Lovebox review – Childish Gambino leads diverse corrective to Trump visit
While SZA was delayed by the Trump protests, other artists were energised – including Childish Gambino, who scaled up his music to unprecedented size
Lotic: Power review – outsider electronics on the dancefloor
A hard-to-categorise club album of hyperactive techno, industrial R&B and power electronics, Lotic’s debut is a cut-n-paste thrill
Oneohtrix Point Never review – journey to a jaw-dropping sonic dystopia
Backed by a talented band, electronic visionary Daniel Lopatin creates a surrealist vision of machine vying with man
RP Boo: I’ll Tell You What! review – footwork original steps it up
Chicago maven RP Boo makes dancefloor battle-worthy tracks, which skitter from paranoia to euphoria with a flick of the wrist
Nine Inch Nails: Bad Witch review – an inventive, aggressive return
Having spent most of the last decade concentrating on Academy award-winning film scores (2010’s The Social Network) and his How to Destroy Angels project, Trent Reznor rebooted Nine Inch Nails in December 2016 with Not the Actual Events, the first … Continue reading
Gang Gang Dance: Kazuashita review – shoegazey panglobal dreampop
Loose guitars and soft synths conjure moody pop on Gang Gang Dance’s long-awaited new album, but is it progressive or pacifying?
Sophie: Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides review – hyper-lush, but a touch wafty
Pop is reputed to be a safe, pappy form. In the hands of producers like the Glasgow-born, LA-based Sophie, it has become a warped carnival of artifice – abrasive, while retaining cutesy tropes. Her excellent debut compilation, Product (2015), was … Continue reading
Sophie: Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides review – taking it to sexy extremes
From new ways with trance to big ballads and J-pop elements, Sophie’s fantastic debut gilds a unique aesthetic
Ammar 808: Maghreb United review – an exuberant, full-tilt affair
Combining traditional acoustic instruments from around the Maghreb with box-fresh electronica
Parklife festival review – Manchester turns night to day with punishing party energy
Liam Gallagher is incongruous, but prompts massive singalongs, while the xx and Confidence Man are other big successes
Lykke Li: So Sad So Sexy review – despair you can dance to
The Swedish sad-pop hero musician has had a rocky time and her new album is full of vulnerability yet it swaggers
Field Day review – shifting sounds tighten up London’s festival scene
Under orders not to upset new neighbours, Field Day got strict with its headliners – pulling the plug on an overtime Erykah Badu – while serving a jazzy lineup of fresh stars
Oneohtrix Point Never: Age Of review – expect the unexpected
The twinkling baroque harpsichord that opens producer Daniel Lopatin’s latest album is a perfect representation of his unpredictable work. Having made his name over the past decade with albums that encompass noise music, synthesiser-heavy electronics, and luscious harmonies, his ninth … Continue reading