10 New Albums to Stream Now: Rolling Stone Editors’ Picks
Queens of the Stone Age, Villains
“No Queens record has prioritized groove like [Villains],” writes Will Hermes, “and it reboots their brand nicely. … Headbangers may be put off that QOTSA is now targeting feet and asses; too bad for them.”
Read Our Review: Queens of the Stone Age Get Glammy, Groove-Centric With Mark Ronson
Read Our Feature: Josh Homme Talks New Queens of the Stone Age LP, Parenting, Hangovers
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The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding
The Philadelphia guitar romantics’ latest LP is “an abstract-expressionist mural of synth-pop and heartland rock colored by bruised optimism and some of [leader Adam Granduciel’s] most generous, incandescent guitar ever,” writes Will Hermes. “Granduciel is still more about layered textures and tight-woven phrases than he is about noodling, and anxiety still lurks under heady aural comforts, laid out in his nasal, Dylanesque vocal tones.”
Read Our Review: The War on Drugs Bliss Out, Go Big on A Deeper Understanding
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Fifth Harmony, Fifth Harmony
The X Factor-formed girl group’s first full-length as a quartet and “most cohesive album yet” has “a healthy dose of danger mixed with ego-boosting empowerment anthems,” writes Brittany Spanos.
Read Our Review: Fifth Harmony Bounces Back After Losing Its Leading Diva
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Action Bronson, Blue Chips 7000
Underground sensation-turned-TV foodie Action Bronson goes “back to the freewheeling model of the Blue Chips mixtapes that helped his initial rise: off-kilter punchlines, giddy dirtbaggery and beats chopped from kitschy, quirky samples,” writes Christopher R. Weingarten.
Read Our Review: Action Bronson Returns to Sample-Based Tunes on Final ‘Blue Chips’
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EMA, Exile in the Outer Ring
Avant-songwriter Erika M. Anderson “inhabits the songs on her third album like a denim-clad dirtbag blasting Rush in the 7-Eleven parking lot by dawn’s early light,” writes Joe Levy. “All throughout Exile in the Outer Ring, whispers and screams, noise and tune, light and darkness trade places until the differences of disappear.”
Read Our Review: EMA Blurs Noise and Melody on Her Third Album
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Filthy Friends, Invitation
“Sleater-Kinney‘s Corin Tucker joins R.E.M.‘s Peter Buck in a band unafraid to evoke their signature sounds,” writes Will Hermes in his review of the debut from this supergroup, which also includes journeyman drummer Bill Rieflin, as well as Pacific Northwest underground heroes Kurt Bloch and Scott McCaughey.
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Iron & Wine, Beast Epic
Folk-rocker Sam Beam releases his sixth album under the Iron & Wine name.
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Various Artists, Soul of a Nation: Afro-Centric Visions in the Age of Black Power – Underground Jazz, Street Funk & the Roots of Rap 1968-79
Made alongside a “black power” exhibit in London’s Tate Modern, this compilation gathers 13 tracks showcasing the crossing lines of jazz, funk, Afrocentrism and various temperatures of political consciousness. The “roots of rap” title is a bit of a misnomer – though there’s no shortage of drum breaks and it leads off with Gil-Scott Heron’s proto-rap classic “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” If anything, songs by Roy Ayers (“Red, Black and Green”), Phil Ranelin (“Vibes From the Tribe”) and Oneness of Juju (“African Rhythms”) provide the precursor to the Native Tongues era of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and the Jungle Brothers: funky grooves, a psychedelic feel and an Afrocentric outlook that’s both politically charged and fun. The highlight is the plea for love “Is It Too Late” by Sun Ra percussionist Duke Edwards – here truncated to 10 minutes – which sounds like it’s connecting What’s Going On to The Velvet Underground & Nico. Christopher R. Weingarten
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Daniel Caesar, Freudian
Honey-voiced R&B singer Daniel Caesar’s debut is a gorgeous, immediate collection of gospel-tinged soul songs about romance and loss. Guests like the shadowy singer H.E.R. (on the sparse profession of love “Best Part”) and funk architect Syd (on the woozy “Take Me Away”) help Caesar show off his versatility and tenderness.
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Pvris, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell
The Boston-based rock act PVRIS expands its sound on its second album, with vocalist Lynn Gunn staking a commanding presence amidst heady, gloomy textures and storming beats.
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