Consumer Guide: January, 2025

A post-riot-grrrl trio that hasn't given up on love; grooves that break into tunes, sound effects, or both; alt-rappers with sonic treats; and not-one-but-three releases from our heroes in Cincinnati.

Bright Eyes: Five Dice All Threes (Dead Oceans) Now in his fourth decade on the road, the racks, and the alt-rock grind, Conor Oberst has always come across pretty much the way you’d hope from an ex-Catholic indistinguishable from a lapsed born-againer who’s held onto the Bible’s “the greatest of these is charity” byword by gravitating to good causes. There’s been a reliable freshness about him even when the songs faltered