Music albums, bands, musicians and songs featured and reviewed.
Classical Highlights for May 2025
3 June 2025 @ 12:00 am
This year being the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel's birth, we are seeing more recordings of his music, such as Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's excellent, new traversal of the solo piano works. Yet there are other noteworthy releases to hear too, including Prokofiev's string quartets by the Quatuor Danel (pictured); a blend of classical music and spirituals by harpist Ashley Jackson; and Beatrice Rana's return to the music of Bach with four keyboard concertos.
Artifacts and Oddities from the Jim Irsay Collection
27 May 2025 @ 12:00 am
We're certainly not a sports website, but the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay, had a passion for collecting guitars, artifacts, and objects of pop culture fascination. Irsay died on May 21, 2025, but left behind a collection of pretty incredible pieces of history. AllMusic looks at some notable items in the collection.
7 Artists to Soundtrack Your Brat Summer Revival
20 May 2025 @ 12:00 am
With the one-year anniversary of Brat just around the corner, many may be wondering: will 2025 see a brat summer? During her performances at Coachella, Charli xcx encouraged fans to keep the fire of Brat Summer burning and hinted at a revival with possible successors to the throne. Here are 7 artists to help you recreate or reminisce about Brat Summer in 2025.
Justin Hayward Discusses the Moody Blues' Biggest Hits and Recently Covering an '80s Pop Classic
12 May 2025 @ 12:00 am
Moody Blues' frontman Justin Hayward spoke to AllMusic just as the spring leg of his US tour was winding down and discussed his newest single, if he helped trailblaze prog rock, and the Moody Blues classic that became a US smash hit five years after its initial release.
Space Jams - The Funky, Futuristic, and Featherbrained Universe of Sci-Fi Dance Music
6 May 2025 @ 12:00 am
Inspired by Mon Mothma cutting loose on the dance floor in the recent Star Wars series Andor, we revisit Buck Rogers, Tron, and (ug) The Matrix Reloaded among others in our interstellar list of good (and so-bad-its-good) sci-fi funky performances and space jams.
Classical Highlights for April 2025
30 April 2025 @ 12:00 am
Solo virtuosity shone in the latest batch of new releases that we reviewed in April. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet delivers an exciting set of works by Khachaturian, while Jan Lisiecki combines Chopin's Preludes with those of other composers and violinist Liza Ferschtman (pictured) shines in Brahms' concerto.
New AllMusic Feature - Trending Artists
24 April 2025 @ 12:00 am
Announcing a new feature on AllMusic where we're highlighting musicians and bands that are making waves on streaming services and also trending on international music charts. Expect to find unexpected pop, hip-hop, metal, K-pop, jazz artists, and maybe music in new styles not even invented yet.
Before Nirvana: 11 Great Alternative Rock Albums from the Late 1980s
15 April 2025 @ 12:00 am
A lot of great music in the 1980s didn't sell, and many of the best artists reaped neither fortune nor fame. Author Daniel de Visé covers 11 great records from the pre-Nirvana years, 1987 to 1990, focusing on albums that represent an artist's best work.
Don't Give It Away: The Jason Isbell Advice Trilogy
9 April 2025 @ 12:00 am
Over the past two-plus decades of recordings, songwriter Jason Isbell has been crafting a trilogy of "Don't" songs, offering advice about parenting, facing your fears, and proper cookware maintenance. AllMusic offers an examination of these lessons through the years.
Momma Discusses Friendship, New Album, and the Complexities of Touring
2 April 2025 @ 12:00 am
Momma's 4th studio album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, is “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives,” detailing the ups and downs of love, friendship, and their summer 2022 tour. Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman spoke with AllMusic shortly before the release of Blue Sky, discussing the story and process behind the album, their upcoming tour, and current inspirations.
A few months ago, at the SmallSat Symposium, a panel issued a sobering warning to space startups: do not chase defence dollars at the expense of long-term sustainability. Why? Because companies, particularly in the space sector, might be tempted to follow the money rather than focus on producing valuable products and services with broader, longer-term applications. It’s of course true that any company should be wary of “leaning in” too closely to what seem like passing fads. But the warning overlooks an important reality: the shift towards defence investing is not a trend. It’s a transformation in space and space…
Qubits, entanglement, superposition, trapped ions, Schrödinger’s cat. These terms sound strange because the world of quantum mechanics — where things can exist in multiple states at once — is strange. Thankfully, a group of students from TU Delft are bringing these powerful sub-atomic phenomena to life at TNW Conference through an exhibition of abstract artworks. Their project, Emergence Delft, blends science and creativity into a mind-bending exploration of quantum reality. A centrepiece of the exhibition is Coexist — a mesmerising light installation that captures the elusive nature of quantum mechanics through colour, interaction, and design. At its heart, Coexist tackles…
Two years ago, German startup Proxima Fusion emerged from stealth with big ambitions to make a little-known stellarator fusion machine a serious contender in the race for commercial fusion energy. Today, the Munich-based company secured Europe’s largest-ever private investment in fusion power — a €130mn Series A funding round from big-name investors including Balderton Capital, Cherry Ventures, and Plural. Daniel Waterhouse, partner at Balderton Capital, said he now thinks Proxima has taken its place as the leading “European contender” in the global race to commercial fusion. Proxima was the first company to spin out from the Max Planck Institute of…
A spacecraft developed by European scientists and companies has captured unprecedented new views of the Sun’s south pole. Built by Airbus in the UK, Solar Orbiter was developed as part of a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. The probe launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2020. A number of European tech firms also contributed to the mission. One of them is Dublin-based Enbio, which developed a protective coating for the probe using crushed animal bones. It’s one of the more unusual materials ever flown into space…
This week on TNW Backstage, we’re heading into the fast lane — and straight into the climate debate. In the final episode of the podcast, we revisit a divisive bet on sustainable motorsport: Extreme E, the all-electric racing series. The events sent SUVs hurtling through some of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems. Supporters said they raised awareness about environmental issues, while detractors called it a classic case of greenwashing. At last year’s TNW Conference, we were guided through the twists and turns by Ali Russell, then the managing director of Extreme E. In his talk, Russell laid out his vision for…
A small town in Finland is about to ditch fossil fuels in its heating network thanks to a sand-filled energy storage tank the size of a house. Finnish startup Polar Night Energy recently turned on the so-called sand battery in the municipality of Pornainen, an hour north of Helsinki. The machine, which uses dirt to store excess renewable energy as heat, will warm the homes and businesses in the town of 5,000 people. It is expected to replace natural gas and oil in Pornainen’s district heating network entirely, slashing emissions by an estimated 70%. “This project is a powerful example…
Tinny music plays in a dimly lit basement as we watch a teenager pull football shirts off a nearby clothing rack and hold them up to the camera. He describes each item monotonously — the team, season, colour, and condition — before sticking on a numbered label and transferring them to another rack. Each item gets less than a minute in the limelight. Bid rates and prices are listed at the bottom of the screen with eager buyers swiping a yellow bar to bid, while exchanging questions, comments, and emojis in the live chat box. When a buyer wins a…This story continues at The Next Web
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said it is time to “push past” concerns that AI poses a threat to human jobs — contradicting the concerns of some of tech’s biggest players. Speaking at London Tech Week today, Starmer called for industry to embed AI throughout the UK economy, from healthcare to education. By taking on administrative tasks, Starmer argues that artificial intelligence tools can free up people to focus on the “human work.” For this reason, he said, “AI will make us more human.” Starmer’s assertion that AI is not here to replace humans, but to relieve them, is…
British fintech Wise said this week it would shift its primary listing from London to New York, joining a growing list of firms snubbing the London Stock Exchange. UK chip designer Arm opted for a New York IPO in 2023, while food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway quit the LSE for Amsterdam in November. Sweden’s Klarna has confirmed plans to go public in New York, following in the footsteps of fellow Stockholm-based tech darling Spotify, which listed on the NYSE in 2018. The draw? Bigger valuations, deeper capital, and more appetite for risk. “The US economy continues to perform far…
Two satellite heavyweights are about to form a European rival to Starlink. But they’ll face an uphill battle to compete with Elon Musk’s firm. Luxembourg-based SES’ proposed $3.1bn takeover of Intelsat is set to get the green light from EU officials, Reuters reports. A final verdict is expected by June 10. SES first announced plans to acquire Luxembourgish-American rival Intelsat in April 2024, calling it a “transformational merger” that could reshape the satellite internet market. The merged company would have a fleet of more than 100 geostationary and 26 medium Earth orbit satellites. Intelsat would contribute 75 of those probes,…
On Saturday morning, June 14, reporters were busy covering President Donald Trump's military/birthday parade in Washington, DC and the many No Kings Day protests opposing it when some shocking news came out of Minnesota: State Sens. John Hoffman and Melissa Hortman, both Democrats, had been shot in their homes.Gov. Tim Walz, at a press conference, told reporters, "This was an act of targeted political violence." According to Minnesota officials, a manhunt was underway for a suspect — who impersonated law enforcement and drove a vehicle that was made to look like a police car. The suspect, they said, had a "manifesto" in the vehicle and what looked like a hit list of people who were targeted for attack. Early that Saturday aft
At a No Kings Day protest in Philadelphia on Saturday, June 14, one of the many participants will be Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of the Interfaith Alliance and the liberal/progressive Christian group Faithful America.As many as 2000 No Kings Day protests are being held all over the United States to express opposition to President Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, DC, which, critics argue, isn't really a celebration of the military, but a promotion of Trump's authoritarian agenda and the MAGA movement.In an op-ed published on June 14, Graves-Fitzsimmons cites Christianity as a major reason for taking part in Philly's No Kings Day event — which MSNBC described as the day's "flagship" No Kings eve
Between President Donald Trump's military/birthday parade in Washington, D.C. and countless No Kings Day protests planned across the United States in opposition to it, many Americans greeted Saturday, June 14, 2025 with a lot of anxiety — and hoped that the day would be free of political violence. But early Saturday morning, the news broke that Minnesota State Sens. John Hoffman and Melissa Hortman, both Democrats, had been shot in their homes. Gov. Tim Walz and other Minnesota officials offered details about the attack during a press conference, with the governor confirming, "This was an act of targeted political violence."
This week, when border czar Tom Homan threatened to arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Trump goaded Homan on, telling reporters, “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great!” adding, “Gavin likes the publicity but I think it would be a great thing.” While Trump brays about having 
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include additional information. On Saturday morning, June 14, 2025 — before President Donald Trump's military/birthday parade in Washington, DC and nationwide protests expressing opposition to it got underway — some disturbing news broke in Minnesota. MSNBC reported that two state lawmakers had been shot in their homes: Minnesota State Sens. John Hoffman and Melissa Hortman, both members of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party. And Gov. Tim Walz, at a press conference, gave reporters details on the attack and the ongoing investigation.Walz confirmed to reporters, "This was an act of targeted po
During a press conference on Saturday morning, June 14, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials in his state gave reporters some details on the shootings of Minnesota State Sens. John Hoffman and Melissa Hortman, both members of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party.Walz confirmed to reporters, "This was an act of targeted political violence."The suspect, according to Minnesota officials, remains at large and is the target of an aggressive manhunt. READ MORE:
Saturday, June 14, 2025 is the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump, and it will bring conflicting messages on his second presidency.In Washington, DC, Trump is holding a military parade he is billing as a celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. But the U.S. president's critics — including the No Kings movement — believe that parade isn't really about honoring the military, but is designed to promote Trump politically. And the No Kings organizers are holding large anti-Trump demonstrators all over the United States, from Seattle to Baltimore to Atlanta to Chicago.In a sca
Democrats — along with many Never Trump conservatives — are rallying around Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) following a disturbing incident on Thursday, June 12 during a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Padilla was physically removed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed, although he was released and isn't facing any charges. Later, Padilla commented that if MAGA Republicans are willing to treat a U.S. senator that way, imagine how migrant farm laborers are being treated.In an op-ed published b
Although "Real Time" host Bill Maher is a scathing critic of President Donald Trump, he is also highly critical of the "woke" movement, political correctness and what he views as left-wing "purity tests." And Maher found some common ground with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) during an interview aired on Friday night, June 13.Maher defended the Pennsylvania senator against his critics on the left, telling him, "You have issues with depression, and it seemed like they were sort of weaponizing that to say that you had gone crazy. And I did smell kind of a rat here when they wrote that you were driving recklessly, and too much time on Twitter. And megalomania…. I don't think you're cra
I must admit, if Trump wasn't such a power-hungry demagogue, a danger to democracy, a sexual predator, racist, sociopath, pathological liar, bully, and impulsive and unstable megalomaniac, I might feel sorry for him.He has no real friends, just sycophants. All his relationships are transactions, including with his three wives and his children. When people are no longer useful to him—wives, lawyers, advisors, Cabinet members—he discards them.His current wife Melania is transactional, too. She married him for his money. She obviously doesn't love or respect him and she occasionally displays her disdain for him in public. She didn’t even campaign for him last year, except to make a few public appearances. Trump hardly ever laughs. He has an almost-constant angry scowl on his face. To Trump, the world is a dar