For many who lived through the nuclear fear of the 1980s, these past few years may have felt like the first real societal existential crisis since that era. While nuclear annihilation might not be at the top of the list of 2021 worries, pandemics, society in upheaval and crumbling…

Hozier, “Wasteland, Baby.” Since releasing his 2014 self-titled debut as Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne has only released a live EP and a single for the 2016 movie The Legend of Tarzan. It’s high time for a second full-length album. Enter Wasteland, Baby! This second outing is, perhaps, half of a solid…

Hozier at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Oct. 18, 2018. Photos: Abby Williamson (above) and Alessio Neri. SEATTLE and OAKLAND — When an artist comes out with a strong debut album, one hopes there’s not a long wait until they release the second. For Ireland’s Hozier, it felt like…

  It’s easy to pigeon-hole Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard as strictly a folk singer, especially if you’re only familiar with his first two solo albums. But prior to that, he led a rock band (The Frames), had The Swell Season partnership with Marketa Irglova and was an actor along…

U2, “Songs of Experience.” After a much-ballyhooed delay, Songs of Experience, U2’s 14th studio album, has arrived. And thank the gods of rock and roll: it’s very, very good indeed. I need to sit with an album for a while before ranking it in the pantheon of U2 albums, but…

Wolf Alice, ‘Visions of a Life’ The debut album from Wolf Alice, 2015’s My Love Is Cool, was a solid introduction from the London band, a confident set of more or less straightforward rock songs. Visions of a Life Wolf Alice Sept. 29 On its second album, the four-piece…

  Crack-Up, the first Fleet Foxes album in six years, begins with a disjointed, discordant intro before the familiar harmonies kick in. It’s welcoming to hear that sound again, but the Seattle quintet doesn’t stay in that zone for long. Many of the songs on Crack-Up end up veering…

Listeners who enjoyed London Grammar’s album If You Wait will find similar qualities on its new release, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing. The British trio settles comfortably into the sound it established with its debut: chill vibes with sleepy beats, subtle guitars and slow-burn vocals. No new ground is…

Alt-J, “Relaxer.” If you were violently put off by the sound of Joe Newman’s voice on the first two Alt-J albums, the band’s new release, Relaxer, might not change your mind. Newman’s vocals make the British band a “love them or hate them” prospect. You either can’t get past…

Feist, “Pleasure.” There’s a moment on the new Feist album, Pleasure, that calls back to her breakthrough album The Reminder. As the track “Any Party” winds down, the sounds of someone (let’s assume it’s Ms. Leslie Feist) leaving the party rise to the forefront as the music fades away.…