After taking a couple diversions from her status as a world-dominating pop star that included a stripped-back country-pop project, a couple albums of duets with a legendary jazz singer, and becoming an Oscar-nominated actress, Lady Gaga’s first album in four years is her much-anticipated return to the kind of extravagant and electronic dance-pop that characterized … Continue reading Lady Gaga – Chromatica
Dance
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Who could have seen this one coming? Tropes of 80s synthpop and disco-influenced sounds have been working their way back into the playbooks of the most forward-thinking pop stars in the industry for a while now, but nobody has truly modernized them in a way that’s so undeniably fun and futuristic like UK sensation Dua … Continue reading Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Ekali – A World Away
Canadian electronic artist Ekali has released his first full-length project after tearing it up on the festival circuit for the last couple years with a blend of hard-hitting future-bass and trap-inspired tracks and the ethereal and atmospheric sound of many of his contemporaries. He certainly exhibits both sides working at their full potential on A … Continue reading Ekali – A World Away
MØ – Forever Neverland
Not typically an albums artist, Danish electropop singer and frequent EDM collaborator MØ releases her sophomore studio album and first since 2014, though she did drop the When I Was Young EP last year. Forever Neverland is a mostly enjoyable collection of shimmery uptempo dance-pop influenced tracks, MØ shining through with the unique vocals that … Continue reading MØ – Forever Neverland
Troye Sivan – Bloom
Former YouTube sensation and retro-pop rising star Troye Sivan evades the sophomore curse with his second studio album Bloom, a celebratory and confessional look at Sivan’s powerful self-expression as he details his approaches to relationships as a gay man set to the kind of pop music that inspired him growing up. Working with some of … Continue reading Troye Sivan – Bloom
RL Grime – Nova
Electronic musician RL Grime, fluent in the sounds of future bass, drum ‘n’ bass, and of course grime, defies most EDM artists’ approach to drop a well thought out and cohesive project rather than sporadic singles. Nova is his second full-length, following 2014’s Void, and runs through a high-energy and endlessly fun selection of different … Continue reading RL Grime – Nova
Rapid Fire Reviews (The Decemberists, Jack White, Diplo)
The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl The Decemberists return with a delightfully melodic and cynical take on the state of the world, taking a much more electronic path than their previous works and relying more on synths. The band named New Order as a major influence for the project and it definitely shows. While the … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (The Decemberists, Jack White, Diplo)
Above & Beyond – Common Ground
Veteran British trance trio Above & Beyond meet a wider audience with their fourth studio album, Common Ground, and while they succeed at the genre’s basic aim of calming listeners and absorbing them in an ethereal realm of sound, some of the poppier elements they add here make the album feel increasingly uninteresting, utilizing the … Continue reading Above & Beyond – Common Ground
Galantis – The Aviary
Electronic duo Galantis, formed by the union of prominent Swedish pop producers Bloodshy and Style of Eye, have broken through to the mainstream with the release of dancefloor-conquering single "No Money". A year and a half later, the track appears on the duo's second studio album, alongside some more sugary, high-octane dance tracks. The Aviary is … Continue reading Galantis – The Aviary
LCD Soundsystem – american dream
Critically acclaimed new wave group LCD Soundsystem reunite for their fourth studio album and first in seven years, american dream. The band returns to their traditionally lengthy tracks and winding, electronic and funk-infused instrumentals, as frontman James Murphy delivers some self-aware lyrics about his declining creativity and increasing age in a faster-paced world. american dream is a … Continue reading LCD Soundsystem – american dream
