Post Malone’s new blockbuster arrives a year and a half after the sales-shattering Beerbongs & Bentley, carried by the huge hit Rockstar. The formula is pretty much the same here: a skilful mix of 21st century trap (the kind that was concocted in the dark corners of Atlanta and Chicago before it invaded pop) and melodic alternative rock which draws in festival-goers from all around the world. In short, we find stadium rap with unstoppable riffs and crushing beats, which stretches out wide and sweeps along everything in its path. Post Malone has become one of the biggest popstars of his time, largely because he’s an outstanding performer on his own (even if his famous rapper friends are all present here - from Future to Swae Lee to Young Thug). Each of the songs on Hollywood’s Bleeding are hit-worthy, particularly thanks to the melodic prowess of this Syracuse-born rapper, who was bottle-fed on country and heavy metal, swallowing and spitting out decades of American popular music. Post Malone is supernatural on On the Road, yet challenged by two of the liveliest rappers on the scene, Meek Mill and Lil Baby. He has some fun with 80’s pop-rock weirdness on Allergic. He puts Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott in the same studio to see what happens (Take What You Want). He reveals yet another rap club hit with Wow. All with an unbelievable amount of phlegm and cheek. © Damien Besançon/Qobuz

In a little more than a decade, Vampire Weekend has taken it slow. After the eponymous Vampire Weekend (2008), Contra (2010) and Modern Vampires of the City (2013), Ezra Koenig’s band took a six-year break punctuated by the departure of the very influential Rostam Batmanglij who released an excellent solo record Half-Light in 2017. Their last album to date, Modern Vampires of the City, was a distinctive evolution in the works of the New York combo. The Talking Heads influence had been abandoned for a more refined and polished pop sound, found as much in the melodies and harmonies as in its style.Koenig, now the main creative force left in the group, has left New York and relocated to LA. Father of the Bride confirms his artistic ambition. His central style remains inherently pop, but each of the 18 songs in the album offer a different outlook. There is a bit of everything in this copious record; The Beatles, Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Paul Simon, Wilco, Grateful Dead and hundreds of other influences can be noted. The collaborators on the album are equally diverse: the pedal steel and impressionist guitars of Greg Leisz, the voice of Danielle Haim of HAIM, the guitar of Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors, Steve Lacy of the Internet and even Rostam enters the fold on two titles. While listening to the record, one might ask themselves if Ezra Koenig has made a White Album (the most eclectic album by the Beatles) all by himself… © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Two years after Grateful Deadication, his initial journey into the music of the Grateful Dead, saxophonist Dave McMurray digs even deeper. Once again, he's supported by his killer Detroit band -- bassist Ibrahim Jones, guitarist Wayne Gerard, keyboardist Maurice O'Neal, and drummer Jeff Canady -- with longtime friends and colleagues in percussionist Larry Fratangelo and keyboardist Luis Resto. The nine-song set also features a star-studded guest list.Opener "Playing in the Band" is performed by McMurray's quintet, along with Fratangelo and Resto. They get funky almost immediately thanks to Canady's syncopated breaks before a gritty tenor delivers the melody, and they play the hell out of the vamp and handle the middle eight with elegance. Framed by a lilting B-3, upright bass, and drum kit, McMurray's solo weds post-bop to contemporary soul jazz. The last two minutes offer skittering organs, punchy guitars, and drums, with McMurray soaring up top. The minimal blues guitar intro on "China Cat Sunflower" echoes Jerry Garcia's original, with McMurray employing tenor and a lilting flute. While the GD opted for exploratory psychedelia, McMurray delivers danceable jazz-funk adorned with a killer tenor solo and exceptional modal piano from O'Neal. "Bird Song" is introduced by a flute before sparse, rumbling kick drums, poetic guitar, and guest Don Was' upright bass open the gate to jazz. The band is economical, as a two-chord piano vamp frames McMurray's tenor working the lyric vamp before paving the way for solos, including a beauty from Gerard. Criminally under-recorded country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson sings highlight "To Lay Me Down." A short, rippling piano intro, reedy tenor, and sparse percussion that offers a subtle nod to Pharoah Sanders, before Larry Campbell's fingerpicked acoustic guitar introduces the singer. Convicted and tender, he has never appeared with such vulnerability before. Was' upright, Gerard's electric, and guest Greg Leisz's pedal steel wrap the resonant singer as McMurray frames him in modal soloing. The funky read of "Truckin'" quotes from Booker T. & the MG's' "Green Onions" with Resto's organ the star component. Bob James lends his piano to both "The Other One" and "If I Had the World to Give." The former offers a three-minute post-bop intro with striking interplay between pianist and saxophonist. When the jamming begins, rock and funk inform Jones' smoking bass line, and Gerard's careening guitar and O'Neal's keyboard stack. "Scarlet Begonias," sung by Oteil Burbridge, employs a danceable, NOLA second line groove. The band gels behind the singer, propelling the tune into winding jazz-funk with overdubbed tenor saxes adding color and texture, illustrated by Canady's taut breaks. Closer "Crazy Fingers" is delivered by the quintet with a languid, melodic intro before shape-shifting into rocksteady reggae and transforming again into a rock anthem with transcendent soloing from McMurray. Grateful Deadication 2 easily equals the quality of its predecessor. Taken together, they create one of the more spirited, musically adventurous jazz-funk portraits of the Grateful Dead's music.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

The Diamond Collection is a nine-track compilation from rapper Post Malone. The record features all eight of his diamond-certified singles, from his very first, "White Iverson," through "Congratulations," "Rockstar," and pop smashes "Sunflower" and "Circles." It also features his 2023 single "Chemical" from that year's Austin.© Liam Martin /TiVo

The Deadheads are back. Among the many documentaries and events that go with each anniversary, the cult band have reissued one of their best works: Aoxomoxoa. Released on 20th June 1969, two months before Woodstock, the palindrome includes two of the jam-masters’ classics: St. Stephen and China Cat Sunflower. There’s Rosemary too, a dazzling ballad arranged by Jerry Garcia. Less experimental than Anthem Of Sun, the Grateful Dead’s third record features Tom Constanten on piano and Mickey Hart on drums. In addition to the 16 re-recorded tracks from 1969 and 1971, this Deluxe Edition boasts a live performance from January 1969 recorded at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

In a little more than a decade, Vampire Weekend has taken it slow. After the eponymous Vampire Weekend (2008), Contra (2010) and Modern Vampires of the City (2013), Ezra Koenig’s band took a six-year break punctuated by the departure of the very influential Rostam Batmanglij who released an excellent solo record Half-Light in 2017. Their last album to date, Modern Vampires of the City, was a distinctive evolution in the works of the New York combo. The Talking Heads influence had been abandoned for a more refined and polished pop sound, found as much in the melodies and harmonies as in its style.Koenig, now the main creative force left in the group, has left New York and relocated to LA. Father of the Bride confirms his artistic ambition. His central style remains inherently pop, but each of the 18 songs in the album offer a different outlook. There is a bit of everything in this copious record; The Beatles, Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Paul Simon, Wilco, Grateful Dead and hundreds of other influences can be noted. The collaborators on the album are equally diverse: the pedal steel and impressionist guitars of Greg Leisz, the voice of Danielle Haim of HAIM, the guitar of Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors, Steve Lacy of the Internet and even Rostam enters the fold on two titles. While listening to the record, one might ask themselves if Ezra Koenig has made a White Album (the most eclectic album by the Beatles) all by himself… © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Releasing an all-covers record usually signals the need for a placeholder in a musical career running short on inspiration or songwriting or both. But in this case, taking the old "necessity is the mother of invention" adage to heart, rising star Molly Tuttle taught herself Pro Tools while sheltering at home in Nashville because of the pandemic and began recording a selection of her favorite songs. She sent these voice and guitar demos to Los Angeles producer Tony Berg who enlisted a crew of SoCal musicians to add their parts to the digital file. The greatest danger when albums are built from virtual contributions is that the sonics can be iffy at best. Happily, Berg has taken care to make sure the finished album is well-balanced and retains the appealing atmosphere and rough-hewn intimacy of Tuttle's demos. Equally adept at playing, singing and writing songs, Tuttle's rare musical gifts inoculate this project against the indulgence that often wrecks hermetic "in my room" projects. A prodigy on stringed instruments from the bluegrass universe—she's the first woman and a two-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year Award—she tackles the Rolling Stones early on, turning a version of "She's a Rainbow," into a fast flatpicking showcase. Capable of the tight vibrato necessary for bluegrass, her voice is also versatile enough to sing both the lead and harmony parts in a version of FKA Twigs' "Mirrored Heart." Another vocal highlight is her impossibly high-pitched Karen O impression on the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, "Zero" While she didn't write the songs, Tuttle shows incredibly good taste in her choices. Not surprisingly, the tunes Tuttle grew up with come off best. A hard-charging, though still acoustic cover of Rancid's "Olympia, WA"—perhaps the album's most successful reimagining—is a fun surprise. On the other hand, it makes cosmic sense that a Grateful Dead tune, "Standing on the Moon,"—covered by a girl from Northern California—should come off as the album's least persuasive take-off. Saving her best for last, Tuttle's heartfelt vocal on Cat Stevens' magnificent, "How Can I Tell You," a song that reminds her of a beloved pet, is a passionate creation. Another axiom also applies here: use your time wisely. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

On Amorica, the Black Crowes finally come into their own, taking their cue from the most relaxed, groove-oriented tracks on their previous album. While the album contains no immediately obvious singles, the songs are the best the band has ever written, stretching out into a hard, jam-oriented, funky blues-rock. The Black Crowes' influences are still discernible -- no band celebrates the glory days of rock culture quite as enthusiastically -- but they use the music of the Stones, the Faces, and Little Feat much the same way the Stones used the music of Chuck Berry: it's a starting point that leads the band into a new direction, incorporating different musical genres, and making the music original. That sense of reinterpretation is what keeps Amorica fresh.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

There's more to the Beach Boys than Pet Sounds! Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 (Super Deluxe) proves it, with a monster close-up on a period which is very dear to fans but less so to the general public. And this is a box set of 133 tracks boasting over 6 and a half hours of music! In 1970, the Beach Boys' star had dipped somewhat. After the 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds, rightly considered one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, the Californians had been busy but they had not managed to create a whole album of the quality they were after. So we find some beautiful passages on Smiley Smile (1967), Wild Honey (1967), Friends (1968) and 20/20 (1969), but there was a lack of consistency. With clashing egos, internal dissension and growing competition on the planet of pop and rock, the new decade promised to be full of uncertainties. Especially given the growing psychological chaos in the head of the brains of the whole outfit, Brian Wilson. To top it all off, the Beach Boys left their old Capitol label and had wound up at Reprise. Their spell there was kicked off by Sunflower, which is revered by many aficionados. This 16th studio album already has the merit of being a truly collective work. With This Whole World, Brian Wilson created a magnificent multi-layered theme; the same goes for the marvellous Cool, Cool Water. Dennis Wilson wrote four songs (including the brilliant Forever), and with At My Window Al Jardine composed a touching miniature.Once again, the Beach Boys had made an Eden of vocal harmonies, bright ideas and melodies of great finesse. While the public was increasingly going in for high decibel counts and walls of amplifiers, the Beach Boys went against the grain, going deeper into what they knew best. Released a year later, the album Surf's Up is a step down but includes some great stuff like the opening Don't Go Near the Water (prescient given that Dennis Wilson would drown 12 years later), the enchanting 'Til I Die, another Brian Wilson masterpiece, as well as the title track, Surf's Up, co-written with Van Dyke Parks. In the end, Feel Flows - The Sunflower & Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971 is the perfect way to immerse yourself, body and soul, in the output of these three fruitful years. In this impressive Super Deluxe version, the original albums have been completely remastered and over 100 new tracks have been added. Live performances, radio commercials, alternative takes, alternative mixes and even a cappella versions. It's all there, and it makes it clear that between 1969 and 1971, the Beach Boys still had something left to say. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Over the course of their career, Low's glacially beautiful music has gradually melted into something much more accessible and intimate. The thaw culminates on Things We Lost in the Fire; despite its brooding title, it's the group's loveliest, most approachable collection of songs yet. Voluptuous strings, softly fuzzy guitars, and propulsive percussion suffuse songs like the sweetly melancholy opener "Sunflower" and the slo-mo pop of "Dinosaur Act" and "July" with a warmth and direction that Low's best work has always hinted at. Even the album's darkest moments, such as the tense, implosive "Whitetail," have more emotional urgency, heightened by Alan and Mimi's close, brooding harmonies. Yet Mimi's airy solo on the spare, undulating "Laser Beam" is equally spine tingling. Things We Lost in the Fire also features more of Low's understated stylistic experiments: The slightly jazzy harmonies and tempo of "Medicine Magazines" add a bit of swing to the group's usually steady rhythms, while "Kind of Girl" delves into earthy yet ethereal chamber folk. Breathtakingly gorgeous moments, such as "Like a Forest"'s pealing strings and poignant melody, and "Whore"'s build from delicate harmonies into a gently triumphant swell of guitars, vocals, and sparkling percussion reaffirm that Low have perfected and refined their sound. The finale, "In Metal," evolves from a melancholy ballad into one of the group's sunniest, most kinetic songs, mirroring the overall transformation of their music. A perfect match for its late-winter release date, Things We Lost in the Fire's slowly rising warmth and subtly hopeful tone not only make this Low's most cohesive, compelling collection, but one of 2001's best albums.© Heather Phares /TiVo