FLOOD

The peaks of “The Ridge” are melodic, beautiful, and worthy of a good sonic hike.

In the hands of German composer Nils Frahm, even the most minimalist sound can be manipulated into a moving and grand piece of music.

“Wiped Out!” is different, stripped of the R&B swag and playful lyrics that their previous effort carried to mainstream success.

She comes from Sweden with a direct declaration: “There’s a conclusion to my illusion / I assure you this.”

Slightly chaotic and with plenty of character, these songs don’t get dull.

But this isn’t a Black Keys album, it’s an Arcs album.

It would be easy to lump Tijuana Panthers’ latest LP in with the beach bum sound that’s been so popular as of late, but there’s a textured depth to “Poster.”

Over the past decade, The Maccabees have evolved sonically as dictated by the times, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

A covers album is a very difficult thing to pull off, even with tempered expectations.

There is something quite comforting about the new Heartless Bastards album “Restless Ones.”

With “Beneath the Skin,” Of Monsters and Men shed their jaunty, sweet exterior, and expose some (or, more accurately, too many) darker and moodier cuts.

Straying from the path paved as the frontman of a world-renowned band is not an easy task, especially with a distinguished voice like Brandon Flowers’s.

For “1000 Palms,” the quartet strays from the pristine surf-pop sound of 2013’s “Pythons” and fills their third LP with more reverb and psychedelic accents.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with “A Forest of Arms,” but there is an inescapable taste of disappointment left in your mouth when there isn’t anything more to really sink your teeth into.

“Strange Trails” might not take listeners down the road less traveled, but it still provides the warm and familiar comfort of a wise friend.

Five albums in and the pair haven’t changed a thing; “New Glow” is more of a mixture of their previous efforts than anything novel or different.

It’s a record that comes at the heels of Darnielle’s critically acclaimed novel, and its lofty ambitions do not disappoint.

Every track on singer-songwriter Ryley Walker’s sophomore LP evokes a vivid setting of pristine pastoral beauty.

The band lifts its audience from present day, takes them back in time, and then pushes them through the atmosphere to the moon and back. Grab footage of your favorite space scenes, sit back, and enjoy.

On “We Are Undone,” Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel seem to have something to say, but they fall short of expressing it in any memorable way.

At first “Sauna”’s tracks seem a bit boring and monotonous due to their seemingly infinite lengths, but, with a closer listen, the album builds its own state of consciousness with layers of intense and profound musical compositions.

Where Dirt stuck to cranking out soulful blues-rock jams, Moonlight experiments with Khatib’s familiar garage-rock sound through higher production values.

The director discusses her debut feature film, the Iranian vampire western “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”

There are certain books that can resonate with you so much to the point of complete immersion into the fictional world….

Henry Laufer, better known as Shlohmo, is making some changes. He announced signing to label True Panther recently and released new…

With Boyhood, Richard Linklater achieved an amazing feat of capturing every stage of growing up over twelve years of filming. It’s…

While Stephen Colbert gets ready to leave his desk on The Colbert Report for one on CBS, there is someone who…

If you follow @007 on Twitter, then Christmas came early for you this week, as the official James Bond account announced the cast…

The Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences are making a whole morning event to announce their list of nominations for their…

It seems that the creative wheels of the Gorillaz team never stop turning. While the project’s frontman Damon Albarn ventured out to work…

With their Thermal EP, Teengirl Fantasy‘s Logan Takahashi and Nicholas Weiss have created more than just a set songs; they’ve created a…

Whether you gasped in excitement or in horror that Watson’s mustache is back, yes, folks, we will be getting more…

After the release of his debut solo album Black Hours earlier this year, Hamilton Leithauser has spent 2014 touring with Spoon and Broken…

It’s about that time of the year when all of the green-and-red bows and garland start lining the walls of every single…

After releasing an EP earlier this year, SZA is sharing a brand-new single that you might be able to hear…

From Pennsylvania to Boston to Nashville to Los Angeles, Madi Diaz has experienced a whole lot of heartbreak along the…

Melbourne, Australia’s Total Control has a track perfect for late-night drives..literally. Off of Typical System, released earlier this year, “Flesh War”…

It looks like Father John Misty‘s Josh Tillman is playing Santa Claus (or Oprah) for the music world again, gifting us…

If you’re only tuning onto Jeopardy every once in a while when your channel-surfing while eating dinner, you may have…

The Swedish-Canadian band Thus Owls have a way of creating visuals in listener’s minds with the ethereal vocals of Erika…

No one fucks with Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Revolutionary Road), not even himself. “Good” Shannon was just minding his own business,…

After eight years of radio silence from singer-songwriter Damien Rice, My Favourite Faded Fantasy comes with the kind of self-reflection that only time can provide, but doesn’t have the musical innovation that the time away should have provided.

British trio Until the Ribbon Breaks are getting ready to release their debut album early next year and in anticipation…

With temperatures rapidly decreasing and snowfall increasing in various parts of the world, it’s just about that time to start obsessing…

After getting super excited about José González‘s album announcement last week, we finally get to hear a bit of new…

When Ariel Pink joined New York City’s P.S. 22’s choir for a day, he shared the emotionally-charged live version of “Picture…

There’s a special energy that comes with the start of something new. There’s something invigorating about being involved in an…

In case you fell asleep too early or were out too late or were watching another late night talk show…

If there’s anyone to start off our Halloween right, it’s Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, and boy, they do not disappoint. Today…

When it comes to movies, you can never have too many things that show off your appreciation for the best…

In her lifetime, Joan Didion has written some of the most inspiring works that still resonate with readers today. From fiction to…

Two good things happened today thanks to El-P and Killer Mike, the duo behind Run the Jewels: 1. Fans no…

With Disney’s Big Hero 6 coming out in just a couple of weeks, the animation studio released the teaser of the short film…

Fashion and music collaborations can be really awesome, and this is a pretty great one. Converse CONS teamed up with hardcore…

After thirty years together, Yo La Tengo have built a pretty solid discography, and it could be argued that 1993’s Painful…

The duo behind Moors has some pretty great things coming up. The musical project of producer HH and sometime-actor Keith Stanfield (who…

Don’t hang up your bathing suits just yet! Bonnie “Prince” Billy is inviting you to the “Quail and Dumplings” Wet &…

Judging from the piling accolades and fast-moving word-of-mouth praise, Whiplash may be the best thing that both J. K. Simmons and…

The bright, neon pink words on No One Is Lost’s album cover set a deceptively colorful vibe for the Montreal band’s seventh full-length.

Thanks to Peter Haag, the world now has more Truman Capote (In Cold Blood, Breakfast at Tiffany’s) writing to look…

Kim Gordon was a Girl in a Band, and now she has a book telling us about what that was like. Her…

Even after three years, it’s easy to identify the opening melody of M83’s “Midnight City”—or at least get an “oh, hey,…

As the follow-up to SBTRKT’s 2011 self-titled debut, “Wonder Where We Land” serves to take the listener beyond the soulful textures previously heard from the electronica moniker of Aaron Jerome.

There’s a confident energy that surrounds Taiga. Haunting and chilling from the start, Nika Danilova (a.k.a. Zola Jesus) emerges from the echoes of the album’s opening song with a powerful and booming voice.

If you ever wondered what the world of espionage in the UK—beyond one agent named Bond—might look like, then you should take…

With Everything Will Be Alright in the End, Weezer has brought back something that’s been missing from their discography for a long time: a solid collection of songs.

The Canadian duo known for their soundscaping electronic single from “Drive,” talk their stunning debut, “Innerworld”—four years in the making.

With the beach, the desert, and endless supply of sunshine surrounding Los Angeles—the city that Allah-Las happen to call home—it makes sense that these scenic vibes run through the band’s second album Worship the Sun.

With Swimmin’ Time, the couple creates a diverse range of characters, each exploring the depth of their literal and metaphorical waters.

When observing Kimbra’s intense fashion sense, it’s easy to see her appreciation for elaborate and over-the-top art.

Passerby is an album rooted in time and patience. Since their 2008 debut Dear Hamlyn, Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett have taken the beauty and intimacy of their sound, nurtured it, and allowed it to grow.

The sonic landscapes are more lush and ambient than on their debut; Model of You feels more cohesive, the songs complementing each other while still offering something new.

A sophomore album is always a defining moment in the life of a band. Your pent-up debut energy is gone…