The Legendary Pink Dots found themselves wrapping up a 40th anniversary tour right when COVID started to hit, with the bandmembers hunkering down in separate locations and focusing on various smaller releases for the next couple of years. 2022’s The Museum of Human Happiness was recorded remotely as a result, the band’s visions of apocalypse taking on a new edge in context. Edward Ka-Spel’s voice feels charged with a subtle energy, and there’s a close, vibrant intensity evident in songs like “Cruel Britannia,” “Hands Free Space” and “The Girl Who Got There First.”

– Ned Raggett