First of this week’s mighty eight is The Virgin Suicides Redux, a 25th anniversary release of Air’s evocative soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut. A brand-new analogue mix deepens and updates the haunting and beautiful soundscapes that have only grown in stature over the years, much like the cult classic film it accompanies.
Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires returns with Nobody’s Girl, her most powerful body of work yet: a journey through heartbreak, loss, resilience, self-discovery and empowerment. Amanda’s moving vocals and signature fiddle bring to life meticulously crafted songs that range from achingly raw ballads to rock-infused anthems.
Kids Table exemplifies the chiaroscuro of Bright Eyes’ music, perpetually teetering between rogue optimism and pragmatic despair. While many of these new songs emerged from the same recording sessions as 2024’s visceral and hook-filled Five Dice, All Threes, they didn’t quite fit the concise cohesion of that album and needed another seat – at the proverbial kids table.
Legendary former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin banded together with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and explosive Tool drummer Danny Carey to create Beat. In 2024 and 2025 the ensemble staged an expansive tour throughout in North and South America. The Live audio/visual package has a sold-out show in Los Angeles as its focal point.
The product of all-consuming heartache, Michelangelo Dying became a kind of exorcism for Cate Le Bon. As guitars, saxophones, percussion and voices are fed through pedals and filters, an iridescent, green and silky sound emerges, with flashes of the artistic singularities of David Bowie, Nico, John McGeoch and Laurie Anderson.
The Cords – sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi from Greenock, Scotland – make yearning, dreamy melodic pop with echoes of indie bands such as The Shop Assistants, The Primitives, Tiger Trap and Talulah Gosh. They play their guitar and drums loud and sound free, reminding us that pop music, played right, is expressive, liberating, joyful and deeply personal.
Begging the Night to Take Hold is Emma Pollock’s most personal work yet, combining honest and raw songwriting with artful arrangement to arresting and quietening effect. Curiosity and revelation, playfulness and melancholy co-exist in a singular space. Melody, sometimes spritely, sometimes hesitant, remains centre stage.
Our release of the week, Neon Grey Midnight Green, carries a deep blue streak of sentimentality in its incandescent blaze, paying tribute to musicians, producers and activists who have passed away in recent years and who Neko Case was lucky enough to call not just influences but close friends. On the album she rises on the shoulders of her musical heroes, using the tools they lent her to create her most inspired work yet.
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