Will Hermes
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Ibibio Sound Machine is an Anglo-African band from London, and they've teamed up with Hot Chip to create the album Electricity. Together, they balance African funk with British electronica.
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Neneh Cherry started her music a career in a punk rock band, then she started rapping. Her new album, Broken Politics is a philosophical meditation on staying strong in trying times.
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British soul singer Sam Smith's debut LP, In The Lonely Hour, showcased his remarkable voice. It was one of the best-selling records of 2014, won four Grammys, and drew comparisons to Adele. His second collection is titled The Thrill Of It All. Music critic Will Hermes says each track on the record is elevated by Smith's voice into something magnificent, that feels vintage, and at the same time, brand new.
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The duo, which sounds like Tom Petty after some Red Bull-and-vodkas, hones the scream to an art. -
Van Etten's new album, Tramp, is titled after the touring artist's time of essential homelessness. It's full of unresolved restlessness, infinite-loop longing and expansive vocals. -
The Brazilian artist's new album, Sem Nostalgia, is a tribute to the spirit of the traditional bossa nova movement in Brazil. -
The San Francisco band's latest is called Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but the reverence it displays is more musical than spiritual. -
Carll's new album gets its name from the military slang for abandoning a mission. But on KMAG YOYO and Other American Stories, the Houston country rocker sounds as committed as ever.
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Superchunk's new album, Majesty Shredding, fits the textbook definition of indie-rock: the pomp and spectacle of marketplace rock 'n' roll turned inside out to show the seams, revealing the men and women behind the curtain who aren't much different from the rest of us.
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Lady Gaga's rebellious personality, outrageous fashion sense and outsize way with a chorus have earned her a huge and diverse fan base. Last week, she played three sold-out hometown shows at New York's Madison Square Garden. Critic Will Hermes recently took his niece to one of the concerts.
