. Popdust’s weekly column Indie Roundup finds the five best albums coming out each week so that you don’t have to. Every Friday, we’ll tell you what’s worth listening to that might not already be on your radar.
Doves, The Universal Want
The Universal Want marks Doves’s first album after a decade-long hiatus. The Manchester trio’s latest record proves their time off has served them incredibly well; The Universal Want is a grandiose, sprawling study in Doves’ shapeshifting breed of rock, borrowing elements from each era of the band’s storied career, dating all the way back to their underground rave days. Songs like the soaring “Broken Eyes,” “Prisoners,” and “Cathedrals of the Mind” showcase the group’s knack for stadium-sized pop hooks, though the album as a whole still maintains a charming sense of humility and sincerity.
For fans of R.E.M., Embrace, and Oasis.
Everything Everything, Re-Animator
Another Manchester band Everything Everything return this week with their fifth album, Re-Animator. While the band made themselves known for their frenetic art-pop in the past, Re-Animator takes a mellower approach, streamlining their sound into subtler, electronica-tinged guitar pop. But tracks like the woozy, waltzing “Planets” prove the cult-favorite Brits haven’t lost any of their melodic chops. The swelling ballad “In Birdsong” might be one of the slowest songs in Everything Everything’s discography, but Re-Animator proves the band haven’t lost their momentum.
For fans of Foals and the Killers.
Brothertiger, Paradise Lost
Brothertiger is the solo project of New York-based musician John Jagos. His new album Paradise Lost breathes new life into the swirling synth-pop of the ’80s, updated with the contemporary sheen of modern-day electro-pop. Following the release of his Tears for Fears cover album in 2017, Jagos’s sound toes the line between past and present. Paradise Lost expands on the ambience of Brothertiger’s previous work, wavering between tropical house on tracks like “Found” and ethereal chillwave on “Checking Out.”
For fans of Washed Out, Small Black, and Neon Indian.
Susanna, Baudelaire & Piano
Norweigan musician Susanna Wallumrød, perhaps best known as simply Susanna, has built an impressive resume collaborating with renowned musicians like Bonnie “Prince” Billy and giving an eerie twist to popular songs by the likes of AC/DC and Leonard Cohen. Her latest record, Baudelaire & Piano, is a striking set of originals inspired by the work of French poet Charles Baudelaire. Backed only by a piano, Susanna’s voice shines here, with her smooth voice resonating in the upper registers with ease. The spare arrangement of the piano gives way to clarity of her lyrics, which in themselves feel particularly poetic: “You came like the blade of a dagger / To my heart that was humbled and sad / As bold as a pack of wild demons / Dressed up for a pageant, and mad,” go the opening lines of “The Vampire.”
For fans of Jenny Hval, Julia Holter, and Laurel Halo.
Conway the Machine, From King to A GOD
From King to A GOD might only be Conway the Machine’s debut album, but he’s already primed to become one of the most exciting hip-hop figures in the coming decade. After surviving a near-fatal shooting in 2012 that left part of his face paralyzed, Conway says he spent a period of his life hesitant to return to his teenage dream of rapping professionally. But instead of letting his trauma derail his life and goals henceforth, Conway found strength in the darkness. From King to A GOD is a testament to his undeniable tenacity, recalling the demeanor of ’90s hip-hop greats.
For fans of the Notorious B.I.G., Sean Price, and Beanie Sigel.
46