David Gilmour, “Luck and Strange.” It’s been a decade since the final Pink Floyd album, the largely instrumental The Endless River, and almost that long since the last solo studio album by David Gilmour, Rattle That Lock. Much like Randy Newman, to whom he bears little artistic resemblance, Gilmour…

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Wild God.” One of the surest signs that our culture is in decline is that we don’t have that many ways of discussing truly great art anymore. Take the new Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album, Wild God. Wild God Nick Cave…

Rachel Plattem, “I Am Rachel Platten.” Rachel Platten built her identity on ideas of self-love and perseverance. These principles guided her music from her early independent years to the success of “Fight Song,” which remains a popular anthem thanks to TV syncs and reality competitions. Since 2017’s Waves, her…

Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet.” Since the mid-2010s, when the Disney Channel gave her airtime, Sabrina Carpenter has had difficulty establishing a distinct sound or persona as a pop star. With all five albums she’d made, she threw different sounds at the wall, and while some stuck, she lacked…

Fontaines D.C., “Romance.” Romance, the fourth album by Irish rock quintet Fontaines D.C., is a captivating departure from its earlier work. More accessible and urbane than its predecessors, the band’s Dublin City roots remain intact, even as it explores new sonic spaces. Romance Fontaines D.C. XL Recordings, Aug. 23…

Falling in Reverse, “Popular Monster.” There’s no pinning down Ronnie Radke on Popular Monster, the latest from Falling In Reverse. Radke threw everything into the stew, from rap to hard rock, country, pop and electronica. Popular Monster Falling In Reverse Epitaph, Aug. 15 7/10 Get the album on Amazon…

Post Malone, “F-1 Trillion.” Austin Richard Post is clearly not one for half measures. On his sixth album, F-1 Trillion, the rapper, singer, and now balladeer, Post Malone shoots for the moon with a full-on country record. Not only is it weighty at 18 tracks, but just about every…

Ray Lamontagne, “Long Way Home.” Ray LaMontagne likes to repeat himself. Maybe he always had. And maybe we just need him to because with each progressive lyrical repetition the message becomes clearer: He’s making an album that’s trying to penetrate the soul. Long Way Home Ray LaMontagne Liula Records,…

Amy Shark, “Sunday Sadness.” Australian singer-songwriter Amy Shark built her musical foundation on hyper-personal songs, traversing her own internal monologue and tendency to overthink. Those deepest, most intimate lyrical moments brought a universal relatability of shared experiences, anxieties and desires. On her third album, Sunday Sadness, she dives back…

J Balvin, “RAYO.” Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin morphs once again on RAYO, latest collection of dance bangers and melodramatic lyricism. RAYO J Balvin Capitol, Aug. 9 7/10 Get the album on Amazon Music. But unlike his last album, 2021’s kaleidoscopic, vibrant and family-centered Jose, RAYO is dark, sleek…