Spring has ushered in a wave of genre-spanning new tracks and albums. From a timeless look at the triumphs and struggles of our inner lives to an ode to the iconic Boston R&B group New Edition, our music critics round up some of their favorite music from the month.<\/p>\n
I usually consider it a cop-out to describe music as \u201ctimeless\u201d \u2013 isn\u2019t all music a product of its time? But the word immediately came to mind on my first listen of Jessye DeSilva<\/a>\u2019s new album \u201cGlitter Up the Dark.\u201d Maybe \u201ctimeless\u201d is clich\u00e9, but it gets at an essential quality of the music, something DeSilva nods to in her lyrics. \u201cTake a look\/ Ban a book\/ It\u2019s nothing new,\u201d she sings on \u201cPunk Rock Joy,\u201d in an apparent reference to the PBS show (and millennial touchstone) \u201cReading Rainbow\u201d and a wry acknowledgment of the cynical repetitions of America\u2019s culture wars. DeSilva is trans, and with her latest project, she locates herself firmly within a legacy of LGBTQ+ activists and protest singers. She\u2019s part of a new crop of queer musicians who sing with refreshing honesty about their triumphs and struggles and the messy topography of their inner lives. For this reason, \u201cGlitter Up the Dark\u201d could only ever be a product of its time. But the album\u2019s tasteful folk-rock arrangements, coupled with anthemic choruses celebrating the resilience of the downtrodden, make me think of Springsteen. For better or worse, the truth-telling troubadour who speaks for the nation\u2019s underclass will always have a place in American music. Like I said \u2013 timeless. \u2014 Amelia Mason<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/d6js8e8hEjo\/hqdefault.jpg\")
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