The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
Overt politicizing isn’t the only thing that’s new here. Gone, for the most part, is the frosty electronic base of their past. Shaking is far thornier and more organic, full of industrial blurts, stormy drum and noise passages (ala Olof’s work as Oni Ayhun) and extended drone sequences. Fans seeking another “Marble House” are offered only two throwbacks: the gorgeous vocal hook that emerges from the frothy murk of “Raging Lung” and the rippling electronic pulse of “Ready To Lose.” Instead, across its expansive breadth, one hears echoes of Amon Duul’s epic krautrock jams, the fried-brain electronics of Einstürzende Neubauten, and the urban tribalism of Gang Gang Dance. Read the full review on Resident Advisor

Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Written on the road and recorded across America in upstate New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, the follow-up to 2011′s Smoke Ring for My Halo turns the Philadelphia songwriter into a seasoned explorer, conjuring up the rugged frontier magic that Young, Browne, Fleetwood, and Petty sharpened in the ’70s. This album’s alive and far removed from the claustrophobic confines of his last outing, whose dreary black and white cover offered a succinct portrait of that album’s introverted personality. Read the full review on Consequence of Sound

James Blake – Overgrown
Blake’s real argument for the continued relevance of his dewy, electronic gospel-folk comes via his second LP, Overgrown. At a few points on the record, he seems to be demonstrating to the wub fetishists that he’s also capable of sonic mayhem. Whether they’re meant as representations of conflicted emotions or simply designed to get crowds moving, the codas to “Digital Lion” and “Voyeur” are as bass-first and funky as anything Blake’s done to date. The last minute of “Lion”, which credits Brian Eno as collaborator, prominently showcases Blake’s gospel fixation, his wordless vocals present to acknowledge the powerful groove. Read the full review on Pitchfork