Reviews of Music, Movies, Anime & More

Raison d’être’s dark ambience may begin in the shadows, but it’s never content to stay there.

Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s take on the Silver Surfer is a far cry from the comics of my youth — for better and worse.

This “children fairytale book concept album” is full of enchanting, beguiling music.

Heart-breaking music about death; dreamy electronica from shoegaze giants; inspired ’80s pop; plaintive, old-timey folk/country; and goofy country-punk.

A brilliant modern fantasy that weaves in various genre tropes without ever feeling like a mere fantasy novel.

On its surface, Black Science feels like an homage to classic and pulp sci-fi.

18 minutes of retro-futuristic pop perfection.

The dream pop trio creates the sweetest sounding existential angst you’re ever likely to hear.

Nabihah Iqbal ultimately sounds like nobody so much as herself.

An impressive debut that feels both nostalgic and original; exquisitely composed dreampop; and super funky future funk.

The film’s mind-blowing action sequences are ultimately undermined by a convoluted plot and characters you don’t care about.

By striking it down, Rian Johnson helped ensure that Star Wars could become more powerful than we can possibly imagine.

This remarkably strong debut is filled with simple-yet-affecting tales of love at its best and worst, all wrapped in gorgeous pop arrangements.

Angela Klimek’s lovely debut conjures up a magical, enchanting view of winter thanks to vast ambient drones and textures.

Thangorodrim’s Tolkien-inspired “dungeon synth” can get cheesy at times, but the epic fantasy vision is winsome in its own way.

For fans of thoughtful, atmospheric indie-rock, Starsabout’s debut full-length is the real deal.

This ambient reimagining breaks down Vangelis’ original score and weaves it back together in new, intriguing ways.

Some of Makeup & Vanity Set’s most ambient and surreal work in some time.

Arguably the most difficult Perturbator release to date — but also one of the most intriguing.

These instrumentals make you realize how limited the term “hip-hop” has come to be understood.