Thumbscrew - Ours [2018]

In a way, Thumbscrew have already put out an album in 2018, the trio, which is made up of Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Michael Formanek (bass) and Mary Halvorson (guitar), form the core of the guitarist's latest project, Code Girl. With the simultaneous release of Ours and Theirs, the trio have shown that 2018 is one of their most productive years to date. Ours is a record of Thumbscrew originals, with each member of the band contributing three compositions - each of the nine tracks showcasing the creativity and unique connection within the group.

Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance [2018]

In the short time between their debut and their sophomore effort, Joe Talbot (vocals, lyrics), Adam Devonshire (bass), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar) and Jon Beavis (drums) have already managed to expand their post-punk sound. The fire is still there - a two guitar propelled attack anchored by a rapid rhythm section - but Joy as an Act of Resistance is not as consistently relentless as its predecessor, Brutalism. However, this should not be read as a negative - the change in Joy has brought a wider emotional range to the band, with Talbot sounding better than ever.

Julia Holter - Aviary [2018]

Aviary is a trip. The journey bears little to no resemblance to Julia Holter’s previous album, Have You In My Wilderness. The extremely impressive Wilderness featured Holter at her most accessible. Her voice was emphasized in the mix and the songs, while they maintained and in many cases surpassed the high quality of her previous work, were generally arranged in defined verse-chorus-verse structures. Despite the success that came with Wilderness, on Aviary Holter throws caution to the wind. The Los-Angeles-based singer/songwriter completely abandons the more pop-leaning format of Wilderness, giving listeners her longest, most dense and arguably most enthralling work to date.

Jason Palmer - Live At Wally's Volume 2 [2018]

Published on NextBop

When one thinks of music in Boston, "jazz" may not be the first word that comes to mind. This is understandable - the amount of venues where one can frequently see jazz pales in comparison to New York City, which is only a little over 4 hours away via bus. That being said, there are still quality series and venues in Boston that regularly feature jazz, such as Mandorla Music, the Lilypad, the Regattabar, and most frequently, Wally's. 

Noname - Room 25 [2018]

Years after a stellar feature (Chance the Rapper - "Lost") put her on the radar of many hip-hop fans, Fatima Warner, who raps as Noname, dropped a phenomenal debut project. Telefone featured the Chicago wordsmith delving into innocence, love, youth, and frequently, death. The mixtape was blessed with beautiful hooks, courtesy of other Chi-Town based artists such as Cam O'bi and Ravyn Lenae, and extremely well produced beats with influences from jazz, neo-soul and gospel, but Noname herself was always the highlight. Her intricately constructed and thoughtful lyrics, delivered with a beat-poetry-like flow that fits her soft voice perfectly, made Telefone a standout project of 2016.