Malachy Tuohy: I Cross This Universe – Riptide Movement frontman undone by sombre balladryWithout bandmates to bounce ideas off, this debut solo album, written during Covid lockdowns, comes across as insular and heavy-handedFri Jun 23 2023 - 05:20
Queens of the Stone Age: In Times New Roman – their most visceral album in yearsFollowing the Mark Ronson-produced Villains, the band's new album is something of a return to earlier fare, self-produced and dispensing with any collaboratorsFri Jun 16 2023 - 05:45
Janelle Monáe: ‘They’re literally trying to erase us by law, and we have to fight back’Her new album, which she calls her ‘blackest and queerest yet’, is a riotous party with a serious messageSun Jun 11 2023 - 05:20
Tom Grennan: ‘I’ve got a big heart. And I’ve got a sensitive one, too’The singer-songwriter says he feels he’s an arena artist and wants to be a global star – but he still finds time for a night of Guinness drinking with his Irish cousinsSat Jun 10 2023 - 05:00
King Krule: Space Heavy – A patchwork quilt of styles that slowly unravelsArchy Marshall’s hard-to-categorise fourth album lacks focusFri Jun 09 2023 - 05:00
Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears: ‘I would love a reunion ... Hopefully it’ll happen someday’Since the band’s hiatus, the US singer has been busy, busy, busy, but he remains devoted to pop, with his new album, Last Man Dancing, proving just thatSun Jun 04 2023 - 05:00
Foo Fighters: But Here We Are – Dave Grohl processes a year of grief and lossThe shadows of drummer Taylor Hawkins and Grohl’s mother, Victoria, loom large, but this is still a loudly life-affirming collectionFri Jun 02 2023 - 05:30
Noel Gallagher: ‘I think things were better pre-internet, I think that’s a fact’The High Flying Birds leader and former Oasis guitarist has very strong views on AI music. And the internet. And social media. And pretty much everything elseSat May 27 2023 - 05:00
Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte – More joyfully eccentric pop from the Mael brothersThe LA duo’s 26th album follows their musical film Annette, but behind the pomp and theatrics and absurdity is a firm grounding in realityFri May 26 2023 - 05:00
Stephen Shannon: Fathoms – The beauty is in this album’s small momentsA multi-layered album that bridges the gap between electronica and orchestrationFri May 19 2023 - 05:00
Ed Sheeran: Subtract – Open-hearted, honest and schmaltz-freeSincerity without sentimentality can go a surprisingly long way on the star’s fifth solo albumFri May 05 2023 - 11:09
Alison Goldfrapp: The Love Invention – Plenty of dance floor glitter but a lack of heart and melodyDebut solo album whets the appetite for the return of her partnership with Will GregoryFri May 05 2023 - 05:15
Jessie Ware: Making music that is to be enjoyed – ‘have a dance, have a snog and put my music on to soundtrack it’The Londoner’s admirers have always wondered why she hasn’t quite cracked the mainstream but she’s ready for it nowFri Apr 28 2023 - 14:56
The National: First Two Pages of Frankenstein – thoughtful, evocative and a tad underwhelming These slow-burning songs never quite ignite, despite the arguably incongruous presence of big-name guestsFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:30
Freya Ridings: ‘I always felt embarrassed to feel happy, because sad songs are like, my living’Ridings thought she had to be ‘the sad song girl’, but now, with her second album, she is embracing happiness like never beforeSat Apr 22 2023 - 05:00
Nathan Connolly: The Strange Order of Things – Forgettable fare from Snow Patrol guitaristThis pleasant solo album feels like a missed opportunity overallFri Apr 21 2023 - 05:00
Ken O’Duffy: Sing the Songs – Former Saville frontman’s 1960s-influenced second album is solid but formulaicIf you are familiar with the Dubliner’s oeuvre, nothing on this lockdown-penned album will surprise youFri Apr 14 2023 - 05:00
Ellie Goulding: ‘I enjoy the idea that I could be a character and I don’t necessarily have to be myself any more’After a pandemic and changes in her personal life, the singer and songwriter has gone in a new direction for her latest album and says ‘I just hope it will be an escape for some people’Sat Apr 08 2023 - 05:00
Ellie Goulding: Higher than Heaven – Joyful escapism and gratifying, dependable popThe thirtysomething returns to her unashamedly accessible rootsFri Apr 07 2023 - 05:09
First Class & Coach: Neon Hip – West Cork’s best-kept musical secret unleash a fine second albumA hugely enjoyable record that benefits from Geraldine Thomas’s charismatic, pliable yelpFri Apr 07 2023 - 04:55
Mimi Webb: ‘I’m incredibly grateful for TikTok. I really don’t think I would be here without it’The British singer on stardom, debut album Amelia and looking forward to visiting her Irish familySat Apr 01 2023 - 05:06
David Kitt: Idiot Check - Folk, pop and experimentation collideAs experimental as Idiot Check gets, it is always anchored by Kitt’s distinctive voice and devotion to melodyFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:30
King Cedar: Everything More, & Other Stories - Irish folk meets Californian productionAfter some US musicians found a session in a Bangor bar a few years ago, it led Co Down musician to record debut album as King Cedar in LAFri Mar 24 2023 - 05:15
Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd – Long, maudlin and one of her best albums yetThe star’s ninth album is one of her most confounding to date. But that’s not necessarily a bad thingThu Mar 23 2023 - 13:41
Ailbhe Reddy: Endless Affair - Indie pop cedes to quieter, more vulnerable songs on an excellent second albumShe should have been a star by now, but this album will surely tee Ailbhe Reddy up for the big time.Fri Mar 17 2023 - 05:15
Fight Like Apes: ‘Things are so different now. It’s cool to be sober; it’s cool to go to therapy’Going back to the songs of their youth has been therapeutic for the newly reunited Dublin bandSat Mar 11 2023 - 05:00
U2: Songs of Surrender – A cynical cash grab? Put your preconceptions asideThese ‘reinterpreted’ tracks are a reminder that, whether you like them or not, U2 have some exceptional songs in their back catalogueFri Mar 10 2023 - 00:01
Joesef: ‘I feel like I’m poised for action no matter what anyone throws at me’The Scottish singer is verging on the big time, feted by Elton John and now building a North American followingWed Mar 08 2023 - 06:00
Telefís: Special Report — Remix project only for the most ardent fansCompilation of alternate versions and remixes by Cathal Coughlan & Jacknife Lee doesn’t quite landFri Mar 03 2023 - 05:30
Damon Albarn: ‘I’ve lost one of the loves of my life’No matter what else he’s working on, Albarn always comes back to Gorillaz, so the death of one of the virtual band’s key collaborators is a shockSat Feb 25 2023 - 06:00
Gorillaz: Cracker Island - Damon Albarn squeezes as much joy and pathos as possible into their best album to dateThe virtual band’s LA-influenced eighth album is one of their best to dateFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:30
Inhaler: Cuts & Bruises – Exciting glimmers of greatnessDublin band attempt to break away from the Bono and U2 family connections with solid second albumFri Feb 17 2023 - 05:30
The Academic: Sitting Pretty – Heard this one beforeWestmeath band’s second album is packed with big melodies, but lacking originalityFri Feb 10 2023 - 05:00
Shania Twain: Queen of Me - Too solid, too safe and heavy on the score-settlingTwain strays away from her country roots but already sounds a decade behind her peers, both in theme and soundFri Feb 03 2023 - 05:20
Adam Lambert: ‘Good music is good music, and people want to be entertained’From his duties as vocalist with Queen to his new covers album, the singer is showcasing the power of his voiceWed Feb 01 2023 - 05:00
Young Fathers: ‘We were once called an experimental rock band’Latest album Heavy Heavy echoes how life has changed for the Scottish groupSat Jan 28 2023 - 05:00
Sam Smith: Gloria – close but not quite their magnum opusSmith’s fourth album is more emotionally mature, with some glorious moments and a few bangers, but also too many dudsFri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
The Murder Capital: Gigi’s Recovery – Woozy, nightmarish, nervy anthemsA gloomy atmosphere pervades the Irish post-punk band’s second albumFri Jan 20 2023 - 05:15
Måneskin: Rush! - Eurovision winners break out the big gunsThird album from Italian rockers has energy and charisma wedged into English-language songsFri Jan 13 2023 - 05:05
Gabrielle Alpin: Phosphorescent – An album of two halvesEnglish songwriter's fourth album is either inconsistent or enjoyably varied, depending on where you standFri Jan 06 2023 - 05:00
Circa Survive: Two Dreams – Untethered collection of prog rock and electronicaAn untidy and untethered collection of prog rock and electronica by American bandFri Dec 30 2022 - 05:00
White Lung: Premonition – Punk-rock trio bow out with a whimperCanadian band’s swansong is forgettableFri Dec 30 2022 - 05:00
NOFX: Double Album – Determinedly louche and stuck in the pastThe LA punks remain stuck in the past as they approach four decades as a bandFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
Leland Whitty: Anyhow – Instrumental album packs hell of a punch Canadian’s debut solo experimental jazz album is a palate-cleansing antidote to sugary, syrupy excessFri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
The Busk: Bono, The Frames, Damien Rice and more sing a song for the homelessFolk, rock and spoken word collide on this pleasant charity albumFri Dec 09 2022 - 05:15
Maverick Sabre: Lonely Are the Brave - a fine reminder of the soul singer’s firepowerThis rebound to the past recaptures the essence of the original recording while showing new depthFri Dec 02 2022 - 05:00
Harry Hill: Last time I was in Ireland I played God save the Queen on car horns. Everyone booedThe comedian is embarking on his first tour in almost a decade with Pedigree Fun!, ‘an all-singing, all-dancing one-man spectacular’Thu Dec 01 2022 - 05:30
Amy Huberman: ‘Power couple? I spend half the day just lying on the couch’Actor on family life, the first Christmas without her beloved dad Harold and how she’s not one half of a power coupleMon Nov 28 2022 - 06:00
Crash Ensemble [Reactions]: An aptly challenging journey for audiences to mark collective’s milestoneA fitting testament to an ensemble who have challenged their audience for 25 yearsFri Nov 25 2022 - 05:20
Tommy Tiernan: ‘I know that I’m a nosy bastard’The comedian talks Derry Girls, reacquainting himself with his motormouth side and spending Christmas in bed with his wifeThu Nov 24 2022 - 05:00