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Full disclosure: L’Impératrice are French. That may come as no surprise, but it’s not just in the name or the lilting lyrics. Their brand of smooth house-cum-funk is so linked to those Gallic lands that many of the numerous monikers used to describe it come stamped with a ‘Made In’; French house; French touch; French boogie; all referencing the enduring popularity of staccato guitars and 4/4 kicks across the channel, even as they were considered passé elsewhere.
By the time the Nu-Disco movement arrived, the French had arthritis in their clicking finger. Although in this case the most apt of the subgenres befitting L’Impératrice might be Filter House, a testament to the layers of effects and a lounge-funk that came to define them. An effortless retro-cool - unironically pulling off a moustache and Hawaiian shirt. “Gauche couture”, perhaps.

Well, no more. They haven’t exactly left their roots behind, but mastering by Mike Bozzi (Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar) and mixing by Neal Pogue (Outkast, Tyler the Creator) has left its mark.

From the outset, on opener "Anomalie Bleue", there’s a shift in focus, one towards the weighty and the hip-hop. The 808 kick booms and snare whip-cracks over soaring G-funk synths, helping move the band away from pleasant pastiche towards their own concoction.

It’s those touches that give "L’équiibriste" the feeling of an R&B summer jam, singalong hook and all: like Aaliyah doing chanson, coming built on those distinctly French foundations: a more focused expression of their sound. – The Line Of Best Fit

Everything is mysterious!

Kensuke Ide and his mother ship finally broke the silence, the second album for the first time in 5 years! The long-awaited LP version of You Ishihara's sound-produced problematic work by You Ishihara, who is often called the best of the year! The innovative sound that will surprise all listeners is the madness of Incubus or Taoyuan Township! No, that's exactly the "mystery of 2020" !! That first album was just a notice! The biggest problem in 2020 and a masterpiece! - P-Vine

“Nectar” is a wonder on the ears and marvelously curated for repeated listens, as I frequently have uncovered a new ear-worm or instrument I missed on the first listen. It’s a high achievement from the enthralling artist and should be recognized as one of the best projects of the year. With “Nectar,” Joji has officially marked his artistic transformation from a YouTuber making crude humor with friends to a chart-topping star. – Daily Nebraskan

The young Singaporean quartet's debut mini-album touches on themes that come with the experience of entering adolescence, whether it is love (“Sky”), anger and disappointment (“Lies”), despair (“Waters”) or loss (“Fall”).

Waters is an exploration of these different emotions and a journey through the rollercoaster ride that is growing up. – On Bandcamp

Bumper crop of remixes for xx guitarist and vocalist Romy Madley Croft's debut solo single 'Lifetime', with a standout from the unstoppable Anz.

It's taken a while for xx guitarist and vocalist Romy Madley Croft to kick off her solo career, but she puts a foot forward with 'Lifetime', an electro pop earworm that reminds fondly of The Knife or Robyn. Of course, the Anz remix is the one for us here: the molten hot producer re-tools Romy's original with heart-pumping 4 Hero-esque bass wobbles and chunky 12-bit amen breaks, sending us into another dimension entirely.

Elsewhere, Jayda G goes with a slick, dubbed-out house edit, Planningtorock pushes the electro elements into overdrive with her 'Let It Happen' remix and HAAi expands on the trancey euphoria with a sunny version that makes Chicane's 'Offshore' sound like Xenakis. Remember Ibiza?

Around his emergence back in 2016, George Van Den Broek’s Yellow Days sat at the mellow edges of indie, mixing a hazy, lo-fi singer-songwriter aesthetic with jazzy inflections; think Mac DeMarco taking on blue-eyed soul. And while the Canadian troublemaker does, in fact, make an appearance on the Surrey songwriter’s second, it’s the flip side of his sound that takes centre-stage on ‘A Day In A Yellow Beat’: it’s a jazz deep-dive. There are sampled, spoken-word interludes (“The trippers, the grasshoppers, the hip ones, all gathered in secrecy, and flying high as a kite” goes ‘(Pot Party)’ as if you required any hint as to where George’s head might be); further guest spots from noted UK trumpeter Nick Walters and American R&B singer Shirley Jones. And while it does quickly blend into one long - and at 24 tracks, it is long - medley - he’s created a heady, vibey, dare we say it - groovy - mood. – diymag.com

Colors, Beck’s last album, won two Grammies. Its sequel finds Beck retaining the marketplace nous of producer Greg Kurstin on one track and adding that of Pharrell Williams, purveyor of cheek-popping flair on more than half the album. Beck’s records can often veer away from the sound of their predecessors, but Hyperspace is no minimal DIY folk jam: it’s dewy, plush and on-trend. - Guardian

The magnificent ego of Father John Misty makes his music seem really important. The music is not really that important, of course, but when you hear that smooth and gentle soft-rock with his olden croon centered so perfectly on every pitch, it seems like it is, in the way that narcissists or the canon of classic rock seem important. This outsized persona bursting forth from singer-songwriter Josh Tillman is full of self-mythology descended straight from Bob Dylan, dripping with a painted-on significance: His greatest passion is his thoughts. The autofiction of his songwriting imparts its own patina of truth, something that seems unassailable if you subscribe to the man, the voice, the facial hair. He strolls through his own songs like a melancholy king finding every opportunity to catch his reflection. – Pitchfork

Conor Oberst’s music has never sounded lonely. Yes, he’s done catatonically despondent, inconsolable, dejected, maniacal—it's a lot to handle, and yet he’s always been surrounded by friends both local and legendary who believe in his vision, underscoring his status as one of the 21st century’s most mercurial and charismatic songwriters. Arriving almost a month after a comprehensive Bright Eyes boxed set that feels like a headstone for the band, Ruminations is a record like none other in Oberst’s catalog—stunning for how utterly alone he sounds. This is obvious in a technical sense, as there are no goddamn timpani rolls, no boys to keep strummin’ those guitars, just Oberst on harmonica, acoustic and piano with ten songs written during an Omaha winter and recorded in 48 hours. Plenty of folk artists make records like that. But there’s also a loneliness in Ruminations that’s far rare and disturbing—the loneliness one feels after taking stock and wondering if they have a friend left in the world. - Pitchfork

Over ten years ago, Audika Records began releasing the exceptionally varied, long sought-after music of Arthur Russell, and in the process has succeeded at helping the beloved, late artist find the broader audience he always believed he would reach. A new generation of listeners and critics has come to appreciate Russell as a visionary and an influence upon a broad range of today’s most compelling musical artists. On October 28, Audika will bring to light an as-yet-unavailable side of Russell’s body of work- the most rare and, at the same time, arguably the most accessible part- in Love Is Overtaking Me, which comprises 21 demos and home recordings of unreleased pop, folk and country songs from his vast catalog.While much critical and popular affection for Russell’s music has come about well after his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, many fellow artists believed in his genius and were drawn to collaborate with him during his lifetime. The legendary producer John Hammond (Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen) recorded Russell on several occasions; a number of these recordings will finally be heard on Love Is Overtaking Me. - Bandcamp

Painting With is the tenth studio album by American experimental pop band Animal Collective, released on February 19, 2016. The album is a follow-up to Centipede Hz (2012), and features contributions from John Cale and Colin Stetson. It peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard 200. Three singles were issued: "FloriDada" (2015), "Lying in the Grass", and "Golden Gal" (both 2016). A companion EP, The Painters, was released the following year. For Painting With, the band's line-up consists of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), and Geologist (Brian Weitz), the same trio which participated for Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009). - Wiki

In spite of the noisy aura it's drawn around itself, there's not much mystery to A Place To Bury Strangers. The New York band has been dishing out slight variations on the same sonic blitzkrieg since its self-titled 2007 debut; the only thing that's changed is the fine tuning. On the group's fourth album, Transfixiation, all of APTBS' trademarks are in evidence. Deadpan vocals float through apocalyptic static. The volume bleeds out. Cacophony reigns. - NPR

Beatbox is the earth-shattering classic from a band that changed the game, emerging from the underground with a template that would redefine pop culture in the decade since its release. From Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson (“Digital Versicolor”) to HBO’s Westworld (“Candy Castle”) & more, Beatbox has spray-painted culture with its vivacious shades of pink & blue. Ida No’s transcendent vocals & Johnny Jewel’s beautiful musical objects rebooted the system. Across Beatbox, Ida No & Johnny Jewel conjure up unabashedly uplifting dance cuts, drenched in versicolor sweat that shimmers glamorously in the reflection of the aura of divine disco energy. - Glass Candy