Chal Ravens

Five Guardian critics set themselves the task of exploring artists they have historically disliked or avoided: Joni Mitchell, Kendrick Lamar, Diamanda Galás, Neil Young and Radiohead. Repeated listening and guidance from committed fans lead to substantial conversions for Mitchell and Lamar, while Galás proves compelling through her experimental intensity. Neil Young’s expansive catalogue remains more like homework than a passion, though several tracks stand out, and Radiohead earns respect for its influence and selected songs without prompting a full conversion. The feature argues that deliberate listening can challenge algorithm-driven habits of avoiding unfamiliar discographies.

Mustard’s fourth album draws on childhood memories, melancholy, family, faith and a large cast of guest vocalists, but the review finds too few of the inventive club-rap tracks that established his reputation. Familiar devices such as chipmunk vocals, voicemail effects and gospel harmonies often overwhelm his sparse 808-and-clap production. The album is strongest when he exercises restraint, particularly on Quavo’s “One of Them Ones” and the Vince Staples and Schoolboy Q collaboration “Pressured Up.”

Lil Yachty and James Blake’s collaboration is viewed as logical in principle given their shared willingness to reinvent themselves, but Bad Cameo is judged to feel unfinished and awkwardly assembled. The review praises the vocal experimentation on “Missing Man” and “Transport Me” and the near-gospel atmosphere of “Red Carpet”, while criticizing the muddy production, weak writing on “Save the Savior” and the overblown “Midnight”. Its attempt to channel Frank Ocean’s Blonde is considered ambitious but unsuccessful.

A group of Guardian writers recommends songs and musical works that could broaden primary school education beyond conventional pop. Their selections span rock’n’roll, rap, classical, minimalism, jazz, metal, country and experimental pop, illustrating lessons about creativity, imagination, history, emotion, improvisation, poverty, migration and gentrification. The recommendations also function as a critique of the UK’s underfunded arts education system and a call for schools and politicians, particularly Keir Starmer and Labour, to treat music as central to children’s development rather than an optional luxury.

Vince Clarke’s debut solo album, recorded at home during lockdown on a modular synthesizer, channels Covid-era anxiety through wordless minimalist instrumentals. The record moves between monumental electronic drones and paranoid kosmische textures, with Reed Hays’s cello and Caroline Joy’s soprano adding dramatic weight. Its largely continuous sense of dread is briefly given an emotional and historical focus by “Blackleg,” a dark adaptation of a 19th-century Northumberland miners’ song.

Eight Guardian writers debate Madonna’s strongest album, covering her releases from the self-titled 1983 debut through Confessions on a Dance Floor. The pieces praise the debut’s charisma and influence, Like a Virgin’s provocative New York club roots, True Blue’s emotional and vocal maturity, Erotica’s darker treatment of sex, grief and AIDS, Ray of Light’s spiritual and electronic reinvention, Music’s innovative production, American Life’s conflicted critique of fame and the American Dream, and Confessions’ triumphant return to dance-pop. Ray of Light, Music and Confessions emerge as the leading contenders, while Confessions is described as Madonna’s last great record by one writer.

A Guardian team recommends 30 bands and solo artists whose live performances are especially memorable and worth seeing before they retire, disband or become unavailable. The list spans stadium pop, punk, metal, rap, R&B, experimental music, techno and singer-songwriter performances, emphasizing theatrical production, musicianship, intimacy, improvisation and emotional connection. Featured acts include Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Iron Maiden, Rosalía, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Underground Resistance and Sleater-Kinney.

Thomas Bangalter discusses Mythologies, his first major release since Daft Punk ended in 2021: an orchestral ballet score inspired by ancient Greek myths and choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj. Written largely with pen and paper during lockdown, the project allowed Bangalter to step away from electronic production, multitasking and constant technological interaction. He reflects on Daft Punk’s shift from machine imagery toward human expression, the influence of his family’s dance background, the collaborative demands of live orchestral performance, and the duo’s enduring impact on genre boundaries. He also warns that technology and algorithms increasingly shape artistic and social life, arguing for greater human control over them.

Karin Dreijer discusses Fever Ray’s third album, Radical Romantics, which explores love, vulnerability, ageing and the patience learned during the pandemic. Drawing on bell hooks, Dreijer describes love as an action constrained by capitalism and reflects on therapy, personal boundaries and the temptation of unhealthy desires. The album represents a shift from the urgency and sexual liberation of Plunge toward a quieter “peaceful sadness,” while retaining Dreijer’s queer, feminist and socialist concerns. They also discuss parenthood, Sweden’s gender and childcare expectations, the country’s new coalition backed by the Sweden Democrats, and the continuing political possibilities of music. Olof Dreijer describes a renewed interest in accessible, emotionally energizing songwriting, while collaborators including Nídia, Vessel, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross expand the album’s electronic and experimental palette.

John Cale discusses his new album Mercy, written during the Covid-19 pandemic and shaped by mourning, loss and his dismay at a gun-ridden and increasingly ugly world. The interview traces his career from avant-garde experiments with La Monte Young and Tony Conrad through the Velvet Underground, collaborations with Nico, influential production work and later engagement with hip-hop and digital music. Cale describes Mercy as more resigned and direct than his earlier work, while collaborators including Weyes Blood emphasize his continued curiosity, conceptual approach and refusal to become nostalgic.

The article identifies five emerging music styles likely to gain attention in 2023: Nigerian cruise music, Jersey drill, post-hyperpop, TikTokCore and the loosely defined Afro Jams movement. It describes cruise as a fast, chaotic Lagos sound spreading through clubs and Nigerian TikTok; Jersey drill as a high-energy fusion of Newark club music and New York drill; and post-hyperpop as a deliberately raw, lo-fi reaction to polished hyperpop. TikTokCore reflects the platform’s growing influence on songwriting and viral music, while Afro Jams encompasses increasingly global fusions emerging from across Africa. The broader conclusion is that new genres still develop actively, but through fluid online communities and cross-cultural exchange rather than rigid scenes or traditional genre categories.

Rosalía’s penultimate London show on her 52-date Motomami tour is presented as an inventive, high-energy arena spectacle combining Latin pop, reggaeton, dembow, bachata, flamenco tradition, avant-garde production and TikTok-era visual language. A set of more than 30 songs uses micro-scooters, live-feed phone cameras, dramatic costume moments and audience participation to create an unusually intimate yet expansive performance. The show highlights her powerful, highly trained voice and her ability to transform Spanish folk influences into globally accessible pop, reinforcing her status as an original avant-pop superstar operating in her own artistic lane.