Stephen Thompson

The band had many highs and lows in its early career, but 1994's Ill Communication brought it to another level. For its 25th anniversary, Beastie Boys' surviving members discuss the album.

The best new albums out this week include a stirring call for social justice from soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples, rapper YG's remembrance of Nipsey Hussle, lo-fi rock veterans Sebadoh and more.

K. Ishibashi has kept many instruments and techniques at his disposal over the years, but the language he speaks is one of profound empathy.

BTS! DJ Khaled! Paul Simon! Kanye West dressed as a bottle of sparkling water! This season of Saturday Night Live had it all, and now all 21 performances have been cruelly ranked for your enjoyment.

The song captures Springsteen at his most musically introspective, as he presides over a dense, string-swept studio sound that transcends time and place, but feels rooted in another era.

If you're going to bring the K-pop superstars to the spot where The Beatles conquered American TV, you might as well milk it for all it's worth. Welcome to BTSmania, courtesy of Stephen Colbert.

The band kicks off its fourth decade with a string of spiky, aggressive three-minute rock songs whose jagged edges hide a throbbing heart.

That little ooh-ooh-OOH-ooh-ooh-oooooh hook in this agreeable little trifle is going to be one of the signature sounds of this summer, no matter how hard you might try to wish it away.

Our shortlist of the week's best new albums includes a career-defining release from singer Jamila Woods, the sparkling guitar rock of Charly Bliss and Holly Herndon's genius work with the AI "Spawn."

The video is a true tear-jerker, driving home the song's rawest emotions by depicting motherhood's joys and drudgery with equal affection and care.

A.A. Bondy channels his eternal weariness into evocative blurs of languid, hypnotic sound.

One of the three gorgeous voices at the heart of Mountain Man, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig releases her first solo album, Dawnbreaker, on June 28. Hear the title track.

Our shortlist of must-hear albums this week includes the acoustic, instrumental rock of Rodrigo y Gabriela, a byzantine concept album from The Mountain Goats, new Josh Ritter and more.

On his 18th album as the animating force behind The Mountain Goats, singer-songwriter John Darnielle builds an ambitious tribute to Dungeons & Dragons — and much, much more.

Our list of the best albums out this week includes Lizzo's long-awaited debut, the rousing, infectious anthems of Johnnyswim, new music from The Tallest Man On Earth, Loyle Carner and more.

For assistance with his 10th album, the singer-songwriter turns to some of the most sure-handed collaborators in Americana music: Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit.

The new track, "OMG Rock N Roll," is playful but sets a portentous scene that, Morby says, is ultimately about gun violence in America.

These three songs, from Clark's incendiary new album This Land, roar with the assurance and force of a showman at the top of his game.

The multilingual boy-band juggernaut, SNL's first musical guest from South Korea, performed kinetically choreographed renditions of "Boy With Luv" and "MIC Drop."

Anderson .Paak drops his followup to Oxnard, Norah Jones collaborates with Jeff Tweedy, and Sia joins Labrinth and Diplo for "LSD." Those and more make our shortlist of the week's best new albums.