The Ithacan

After the success of their previous album, “As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide,” in 2017, and after signing to Canadian indie label Arts & Crafts last year, Vancouver-based indie rockers Said the Whale are back with their sixth LP, “Cascadia.” Though Canadian magazines like “Exclaim!” and “Canadian Beats Media” have claimed this record to be one of the most anticipated albums of 2019, it fails to meet its high expectations, with bland vocals, confusing lyrics and cringey instrumentals.

It’s easy to listen to Jessica Pratt and forget the world around you.

In December 2017, Twitter user @weezerafrica posted a tweet tagging Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Grammy Award–winning rock band Weezer, with a simple request: “it’s about time you bless the rains down in africa.” Months later, the group finally did bless the rains by releasing a cover of Toto’s “Africa” in summer 2018, with the same tweet on the digital cover, and to much success.

English rockers Bring Me The Horizon initially came into the music scene as a death metal band, but almost 12 years after the release of their debut LP, “Count Your Blessings,” they are far from their heavier beginnings.

From the iconic ‘90s boy band that brought audiences timeless songs like “I Want it That Way” and “Everybody,” comes a new album called “DNA.” The Backstreet Boys has resurfaced into the mainstream music scene once again.

Apocalyptic but wistful, unsettling but eerily calm, Deerhunter’s eighth album “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” is a subtle but striking work of art.

In 2016, an undergraduate student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University played a demo for Pharrell Williams, who was teaching a master class at the time.

In her latest album, “The Pains of Growing,” Alessia Cara shares her thoughts on the personal burdens that arise with her newfound independence.

The truth is, and always has been, that the coarse, chaotic rhymes of this Florida-born rapper are an acquired taste.

Tillman desperately wants it to work but when his pompous attitude shines too bright in his tracks, the glare burns listeners’ eyes.

The album fills the void left by the disappearance of classic rock, a hole in the musical landscape that only the giants of the genre can repair.

Spektor’s method of manipulating the dynamics and moods of her songs, gives them a playful feel and demonstrates her technical musical prowess.