ENTERTAINMENT

Spiritualized, the spacey project by J. Spaceman (Jason Pierce), redefined space rock for the indie era with 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Pierce's iconic project has remained a staple of the usual album cycle, always turning in a new solid effort every four years, which stayed consistent since Pierce is the sole writing member of the group. And after another four years, he is back like clockwork with Everything Was Beautiful, which despite being on schedule is a very special effort. Here's the lowdown on this new Spiritualized album!

A24, the film distribution company behind Moonlight and Lady Bird, already had a major hit this year with Everything Everywhere All At Once, the excellent sci-fi action-comedy multiverse adventure starring Michelle Yeoh. While that film easily reached the top echelon of A24's filmography, their most recent release tops that film in universality and Rotten Tomatoes score. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, based on the YouTube short film, is a must-see child-friendly feature on-par with the adult appeal of Pixar and Studio Ghibli films.

Fontaines D.C. seemed to appear out of nowhere with their 2019 debut album, Dogrel. Critics gave this new band some of the best reviews of the year, and amazingly, they have received equally great review since then. The Dubliners nearly match the reviews of their debut masterwork with 2022's Skinty Fia, reaching an astounding 85/100 on Metacritic. Check out the scoop on the newest voice of Ireland below.

More new albums of 2022! Here are 13 records to add to the best of 2022 list, which you can find other entries of on these past lists. The list is nearly up to a top fifty, so keep checking back to see every album that ends up on the mega-list. Happy listening!

Is there anything better than a strong female lead in a film? When one really captures your attention, it's always worth taking note. Here are some of the best female leads of note streaming right now.

Silent Alarm is the classic go-to record from post-punk revival band Bloc Party, period. If you don't know them (or if you do), it's the record to reach for 99% of the time. With that said, it was only a matter of time (in this case, just over 17 years) that they returned to the Silent Alarm sound for a nostalgia trip. While this English band certainly performs their self-imitation with some sonic success, it should not resonate with most people as any more than just that: a throwback attempt.

Following Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow, which came out in 2019 and marked her highest-charting album to date, We've Been Going About This All Wrong keeps the singer/songwriter's heartbreaking heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics and matching sonic palette intact. The indie artist definitely will not be topping the charts with this one, but taken on its own level, this 2022 album is moving and meaningful.

The follow-up to 2021's Ignorance was always going to be in the shadow of this great album. Considered one of the best records of the year, Ignorance fused Canadian songwriter Tamara Lindeman's penchant for classic folk with Fleetwood Mac-styled production and arrangements. The opening track, a slow and intentional light jazz-inflected number called 'Robber,' was a career highlight for Lindeman, and the rest of the album had not one miss on it. With that in mind, Lindeman's similar companion album from 2022, called How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars, is an understandable downgrade despite its quality sound.

With the release of the single 'Call Me Little Sunshine' (catch the sunshine=lucifer connection?), Ghost re-announced their presence on the path to album #5. IMPERA began life with this classic Ghost single, but when the full album came out, it revealed itself as so much more. Balancing their commercial '80s pop-metal nostalgia appeal with a unique freshness, IMPERA is unquestionably the best that the hard rock world will see in 2022.

Kurt Vile's small role in the Philadelphian rock band The War On Drugs unexpectedly turned into a successful solo career with his 2010s albums. By the time B'lieve I'm Goin Down came out in 2015, he cemented his music as the perfect balance between indie rock weirdness and stringed instrument mastery. On his ninth album, (Watch My Moves), he hits the balance once again, and while the record can be excessive at 73 minutes in length, it has some really good material on it.

Depending on your viewpoint, directorial debuts can come across as arty statements from filmmakers who have yet to hone their craft. For most film lovers, however, it's usually a chance to see a fresh talent in the making with a unique encapsulation of fresh viewpoints and youthful reinvigoration of the art form. Here are some feature directorial debuts you can watch right now on streaming services!

Edgar Wright's dual-timeline horror film finally came to HBO Max after bombing at the box office at the end of 2021. If you need to catch up Wright's impressive filmography, here's where to stream all of his feature films! Presented in release order...

Kae Tempest (formerly Kate) first transferred their skills in poetry and spoken word into music with 2014's Everything Down, and a Mercury Prize nomination later shaped the course of an exciting career. Their second album, Let Them Eat Chaos, was also nominated, already cementing a legacy of literate observations on the state of the world. With album #4, Tempest turns the focus inward, and the results are as phenomenal as ever. Here's what to expect from Tempest's new album, The Line Is a Curve.

Jack White fans are really getting a treat in 2022. After a four-year gap since his previous solo record, White returned bombastically in 2022, starting with the rocking first single and opening track 'Taking Me Back.' While this seemed like a return to form for White, heading back to his roots with The White Stripes, the rest of the album Fear of the Dawn continued the pathway to weirdness that began heavily with 2018's Boarding House Reach. With Dizzy Gillespie jazz on one track and arty hip-hop legend Q-Tip on another, this proved to be yet another set of bizarre choices from White. Luckily, another album is right around the corner.

After an exciting marketing campaign that used black-and-white classy still and cinematic images to promote the album with little other details, Chloë and the Next 20th Century came and went without a big splash. Josh Tillman (a.k.a. Father John Misty) did not get nearly the streams of his past albums, and the sales and charting were down as well in most countries. The look of the rollout was certainly eye-grabbing, but sadly, the music does not quite hold up to his past records.