Ostensibly a popstar, Spanish singer Rosalía is so much more. Her new album, Lux , is intellectual, experimental, and one-of-a-kind. Recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, arranged by Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning contemporary classical artist and composer Caroline Shaw, and with a cast of collaborators including Bjork, Yves Tumor, fado singer Carminho, flamenco singer Estrella Morente, Spanish singer/composer Sílvia Pérez Cruz, and American regional Mexican music trio Yahritza y su Esencia, you know this album's going to be special. Rosalía sings of faith and heartbreak, with lyrics in her native Spanish and Catalan, plus Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Portuguese, Sicilian, and Ukrainian. Unexpected, soaring, and stirring, this is the cinematic modern-classical-meets-experimental-pop-with-religious-undertones album of your dreams.
Prog rock fans, take heed. '70s prog darlings Pavlov's Dog are back with the wonderful Wonderlust . These new original songs are epic and grandiose, dark and melancholic, jazzy and cool. There are also moments of rock 'n' roll rambunctiousness, with lovely violins and folksy elements — see lead single "Jet Black Cadillac." This is an inventive and exciting album that'll thrill fans in the market for smart, classic, eclectic progressive rock.
Self-assured and spectacular, Blizzard is the debut from Irish indie folk artist Dove Ellis. This is no understated, slow burn folk album: Dove Ellis traffics in life's big emotions and in suitably big, bold songwriting. He plays with crescendos and moments of stillness, arranges woodwinds and horns to emulate traditional Irish folk sounds, creates tension and release with explosive guitars and brisk piano. Fans of Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, and grandiose, heartfelt songwriting will dig this one.
Ryan Bingham's latest album sits nicely in the tradition of rootsy, restless Americana. They Call Us The Lucky Ones is for endless highways and lonely country roads, an exploration of the dreams we've been sold, the longing for connection, and the search for home. These tales of love and loss, drifters and outsiders, are perfectly suited for Bingham's gruff voice. An album that feels urgent yet timeless, melancholic yet hopeful.