New Releases Roundup
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Editors' Choice
Kranky
Gorgeous commissioned work for a Wayne McGregor Random Dance production that also functions as the ambient-neoclassical duo's second album.
Naïve
Süssmayr's completion of Mozart's Requiem receives a remarkable period treament from Laurence Equilbey, Accentus, and the period orchestra Insula.
Fortuna Pop / Slumberland
The group's third album is another well-constructed, heartfelt, and true slice of simple and sophisticated indie pop for adults.
Chaconne / Chandos
When David heard that Absalom was slain is given a hushed, genuinely tragic atmosphere, and the choir's emotional range under Nethsingha is impressive.
Slate Creek Records
The last of the Pistol Annies to deliver a solo album offers a richly detailed, deceptively relaxed portrait of middle class America in 2014.
Avie
The Seattle Opera's live Ring has been presented as a 14-CD box set, a digital download, and as online streaming.
Tompkins Square
A marvelous introduction to Bessie Jones and the treasure that is Georgia Sea Island folk music.
OKeh Records / Oken
The guitarist and his band take on rock, country, blues, and surf guitar music from the late '50s and early '60s, rework it, and deliver a fun record.
RVNG Intl.
Pianist/composer David Moore's enchanting minimalist chamber ensemble delivers a graceful and pastoral second album.
Cantaloupe
The drummer/composer delivers his masterwork: five concertos for scored percussion and improvising soloists.
Spunk
Out of the bedroom and into the studio, the one-man band's second album is a sure-footed step forward and full of indie rock goodness.
Rounder
The husband-and-wife banjoists deliver an intimate, edifying, and progressive dialogue on musical tradition with standards and originals.
Merge
Sixth album from this experimental electronic artist is easily his most straightforwardly dancey.
Downtown
Building on Dear Miss Lonelyhearts' success, the band delivers some of its most engaging, confident music since Robbers & Cowards.
DG Deutsche Grammophon
This Deutsche Grammophon box set is an important release, marking the first time Daniel Barenboim has recorded Schubert's complete piano sonatas.
eOne
A fine return to secular R&B, produced and written almost entirely by Warryn Campbell and Eric Dawkins.
ECM
The ECM debut by this up-and-coming pianist offers a bold jazzman's take on Afro-Cuban ritual music that is at once striking and deeply moving.
Ruf Records
On his second solo album, the guitarist heads to Chicago and delivers an album that melds electric blues, vintage R&B, and rock.
Pampa
Nearly as thrilling as the volume that preceded it, the techno maverick compiles more of his remix work for Herbert, Caribou, Ada, and others.
Ninja Tune
The second album from Viennese producer and musician Oliver Johnson is a beatific trip filled with spiraling melodies.
Rounder
This traditional country singer/songwriter delivers a knockout debut after nearly two decades of homelessness and street singing.
Bar/None Records
Second album from this indie rock quartet sounds both laid-back and attentive as they mix rock, pop, electronics, and grooves.
Mass Appeal
Growing into something serious, rappers El-P and Killer Mike stun once again with this excellent sequel.
Paper Bag Records
The Canadian roots trio's fifth LP is as dark and daring as it is warm-hearted.
Staubgold
Sophisticated, rebellious, startling late-'90s recordings from members of Meridian Brothers, Ondatropica, Frente Cumbeiro, and more.
Bubbles
The Kings of Convenience singer collaborates with Icelandic reggae group Hjálmar on his wonderfully charming sophomore release.
Trouble in Mind
Alex Cuervo's second album of eerie instrumentals blurs the line between soundtracks and pop music even more artfully.
Merge
Mary Timony's power trio shakes up rock conventions on its life-affirming debut.
Caroline
Evocative and ambitious debut from the Australian electronic production duo.
Warp
Steven Ellison confronts mortality and pushes four genres forward with help from Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, Kamasi Washington, and Kendrick Lamar.
Nettwerk
A warm, breezy, and soulful set of R&B-kissed country-pop confections featuring the legendary Hi Rhythm Section.
Lefse Records
The New Zealand dream folk duo charmingly mix wistful chamber pop and the warm sounds of British folk on their debut LP.
Hyperion
For many listeners, the chief attraction here from among various similar releases will be the presence of the venerable English Concert under Bicket.
Ondine
In his performances of Shostakovich's violin concertos, Christian Tetzlaff shows a clear respect for the performance tradition David Oistrakh started.
Trouble in Mind
A warm and detailed debut from this indie-leaning Spanish electronica producer.
Hoodie Allen, LLC
With hooks, punchlines, and swagger all in abundance, the follies of youth sound utterly fly on the pop-rapper's debut.
Kill Rock Stars
The band's spirited fifth outing may not be a party record, but it makes a noble attempt to mingle with its guests.
Off Tempo
Second album of gorgeous and mysteriously distant pop from these occasional Mount Eerie collaborators.
Steinway & Sons
There's plenty of competent and forgotten music in this welcome addition to the small but growing corpus of recordings of Chaminade's music.
New Voodoo
Quickly written and recorded sequel to the Smiths guitarist's first solo album is a stylish, visceral rush.
Yep Roc
An 11-track assault of sugary, feel-good millennial pop confections that sound like Ben Folds devoid of all cynicism.
Blue Note / Impulse!
Subtle, beautifully performed collaboration between the influential jazz pianist and bassist.
Woodsist
Second solo album from former Woods member blends roots rock arrangements and passionate storytelling.
Fat Wreck Chords
Lagwagon's timely and politically charged eighth album finds the band breaking their nine-year silence with an impassioned plea for reason.
Constellation
Timber Timbre members transform the band's unused horror movie score into a playful, spooky and poignant triumph.
Atlantic / Rhino / Swan Song
Zep's towering classic--the ultimate distillation of the band's epic blues--echoing from the Mississippi Delta to Middle Earth.
Atlantic
Expanded reissue features a second disc of alternate mixes and instrumentals that mirrors the original tracklisting.
Hotly Wanting / Vagrant
A classically minded, thoroughly modern collection of lush, adult alternative pop from the actress.
Capitol / Capitol Nashville
The quartet throws out the rule book on this restless, unpredictable country-pop record.
Editions Mego
A creative and enticing release from Mark Van Hoen and Louis Sherman that recalls the mid- to late-'70s works of Harmonia, Cluster, and Brian Eno.
Def Jam
No guest artists or filler to be found on the Maryland rapper's stunning autobiographical debut album.
Bloodshot
On her sophomore offering, the Danish pedal steel guitarist and songwriter creates an intimate and powerful portrait of loss.
Captured Tracks
The band's second post-comeback album is another bracing and inventive blast of modern shoegaze and noise pop.
Temporary Residence
Sans strings and piano, the Japanese quartet unveil welcome, more sinister sonic aspects on their companion to The Last Dawn.
Felte
The aptly named, anonymous group deliver dramatic electro-pop that already rivals their better-known contemporaries.
Warner Bros.
'70s and '80s disco-, R&B-, and electro-infused debut from the Los Angeles outfit.
Capitol
A Don Was-assisted returned to show biz schmaltz for the veteran singer/songwriter
Don Giovanni
Brooklyn garage punks evoke classic power pop on their third album, an ambitious and impressive two-LP set.
Burger Records
Arriving 20 years after their debut album, the band's Burger Records debut is as fuzzy, trippy, and bittersweet as ever.
ADA / Weird World
Indie dub duo peel back even more of the lo-fi film on this clearer, more beat-minded fourth album.
Sacred Bones
Pharmakon veers her punishing sound in a more viscerally unsettling direction on her second album for Sacred Bones.
Pizza Burglar Records
The New Orleans fixture returns with a set of songs perfectly balanced between blobby electronics and fired-up garage rock.
Stony Plain
Celebrated guitarist and singer pays homage to one of her key influences on this splendid acoustic blues session.
Eagle Records / Eagle Rock
Instead of reproducing the original classic album, this 40th anniversary version presents the tour's Cork show in its entirety for the first time.
Vanguard
Idiosyncratic singer and songwriter gets a new band and a new sound, but holds onto her powerful voice and soul-baring songs.
HXC / XL
Ranting Canadian punk band hits the jackpot with this smart, literate, and furiously satisfying debut album.
Ipecac
The duo's singles collection delivers more scathing, punk-meets-hip-hop takedowns of bad music and social injustice.
Atlantic / Atlantic Urban / Maybach
Trunk-rattling beats meet thought-provoking lyrics on the Massillon, Ohio rapper's debut album.
ATO
The Canadian pop veterans' seventh album is another compelling and big-hearted affair full of dancefloor hooks and warm guitar pop.
Paradise of Bachelors
On his second Paradise of Bachelors offering, the artist artfully and ambitiously showcases his increasing confidence as a singer/songwriter.
Reprise
With the help of Dave Stewart, Nicks finishes off songs largely written in the late '70s and early '80s.
7T's / Cherry Red
Celebrating the 50-year career of the original Tuff Girl in 82 songs; includes her major glam rock hits and lots of creative detours.
Grand Hustle Records / Sony Music Entertainment
Pharrell executive produces the rapper's very pop 2014 effort, and the results are vibrant and varied with plenty of highlights.
Southern Fried
The duo's second full-length expands on Be Strong's '90s dance revival with hypnotic South African influences and more thoughtful, kinetic songs.
Elektra / Rhino
Reissue of the band's purposefully difficult, ambitious major label debut adds a second disc of demos, instrumentals and covers.
Suicide Squeeze
Eerie yet melodic, this third and final album from the '60s pop-inspired indie pop act would also be the group's best.
Slumberland
Second album from this beloved and influential indie pop group moved toward more orchestrated chamber pop.
Slumberland
The short-lived but groundbreaking indie/chamber pop band's comparatively raw debut album.
Daptone
On its fantastic fourth album, the ten- piece unit shifts gears, embracing stoner psych and soundtrack funk in its signature sound.
Skeleton Key Records
Recorded in 2006 but shelved until 2014, the album presents a spooky, low-key direction the band could have pursued.
Freaks R Us
Archival collection from the pioneering post-punk band is as challenging and powerful as when it was recorded in 1978/1980.
Elefant
The group's second post-reunion album is all original songs played with the same noisy pop brilliance they had in the '80s.
K Records
Fourth album from this '60s-obsessed garage outfit sounds the most authentically vintage of them all.
Fat Cat / FatCat Records
The band's fifth album offers some of its most musically and emotionally rich explorations of heartache yet.
Geffen
Solid double-disc collection of the basics from the Who, enlivened by a couple of left-field choices and the new "Be Lucky."
RCA
Pleasing and promising debut from a model and actor who vividly displays her talent as an R&B singer and songwriter.
Jazz Village
The great African drummer teams with the Jazzbastards for his first recording in seven years, and it's a stone killer.
Omnivore
The lone and long out of print release from the electropop supergroup featuring members of Jellyfish and Redd Kross.
Trouble in Mind
Relaxed collaboration between members of Mazes and Veronica Falls mixes parts of each band and comes out a winner.
Numero / Numero Group
Third in a series of retrospective box sets of this Northwestern post-punk trio, this volume focuses on their mid-'90s output.
Fat Cat / FatCat Records
The British singer/songwriter releases her third -- and claims final -- album. Self-produced and edited, it is a tender, poignant masterpiece.
AED Records
Fun and enlightening re-recording of Northern Soul-inspired lost demos made in 1979 by the underrated post-punk icon.
Decca
For established fans of Ashkenazy, his personality comes through here in full, and he seems to wrestle with Bach in the way true greats do.
Burger Records
Wax Witches' Alex Wall delivers a smashing tribute to the yearning isolation of youth with a surprisingly subdued and muscular album.
Fat Cat / FatCat Records
Working with producer Paul Savage, the Scottish group delivers some of its most vivid, hardest-hitting songs yet.
Island / Republic
Rivers Cuomo and company reunite with producer Ric Ocasek and go back to their roots on this big, hooky, eccentric record.
Mexican Summer
Fantastic second album from this formerly noisy folk project steps up in terms of clarity and emotional weight.
Thrill Jockey
JR Robinson and his large collective deliver a powerful new work that combines ambient, metal vanguard composition, and drones.
Other Music Recording Company
The Dirty Three's drummer and a virtuoso Cretan lutist assemble in a recording studio and create dizzying, kinetic, original music.
