Reviews
Opinionated and informative criticism of all the music that counts
Previous Album of the Week
Our favourite LP of the moment
Album of the Week
Maggot Brain: SickElixir by Blawan
Jamie Roberts’ meticulously sculpted, brain-detonating sonic constructions provide a peek into an unsettling vision of the future, finds Jon Buckland
Previous Reissue of the Week
Genuine treasures unearthed
Reissue of the Week
Reissue of the Week – The Blue Album by K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas
Mary Chiney celebrates the timely reissues of a highlife album for the ages; no mere postcard from the past but an essential atmosphere once more accessible to all
Reissue of the Week
Posthumous LP of the Week: Cardiacs’ LSD
Begun in 2007 and finished towards the end of last year by a dedicated group of late frontman Tim Smith's closest comrades, Cardiacs' LSD is a triumph of creativity and friendship over adversity, and a testament to the enduring uniqueness of Smith’s artistic vision, says Sean Kitching
Reissue of the Week
Posthumous LP of the Week: Cardiacs’ LSD
Begun in 2007 and finished towards the end of last year by a dedicated group of late frontman Tim Smith's closest comrades, Cardiacs' LSD is a triumph of creativity and friendship over adversity, and a testament to the enduring uniqueness of Smith’s artistic vision, says Sean Kitching
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Subscribe NowMetal
A fearless trawl through the realms of extreme and experimental metal
Metal
Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal for July Reviewed by Kez Whelan
Kez Whelan delivers his latest guide to the best in heavy music, featuring killer new records from Deadguy, Psudoku, Sodom and many more
Metal
Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal for May Reviewed by Kez Whelan
In his latest guide to the best in metal, Kez Whelan celebrates a return to form from Deafhaven, a career-highlight from Conan, the nebulous world of heavy metal supergroups, and reviews a host of essential new releases
Metal
Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal for March Reviewed by Kez Whelan
Having failed to secure tickets for the big Black Sabbath farewell this summer, Kez Whelan wonders whether missing out might be for the best. He also reviews the latest from Intensive Care x The Body, The Overmold, Abduction and many more
Metal
Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal for March Reviewed by Kez Whelan
Having failed to secure tickets for the big Black Sabbath farewell this summer, Kez Whelan wonders whether missing out might be for the best. He also reviews the latest from Intensive Care x The Body, The Overmold, Abduction and many more
Psych Rock
A guide to the far-out sounds of psych and noise rock
Psych Rock
Columnfortably Numb: Psych Rock for August by JR Moores
JR Moores addresses the painful rise of AI psych rock before getting his lugholes around some manmade releases
Punk
The best of punk and hardcore (and oi, and crust, and squat grind)
Punk
Straight Hedge! Noel Gardner Reviews Punk & HC For June
From Montreal to Warsaw via Tblisi, Cleveland and Dublin, Noel Gardner's guide to the best in punk and HC returns
Rum Music
Casting the net for undefineable sounds
Rum Music
Rum Music for September Reviewed by Jennifer Lucy Allan
Jennifer Lucy Allan returns with another batch of rum music, reviewing an essential new compilation of Amy Sheffer, posthumous releases from Mika Vainio (as Ø) and Amelia Cuni, the return of Surface Of The Earth, the first recording of legendary Ugandan vocalist John Katokye, and much more
Rum Music
Rum Music for August Reviewed by Jennifer Lucy Allan
From cross-century kantele duets to roaring cellos, bagpipe drones and an essential artefact from the 1980s Hungarian underground, Jennifer Lucy Allan returns with your latest Rum Music roundup
Rum Music
Rum Music for September Reviewed by Jennifer Lucy Allan
Jennifer Lucy Allan returns with another batch of rum music, reviewing an essential new compilation of Amy Sheffer, posthumous releases from Mika Vainio (as Ø) and Amelia Cuni, the return of Surface Of The Earth, the first recording of legendary Ugandan vocalist John Katokye, and much more
Cassettes
Spooling through the world's best tapes
Cassettes
Spool’s Out: Cassette Reviews for July by Daryl Worthington
From improvisations that capture the archaeology of the internet to werewolf inspired black metal played with Cajun instruments, roaming synths, sidewinding freakouts and clipped nails, Daryl Worthington dives into the latest cassette releases
Cassettes
Spool’s Out: Cassette Reviews for May by Daryl Worthington
Retching punk, ecstatic pummelling, rhythms made from paper and VCRs, time-bending loops and a wonderfully off-piste post punk reissue – Daryl Worthington peaks into May’s cassette releases
Cassettes
Spool’s Out: Cassette Reviews for March by Daryl Worthington
Daryl Worthington speaks to Turmeric Acid about telepathic collaborations, and reviews tapes of free-wheeling hardanger and Andean flute improvisations, sat nav fall outs, ecstatic noise and more in March’s dive into the cassette scene
Cassettes
Spool’s Out: Cassette Reviews for July by Daryl Worthington
From improvisations that capture the archaeology of the internet to werewolf inspired black metal played with Cajun instruments, roaming synths, sidewinding freakouts and clipped nails, Daryl Worthington dives into the latest cassette releases
Cassettes
Spool’s Out: Cassette Reviews for March by Daryl Worthington
Daryl Worthington speaks to Turmeric Acid about telepathic collaborations, and reviews tapes of free-wheeling hardanger and Andean flute improvisations, sat nav fall outs, ecstatic noise and more in March’s dive into the cassette scene
New Weird Britain
Transmissions from the thriving British underground
New Weird Britain
New Weird Britain in Review for July by Noel Gardner
Noel Gardner delivers another guide to the sound of New Weird Britain, taking in 16rpm street soul, the dub/folk connection, gothic ambience responding to a 14th century manuscript and more
Electronic
The best club culture brought to your device
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for October Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
Jaša Bužinel reflects on the importance of outside recognition and the influence of industry-fed dogmas on the success of aspiring artists, and reviews releases covering devilish UKG, Swedish minimal tech, bubbly deep house from Japan and more
Electronic
Hyperspecific: The Best Dance Tracks from Summer 2025, Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
As autumn approaches, tQ's electronic music columnist Jaša Bužinel compiles the tunes that have had the greatest impact on this summer's festival dancefloors, from progressive bangers to nostalgia triggers
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for June Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
This month’s edition of our dance music column brings a surprise six-hour marathon set from Italian techno legend Donato Dozzy and plenty of dancefloor goodies, from “bard tech” and new gen Italo house to re-touched French Touch and cerebral IDM techno
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for May Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
Our dance music editor wonders whether club culture has lost its potential for providing radically transformative experiences, and reviews a new batch of cutting-edge releases, including trailblazing Bangladeshi dub and jungle mutations, UK techno epics, spectral dub techno, neo-devotional music from Egypt and a cult PS1 soundtrack.
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for October Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
Jaša Bužinel reflects on the importance of outside recognition and the influence of industry-fed dogmas on the success of aspiring artists, and reviews releases covering devilish UKG, Swedish minimal tech, bubbly deep house from Japan and more
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for June Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
This month’s edition of our dance music column brings a surprise six-hour marathon set from Italian techno legend Donato Dozzy and plenty of dancefloor goodies, from “bard tech” and new gen Italo house to re-touched French Touch and cerebral IDM techno
Electronic
Hyperspecific: Electronic Music for May Reviewed by Jaša Bužinel
Our dance music editor wonders whether club culture has lost its potential for providing radically transformative experiences, and reviews a new batch of cutting-edge releases, including trailblazing Bangladeshi dub and jungle mutations, UK techno epics, spectral dub techno, neo-devotional music from Egypt and a cult PS1 soundtrack.
The Quietus International
Our favourite music, country-by-country
The Quietus International
Rockfort! French Music for September, Reviewed by David McKenna
In his latest French music round-up, David McKenna looks at what the French mean by ‘electro’ and delves into new releases from a multi-faceted Franco-Senegalese artist, guitar-and-damaged-turntable improv and more
The Quietus International
North American Music: tQ in The Twin Cities, by Natalie Marlin
In the first edition of a new series exploring underground and left-field music from North America, Natalie Marlin delivers an insider's guide to the frantic, uninhibited and queer-driven energy of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul underground, and picks out five essential new releases from the cities' most exciting artists
The Quietus International
Inner Ear: Estonian Music for July by Jakub Knera
From the close-knit DIY underground to the centuries-old choral singing embedded in national identity, in his latest guide to the music of Central and Eastern Europe Jakub Knera turns his eye to Estonia
The Quietus International
Rockfort! French Music for June, Reviewed by David McKenna
In his latest dispatch from the French fringes, David McKenna reports from this year’s New Trad Fest in the Loire region and rounds up new releases including a surrealistic Breton folk duo, Japanese gagaku-inspired drones and much more
The Quietus International
Rockfort! French Music for September, Reviewed by David McKenna
In his latest French music round-up, David McKenna looks at what the French mean by ‘electro’ and delves into new releases from a multi-faceted Franco-Senegalese artist, guitar-and-damaged-turntable improv and more
The Quietus International
North American Music: tQ in The Twin Cities, by Natalie Marlin
In the first edition of a new series exploring underground and left-field music from North America, Natalie Marlin delivers an insider's guide to the frantic, uninhibited and queer-driven energy of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul underground, and picks out five essential new releases from the cities' most exciting artists
The Quietus International
Rockfort! French Music for June, Reviewed by David McKenna
In his latest dispatch from the French fringes, David McKenna reports from this year’s New Trad Fest in the Loire region and rounds up new releases including a surrealistic Breton folk duo, Japanese gagaku-inspired drones and much more
Live Reviews
From pubs to festivals to arenas, out and about with tQ
Live Reviews
Inner Music: Billy Woods, Rashad Becker, Divide & Dissolve and more at Out Fest, Barreiro
At the Portuguese city's annual festival of "singular music", sets by Tashi Dorji, Erik Dæhlin, Masma Dream World and more get me thinking about the curved space of experimental music
Track-by-Track
Albums dissected, the granular detail revealed
Track-by-Track
Arcade Fire’s Everything Now Reviewed Track By Track
Anna Wood delves into Arcade Fire's fifth long player in order to bring us a track by track breakdown. But is Everything Now something or nothing
