Apparently following the maxim “why make it simple when you could make it complicated”, Tool have built their album around a very elaborate calculation. Criticised by some for repeating themselves, the group mathematically prove the opposite in this confusing Lateralus. Alive 800 years ago, it was thanks to the mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci that you read that as ‘800’ and not ‘DCCC’ (he used Hindu-Arabic numerals instead of Roman numerals). He also defined the sequence that bears his name and that Tool have used for their third album. The principle is quite straightforward: except for the first two numbers, each number is found by adding up the two preceding numbers.Beyond being a mathematical breakthrough, this sequence (which is closely linked to the golden ratio) is found all over the universe, from snail shells to galaxies, as well as cyclones, pineapples and even ratios used in technical analysis of the financial market... Tool’s intelligent band members applied their passion for Fibonacci to their compositions, under the guidance of drummer Danny Carey. But you don’t have to be a genius to appreciate Tool’s enchanting music. Regardless of their unique technical complexity, each of the thirteen (a Magic Number!) solid yet nuanced tracks carry you away like waves. And each time you listen, you are swept further away from the shore and everything you thought you knew. © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz

You’ll never be left waiting too long between two King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard releases. And you'll be all the better for it. Celebrating a ten-year career just last year, with a total of 24 albums under their belt, the wizards are consolidating their status as one of the most prolific groups in history. Their breakneck pace, including five releases in 2017 and 2022 alone, does not give pause to their creativity, as they take their sound to the extreme fringes of rick, from psyche to boogie via garage. Certainly, they remain far behind other compulsive geniuses or mad scientists with ultra-eclectic and avant-garde tastes, such as Buckethead (more than 290) and Frank Zappa (more than 60), but PetroDragonic Apocalypse manages to touch those ineffable musical domains inhabited by them. If we strip the extended title down to its bare essentials, it is the dark side of two opposing styles, like yin and yang, which will soon be completed by the brightness of their 25th album (which is almost ready to be released). The singles Dragon and Gila Monster preceded it; the quintet’s three metalheads, guitarists Stu McKenzie and Joey Walker, and drummer, Michael Cavanagh, fully embrace their teenage love for trash, doom, and heavy metal, clearly evident in the single, Infest The Rats' Nest (2019). They recorded this single together and it is clearly influenced by Black Sabbath, Slayer, Overkill, Sodom, Motörhead and even Kreator. Here, the Australians line up tracks which last for over nine minutes, and completely let loose with creepy and hollow vocals, incisive heavy riffs, and urgent and motorik rhythms that place the drums centre-stage. They also take us to the depths of Hell with their apocalyptic sci-fi mythology, in which witches and dragons collide."We worked on this album in the same way we started Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava last year," Stu explains. We wrote one song a day and came to rehearsals without any riffs or melodies and no initial ideas of what we were looking to achieve. In essence, we were starting from scratch. We jammed, we recorded everything and then put together the songs from there. I sketched out the story the songs were going to tell, and broke it down into seven tracks, with a short paragraph about what would happen in each song. In a way, I think we did the album backwards. The writing of the lyrics then continues collectively and ends up combining into a whole which, as always in subtext, serves the same purpose: to raise awareness about the critical state of our planet. The most trash metal record of their large and eclectic discography, the excellent PetroDragonic Apocalypse will whip fans up into a frenzy. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

Given that his parents are of American and Lebanese heritage and he's spent significant parts of his life in England and Italy, Mika could be seen as a citizen of the world. However, it's not surprising that France holds a special place in his heart. It's where he spent his earliest years, where he began writing songs and learned to play the piano, and where his albums consistently place in the Top Ten of the charts. That France has been so important to his life and career makes it somewhat remarkable that Mika waited until his sixth album to release a record of songs sung entirely in French, but Que ta tête fleurisse toujours is a loving tribute to his roots in more ways than one. He named the album for a phrase his mother often said to him while growing up ("may your head always bloom"). Though she passed in 2021, the music she inspired is more uplifting than mournful, with the tenderness of "30 Secondes" and "Passager" coming through clearly even to listeners who don't speak a word of French. He complements these pensive moments with pulsing ones like "C'est la Vie" and "Touche Touche," where the pounding pianos and synths, disco rhythms, and falsetto vocals are unmistakably Mika. He rounds out the album with some skillful homages to classic French pop, such the string-laden daydream of "Moi, Andy et Paris" and the stylishly bittersweet "Jane Birkin," a much more restrained celebrity homage than his breakthrough single "Grace Kelly." By Mika's usual standards, Que ta tête fleurisse toujours may be understated, but its delicate ballads and feather-light pop make it a patisserie-worthy confection.© Heather Phares /TiVo

Greg Gonzalez's androgynous voice. Ethereal guitars that blur at the edges. Weightless rhythms. Sensual melodies. In all, Cigarettes After Sex wear their name well... Somewhere between dream pop and shoegaze, the Texan group is an invitation to nonchalance, an apologia for giving up. If you took the vocals off this album, you'd wind up with easily the most erotic counterfeit soundtrack available today. Like a slow bubbling, like a delicious, languorous draught of a fine musical vintage. The spirit of Angelo Badalamenti, David Lynch's official composer, isn't far away... Cigarette? © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

After belatedly celebrating three decades in the game with 2022's 30 Something, Orbital released their tenth studio album, Optical Delusion, in 2023. The duo emerged as pioneers of rave culture back in the late '80s, and they've always produced dance music with a social conscience as well as a concern for the environment. They released a silent track in reaction to the anti-rave Criminal Justice Bill in 1994, and they recorded 1996's "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" using a mobile solar power generator belonging to Greenpeace. 2018's Monsters Exist commented on the corruption of the planet's political leaders without naming names, and urged listeners to consider the state of the world and embrace progress. The visuals during the album's live tour drove home these points, yet the shows were clearly meant as raves and not political rallies, and the new material fit perfectly alongside updated versions of the duo's classics. Optical Delusion is Orbital's post-pandemic album, and it conveys the panic of witnessing the world fall apart while also remaining thankful to be alive and involved with the dance music scene. Most of the album's tracks feature guest vocalists, giving Orbital's concerns more of a voice than ever. On the effervescent dance-pop tune "Are You Alive," Penelope Isles' Lily Wolter defiantly resists being screwed over by capitalism, then clears the way as the splashy synths and elevated beats take over during the track's second half. Jason Williamson, the bloke from Sleaford Mods, directly blames the masses who keep voting crooked politicians into office over the rumbling punk bassline and pounding kicks of "Dirty Rat." Mediæval Bæbes appear on "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)," reminding listeners that an innocent nursery rhyme has a longstanding association with the Black Death. Dina Ipavic's near-operatic vocals soar along with the sublime glide of "Day One," while Anna B Savage provides a more introspective narrative over the shuffling house rhythms of "Home." The two instrumental tracks are highlights, with "The New Abnormal" being an exuberant breakbeat-driven crowd-worker, while "Requiem for the Pre Apocalypse" is a chest-rattling drum'n'bass number that gradually reveals a brilliant light shining through the oppressive darkness. The nightmarish "What a Surprise" dices sinister voices into trap beats, and "Moon Princess" warns of computers that "try to make rational decisions." Even at their most dystopian, Orbital never lose their excitement for exploring new sounds, and Optical Delusion doesn't get bogged down in cynicism or nostalgia.© Paul Simpson /TiVo

Though some may still consider them Radiohead mimics, obviously Muse continues to strike a nerve with their alternative hard rock audience, here releasing their third album of heavy guitars, haunted harmonics, and paranoid musings in Absolution. Frontman Matt Bellamy and company stick to the same disturbed, and sometimes disturbing, formula that's worked in the past: the emotional intensity and style of Radiohead, a rock thunder descended from Black Sabbath, and the baroque drama of Queen. Longtime producer John Leckie sits this one out, and in steps indie über-engineer Rich Costey. With Costey manning the desk, the music feels more polished and slick, but less epic and raw. Longtime fans won't miss a beat though, because Bellamy delivers the same Thom Yorke vocal impersonation for which he's known, and continues the same anthemic posturing he's lifted from Freddie Mercury. With song titles and subject matter fueled by fear of the apocalypse and worries about infidelities and random murders, the subject matter is as gloriously pretentious and lovably unlovable as ever. Newcomers to the band should expect killer guitars reminiscent of jackhammers and chainsaws, bloodcurdling choruses, and of course, tender passages of falsetto. A recurring motif of racing samplers suggests nothing less than a rock opera version of the score to Koyaanisqatsi, and then there are the occasional spooky moments where funky rhythms mingle with heavy metal guitars, suggesting a progressive Italian zombie flick soundtrack. There's little point in selecting highlights, because other than some slow moments that feel tacked on, there's not much variation in theme or mood. Many listeners will probably prefer to tackle the album in small doses, and only the most headstrong won't require a breather. Muse continues to make unrelenting hardcore art rock; Absolution is a tad cheesy, a bit too grandiose in its ambitions, bursting at the seams with too many ideas, and thus exactly what any Muse fan craves.© Tim DiGravina /TiVo

There's a better than decent chance that, no matter where you are, Perth, Australia is pretty far away, a fact that pretty much makes Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker an isolated pop genius' isolated pop genius. Working mostly by himself, Parker mines this solitude with brilliant results on Tame Impala's sophomore effort, Lonerism. Diving headfirst into the realm of pop music, the way Parker uses keyboards to explore more traditional melodies makes the album feel like the McCartney to Innerspeaker's Lennon, blending the familiar with the far out to craft a Revolver-esque psych-pop experience. This shift from the guitar-heavy sound of the debut to a more synthed-out approach gives the album a more expansive feeling, allowing Parker to explore new textures through layer after layer of melody. As with Innerspeaker, sonic architect Dave Fridmann handles the mixing, and though he wasn't involved in the recording process, Lonerism definitely shares the producer's knack for using the space as an instrument in and of itself. This layering of not just sounds, but environments, creates a serene and lonely patchwork of sound, texture, and atmosphere that's a pleasure to explore, offering something different with every journey into its swirling haze of classic pop melody and modern, more experimental, construction. Most importantly, the partnership allows Fridmann to help shape Tame Impala's wild, starry-eyed ambition into something enveloping and accessible, a trick he's performed for the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev again and again. This combination gives Lonerism the best of both worlds, allowing it the creative freedom to emerge as one of the most impressive albums of the home-recording era while still feeling superbly refined.© Gregory Heaney /TiVo

After belatedly celebrating three decades in the game with 2022's 30 Something, Orbital released their tenth studio album, Optical Delusion, in 2023. The duo emerged as pioneers of rave culture back in the late '80s, and they've always produced dance music with a social conscience as well as a concern for the environment. They released a silent track in reaction to the anti-rave Criminal Justice Bill in 1994, and they recorded 1996's "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" using a mobile solar power generator belonging to Greenpeace. 2018's Monsters Exist commented on the corruption of the planet's political leaders without naming names, and urged listeners to consider the state of the world and embrace progress. The visuals during the album's live tour drove home these points, yet the shows were clearly meant as raves and not political rallies, and the new material fit perfectly alongside updated versions of the duo's classics. Optical Delusion is Orbital's post-pandemic album, and it conveys the panic of witnessing the world fall apart while also remaining thankful to be alive and involved with the dance music scene. Most of the album's tracks feature guest vocalists, giving Orbital's concerns more of a voice than ever. On the effervescent dance-pop tune "Are You Alive," Penelope Isles' Lily Wolter defiantly resists being screwed over by capitalism, then clears the way as the splashy synths and elevated beats take over during the track's second half. Jason Williamson, the bloke from Sleaford Mods, directly blames the masses who keep voting crooked politicians into office over the rumbling punk bassline and pounding kicks of "Dirty Rat." Mediæval Bæbes appear on "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)," reminding listeners that an innocent nursery rhyme has a longstanding association with the Black Death. Dina Ipavic's near-operatic vocals soar along with the sublime glide of "Day One," while Anna B Savage provides a more introspective narrative over the shuffling house rhythms of "Home." The two instrumental tracks are highlights, with "The New Abnormal" being an exuberant breakbeat-driven crowd-worker, while "Requiem for the Pre Apocalypse" is a chest-rattling drum'n'bass number that gradually reveals a brilliant light shining through the oppressive darkness. The nightmarish "What a Surprise" dices sinister voices into trap beats, and "Moon Princess" warns of computers that "try to make rational decisions." Even at their most dystopian, Orbital never lose their excitement for exploring new sounds, and Optical Delusion doesn't get bogged down in cynicism or nostalgia.© Paul Simpson /TiVo

On 2016's Delirium, Italian goth metal outfit Lacuna Coil hit a peak in their catalog with that album's psych-ward sideshow flourish and some of the catchiest songwriting in their careers. With their follow-up, Black Anima, they shed the theatrics and face the sobering reality that plagues us on a deeper, human level, revealing a harder-edged but equally grand version of themselves that mines vulnerability for maximum effect. In Italian, "anima" means soul, and the band bare theirs fully by processing personal growth, coming to grips with hardened adult perspectives, and struggling with real-life problems like loss and self-doubt. As an emotional journey, Black Anima processes rage and sadness while desperately clinging to tiny shards of optimism that eventually win in the end. On standout single "Layers of Time," twin vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro deliver a typically blockbuster performance. As Ferro's bellows tear through the band's ferocious attack, Scabbia swoops in with her gorgeous, soaring vocals, singing "Our road is paved with pain/the past we can't rewind" before reminding herself to "keep walking/we'll find the way." That balance of fatalism and optimism (and their ever-masterful vocals) elevates much of the album, providing catharsis through both the visceral and the spiritual. Fans of their mid-era work will welcome this back-to-basics approach, as fancy effects are restrained in favor of no-frills riffs, soul-stirring grooves, and pounding drums courtesy of bassist/producer Marco Coti-Zelati, guitarist Diego Cavallotti, and newly recruited drummer Richard Meiz. The album explodes to life with "Sword of Anger," maintaining its heightened state with highlights such as the dangerously seductive "Reckless," the punishing "Now or Never," and the hard-charging torrent "Under the Surface." On the penultimate track, "Save Me," Scabbia is nearly hopeless, disappointed by how life turned out but desperate for the strength to keep going, delivering an unflinching spoken-word confessional that is honest, real, and extremely vulnerable. When the force of the full band returns, they push that final sliver of hope with "Black Anima (Epilogue)," resolving to let go of past trauma, surrender control, and seek to rebuild a life from the broken pieces. Relatable in its emotional simplicity, Black Anima cuts to the core of human emotion and provides a welcome maturation for the band.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

The third studio long-player from the shape-shifting Las Vegas-based post-hardcore/pop-punk/glam metal unit, the Epitaph-issued Just Like You finds the band doubling down on the metalcore aspect of its sound, as well as parting ways with bass player Ron Ficarro and bringing in Escape the Fate bassist Max Green to fill the vacancy. Heavier and more screamo-oriented than 2013's rap and hip-hop-influenced Fashionably Late, the 12-track set was preceded by the singles "God, If You Are Above...," "Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter)," "Stay Away," and "Sexy Drug."© James Christopher Monger /TiVo