REVIEWS

Matt Jones returns to make the case for Portishead’s Third, the darker, stranger and more adventurous album hiding in the enormous shadow of Dummy.

Annette Geneva unpacks Phoebe Bridgers’ Stranger in the Alps, Ryan Adams, complicated fandom, and the songs that keep emotional receipts long after the people attached to them have changed.

Five albums Pinky Beecroft can't live without.

Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks is a funny, painfully familiar coming-of-age story about music obsession, youthful entitlement and the awkward gap between who we are and who we think we’re becoming.

From teenage Killing Heidi firebrand to award-winning songwriter and Americana troubadour, Ella Hooper has spent more than 25 years making her mark on Australian music. For her Forever Five, she takes us back to the records that helped make her.

Matt Jones returns with Jonesing For This One to revisit Chris Whitley’s Living with the Law, an overlooked 1991 gem of blues, folk and rock.

Rebecca Gisborne returns to the Spider-Verse with Brand New Day, finding plenty to enjoy in Tom Holland’s more mature Peter Parker, an expanded Marvel cast and a franchise that may have rediscovered its spark.

Everybody knows 'Laid'. Far fewer know Laid. We go beyond James’ immortal title track to discover the strange, intimate Brian Eno-produced album hiding behind the hit.

Prince obsessive Ben Preece dives deep into Timeless, tracing every song back through five decades of Prince history, from 1977 to his final tour in 2016.

Annette Geneva heads to Suffragette Records in Hobart for a star-lit first listen to Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend, an intimate, strange and quietly devastating return.

Budjerah’s debut album Gentleman is a classy, carefully considered blend of contemporary R&B, gospel and ’90s foundations, carried by a marvellous voice and plenty of style. Bernard Zuel asks whether the individuality can now catch up with the polish.

Bachelor Girl’s Tania Doko reveals the five albums she can’t live without, spanning Donny Hathaway’s soul, John Farnham’s warmth, Robyn’s emotional pop, Chris Stapleton’s country grit and Sam Fender’s urgency.