“Break-up record” is too reductive to describe Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings, but it’s a start. Though the country artist’s heart aches plenty in her first music after last year’s split from Blake …

Despite her sweet melodies, Kacey Musgraves wrote about one bleak way of life on her 2013 record Same Trailer, Different Park. The record brought her Grammy awards and with them the pressure to be the …

Pop singer Ariana Grande used her theater-kid talent to prove herself competent in her debut Yours Truly. Though her vocal chops were well represented, the singer played it too safe to impress. A year later, …

After five years away from the spotlight, Lily Allen has a lot to catch up on. For her homecoming record, Sheezus, the U.K. pop star spends a good time getting reacquainted with the current pop …

Heartbreak once again plagues indie darling Lykke Li. Previously, the singer expanded her break-ups into a larger-than-life drama. For her new album, I Never Learn, she wastes no time on fancy tricks, instead keeping her …

After several delays, starlet Sky Ferreira has released her debut. Ferreira gained popularity last year with her glossy single “Everything Is Embarrassing,” and the synth-pop singer/model/actress appears to have improved her songcraft with a new …

Meet Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim. The three sisters, along with drummer Dash Hutton, make up indie-pop band Haim (rhymes with “time”). Haim’s soft rock-meets-R&B sound got a nod to Fleetwood Mac by critics in …

From the surface details, it may appear She & Him’s latest is a gloomy break-up record. Songsmith/multi-instrumentalist M. Ward incorporates more melodramatic string arrangements while Zooey Deschanel lyrically digs deeper into heartbreak. Compared to its …

Indie darlings Rilo Kiley called an end to its decade-spanning run in 2011. For those still tuning in, the band has released rkives, an 18-track compilation full of unreleased tracks and demos. rkives spans the …