2025: The Metal List

 

While the Music Geek is putting the final touches on his annual genre-agnostic and quite Epic "Best Albums Of the Year" List, here's a quick one: 2025's 20 favorite metal and metal-friendly releases. 

Either this was not a particularly strong year for metal, or  after 45 years as a metalhead I finally stopped being one. Dunno, but only a couple of the below metal, punk, dark albums REALLY impressed me and will make the other List. I'm keeping the order here alphabetical to maintain the suspense. 

But feel free to share suggestions in the "Comments" area below on what I might have missed out on. Come on, change my mind. Hail Satan.

ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF – Iconoclasts
Her “pop” album is also her strongest and includes duets with Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain. The term “pop” of course only applies if we agree that stuff released on 4AD in the 80’s was “pop”.
BEHEMOTH – The Shit Ov God
A grandiose black/death metal statement, and probably their best since career-high “The Satanist”.
CORONER – Dissonance Theory
Their first album in 30+ years doesn’t disappoint, seamlessly blending quantum physics-level of prog into their brutal speed metal assault.
CRYPTOPSY – An Insatiable Violence
If you like technical virtuosity and a bit of melody thrown into your brutal death metal, you can do worse than this album.
DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – Addicted To The Violence
The closest we’re going to ever get to a new SOAD album, I guess.
DEAFHEAVEN – Lonely People With Power
They bring the metal back– you still have shoegaze-y guitars pop up here and there but this is their heaviest record in at least a decade, reminiscent in places of second-wave Norwegian black metal like Emperor and Enslaved.
DREAM THEATER – Parasomnia 
Portnoy’s return to the line-up coincides with a strong album that will thrill prog metal fans.
DROPKICK MURPHYS – For The People
The beloved Celtic folk-punks have demonstrated an AC/DC-like stylistic consistency throughout their career and this is one of the better albums.
GHOST – Skeleta 
Not as catchy and fun as “Impera", still has lots to offer.
HANDGEMENG – Satanic Panic Attack
The stoner bastard child of Turbonegro and Kvelertak.
HELLACOPTERS – Overdriver
A very welcome return for these guys and their brand of infectious, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll. 
LAURA JANE GRACE – Adventure Club 
One of the best punk rock records of the year was conceived and recorded in Athens, Greece with members of Vodka Juniors, and includes a song about espresso freddo. 
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS – Death Hilarious
Doom/sludge metal band Pigs x7 instill a bit of Helmet into their formula and bring home the bacon.
PROPAGANDHI – No Longer Young
Canadian punk/metal heroes return with another solid slab of technical, thrashy social commentary.
RIVERS OF NIHIL – Rivers Of Nihil
Progressive death metal, not as adventurous as, say, Blood Incantation, but expertly written and executed.
SANHEDRIN – Heat Lightning
A lady you wouldn’t mess with on vocals and bass backed by a couple of hooligans on guitar and drums, this is traditional heavy metal in its purest form channeling early 80’s Riot and Maiden and all sorts of good stuff.
SPIDERS – Sharp Objects
Nordic rockers return and this time they pump up their Detroit/Australia-style garage punk rock with some late-70’s NYC vibes – I can hear traces of Blondie, The Ramones, even Richard Hell/Stiv Bators/Johnny Thunders in here.
TURNSTILE – Never Enough
If this is modern hardcore, I have to say that in places it sounds a lot like a cross between imperial era Chili Peppers and The Police. This is meant as a compliment.
WINO – Create Or Die
You’ll find the blue-collar doom metal riffs you expect here, but where Wino really shines on this solo outing is when he puts on his Townes Van Zandt hat, as on the magnificent “New Terms” and “Noble Man”.
WITCHCRAFT – Idag 
Better than “Black Metal” and “Nucleus”, probably better than “Legend” too, and as fuzzy and riff-tastic as their first three albums on Rise Above.

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Nov 25

THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS – Again
Australian band signed to Third Man Records releases sophomore album. Stronger and more streamlined than their debut, this is indie rock with a strong emphasis on the “rock” part. (8)

CREEPER – Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death
Over the top and campy, but also ridiculously fun – like “Floodland”-era Sisters Of Mercy doing songs written in 1987 by Desmond Child. (8)

DRINK THE SEA – Drink The Sea I & II
A supergroup featuring Peter Buck (REM), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), Alain Johannes (Eleven), and Duke Garwood (Mark Lanegan collaborator and impersonator) blending rock with Middle Eastern and Asian influences. When it works it’s spectacular, it sometimes gets repetitive (a trimmed-down single album rather than a double one would’ve worked better) but the pure love for making music together always shines through. (7)

ROBERT FINLEY – Hallelujah! Don’t Let The Devil Fool Ya
Gospel/funk by blind septuagenarian expertly produced by Black Key Dan Auerbach. (8) 

ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF – Iconoclasts
Her “pop” album is also her strongest and includes duets with Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain. The term “pop” is of course relative and applies only if we agree that stuff released on 4AD in the 80’s (Dead Can Dance, Clan Of Xymox, This Mortal Coil?) were “pop”. (8) 

MIDLAKE – A Bridge To Far
Sixth album from Texan psych/folk outfit is one of their strongest. (8)

JUANA MOLINA – Doga
Eccentric experimental pop from adventurous Argentinian artist. Lots of weird synths, ring modulators and loops, it sounds much more fun than it reads. (8)

SNOCAPS – Snocaps 
Critical darling Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, reunites with twin sister Allison and they bring along a couple of guys for the ride (one of them is MJ Lenderman). Good songwriting, good fun. (8)

MAVIS STAPLES – Sad And Beautiful World
60’s gospel/blues/protest song icon still going strong and this is a great album, featuring interpretations of songs by Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Curtis Mayfield, Gillian Welch, Kevin Morby and others and guest musicians ranging from the legendary (Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Bonny Raitt) to the zeitgeist-y (Katie Crutchfield, Justin Vernon, MJ Lenderman). (8) 

FRANK TURNER – The Next Ten Years
Not quite sure how/when I became a Frank Turner superfanboy but this is great – a collection of b-sides, outtakes and live recordings covering the last decade of his career, several of which I haven’t heard before. It’s more on his poppier/acoustic side than on his punk side, but I like that too. (8)

WITCH FEVER – Fevereaten
They made The List with their debut a few years ago, and their second album fulfills the promise, genre-bending (Punk? Grunge? Doom? Riot Grrrl? Post-Hardcore?) and emotionally draining. Only the element of surprise is missing the second time around. (8)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Oct 25 Vol II

THE LOUDER STUFF

CORONER – Dissonance Theory
Even the album title is perfect bait for 100-year-old metalheads such as myself who worshipped Coroner alongside Voivod and other thrash-adjacent weirdos back in the day, and their first album in 30+ years doesn’t disappoint, seamlessly blending quantum physics-level of prog into their brutal speed metal assault. (9)

ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER – Orcutt Shelley Miller
Experimental/noise musicians form “traditional” power trio and record their first show together live. It’s all instrumental and manages to sound like Jesus Lizard warming up by playing Led Zep, locking into a groove and pummeling it to death. (8)

SERJ TANKIAN – Covers, Collaborations & Collages
Just what the title promises. It sounds nothing like SOAD, of course. (7)

WINO – Create Or Die
You’ll find the blue-collar doom metal riffs you expect here, but where Wino really shines on this solo outing is when he puts on his Townes Van Zandt hat, as on the magnificent “New Terms” and “Noble Man”. (8) 

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Can't Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company
The legendary band’s greatest hits performed by Halestorm, Myles Kennedy, Def Leppard, Blackberry Smoke etc. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke guest on a few tracks. Most participants play it straight so you might as well listen to the originals? (7)


THE OTHER STUFF

AMADOU & MARIAM – L'Amour À La Folie
Posthumous addition (Amadou Bagayoko passed away earlier this year) to the duet’s catalog, one of the best ambassadors of West African music of the 21st century. Too bad they overdid it this time with the Autotuned vocals. (7)

THE BESNARD LAKES – Are The Ghost Nation
Spiritualized meets the Beach Boys. Epic, as always. (8)

CHARLES LLOYD – Figure In Blue
87-year old jazz saxophonist pays tribute to Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, Leonard Bernstein and other heroes of his youth. Drummerless, just him, a pianist and a guitarist, and gorgeous. (8)

CARSON McHONE – Pentimento
An ambitious folk-rock record with plenty of hooks laced by rich instrumentation and spoken word/poetry. Better that the last few spouse/collaborator’s Dan Romano records, which are pretty good to begin with. (8) 

THE NECKS – Disquiet
I love The Necks and their ambient jazz thing and they have made The List several times in the past, but this one, at over three hours long, can put anyone’s attention span to the test. (7)
 
TODD SNIDER – High, Lonesome And Then Some
I love Snider from his debut album in the mid-90’s onwards, but this album sounds like a departure from his trademark joke-laced heartland country rock – it’s much quieter and lyrically darker. I hope he’s doing OK. (7)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Nebraska '82: Expanded Edition
4-disc reissue including the original album remastered, live versions, and demos/outtakes. The meat in the sandwich of course is disc 2, “Electric Nebraska”, recorded back in the day with a small band including assorted E-Street Band members, which gives you an idea of what this classic Springsteen album would have sounded with a full band. Required listening? No. Will it make fans drool? Yes. (8)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Telepathic Fish: Trawling The Early ’90s Ambient Underground
Legendary underground London chill-out party that launched the career of several big-name 90’s DJs gets its own compilation of favorite tracks from the era, featuring the likes of Nightmares On Wax, Tranquility Bass, No-Man etc. (9)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Oct 25

THE LOUDER STUFF

AUTHOR & PUNISHER – Nocturnal Birding
Terrifying industrial/doom noise that makes Fear Factory sound like Taylor Swift, with a few more organic flourishes this time around. (8)

CASTLE RAT – The Bestiary
A NWOBHM/doom hybrid that could easily sit on a heavy metal playlist between Grand Magus and Green Lung. The swords & sorcery shtick is a minus, but the fact that the frontwoman is easy on the eyes balances things out. (8)

CATHEDRAL – Society’s Pact With Satan
Doom metal legends back from the grave with a long-lost 30-minute epic recorded way back in 2012. This one brought a tear to my eye. (11)

THE LIVING END – I Only Trust Rock ‘N’ Roll
Australian high-energy punk rock ‘n’ roll band returns with a lean, mean, fat-free album full of bangers that Green Day wish they could still come up with. (8)

VERNON REID – Hoodoo Telemetry
Not your typical guitar shredder’s solo album, this effort from Living Colour founder explores a lot of ground from hard rock to hip hop to jazz fusion. (8)

SUPERSUCKERS – Liquor, Women, Drugs And Killing
These American punk rock ‘n’ rollers are always fun to listen to – the new album covers a lot of ground from Motorhead-type noise to country-tinged ballads plus a cover version of “Rocket 69”, an awesome song we hadn’t heard since sometime Supersucker Rick Sims recorded it with the Lee Harvey Oswald Band. (8)

THRICE – Horizons/West
Post-hardcore is quite a wide genre and Thrice have repeatedly proven they want to explore all of it. This one’s darker, quite claustrophobic, and melodic. (7)


THE OTHER STUFF

SIR RICHARD BISHOP – Hillbilly Ragas
If you remember the Sun City Girls, you will know this guy as a one-of-a-kind guitar player. On this album he blends American Primitivism with Indian scales using just an acoustic guitar, and he will blow your mind. (8)

THE BOOMTOWN RATS – The First 50 Years: Songs of Boomtown Glory
Most likely nobody would remember them if it wasn’t for Geldof’s charities, but here they are with a celebratory “greatest hits” double CD. The songs from the debut are charming in their rough way, and of course “I Don’t Like Mondays” is a classic, but there are quite a few tracks that haven't stood the test of time. (7) 

CARDIACS – LSD
25 years in the making, this posthumous release is actually one of the strongest in The Cardiacs’ catalog – if you’re not familiar with this legendary underground band’s sound, a thrilling blend of prog, art pop, and punk, this is as good a starting point as any. (8)

THE DIVINE COMEDY – Rainy Sunday Afternoon
Just a comment on the state of the music industry: In order to be able to finance the creation of such a beautiful chamber pop album that won’t make any money, Neil Hannon has to write music for children’s films. Get the deluxe version, it includes a live LP. (8)

GEESE – Getting Killed
The most hyped indie-rock release of 2025, and I can see why: This is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year, a chaotic, cacophonous, maximalistic collection of songs rooted in 70’s classic rock but offered from the perspective of four young people whose parents probably weren’t born yet then. However, I’d rather have more hooks than weirdness. (7)

UTE LEMPER – Pirate Jenny
She’s probably the greatest living interpreter of the Kurt Weill repertoire, and I do enjoy radical Weill cover versions myself, but I found this electronica/jazz offering somewhat lightweight. (7)  

SARAH McLACHLAN – Better Broken
McLachlan will always hold a special place in my heart, and this comeback album is as welcome as a dear old friend you haven’t seen in a while. (8)

ROBERT PLANT WITH SUZI DIAN – Saving Grace
Golden God puts together a proper band consisting of largely unknown (but excellent) English musicians to play folk, blues, country, gospel, with superb results. (8)

JOAN SHELLEY – Real Warmth 
Shelley moved from Kentucky to Michigan prior to recording this album and this move reflects on the sound of the album which is more indie rock-adjacent compared to her previous folkier efforts. But there’s real warmth here. (8)

AMANDA SHIRES – Nobody’s Girl
There’s a lot of pain in this album, and some bitterness, and pride. Not necessarily the Americana album you HAVE to hear this year, but definitely the one Shires HAD to make. (7)

SLOAN – Based On The Best Seller
Almost 25 years with the same line-up, 14th album, and these Canadian power popsters (think covering the whole gamut from Big Star to Cheap Trick) still sound like they’re having a blast playing together. (8)  

TAYLOR SWIFT – The Life Of A Showgirl
Oh shut up, it’s fine. (7)

WEDNESDAY – Bleeds
They used to be a country-tinged band mainly influenced on multiple levels by the Drive-By Truckers, but this album is more aligned with 90’s post-grunge. You’ll see this topping several year-end lists in a couple of months and I can see the appeal, even though I feel the hype's a bit exaggerated. (8)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Sep 25: Giant End Of Summer Update

THE LOUDER STUFF

DEFTONES – Private Music
Their trademark sound hasn’t changed much, and you wouldn’t expect it to. But this batch of songs is one of the best in many years for that most shoegaze-y of nu-metal bands. (8)

HALESTORM – Everest
An excellent heavy rock album full of bangers and tremendous power ballads, the way this sort of album used to be. Probably their best, 16 years after the debut, which is an impressive achievement in itself. (8)

HIS LORDSHIP – Bored Animal
A couple of guys from later incarnations of The Pretenders play sleazy garage punk rock ‘n roll, and they do it extremely well. (8)

THE HIVES – The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
A garage rock juggernaut, catchier than VD and certainly more fun. (8)

ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes
Based in California but recording with producer Dave Cobb in Georgia, these guys just released the best, toughest, meatiest southern rock album of the year. (8)

RÚN – Rún
A tremendous and terrifying aural experience by three Irish artists blending pagan folk with electronica and sludge metal. It scared the shit out of me, TBH. (8)

SPINAL TAP – The End Continues
The joke’s never funnier the second time you hear it, but of course this one goes to (11).

YEAR OF THE GOAT – Trivia Goddess
Occult heavy rockers return with anther solid effort. (8) 


THE OTHER STUFF

EVE ADAMS – American Dust
A very American and quite dusty sound somewhere between folk, goth, and country. (8)

BIG THIEF – Double Infinity 
Indie folk rock darlings will certainly make a few year-end lists in a few months’ time with this one, but personally, I think they’re a bit overrated. (7)

THE BLACK KEYS – No Rain, No Flowers
The Keys try to rebound from a bad 2024 (even though last year’s album was actually pretty good) by going pop. It works, sometimes. (7)

CASE OATS – Last Missouri Exit
A nice debut for this Chicago-based alt-country band centered around a promising female vocalist and featuring Spencer Tweedy, son of the Wilco guy. (7)

TYLER CHILDERS – Snipe Hunter
As the boundaries between country and rock become blurrier each day, it was about time we got a country artist who sounds like John “Cougar” Mellencamp. Produced by Rick Rubin. (8)

RODNEY CROWELL – Airline Highway
Another strong effort from one of the best country/americana singer-songwriters of his generation. (8)

DR. FEELGOOD – Stupidity
One of the best live albums ever and a surprise hit at its time gets the remaster treatment almost 50 years after its original release. Pub rock rules! (10)

KATHLEEN EDWARDS – Billionaire
Canadian singer-songwriter returns with a solid album of country rock, Americana, call it what you like. Jason Isbell co-produces and plays guitar, brings most of his band The 400 Unit along for the ride – a good hint of what this sounds like. (8)

ETHEL CAIN – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You 
The goth Taylor Swift. (8)

FAITHLESS – Champion Sound
I’ll always have a soft spot for these guys even if the hits have dried up. (7)

TAV FALCO – Desire On Ice
This is one cool dude who has been creating an anarchic blend of surf, blues, rockabilly for decades. If you don’t know him, then this album is the perfect way to start as he revisits a bunch of songs from his back catalogue with a little help from guests including Jon Spencer, Reverend Horton Heat, Bobby Gillespie, Jim Sclavunos, and Kid Congo Powers. (8)

GUERILLA TOSS – You’re Weird Now
They’ve always been weird, it’s not just now. These experimental dance/punks actually manage to streamline their bonkers sound a bit and enlist high-profile collaborators from Pavement and Phish. It’s actually tons of fun, sort of like The Cardiacs doing LCD Soundsystem. (8)

LERA LYNN – Comic Book Cowboy
Having first discovered Lynn through her recurring gothy, torchy character on “True Detective” Season 2, I still find it hard to understand why her later albums sound sunnier than that, but if you’re into country-leaning stuff with a strong pop sensibility, you’ll enjoy this. (7)

ASHLEY MONROE – Tennessee Lightning
After a four-year hiatus to (successfully) battle a cancer diagnosis, Monroe is back with one of the best country music albums of the year. Also includes covers of tunes by Leonard Cohen and Jeff Lynne, showing off the diversity of her influences. If she had trimmed it down from 17 tracks to maybe 13 by throwing out a few tracks from the second half of the record, it would certainly make The List in a few months. (8) 

MARGO PRICE – Hard Headed Woman
Price returns to old-school country after her psychedelic experiments. Very nice, if you enjoy a tear in your beer at the honky-tonk. (8) 

MOLLY TUTTLE – So Long Miss Sunshine
Master guitarist, queen of bluegrass, and multiple Grammy winner Tuttle goes pop, and (unsurprisingly) it’s really good. (8) 

SHRUNKEN ELVIS – Shrunken Elvis
Interesting experimental ambient rock – across nine instrumentals, the trio gently floats above a discreet rhythmic background with airy guitars and ethereal synths. Perfect for chilling out. (8) 

WOLF ALICE – The Clearing
I really love 2021’s “Blue Weekend”, arguably the best album of that year, but this one’s a much poppier affair, closer to Fleetwood mac than to anything remotely “indie”, and doesn’t really fulfill the promise even though it has its moments. (7)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – I Wanna Be a Teen Again: American Power Pop 1980-1989
A really fun compilation. 3 CDs, 78 tracks, all the expected suspects from The Ramones to The Romantics, plus a whole bunch of stuff you didn’t know existed. (9)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Time! Gentlemen! Pub Rock Rhythm ‘N’ Grooves: Classic Cuts and Rarities 1974-1982
A really fun compilation. 3 CDs, 72 tracks, all the expected suspects from Dr. Feelgood to Elvis Costello, plus a whole bunch of stuff you didn’t know existed. (9)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Aug 25

THE LOUDER STUFF

COFFIN BREAK – Revival 
Wow, this is a name I never thought I’d hear again. Not exactly grunge, but formed in Seattle in the late 80’s and sharing rehearsal spaces (and Jack Endino) with the likes of Alice In Chains and Nirvana, these guys return with their first album in 33 years and it’s a solid slab of hook-laden punk with song titles like “Kill The President”. Cobain loved them and so will you. (8)

ENUFF Z'NUFF – Xtra Cherries
You know I love these guys and consider them criminally underrated, right? This time the album’s chock full of guests from Journey, Cheap Trick etc., they’ve even dug up Steven Adler. In a parallel universe they’re selling out arenas. (11)

LAURA JANE GRACE & THE TRAUMA TROPES – Adventure Club
One of the best punk rock records of the year was conceived and recorded in Athens, Greece, with a local pick-up band (the Trauma Tropes are basically the rhythm section from Vodka Juniors), and includes a song about espresso freddo. Sort of makes me proud of my hometown. (8) 

KAYO DOT – Every Rock, Every Half-Truth Under Reason
File Under Uneasy Listening. (6) 

DARON MALAKIAN & SCARS ON BROADWAY – Addicted To The Violence
The closest we’re going to ever get to a new SOAD album, I guess. It’s really good. (8)


THE OTHER STUFF

NATALIE BERGMAN – My Home Is Not In This World
An album that sounds like a sample compilation of the best “quality” pop music of the 60’s and 70’s, from solo McCartney to Dusty Springfield. (8)

RYAN DAVIS & THE ROADHOUSE BAND – New Threats From The Soul
Think David Berman, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, i.e. country-influenced indie rock where the lyrics are probably more important than the tunes. You'll see this on several year-end lists, probably not on mine. (7)

PATTY GRIFFIN – Crown Of Roses
I’m a sad bastard and this is top-shelf sad bastard music. With sparse instrumentation and deep lyrics about loss, you can call it Americana, I just call it great. (8) 

CORY HANSON – I Love People
If you follow this blog then you know I love this guy, and I love the left turn he’s taking with this album moving from a guitar-based to a piano-based sound, like a Harry Nilsson on edibles or a psychedelic take on the 70’s Laurel Canyon sound. (8)

MF TOMLINSON – Die To Wake Up From A Dream
London-based Australian art rocker attempts to find the Venn diagram between 70s prog and 80s Talk Talk, or something. (7) 

FRANK TURNER – Show 3000
The title is self-explanatory, he is unstoppable. Sort of a live “greatest hits” setlist and some solid performances, both on the full-band and the solo-performed tracks. (8)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, July 25

THE LOUDER STUFF

CRYPTOPSY – An Insatiable Violence
If you like technical virtuosity and a bit of melody thrown into your brutal death metal, you can do worse than this album. (8)  

DEADGUY – Near-Death Travel Services
Cult hardcore band returns with a 30-year delay with a sophomore effort even more ferocious than their debut which influenced the likes of Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan. These guys will still fuck you up in their 50’s. (8)

DROPKICK MURPHYS – For The People
The beloved Celtic folk-punks have demonstrated an AC/DC-like stylistic consistency throughout their career but just like AC/DC the fans just know if a Murphys album is one of the better ones, and this one is! (8)

FISHBONE – Stockholm Syndrome 
35 years since they first shocked and delighted us with their ska/funk/punk/metal thing, they’re still firing on all cylinders. (8)


THE OTHER STUFF

BC CAMPLIGHT – A Sober Conversation
Quirky, melodic indie rock with some unsettling lyrical themes from Manchester UK-based American expat singer-songwriter. (8)

BONNIE DOBSON & THE HANGING STARS – Dreams 
84-year-old Canadian folk singer joins forces with English cosmic Americana revivalists in an unlikely but charming combination. (7)

FRIENDSHIP – Caveman Wakes Up
If you’re think David Berman is God and you like his latter-day saints like MJ Lenderman, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this. (8)

CHARIF MEGARBANE – Hawalat
Retrofuturistic, cosmopolitan Arabic disco/lounge, like the soundtrack to an imaginary spy adventure/comedy shot in Beirut in the 70’s. (8)

POOR CREATURE – All Smiles Tonight
Members of Lankum and Landless join forces for something that sounds like an Irish folk version of The Cocteau Twins. (8)

ROBERT RANDOLPH – Preacher Kids
Elements of blues, funk, gospel, and southern rock and hooks galore, with Randolph’s blistering pedal steel front and center. Guitar afficionados should dig this. (8)

WET LEG – Moisturizer 
They pass the “difficult second album” test with flying colors and prove they’re not a one-hit wonder, British indie-pop-punk at its best. (8)