[rating=4]
Released September 6, 2013
A daring fusion of nu funk/soul and sci-fi. Janelle Monae’s Metropolis is as much about robots as Animal Farm was about animals.

“‘This is not your run of the mill pop album – in fact it’s not really a pop album at all – it’s an alt-jazz-soul-sci fi experience that is best listened to as a whole rather than dipping in and out of when a quick pop fix is required.”

[rating=3]
Released October 4, 2013
Interiors sees Glasser interpreting human experiences with man-made environments and channelling them into predominately man-made music.

“Glasser has made an album that positions her among the more experimental art pop genre of electronic artists such as Julia Holter and Laurel Halo.”

[rating=5]
Released September 30, 2013
Aventine is a beautiful, subtle and detailed album. It is a worthy successor to the double-platinum Philharmonics.

“It seems appropriate that Obel should choose an ancient word of ‘Aventine’ to represent this album. There is a timelessness and air of history to these songs, whilst remaining very much in the present. It reflects on both time past and wishes hope for the time to come through its lyrics, which feels both meditative and romantic. .”

[rating=3]
Released September 9, 2013
Summer Camp’s self-title second album is flawed but fascinating.

“An enjoyable album certainly, but one where the duo’s intentions and a satisfying sense of a musical identity or presence is unclear.”

[rating=4]
Released September 16, 2013
Stay / True is a showcase of a rising artist’s passion. An accomplished and fulfilling record

“Stay / True shows Fort Romeau moving away from the house-focused sound of his debut, in favour of trying out new styles. Whilst still finding his own identity and sound, he is able to create accomplished statements like disco-stomper ‘Trust Me’ and the title song.”

[rating=4]
Released September 27, 2013
Strikingly different from their current, retro-obsessed contemporaries, Haim’s Days Are Gone is genuinely thrilling and experimental.

“This is a charismatic and superior release, real musical talent and love of performing that doesn’t sound cynical or short-sighted.”

[rating=4]
Released September 6, 2013
The thirteenth and final studio album from giants Ministry returns to a distortion and sample soaked hard industrial metal.

“With its buried melodic undertones, ‘Lesson Unlearned’ should have been the lead single from the album; a track like this would have given people a strong and strange taste of the final Ministry record.”

[rating=5]
Released April 5, 2013
As Is, from The Sulkies, is truly a treat, mixing incendiary queer politics with a raw, primitive industrial sound.

“The Sulkies’ debut album is a masterpiece; a noisy, punk-influenced manifesto raising the middle finger to homophobes, sexists, and anybody who stands in the way of the individual. “

[rating=4]
Released September 23, 2013
Generation Club expands on the minimalist style Love Inks established on their debut, E.S.P., but adopts warmer tones than its predecessor.

“The method in which the band have recorded, and its unpolished sound, allows this album to sound as intimate as the relationships they sing of. Generation Club has the texture of an echo, gently reverberating again and again until its message is heard.”

[rating=2]
47:22 min • Universal • September 16, 2013
Loud Like Love witnesses Placebo stuck in their own groove. Yet what principally lets the album down is its lyrics.

“From a man who has written some of the most twisted and heart-wrenching songs about love such as ‘Taste In Men’ or ‘My Sweet Prince’, a song such as ‘Exit Wounds’ sadly feels underdeveloped and disenchanting.”