Juliet Naked

The long stretches between albums that had become standard for indie pop heroes Belle and Sebastian made their 11th studio LP, Late Developers, even more of a surprise, as it was released without much lead-up just eight months after 2022's A Bit of Previous. Recorded during the same self-produced sessions, Late Developers feels like a companion piece to its predecessor, reaching just as inspired heights and continuing the band's inspection of aging and existential dread that always comes wrapped in soft, reassuring melodies. These songs also flit playfully between styles and delivery, turning in more of the band's Motown-fixated sunshine soul on tracks like the swaying "The Evening Star" or "Give a Little Time," which finds them sneaking in another of their long-term musical fascinations with some very subtle Thin Lizzy-style lead guitar harmonies.

The Finnish hard rock/melodic heavy metal band Lordi was originally formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter, visual artist and costume maker, Mr Lordi. Lordi took part in the Eurovision song contest and won the whole competition as the first and only winner from Finland, with all-time record-breaking points at the time. The third album The Arockalypse was released within the same time frame, with the band´s own idols Udo Dirkschneider (Accept, U.D.O.), Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS), Dee Snider and Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister) appearing as guest stars. The success of the victorious single "Hard Rock Hallelujah" launched Lordi to new heights of media exposure, fan recognition and success, that opened new doors for the band. The band has been touring actively since 2002 and it´s known for the monstrous look and the horror elements in the stage performance and music videos.

Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI will release their ninth studio album, "Sexorcism", on May 25 via AFM. The disc is described in a press release as "a full-on and uncensored shot of LORDI brand hard rock and roll" and "possibly [the band's] most controversial record to date."

The title is Romantic Adagios II. The description is "Over 2 1/2 hours of the world's most passionate music." What these are, in other words, are two discs of seduction music, which is fine. Using music for seductive purposes is the oldest ploy in the world. From Orpheus up to Ol' Blue Eyes, music hath charms to arouse, inflame, and incite lascivious and lubricious behavior. The whole purpose of this disc is to ensure a successful seduction. It sure isn't because sticking all of these Adagios together doesn't make any sort of musical sense.