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New this week: Tall Tales finds Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke building sparse, uneasy songs that feel more lived-in than laboured—atmospheric without drifting into the abstract. mclusky’s The World Is Still Here and So Are We is sharp, snarling, funny, and as direct as ever, but under the squall there’s a joy at still being upright and able. Planet Ping Pong by Le Volume Courbe is a lo-fi patchwork of kaleidoscopic French pop, noise, and off-kilter hooks—charming and idiosyncratic, but never self-conscious. Ex-Banshee John McKay’s Sixes and Sevens brings his post-punk instincts into sharp, minimal instrumentals—angular and uncanny without overreaching. Ex-Dirty Projector Deradoorian’s Ready For Heaven is hushed and focused, leaning into stripped-back arrangements with a calm intensity. And the 20th anniversary edition of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings’ Naturally still sounds as strong and unshakable as it did in 2005—timeless soul with grit, heart, and total commitment.

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