Earlier this year, my colleague and bud Kelefa Sanneh suggested that music critics, as a lot, have gone soft—becoming submissive, overly agreeable, and, in some cases, nearly servile. He’s right, of ...

I joined Paste in 2023 and, in my tenure as editor, this year’s AOTY list is my favorite by far. The publication has been doling out these rankings since 2002, affixing an “Album of the Year” ribbon ...

The best albums of 2025 spanned seismic rage rap, intricate guitar music, protest folk, spacey dream pop, and laptop twee. A virtuoso of experimental electronic music re-emerged, a Brooklyn band ...

The best things in life are free. Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to ...

Featuring Stanley Clarke, Eddie Henderson, and George Cables among others, Mellow Jazz Christmas is compulsory Christmas Eve material. This collection of songs errs traditional, and none of the titles ...

As Mumford & Sons announce their return to BST Hyde Park for 2026, the band caught up with NME to tell us about plans for the huge show and finding themselves “in their prime” on new album ...

Two albums placed back-to-back on this list of the 50 greatest country covers epitomize how important album art was and is. What Are the Greatest Country Album Covers of All Time? At No. 20, find ...

As classic rock finds new ways to expand in the 21st century, the artists whose careers stretch back half a century or more continue to grow, too. As the list below of the Top 20 Rock Albums of 2025 ...

December 5, 2025 • Dove Ellis. Melody's Echo Chamber. Editors' Tom Smith. Erin Wolf of Radio Milwaukee joins Stephen Thompson to discuss those albums and more on our last episode of New Music Friday ...