‘Well, what a surprise – a divine surprise! I have delighted in immersing myself in the world of Handel for more than forty years now. But I must admit that I experienced yet another lesson in strength and joy when I toured and recorded the Dettingen Te Deum and the Coronation Anthems’, says Hervé Niquet. As a lover of large orchestral formations, he has assembled a number of instrumentalists and singers close to the (gigantic) forces used at the premiere, with a large band of oboes, bassoons and trumpets, and assigned the solo arias to the entire ‘chapel’. Niquet speaks of ‘the glittering power of this ceremonial music concocted by a Handel conscious of placing the best of his genius at the service of the crown and of history’, and he in turn invests all his enthusiasm and expressiveness in these works combining ‘grace and strength’. Fans of Champions League football will recognise in Zadok the Priest the theme of that competition’s anthem! © Alpha Classics

Swedish power metallers Sabaton take their inspiration from military history, using depictions of key historical battles and campaigns to color their epic, keyboard-driven heavy metal. Their fifth album, The Art of War, is inspired in part by Sun Tzu's definitive strategic handbook, and the album's 13 tracks feature intermittent quotations from the manual. If that sounds like a flimsy concept for an album, it most assuredly is. Thankfully, though, The Art of War differs little from its predecessors in that it focuses not on the art of war but on concrete events. "Panzerkampf" is the album's clear highlight: a passionate account of the Soviet Army's defeat of Wehrmacht forces on Russian soil in 1943 that perfectly showcases singer Joakim Brodén's throaty Germanic brogue with the chorus "Into the motherland, the German army marched/Comrades stand side by side to stop the Nazi charge!" Despite the quasi-nationalistic fervor whipped up by "Panzerkampf," delayed opener "Ghost Division" looks at events from the German side, celebrating the seeming invincibility of the Seventh Panzer Division. It's not just thematically that the album feels a little disjointed, however; if "Panzerkampf" and "Ghost Division" represent power metal at its most epic, the likes of "Union" and "Cliffs of Gallipoli" are relatively banal by comparison, and for that reason The Art of War is less than a fully satisfying listen.© Dave Donnelly /TiVo

Ever since his HOT 97 10-minute freestyle rework of Rising Down highlight "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)" blew minds in December 2017, Roots’ MC Black Thought has spent a lot of time and energy reasserting his bona fides as a hyper-lyrical powerhouse. But while the skills-recognizing aspect to his revival provides more strong reminders than unexpected epiphanies, he's also been able to better embody the humanistic side of his art along the way. Glorious Game, his collaboration with veteran Brooklyn psychedelic-soul instrumentalists El Michels Affair, embodies this better than anything else to emerge in a strong run that also gave us his Streams of Thought series and his Danger Mouse collab Cheat Codes. You could throw a bit of credit for that to the atmosphere the Affair brings as a backing band: for a certain generation of hip-hop head, their collective ear for funk's stranger, blearier qualities that have been honed from years of RZA reconstructions and retro-cinematic takes on grainy soul-jazz can dredge up some remarkably powerful imagery just on its own. But it's where Black Thought takes these mood pieces, sinking just deep enough into them to absorb a vibe he turns around and commands into vivid life, that makes Glorious Game hit deep. Thought's focused intensity is always good for naturalistic internal rhymes and deeply interlocked referential allusions, but the nuances of his different levels of emotional impact have flourished into his secret weapon as an MC. And the nuanced tone of his more emotionally reflective material—the enduring search for Black joy on "I'm Still Somehow," the sense-memory evocations of a familiar yet often ambivalent nostalgia for a formative time and place on "The Weather," the fight between disillusionment and confidence in "I Would Never"—definitively separates him from your typical lyrics-first rapper. That pays off highest on the album's two most beatific moments: the title cut, where Thought's boasts sound more like self-actualizations than defense mechanisms, and the sobriety-reinvigorated affirmations of closer "Alter Ego," where he takes stock of all the existential questions that drove him to this point and answers them with a clarity that makes even his self-big-ups sound like humble truths. © Nate Patrin/Qobuz

With the aptly named Seven Psalms, Nick Cave sinks a little deeper into the fabric of spirituality and introspection. There’s no singing here, just the recital of seven psalms. Each one is less than two minutes long, soberly wrapped in the synthetic and ephemeral layers provided by his accomplice Warren Ellis before being lightly peppered with vocal harmonies. A completely instrumental version of this magnificent piece of music is also available…Nick Cave has always had a rather peculiar relationship with religion; even in his darkest, most self-destructive years. After losing two sons in less than ten years, it’s easy to see why a kind of withdrawal seems to be taking over his work. His sound is becoming less and less rock’n’roll and more and more contemplative. The Bad Seeds frontman has also obliterated the “classic” song structure, creating free forms that sometimes even forego a chorus. Seven Psalms addresses the divine and is an album full of existential questioning. It’s an EP intended for the more hardcore fans; the followers of this icon who seems to be metamorphosing into… a deity? © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Covering further ground than 2012's 30 Years of Bananarama and arguably more carefully curated than 2007's The Works, this expansive collection presents 40 tracks from the chart frequenting London act's four-decade career. Compiled by the original and remaining members, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, while Glorious: The Ultimate Collection includes some of the band's biggest hits from their '80s heyday -- "Really Saying Something," "Robert De Niro's Waiting," "Venus" -- it primarily shines a light on their less celebrated later material. Also featured are "Feel the Love" and "Supernova," two club-focused singles recorded in 2023.© James Wilkinson /TiVo

There's a reason why Weezer's third album consciously recalls the band's first, not just in its eponymous title, but in its stark cover, Ric Ocasek production, and tight pop songs. That's not because Weezer was trying to recapture its core audience, because, unbeknown to the band, it already had. Once its second album, Pinkerton, stiffed on the charts and was lambasted in the press (including an devastatingly unfair pan from Rolling Stone, who named it the worst album of 1996), the group dropped out of sight and leader Rivers Cuomo went into seclusion. Remarkably, the group's following, unlike so many of its peers -- from forgotten label-sponsored alt-rockers like Nada Surf to indie rockers as respected as Sebadoh -- never waned, it only strengthened, as fans slowly realized the brilliance of Pinkerton and how the debut only seemed better, catchier, funnier as the years passed. Weezer eventually realized this through the magic of the Internet (plus an uproarious Japanese tour), and hit the road in 2000, knocking out a new album at the end of the year, when the band realized that there were thousands of fans eager to hear a new record. The cynical out there might interpret this as crass commercialism -- "hey! they only made a record when they realized people were listening" -- but it's actually a reflection of one of Weezer's greatest strengths: Cuomo's shyness and awkwardness, neither of which he can disguise, no matter how he tries. He didn't want to record another album unless he knew somebody was listening, because he didn't know if there was a purpose otherwise. This is the quality that came shining through on Pinkerton (and is most likely the reason he disdains the album as too personal, no matter how great it is), and it's also apparent on this Weezer album (which will inevitably be known as The Green Album, much like how fans dubbed the debut The Blue Album, due to its cover background), even if he consciously shies away from the stark autobiography that made the previous album. Sure, there may be clues tucked away in any of these songs, but for the most part, this is simply a collection of punk-pop songs in the now-patented Weezer style. And that, quite frankly, is more than enough. This may be a very short album -- a mere 28:34, actually -- but that just makes it bracing, a reminder of how good, nay, great this band can be. Especially since this is a conscious return to the band's debut, this may seem like nothing special -- it's just punk-pop, delivered without much dynamic range but with a whole lot of hooks -- but nobody else does it this so well, no matter how many bands try. And, frankly, that's enough, because this band rocks tight and focused, with wonderful melodies and songs that have enough little details to give them personality, even when Rivers is avoiding personality. This is a combination of great performances and great songwriting, something that puts to shame both the mainstream rockers and underground wannabes of the early 2000s. That's Weezer's great strength -- they certainly are accessible, but they're so idiosyncratic within that realm, it's hard not to think of them as outsiders. The fact that this Weezer sounds as fresh as the first is as much a testament to the band's talents as the musical stagnation of the post-grunge, post-Brit-pop '90s, but three albums out, Weezer has yet to deliver a record that isn't immensely satisfying. Yeah, it's about 70 cents per minute, but you'd be a fool not to consider it just about the best value of any rock record released in 2001.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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After finding mainstream success with musical partner, producer Ryan Lewis, affable Seattle rapper Macklemore returned to his own material with Gemini, his first solo output since 2009's The Unplanned Mixtape EP. Without Lewis and his radio-friendly sound, the beats hit harder and that duo's signature throwback rap-pop style shares space with contemporary rap production trends. Arriving 12 years after his proper solo debut, Gemini also leaves much of The Language of My World's "conscious" rap heart in the past, with lyrical content less the product of a wide-eyed kid's hastily scrawled journal and more the deep thoughts and confessions of a grown man with plenty of life under his belt. When Macklemore gets serious, he's brutally honest about his demons, whether on the clever and endearing "Intentions," the intense makeup-breakup saga "Over It," or the thoughtful "Miracle," which shines a light onto his struggles with temptation and addiction. On the upbeat end of the spectrum, Gemini delivers a balanced mix of party tracks and trap bangers. The triumphant "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight" reunites the rapper with Foxy Shazam's Eric Nally from the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit "Downtown." Lead single "Glorious" stands tall with "Can't Hold Us" as one of the more inspirational and invigorating anthems of his career. Of the contemporary offerings, "Willy Wonka" is a highlight, a booming collaboration with Migos' Offset that casts the titular candy man as an icon and inspiration for success. Elsewhere, Lil Yachty guests on the vibrant "Marmalade," while "How to Play the Flute" capitalizes on the summer of 2017 flute sample trend and sounds like it could be a Gucci Mane track. "Ten Million" -- a Future/Migos-style trap banger -- is the only song on the album without a feature, yet it proves Macklemore is just as effective and entertaining without a foil. Which is indicative of the entire album. While some fans might prefer Macklemore with Lewis, Gemini is a reminder that before the multi-platinum singles, hit albums, and thrift shop threads, he could handle himself just fine.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

In 1979 Max Roach founded M'Boom, a group consisting of eight percussionists. Their debut recording (which has been reissued on this Columbia CD) is far from being a monotonous drum battle. In fact, through the utilization of a wide range of instruments that include chimes, timbales, marimba, vibes, xylophone, tympani, various bells and steel drums, there are quite a lot of melodies to be heard during these nine performances (which are all group originals other than Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy"). This is a particularly colorful set that is easily recommended not only to jazz and percussion fans but to followers of World music.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

The Solem Quartet is no stranger to the classical and contemporary music world. As winners of the Jerwood Arts Live Work Fund 2020, they are one of the UK's most significant artistic voices. In addition, the ensemble stands out for its musical diversity and openness due to its involvement in innovative projects as well as collaborations with artists from different genres. Now the four musicians from England release their long-awaited debut album, The Four Quarters on Orchid Classics: a musical, transcendent journey influenced by composers from the Baroque period to the present. Despite such a diverse selection of compositions, one piece stands out as spanning the entire album: Thomas Ades' masterpiece The Four Quarters. The four movements meander through the enormous range of recordings and appear between arrangements by Henry Purcell, Florence Price, Béla Bartók and Robert Schumann. Ades' composition is based on the cycle of the day as a central metaphor - a ramble from the early hours of the morning to the depths of the night. The juxtaposition of time and space, earth and sky is also reflected in the music. In the first movement, 'Nightfalls', the violins sound fine overtones in regular patterns, the viola and cello play the deep harmony far below and thus remain grounded. Another highlight of the album is certainly the interpretation of Aaron Parker's 'easqelä'. It is the fourth movement of the five-part work 'Tuoretu', which was composed specifically for the Solem Quartet. The name was invented freely and refers to the eternal expanses of eastern England as well as the fading colours of the sunset, which, just like the sounds, merge boundlessly into one another. The melancholic, haunting viola solo, underpinned by the dim fifth and fourth parallels of the other strings, reinforces the ever-present transcendence and once again draws out the fundamental elements of the album: closeness to nature, dreamscapes and timelessness. And even though it is the penultimate track on the record, the end of the musical dream journey is far from in sight...With The Four Quarters, the Solem Quartet releases a unique and highly inspiring album that sets its own timeless anchor between contemporary art and traditional sounds. © Lena Germann/Qobuz

PJ Harvey began the 2010s with Let England Shake, a strikingly prescient masterpiece that touched on thorny issues -- nationalism, war, the complex relationship one can have with one's homeland -- that only grew more fraught and more relevant as the years passed. In its finished, Mercury Prize-winning form, the album draws on all of Harvey's experience as it breaks new artistic ground: Dry's folk-inspired narratives, Rid of Me's intensity, the globe-trotting tales of Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, and the unearthly terror of Is This Desire? and White Chalk can all be heard in its sweep. Let England Shake: The Demos offers a parallel universe version of the album that throws its extremes of beauty and ugliness, compassion and cruelty, into sharp relief. Arguably, it's a scarier listen; the demo of "The Glorious Land" sounds even more like a twisted version of the kind of patriotic songs children learn in school, and "On Battleship Hill" affords more space for Harvey's keening soprano to evoke decades of lingering pain. As is often the case on her demo albums, her voice is the main attraction on Let England Shake: The Demos. Her crone-like wail on "England" speaks to an anguished love that's greater and more painful than any romance chronicled on her previous records. It's a mood she interprets in a more contemporary way on an almost fully formed version of "The Last Living Rose" that makes for one of the best songs on either version of Let England Shake. Harvey's use of samples as a metatext also stands out more plainly on her initial recordings for the album, underscoring the connections these songs have to the world around them. The loop of the Four Lads' "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" that underpins the title track provides an ironic nod to changing cultural mores and adds a jarring contrast to her creaky voice, a technique she repeats on "The Words That Maketh Murder" by juxtaposing Eddie Cochran's jaunty "Summertime Blues" with grisly battlefield imagery. Elsewhere, Let England Shake: The Demos makes it easier to admire the arcs of the album's songs. The verses of "All and Everyone" march forward relentlessly, hitting home the almost journalistic detail of Harvey's lyrics, while its weightless choruses seem to stop time altogether. Similarly, the loping melody of the stripped-down "The Colour of the Earth" captures how remembering trauma can make the years vanish. In its own way, Let England Shake: The Demos is as haunting as the finished version of the album. It's notable that Harvey used more or less the same process to sketch out her ideas for these songs as she did for Dry nearly 20 years prior -- and more notable still that the demos for her later work are just as surprising and rewarding for fans. © Heather Phares /TiVo