Verwacht vanBeth Gibbonsvooral geen klein werk. Met Portishead heeft ze sinds 1994 drie albums uitgebracht; onder haar eigen naam eentje met Rustin Man in 2002, eentje met het Pools Nationaal Radio-Symfonieorkest in 2019; en nu, op 59-jarige leeftijd, haar solodebuut:Lives Outgrown. Het is een onderhuids magnum opus, waarop Gibbons de veranderingen in haar leven en haar lichaam van de afgelopen jaren bezingt. Menopause, verbroken relaties, de dood. Met hulp van onder meer Lee Harris (Talk Talk) en James Ford (die hier soortgelijke trucjes uithaalt als op de recente platen van Arctic Monkeys en Blur) is de spannening om te snijden - en door een ringetje te halen.Lives Outgrownis even stijlvol als onstuimig; een warme huiskamer die langzaam vlam lijkt te vatten. Een beetje PJ Harvey, een beetje Radiohead, maar dan wel met die stem uit duizenden.CD/LP

Mdou Moctarnam zijn zesde albumFuneral for Justiceop na twee maanden onophoudelijk getourd te hebben - en dat is te horen. De vermoeidheid heeft nog net niet ingezet en in plaats daarvan is de Nigerese gitarist + band in bloedvorm. Vanaf het kanonsalvo op de openingstrack dendert de band voort in die zo herkenbare, haastige 'assouf'-sound, waarmee vergeleken Tinariwen een slakkentempo aanhoudt. Het zal ook te maken hebben met de politieke boodschap vanFuneral for Justice, opgenomen in najaar 2022. Moctar lijkt de neokoloniale machthebber, Frankrijk, eigenhandig uit zijn geboorteland te willen drijven. Door toedoen van de militaire junta die sindsdien de macht heeft overgenomen is dat inmiddels gelukt. Maar er is meer waar Moctar voor strijdt - en nog meer waar hij om rouwt. Rauwe emotie - en rauw gitaargeweld - ligt hier aan het oppervlak.CD/LP

Voorspoed is zelden goed nieuws voor menig singer-songwriter. Maar laat het maar aan Samuel Ervin Beam vanIron & Wineover om een slaatje te slaan uit een periode van zorgeloosheid.Light Verseis zijn eerste album met origineel materiaal in zeven jaar tijd en zijn meest geïnspireerde album in nog veel langer. De melodieën zijn lichtvoetig en aanstekelijk, maar de kracht vanLight Versezit 'm met name in de details. Met de rustieke charme van de huispianist in een saloon vult Beam de ruimte stiekem met honderdduizend tierelantijntjes. Een strijkerskwartet, een pianoriedeltje uit de losse pols, een krakende deur, Fiona Apple. Je verveelt je geen moment.CD/LP

Touring has become a priority for Pearl Jam . The band did not release a single album for seven years. Now, after two years of Gigaton , there is actually a new one: Dark Matter . As it turns out, Gigaton was just a warm-up. Because with the young star producer Andrew Watt (of Hackney Diamonds , Miley Cyrus' Plastic Hearts and the last Eddie Vedder solo album) in house, the late fifties have now really rediscovered inspiration. (As far as the album cover is concerned , Dark Matter is undeniably creative and hideous.) The energy was still there, but it was mainly in the live shows. Watt also managed to translate this to the studio. Rick Rubin's Shangri-La that is, where the band recorded the album in just three weeks. Short enough to make the fun in the studio palpable. Obscure matter, a pleasure. CD / LP / Bluray

"This ain't a Country album. This is a " Beyoncé " album," said the world star a few days before the release of her eighth album - and the second in the trilogy that started with Renaissance . But it is clear that Beyoncé was certainly inspired for Cowboy Carter by a genre that has been dominated by men in recent decades - or at least by white Americans. Beyoncé is now appropriating the genre and doing so with a dizzying list of guest artists, cameos and producers (Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, Gary Clark Jr., Adam Granduciel, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, etc.) , an explicit spotlight on lesser-known black country musicians and even some covers, namely The Beatles' 'Blackbird' and a (substantially rewritten version of) Dolly Parton's 'Jolene'.

It's quite a departure from the queer disco of Renaissance , but make no mistake: it's not all banjos, fiddles, lap steel and yodelling. In fact, Beyoncé also incorporates R&B, funk, blues, opera and flamenco into this overwhelming hodgepodge that is rock solid and never boring for a second. CD / LP

For almost twenty years and four albums, Vampire Weekend has never failed to deliver - and yet every album feels like they have something to prove. Maybe it's because the New York band is so unashamedly nerdy and uncool. Ezra Koening is approaching forty, but on Only God Was Above Us he seems to have eternal youth. The trio sounds as playful as ever and perhaps more New Yorker than ever. 'Capricorn' has more layers than the Empire State Building. 'Gen-X Cops' is actually somewhat reminiscent of The Strokes' debut. It indicates a 'rawer' sound. As if they immerse you in the cacophony of the New York City Subway - a multicolored, noisy, endless collection of eccentrics everywhere you look. Only God Was Above Us is a packed slow train in which four ghetto blasters simultaneously play Run-DMC, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads and Philip Glass - and that is a positive thing! CD / LP

How refreshing was the debut of Bob Uit Zuid , two years ago. And while the Amsterdam rapper mainly drew on sounds from yesteryear. The sound of yesteryear is now a thing of the past for Bob. On Heilig he exchanges the fat guitar sound à la BlakRoc for a lighter, lusher sound, supported by a double bass, organs, the necessary horns and on 'Applause' the polygonal voice of Philip Bloemendal. A little bit of Enter the Wu-Tang , a little bit of Vinticious Versions , a little bit of House of Pain, mostly a lot of Bob. In addition to the late Bloemendal, there are also live features from Zwangere Guy and Willem Smit from Personal Trainer. Set it to traffic mode in your Volvo. CD / LP

Just like her previous solo album, songs , recorded in the solitude of spring 2020, the piecemeal studio process on Bright Future is an instrument in itself. We hear the tape being rewound, we hear Adrianne Lenker chatting with her occasional band for a while, before she belts out another simple yet heartbreaking or warming song. The Big Thief singer continues to refine her craft with every album and as a listener it feels like that is happening right in front of you on Bright Future . Most of the songs are also first or second or third takes, nothing more than that, of songs that have been played in completely different versions before or since. The instruments were constantly exchanged and the 'end result' feels like a coincidence, anything but definitive. Even more than on masterpiece Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Lenker shows here that there is nothing as disarming as completely opening yourself up in your music. CD / LP

While other pop artists are beginning to embrace country music (see the upcoming Beyoncé LP Cowboy Carter ), Kacey Musgraves is taking a step back. Deeper Well is significantly folkier than predecessors star-crossed and Golden Hour . Like a walk in the woods after the first downpour in months, Musgraves is particularly receptive to the fine details and fresh air in her immediate surroundings. Deeper Well breathes in and out calmly. There are no real hits or standouts here, but that is precisely what makes it a wholesome listening experience. Are you going to get lost with me? We meet where Emmylou Harris, Taylor Swift à la folklore and Margo Price intersect. CD / LP