DAVID BYRNE, Who Is The Sky? (Matador Records, 2025). It’s been seven years since David Byrne gave us American Utopia and the Broadway show that went with it. Since then, he has been cooking, creating other forms of art, and slowly formulating new music. Upon reaching critical mass, Byrne now offers twelve new songs in the form of Who Is the Sky? At a scant 37 minutes, give Byrne credit for saying what needs to be said and moving on. To know the former Talking Heads frontman and his previous solo efforts is to know this album. The songs (produced by Kid Harpoon and arranged by members of the Ghost Train Orchestra) are snappy and uptempo, and Byrne’s voice is in fine form. Guests like St. Vincent and Haley Williams (Paramore) bring vocal balance and additional range. Truth be told, this album will remind one a great deal of the previous one. But that’s okay … this is a good well to continue to tap into.

RADIOHEAD, Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009), (XL Recordings, 2025). Moving on from the extensive electronics behind Kid A and Amnesiac, Radiohead gave us Hail to the Thief in 2003. The electronics were pushed to the background and the analog sounds of guitar, bass, and drums returned to the fold. Regardless, the hybrid created by this album culminated in one of the band’s better releases. Then they took their updated sound on the road. Live Recordings, however, is not like the typical live recording, which usually covers the efforts of a single tour. Instead, Radiohead stretched the efforts behind this album over six years, culling the best performances of each song. The wait was worth it. Any questions about how these would be pulled off in front of a live audience are answered quickly, as the band treats each song with both raw energy and a delicate touch. Thom Yorke’s pleading voice wails with longing and determination, giving each tune an additional boost. This is particularly cool given that some of the tunes were recorded half a decade after the album’s original release, when many artists might have grown tired of playing them. If that’s the case, they’ve got the listeners fooled!

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE, Dreams of Being Dust (Epitaph, 2025). Illusory Walls, the last album released by TWIABP, made Indie sound epic with its prog rock overtones. There was also just a touch of metal overtones. Those overtones come roaring to the forefront on Dreams of Being Dust, a blunt and aggressive release destined to tear out the ear hairs of anyone leaning forward and waiting for the ethereal Indie sounds. Many of the songs bring forth a near-punk energy. No doubt these were the kids of songs that got the band attention in its earliest days. Still, the band also manages to capture the grooves and otherworldly sounds they are already known for. When the guiars aren’t carrying the day, the brutality of distorted bass grooves and thundrous drums step into any perceived void. Meanwhile, the vocals muscle their way through the fray, finding themselves precisely where they need to be within the mix. And while the songs from the previous release are allowed to sprawl out, TWIABP has, in a couple of cases, tightened things up this time, ripping through the album’s songs over just enough time to knock the listener on their collective keester. This is a band continuing to evolve, allowing the Muse to take them wherever seems fitting. How lucky for us!

PRECIPICE, Part of the Whole (Precipice, 2025). A rather pleasant but if guitar-drive indie rock laced with metal. The vocals are executed with skill and occasionally accented with solid harmonies. This band would have fit in nicely with the Alternative movement of the nineties alongside bands like Dada and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Precipice has a sound all its own, but it’s nice that their music is so highly relatable. They’re also not afraid to stretch out the length of their tunes in order to get their point across, and kudos to them for the effort.

RANGES, Sin (A Thousand Arms Music, 2025). Ranges is the appropriate name for this Bozeman, Montana-based post-rock band. Their music is more than perfect for the wide open spaces associated with their state. Their soundscapes are lush and open-ended, leaving more than enough room for the simple (but lovely) clean guitar riffs to float across the mix. When things get heavy, that guiar tone is boosted nicely to keep up with the changes. Foreground or background, Ranges easily finds a way into your listening mind, providing more than pleasant company.

NINE INCH NAILS, Tron: Ares (Interscope, 2025). It’s a cliche to be certain, but Nine Inch Nails and the Tron movie franchise go together like peas and carrots. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have created a soundtrack straight out of the eighties (when the franchise began) and spruced it up with modern touches (just like the movie itself). Reznor has always used synthesizers as the basis for his sound, which again fits the movie’s motif. To that end, Reznor and Ross have created a pulsating and layered mix of keyboard and rhythm computer grooves occasionally augmented by heavy guitars and Reznor’s voice. All are used in just the right ways. Fans of Wendy Carlos will definitely be able to connect to many of these sounds. Regardless of how the movie performs at the box office, this soundtrack is here to stay.

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