Australian psychedelic-pop wonder-man Kevin Parker has his fourth Tame Impala album 'The Slow Rush' out, and critics really like it. PopMatters goes philosophical in its review - "the record is the mark of a rare talent, and yet also someone who lives in both doubt and curiosity amidst his talent and success"; the Clash calls the album a "testament to the patient productivity and unrelenting creativity", similar to MusicOMH who praise Kevin Parker as "a true auteur, an artist who has moulded pop music to match his incredible vision", and the Skinny said Parker has "his own unique sense of time"; NME hears the album as a step into mega-pop with "exhilarating" results; Pitchfork says it's "an extraordinarily detailed opus" with an "internal tug of war within the Australian musician’s lyrics—between trying to better yourself and stay present, or succumbing to your own worst thoughts".

London producer "has developed a singular sensibility: inquisitive, inventive, attuned to textural nuance and the power of a well-timed surprise" with her debut, which earned her Pitchfork's "Best new music" banner (grade 8.3). The P especially likes "that uncommon tempo, pitched somewhere between techno and drum’n’bass... an inspired choice" and "the album’s unsentimental polish", making for "that rarest of creatures in electronic music: something we haven’t actually heard before".

Richard Beck is a psychology professor who teaches a weekly Bible study, and he recently published a book 'Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel According to Johnny Cash', which got his title via Beck's son who jokes that Cash's songs are all about murder, trains, and Jesus. Beck deals with questions about solidarity and patriotism, with the complexities of Cash’s simultaneously conservative and countercultural appeal, his relationship with the authorities (well, mostly, avoidance). The Quietus says the book is a "welcome companion for anyone wanting to know more about what Cash insisted was not only the key to his music but to the kingdom, too", and that it goes well with the audio of Johnny Cash reading the whole of the New Testament.

"This is straight-up fight music. '2017 - 2019' isn't quite this lairy elsewhere, but most of it is jagged, hard-hitting and seriously over-driven" - Resident Advisor says in a review of Nicolas Jaar's somewhat left-of-center electro project Against All Logic. "Jaar has frequently asked that we move our bodies to his music, but never in this way... The change has Jaar sounding artistically replenished", RA adds - "'2017 - 2019' is an album of stylistic leaps, radiant melodies, difficult-to-place sounds and red herrings".

"An album that doesn’t grab your attention with pyrotechnic displays, opting instead for a slow-burning, unassuming kind of power: a low-key delight, but a delight all the same" - Alexis Petridis says in a review of the new, southern soul album by the Canadian songstress. American Songwriter likes the way she sings - "Frazey Ford sings with such reserved and sultry passion, somewhat like Laura Nyro, you can practically feel her swimming in the groove... hypnotic and often mesmerizing", and Exclaim appreciates what she sings about - "Ford's fiercely encouraging words remain, but on 'U kin B the Sun', they feel more powerful than ever".

"Denzel Curry is one of the rawest, hardest-hitting rappers around at the moment and Kenny Beats is one of the rawest, hardest-hitting producers" - Brooklyn Vegan writes about their collaborative album. "Denzel’s bars on 'Unlocked' actually go harder than the ones on the two great albums he released in the past two years, and Kenny’s production is the perfect backdrop for Denzel’s rage" BV adds, underlining the general atmosphere on this album - "both also sound like they had a lot of fun with this project".

"The Chicago drummer and producer transforms Gil-Scott Heron's final album into a masterpiece of dirty blues, spiritual jazz, and deep yearning" - Pitchfork says in a review (8.6) of the last album by Gil-Scott Herron (2010), thoroughly reimagined by Makaya McCraven. Lyrically - "the ability to live with contradictions and give them life with his words is part of what made Scott-Heron’s work special, and McCraven’s music inhabits that complicated space and keeps its sharp edges intact".

"Great albums have come out of the most unusual circumstances, and with 'The Storm Sessions', Elkhorn proves that it's possible to take an unforeseen episode and turn into a transcendent evening of pure, unfiltered inspiration" - PopMatters writes in a review of Elkhorn's new album, made when the two members of the band, Jesse Sheppard and Drew Gardner, got snowed in with their friend Turner Williams. They had four instruments among them - a 12-string acoustic guitar, six-string electric guitar, an electric bouzouki, and shahi baaja (a type of Indian zither) - and what they made is a - "layer of sound... used to haunting effect from the very beginning". It's liberating, relaxing, mesmerizing, rich, and fulfilling.

The experimental rock band consisting of Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn, played their first shows in nearly two decades at LA's Fonda Theatre on Wednesday. They performed their 1986 demo tape, 'The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny', joined by special guests Scott Ian (Anthrax guitarist) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer drummer). Apart from their songs, they played part of Slayer’s 'Hell Awaits' into their own 'Evil Satan', they covered 'Speak English or Die' by Scott Ian’s band Stormtroopers of Death (and changed the lyrics to "Speak Spanish or Die"), they played part of 'The Real Thing' by Mike Patton’s band Faith No More into their own 'Sudden Death', and covered 'Fuck the USA' by the Exploited. Revolver Magazine was there - "In a move at once inspired and antagonistic, one of the most quietly influential bands in metal reunited last night in Los Angeles … to play zero of the songs that made them influential".

"Swirling stretches of glassy beauty that slowly and deliberately build up to epic, souls-spiraling crescendos" - Stereogum describes, accurately and lovingly, sounds from the new album by Japanese metallic post-hardcore band Envy. The focal point of the album is its frontman, Tetsuya Fukagawa who, singing in Japanese - "is capable of moving from melodic plaint to poetic spoken-word rumination to hellbeast growl with incredible grace... He’s the struggling figure at the center of the storm, but then sometimes he becomes the storm". It's the two opposites that make for a special album - "the album’s beauty and its destructiveness only build each other up".

"He’s taking everything he’s learned over his twenty-four-year career and putting it to use with his original gear... and delivers something that sounds familiar, and classic, whilst being a totally audacious experience" - the Quietus says in a review of new album 'Be Up a Hello' by the English electronic musician. All Music hears it as "refreshingly direct", and Exclaim thinks it is a "brain-melting album from an artist who refuses to stand still"

"‘Silver Tongue’ is a candid, real-time account of Scott’s relationship in the here-and-now as she documents its survival via a near-miss break-up and painful affair. It’s her most personal memoir yet" - NME writes in a review of the new album by Torres. MTV says the singer-songwriter has "never sounded more at ease — really, she's never sounded more like herself". Consequence of Sound wrote the album "feels hard and driving, like electric rain or the tension between two thunderclouds", and Exclaim appreciates how "at just nine tracks and 36 minutes, 'Silver Tongue' runs the gamut on aural and ethereal moods".

"A spine-tingling collection of traditional songs, artfully reinterpreted for contemporary ears and concerns" - Telegraph says in a review of Sam Lee's new album. It was produced by Suede's Bernard Butler, with guest vocals from the Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser, and it's title 'Old Wow' is Lee’s phrase about the enduring power of nature. The Guardian chose it as their latest Folk album of the month - "Butler has produced Old Wow like a soul record, full of space and warmth. But this treatment fills Lee’s clear, precise diction with a stark, longing quality. Add a sleepy Sunday-morning John Martyn jazz vibe... and the effect is exquisite". The Observer likes it as much - "It’s a daring piece of chamber folk".

"The artist on stage has never sounded more at home" - Pitchfork says about the newest Destroyer album, giving it it's Best new music banner (grade 8.5). The P gives instructions on how to listen to 'Have We Met' - "you don’t relate to a Destroyer song so much as you find yourself mysteriously pulled inside of it, drawing connections and finding meaning on your own". The Quietus loves the album also - "in these murky and menacing melodies, creating the aural equivalent of a murder-mystery TV mini-series, Bejar's transition from songwriter to musical dramatist is complete".

"More clearly sketches out his development from displaced African boy to imprisoned British man, and it is by far the best J Hus has been on record as a performer and storyteller" - Pitchfork says about the new album by the London rapper. Alexis Petridis heard it sooner and chose it as his Album of the week, describing it as "an expression of growing up in London surrounded by an array of different cultural influences". The NME appreciates how J Hus artfully melded together various genres – Afrobeat, grime, dancehall, hip-hop, R&B, bashment – into a whole new genre "afroswing", adding the album is a "rounded project with polished edges that sparkle in parts".

The new album by the American indie synth-pop band Poliça’s "is the sound of an individual and a band finding a new purpose, a new way to live and create", as The Life of Best Fit says in a review. Clash Music says the album fuses "indietronica with downtempo and bass-heavy techno". For NME, it's simply "a stunning tale of redemption and rehabilitation" (the singer Channy Leaneagh badly hurt her back before they started making this record, "using music as a crutch")

On her first solo album 'Likewise', singer-songwriter Frances Quinlan "has taken everything she learned from leading a rock band and applied it to creating more dynamic compositions, songs that burble and bounce", Stereogum says about their newest Album of the week choice. The S-Gum appreciates the theme of the album - "what it means to forge a connection with someone while maintaining your own interiority", and lyrics in general, like “I know there is love that doesn’t have to do with taking something from somebody".

'Please Daddy' is a "straightforward, guitar and piano-oriented indie rock album, but even straightforward Sarah Mary Chadwick is breathtaking", Brooklyn Vegan says about the new album by the Melbourne singer-songwriter. Pitchfork says in a review "she doesn’t necessarily want these songs to feel like downers, even though they are", with NME adding that Chadwick "channels grief with lacerating vulnerability, feeling her way to a sense of peace".

The critics really like the new album by the veteran post-punk band. Alexis Petridis says 'Mind Hive' - feels "sinewy and stripped back, precise and pop-facing even on its roomiest tracks" with "strange, appealing sound of a band doggedly following their own path, eyes fixed forward". All Music says Wire's new "unflinching, poetic songs prove maturity is a weapon they wield just as deftly as outrage". The Quietus emphasizes something else - "Wire are now entering their sixth decade – their sixth decade – as a functioning, useful and great band".

Historian Stephen Tow "takes readers on a fascinating, astute, and welcoming tour through the birth of the several genre offshoots - such as progressive rock and folk - to explore the remarkable circumstances that made London and its surroundings such a fertile and significant creative space", PopMatters says about 'London, Reign Over Me: How England's Capital Build Classic Rock', a new book about UK 1960s rock. "Tow's extensive insights, engaging connections, and approachable voice makes it an enthralling read".

"Rock isn’t dead, but its function has changed... Now on the back-step, from pop to hip-hop it’s deployed in a similarly equivocal way: just another palette to be painted with" - the Quietus says in a great analysis of new album by the American alter-pop singer Poppy 'I Disagree'. She uses elements of nu-metal on her album, without becoming a metalhead - "Counterpoint is at the core of Poppy’s appeal: here she roles out her bubble-gum persona, and she shoots her with metal, power electronics and rage". A short and sweet read.

Post-rock maestros Caspian are "playing their hearts out and coming out with so many gorgeous melodies and suspenseful build-ups" on their latest album, Brooklyn Vegan says. 'On Circles' is "just a great collection of songs, and there’s a nice amount of diversity too" with "some of the instrumental tracks on this album... among the most devastating in Caspian’s discography". Or, as guitarist/keyboardist Philip Jamieson says - "we just made an album for the simple sake of making music".

Higher Power are one of the band that are "really starting to push the envelope, taking hardcore to places it hasn’t been before on both a creative and a conceptual level, and aren’t afraid to make things a little more accessible for people", Brooklyn Vegan says about the British punk-rockers. Their second album '27 Miles Underwater', BV says, "could be a new favorite for anyone who listens to loud rock music, hardcore or punk or metal or alternative rock or otherwise".

"Parker builds out a fast-slashing range of ideas using dozens of other sounds and instruments, most of which he plays himself. They’re disparate in color and texture, pronounced and often short, each one elbowing or sliding its way in front of the one before it, impatient to steal the show. As a player and composer, Parker shines throughout. As an arranger, he catches fire" - Pitchfork wrote in review of former Tortoise guitarist's new album, a new jazz album "full of tradition and experimentation" (grade 8.4). The album is named after his mother.

Pop soul singer A Girl Called Eddy released her first new solo album in 16 years, and "that soulful, chocolatey voice is still tinged with sadness, and those perfectly crafted choruses and clever middle eights still beguile", PopMatters argues. Her lyrics match her singing - "Moran's gift for storytelling is on full parade here, with devastatingly honest lyrics that paint scenes so vivid you can feel the heartache rise from the page".

'Dark Waters' by the Hungarian band vvilderness is "sublime 'soft' black metal", that "thrives on atmosphere" and "also does well slowed down, ambient and obtuse during its moments of retreat. 'Dark Waters' turns out to be fairly dense despite the ease of digestion that the production, arrangement, and style provide; in short, a lovely balance indeed".

"Keith Jarrett approaches the piano the way a star athlete courts the ball—it’s a full-body experience, marked by sweat, facial spasms, and an inability to remain still" - Pitchfork wrote in a very affirmative review (grade 7.9) of piano legend's new album, taped at the end of his European tour. Jarrett is "energetic, spontaneous, and inventive as ever... so exhilarated by the music that he cannot stop himself from stomping, shouting, and humming off-key throughout the 12-part improvisational suite". Three primary styles shape the album - lyricism, the blues, and dizzying avant-garde jazz, with three covers - songs by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland - wrapping it up.

Canadian singer-songwriter's new album is actually a concept album, standing on the shoulders of one storyline - "Our nameless protagonist meets his buddy Charlie at their neighborhood bar the Skyline, where a bartender named Rose serves them their usual drinks. Upon learning that his ex-girlfriend Judy is back in town, he flashes back to key scenes from their relationship. Eventually, he bumps into her, runs the gamut of emotions, and comes to terms with the passage of years". Stereogum says Andy Shauf's "greatest talent is as an arranger, building out his guitar and piano foundations with an array of carefully placed sounds, seasoning his folksy soft-rock with touches of jazz, country, and chamber-pop".

The third album by the Atlanta quartet was released last week, and critics like it a lot: "The music is as electrifying, unpredictable and chaotic as ever" - the Guardian said, adding how the band enriched their gothic gospel funk with the "right balance of doomy melodrama, metallic Motown and floor-pounding post-punk". AllMusic says the album is "so emotionally charged, it leaves the listener breathless and exhausted, as well as compelled and excited", and Music OMH wrote that "'There Is No Year' reveals subtleties amidst the powerful energy with each play".

Madlib produced all the beats on the album by The Professionals, and his younger brother Oh No rapped on all the songs. It turned out "really good", Brooklyn Vegan reviews - "Madlib’s production is as warped and psychedelic as ever, and Oh No keeps everything grounded with cold, forceful rhymes that act as a well-matched foil to Madlib’s trippier production".