<p><span lang="en-AU">- Wilco have always had a penchant for country. Twangy banjos and wispy pedal steels are frequently peppered throughout their discography, but they seldom take centre stage on their albums. On Wilco’s twelfth album, </span><span lang="en-AU"><em>Cruel Country</em></span><span lang="en-AU">, the eclectic band lean unabashedly into their country roots.

<p><span><span>- I saw Angel Olsen<strong> </strong>by chance at Laneway back in day and as a sun shower broke out during her set, Olsen, in a thoroughly charming accent, invited the crowd to come into the Showbag Pavilion and encouraged those already safe from the soaking to make room for our increasingly damp compatriots. To use that as launch pad, Angel Olsen makes awfully welcoming music and it's a style that’s deeply entrenched on her sixth album, <em>Big Time</em>. <em>Big Time </em>is an album of my favourite kind.

<p><span><span><span>- As their name implies, Brisbane/Meanjin based Malignant Aura are merchants and conjurers of evil, and their long awaited debut album </span><em>Abysmal Misfortune Is Draped Upon Me</em><span> is the most recent and devastating release from purveyors of all things death, doom, crust, black and thrash, </span><strong>Bitter Loss Records</strong><span>. </span></span></span></p>