On Halloween night 2022, Duran Duran donned a variety of horror movie-esque costumes and performed a very special concert in Las Vegas. The setlist highlighted a selection of their spookiest songs—"Hungry Like the Wolf," "Union of the Snake" and "Shadows on Your Side"—and a bevy of darker covers. From that night sprang the hair-raising studio album Danse Macabre, a delightfully frightful celebration of the band's influences and history encompassing cover songs, choice remakes, and three originals.Most notably, Danse Macabre includes contributions from former guitarists Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo as well as long-time collaborator Nile Rodgers. One of the album's highlights, the slick disco-funk throwback "Black Moonlight," even features guitar from both Taylor and Rodgers; the collision of their individual styles crackles like dynamite. Taylor also contributes majestic guitar to two other remakes of Duran originals: a doom-laden update of 1981's "Nightboat" and a gorgeous, languid version of the beloved "Union of the Snake" b-side "Secret Oktober." The latter, now called "Secret Oktober 31st," weaves ominous sound effects (an uneasy music box, creepy chimes) into the song's signature haunting vocals and gouging bass; the end result sounds like something beamed straight out of a cobweb-covered haunted mansion. Cuccurullo, meanwhile, adds Big Thing-esque guitar stabs on the title track and soul-funk riffing on "Love Voudou," the latter a slinky, string-augmented remake of 1993's "Love Voodoo." Covers-wise, Danse Macabre also sounds inspired, led by a propulsive take on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ gothic howl "Spellbound" (also a highlight of the Vegas concert), a pulsating rendition of Cerrone's electro-disco explosion "Supernature," and a groovy version of Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" featuring Måneskin bassist Victoria De Angelis. However, Danse Macabre's best cover is an adventurous interpretation of Billie Eilish's "Bury a Friend." Bolstered by darkwave synth swerves, eerie background vocals and an arrangement that amplifies the broken-marionette vibe of Eilish's original, the song is playful and macabre in equal measures. The only tune that doesn't quite work is an uneven take on the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" that feels tossed-off and unrehearsed. Make no mistake, however: Danse Macabre isn't a sequel to Duran Duran's (unfairly maligned) 1995 covers album Thank You, but a compelling collection with its own singular appeal. Just listen to the album-closing original "Confession in the Afterlife," a wistful ballad shrouded by emotional ghosts that's deeply affecting. Spine-chilling veneer aside, Danse Macabre is no tricks—and all treats. © Annie Zaleski/Qobuz

While bringing the characters from DC Comics to life, director Todd Philips uses Joker to confront real-world problems - particularly how neglected, bullied individuals are treated in Western societies. The Joker (played by Joaquin Phoenix) suffers from mental illness and lives with his mother in a squalid apartment. After being abandoned by Gotham City Social Services he gradually turns into a psychotic killer, murdering three men who represent the elite and becoming a hero for a handful of rejected and forgotten citizens. In a highly stylised yet nevertheless realistic context, the Joker’s intrusion into the world of superheroes is reflected in the film’s soundtrack. The music is characterised by striking contrasts, with feel-good retro songs on the one hand and extremely dark non-diegetic music on the other. Composed by the Icelandic cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker’s soundtrack revolves around threatening percussion and layers of deep, throbbing strings (contrasting against the higher-pitched ones in Charlie Chaplin’s song Smile). Occasionally, a choir appears in the soundtrack, acting as a common link between the two atmospheres. Some of the highlights of the soundtrack include Defeated Clown and Following Sophie, two tracks which are wrapped around a persistent drum pattern. Other gems include the heartbreaking Subway, the staccato strings in Penny Taken to the Hospital and the moving, triumphant climax Call Me Joker. A unique and passionate soundtrack by a woman who some consider to be the successor to the late Johann Johannsson. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

It’s often overlooked, but Korn’s 1994 self-titled album didn’t just hail the invention of their own signature style. With this release, the band completely levelled an uncultivated field and constructed a highway on which every nu metal band has been racing down at full speed ever since. Follow the Leader (1998) is prophetic in its title: In the last thirty years, bands within this genre have been dropping one by one, like flies. That is, everyone except the aforementioned "Leader".After dabbling in a bit of electro and integrating a bunch of studio tweaks into their mix, this album sees Korn go back to basics and produce a sound that’s more reminiscent of their second opus, Life is Peachy (1996). Wooden instruments, haunting vocals, and some background form effects that never take precedence over substance. Less stifling than their first album which focussed on the pain of living, Requiem presents a collection of outrageously stereotypical tracks, dark in their subject matter (of course) but sometimes very bright in their reproduction. The result is a record that feel much lighter than usual. You can listen to it tirelessly; you might even find yourself unable to resist humming along. Plus, you won’t need a box of Xanax to hand either. Hope to Sorrow, Start the Healing, and Let the Dark do the Rest are definitely not tributes to the joy of living (even Love is all could barely be classed as such), but the band feels undeniably calmer. They’ve even confessed that Requiem marks the beginning of a new chapter for them.It’s hard to imagine Korn turning into a pop band who sings about partying with girls and drinking on Saturday night. But it does seem that, here in 2022, Jonathan Davis (vocals) seems to have his demons under control—he may have even partially tamed some of them. That’s the impression you get from Requiem. Is it a linchpin of the band’s discography? Maybe not. But Korn have undeniably released a good album with this one. And let’s be honest, a good album is all that’s needed to make what little competition is left look bad. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz

From the fanfare of the opening crawl to the abrupt cutaway zing of the closing credits, John Williams' soundtrack to The Force Awakens does not disappoint. Williams has always been an integral part of the Star Wars experience, as familiar as the movies themselves, comforting and nostalgic. The fan anticipation and legacy baggage that came with the seventh film in this iconic series was overwhelming, being the first new film since 2005's Revenge of the Sith and the direct sequel to 1983's Return of the Jedi, yet the results are not crushed by outlandish pressure. For The Force Awakens, Williams began work in late 2014, before recording began in Los Angeles in June 2015 (the first time a Star Wars film score was not recorded at Abbey Road). He enlisted a freelance orchestra and, with the help of William Ross and Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, produced a 23-track journey connecting the past and the future of the Star Wars universe. Here, Williams combines the old and the new with expert subtlety, creating a lush experience that rewards repeat listens. Those familiar with his work on other big-budget sagas (Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones) will instantly recognize the blaring horns that propel the action, the stirring strings that intensify the tension, and the bombast that contribute to the excitement as much as the scenes portrayed on the screen. Fans young and old will recognize the famous themes from the original trilogy that are alluded to throughout the album: the Star Wars theme pops up in "The Rathtars!" and a glimmer of Luke Skywalker's "The Force Theme" can be heard during "Maz's Counsel." As the nostalgic centerpiece to the film, Han and Leia's touching romantic melody makes a return (one of Solo's other big loves gets a nod on "The Falcon"). Although Williams created new themes for villain Kylo Ren and for the new good guy group, the Resistance, one theme stands out as the best since The Phantom Menace's iconic "Duel of the Fates." The theme for Star Wars' new female protagonist, Rey is first introduced on "The Scavenger" before receiving the full treatment on "Rey's Theme" and being whisked off in grand fashion during "Farewell and the Trip." Mysterious and touching, it starts with a playful flute melody and celeste chimes before swelling with confident strings and full orchestration. Less heavy-handed than the rest of the score, this theme is the most memorable of the bunch, a perfect combination of strength and delicacy. As the saga continues (Disney scheduled a new Star Wars film each year until 2020), Williams proves himself an indelible part of the Star Wars universe.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Download not available

Thanks to the youthful but tantalising grunge of the self-released EP Take Control in 2019, the Mysterines, initially coalesced around singer/guitarist Lia Metcalfe, George Favager (bass) and Chrissy Moore (drums), had caught the ear of BBC Introducing's talent scouts, who placed them on their radio airwaves and promptly invited them to play their Reading and Leeds festival springboard stage. This huge exposure opened the door to support acts such as Royal Blood and The Amazons, and created enough anticipation for their first full-length album. Released on the Fiction label, Reeling, a 43-minute rock explosion, allows the Liverpudlians to come out of the woodwork. Not without pain. After a year of ups and downs, a change of drummer and an extra guitarist, the quartet had to lock themselves up for three weeks in Assault & Battery studios, between two London confinements, to record under the watchful eye of producer and sound engineer Catherine Marks (Foals, Wolf Alice, The Killers). And all this was sometimes done in one take.It was a difficult gestation period that ended up being beneficial, according to drummer Paul Crilly: "We couldn't go out without forgetting the album, or spending time with other people. It was a real relief to hand it over once we'd done our bit." This tension captured within four walls creates the raw material and guides the tracklisting. At the climax of this pressure, this rock on the grill, opens Life's A Bitch (But I Like It So Much) and then Hung Up, with their fat riffs and saturations. The pressure eases but remains legible on the more country Old Friend / Die Hard and the guitar ballad Still Call You Home. They end insidiously on the dark and creepy Nick Cave-like slowness of Confession Song with its gothic piano. "When I first listened to the test pressing, I could feel all those moments in the studio again," says Crilly. Boosted by Lia's voice, like a destructive high priestess of rock, the aptly named Reeling unfolds an unbridled rock nuance, from garage captured on the fly to more delicately laid-back pop melodies. Amazing and rather mature for a band barely out of their teens. Qobuzissime! © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

Nyro peaked early, and Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, just her second album, remains her best. It's not only because it contains the original versions of no less than three songs that were big hits for other artists: "Sweet Blindness" (covered by the 5th Dimension), "Stoned Soul Picnic" (also covered by the 5th Dimension), and "Eli's Comin'" (done by Three Dog Night). It's not even just because those three songs are so outstanding. It's because the album as a whole is so outstanding, with its invigorating blend of blue-eyed soul, New York pop, and early confessional singer/songwriting. Nyro sang of love, inscrutably enigmatic romantic daredevils, getting drunk, lonely women, and sensual desire with an infectious joie de vivre. The arrangements superbly complemented the material with lively brass, wailing counterpoint backup vocals, and Nyro's own ebullient piano.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

Download not available

There is poignant irony in the fact that Enigma's Michael Cretu chose painter Wolfgang Beltracchi, the world's most famous art forger, to illustrate The Fall of a Rebel Angel, his first album in eight years. Enigma has been, since its 1990 debut album MCMXC A.D., a lush, carefully strategized, and orchestrated melange of electronic and cinematic styles (from crossover classical and new age to ambient and rock), with expansive textures, samples, and beats. He too is a copyist, and it works on a commercial level: He's sold over 70 million records. The Fall of a Rebel Angel is a concept album about the evolution, redemption, and transformation of an unspecified protagonist. It's a conscious attempt to recapture the spirit and aesthetic of MCMXC A.D. in what Cretu says is "a new musical language." Each track contains a part of the narrative journey (adapted from an epic poem by Michael Kunze), and is represented in the booklet by an accompanying print of an original Beltracchi painting. The set's first single, "Sadeness (Part II)," is a sequel to MCMXC A.D.'s global smash of the same name. It features one of three vocal performances by France-based Indonesian pop singer Anggun. The intro is excerpted from Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and introduces dubby loops, tablas, a classical choir, Gregorian chant (of course), and ritual singing by members of Taiwan's Ami Tribe. Anggun's breathy, seductive spoken word is answered by her remarkable singing voice. Her performance on "Mother" is a whispered hush, with overtly Oedipal overtones. On "Oxygen Red," she and Cretu head straight for the club floor. Her vocal is chopped, spindled through a vocoder and sped up with Auto-Tune, but framed by an anthemic chorus and majestic dubstep breaks -- it works. Cretu also collaborates with vocalist Nanuk on opener "Circle Eight" that offers new age drones and wordless voices layered atop a spacy drift that spookily recalls Vangelis' Blade Runner score. Brazilian singer/songwriter Mark Josher adds his proto-Bahia soul to the "The Die Is Cast," which is the set's best track. The closer "Amen" features electro pop duo Aquilo over pillowy layers of smeared chants, syrupy beats, and chorus vocals. A slow 4/4 tom-tom rumble builds the track up as swirling ambient soundtrack-esque effects send it, and the album, into emptiness. The Fall of a Rebel Angel may signify a new direction for Cretu, but given that the roots of all of these productions lie in a record 25 years old, there's only so much he can do. That said, given his tremendous commercial success and catalog, it's not like Enigma's legions of fans -- who've been patiently waiting for eight long years -- will care. It delivers what's expected: nocturnal, atmospheric, seductive -- and yes, nostalgic -- pleasure. © Thom Jurek /TiVo

Roaring back after the grief and bloodletting of 2019's The Nothing, metal veterans Korn add yet another highlight to their late-era renaissance with their 14th set, Requiem. The intense, focused assault is as simple and no-frills as can be, a slim nine tracks of introspection, growth, and, shockingly, a faint sense of optimism. Recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, the band found themselves with no deadlines, no label pressure, and plenty of time to simply record as a full unit (even though founding bassist Fieldy was on hiatus for personal reasons, his basslines are still here). With that space, they tapped into something that's a rarity on a Korn album: setting sights on hope and healing. Let's be clear, though, Jonathan Davis and company haven't delivered a happy pop album. Rather, they're trying to see the light and keep the darkness at bay, taking a self-aware approach to a batch of songs that crushes just as heavily as anything Korn have done in the past. On the explosive opener, "Forgotten," Davis takes a hard look at his life, making difficult realizations as he demands, "Don't feel bad for me/Don't feel sad for me" while Munky and Head charge forth with a buzzing twin riff attack and Ray Luzier crushes his kit. That urgency and vigor surges through the entire album, elevating classic stompers like the cathartic earworm "Start the Healing," the agonized metallic lurcher "Hopeless and Beaten," and "Penance to Sorrow," a towering hurricane of emotional turmoil and Untouchables-esque melody that implodes as Davis shreds his throat with repeated cries of "Go/I will never be free." At this stage in their story, the group could cruise on autopilot, yet they still make rewarding artistic leaps on Requiem. Standout track "Let the Dark Do the Rest" clatters to life like any signature Korn number, that is until the layered vocal harmonies pop up during the chorus. Then, at the bridge, the sky suddenly opens with expansive guitar feedback, and Davis sings in a major key, "I just want to see what the future holds." It's a lovely surprise and as close to angelic as Korn could get (even if Davis closes the track with a guttural "You make me sick!"). Another highlight, "Worst Is On Its Way," ends the album, balancing whatever positivity Davis has mustered with a fatalistic pessimism that tragedy inevitably comes just when life starts to feel nice. There's nothing really remarkable going on here, at least until Davis drops in with a ferocious scatting break that comes out of nowhere. The hit of serotonin for longtime fans is an absolute joy. Against the odds, Korn have done it again with Requiem, a quick and potent blast that finds the band still hungry and innovative nearly 30 years into the game. [The deluxe Requiem Mass includes five tracks recorded live at the band's 2022 release show at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. In the moment, without studio polish or editing, the slight vocal imperfections, live instrumentation, and choral backing make for an intimate and engaging experience that further bolsters the parent album's messages of healing and growth, however messy and vulnerable.]© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Youssou N’Dour is nothing new to music history. His long and sparkling career has touched Senegalese souls since the start of the 80s and western ears since the mid-90s. The "Nightingale of Dakar" is today recognized as one of the most beautiful African voices. At a time where urban West African music is influencing productions worldwide, Youssou cements his role as an intergenerational inspiration, revisiting his past and that of his predecessors as well as welcoming young artists with promising futures. History begins with a homage to his touring companion Habib Faye, Super Etoile’s historical bassist who recently passed away. The first number holds his name and the fourth, Ay Conno, his style. It consists of a revisiting of some of his old songs like Salimata and Birima, a cover suggested to him by Seinabo Sey, a young and powerful singer of Gambian origin, born and living in Sweden. This association would never have formed without his greatest success, 7 seconds, sung with Neneh Cherry, a fellow Swedish resident.Mohombi (Hello), whose prominence was boosted by associations with Akon, Nelly and Pitbull is another Swedish native certainly loyal to the Senegalese artist. Another remarkable collaboration with contemporary music is Tell Me composed by Mike Banger, producer for the New-Orleans rapper, Lil Wayne. This youthful entourage that constitutes his admirers, should surely guarantee the enthusiasm and curiosity of the younger generations. But the most emotional aspect of this album is that it awakens the memory of a pioneer of African who transmitted his culture to the western world. Takuta and My Child are songs, that were until now unrealized, of Nigerian vocalist and percussionist Babatunde Olatunji, who played a predominant role in the conveyance of African culture to the United States in the 60s. Shortly before his death in 2003, Olatunji entrusted his recordings to his nephew who had the bright idea of passing them on to the Senegalese star. It is a successful mix. The virtual duo are more reason to focus on such an important part of musical history. © Benjamin Minimum/Qobuz

By 1976, Uriah Heep was on shaky ground. Although they had scored a big success with Return to Fantasy, the group was suffering from personality conflicts (vocalist David Byron left after this album) and division over their musical direction. This tension is visibly apparent on High and Mighty, an album that shows flashes of the group's old firepower, but is ultimately sunk by a combination of unfocused experimentation and uneven songwriting. It starts promisingly with a solid first side: "One Way or Another" is a surging, dramatic hard rocker that features Ken Hensley trading verses with bassist John Wetton, and "Misty Eyes" is an engaging up-tempo tune that trades the group's hard rock thunder for a sound built on some tasty acoustic guitar riffs. It also contains one of the group's finest songs in "Midnight," a meditation on the price of success that neatly balances Mick Box's soaring guitar leads with an array of lush keyboard textures from Ken Hensley. This song is also notable for the dramatic, heart-wrenching vocal it is given by David Byron. However, High and Mighty fails to maintain this standard of quality on its second side. Several of the songs find the band flirting with pop elements in a way that doesn't complement their hard rocking style: "Can't Stop Singing" starts curiously with "Monty Python"-style mock tribal chants before devolving into a silly keyboard pop tune, and the hard rock energy of "Woman of the World" is sunk by the ridiculously bouncy beat and English music hall-style piano it is saddled with. The second side also sports a surprisingly lame and derivative rocker in "Make a Little Love," a throwaway that sounds like an uninspired attempt to duplicate the sound of Bad Company. All in all, High and Mighty is far too uneven to win Uriah Heep any new fans, but it contains enough solid rockers to make it worth a listen for the group's devoted ones.© Donald A. Guarisco /TiVo