Five Albums: Ren-Faire Eurodance, Exquisite Pain Rap, Mortal Kombat Samples

As music writers, we often get asked by friends and family how we keep up with new music, especially if someone is trying to extract themselves from recommendation algorithms and get back to a more human approach. The answer may involve some combination of going to lots of shows, following labels we like, shopping at record stores, listening to local and internet radio, keeping an eye on who our favorite artists are collaborating with, and talking to friends. The truth is that there’s not really one good place to learn about the most exciting new releases. 

We’re hoping that Five Albums can help to fill that void. We launched this newsletter last week as a new perk for paying Hearing Things subscribers. The premise is simple: Every Tuesday, you get a dispatch from us with links to five records we’re really excited about, each with a short written entry from the editor who selected it. (This week's edition already went out to paid subscribers this morning, but we're sharing it on the site too in case you prefer to read it here.) If you’re looking for that one-stop shop to keep up with what’s new and cool, we’ve got you. 

This week’s entry contains exquisitely pained bangers from the Lord Byron of the DMV rap scene, a triumphant comeback by a Chicago dancefloor legend, art pop that hits like a trance rave at a Renaissance Faire, and more.