Editors' Choice for May 2017

The band's seventh album was tough to make, with a few stops and starts, but surprisingly easy to listen to.

— Tim Sendra

After a Billboard debut and guesting on Frank Ocean albums, Alex Giannascoli sticks to the distinctive, home-recorded sound that made his reputation.

— Marcy Donelson

This performance of Mansurian's Requiem makes a fine place to start with ECM's series of the composer's music.

— James Manheim

Luaka Bop delivers a treasure trove of rare recordings from the artist's non-jazz period and sheds new light on the importance of her contributions.

— Thom Jurek

The Israeli-born trumpeter's second ECM album of atmospheric, classically influenced jazz.

— Matt Collar

The long-running indie pop band's tenth album is a meditation on love lost and found, delivered in sweetly honest and true fashion as usual.

— Tim Sendra

Will Oldham delivers a casual but committed and deeply moving tribute to one of his heroes, Merle Haggard.

— Mark Deming

After a five-year break, the prophetic, socially conscious rapper returns with a message that hits with the hammer of compassion.

— Thom Jurek

The Finnish duo's third album is a(nother) perfect blend of warm indie pop and icy synth pop that's quietly melodic and completely moving.

— Tim Sendra

After a five-year wait, one of the best bands on the planet delivers a woozy, dizzying exercise in 21st century pop.

— Thom Jurek

Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine receives an ecstatic performance from Giuseppe Maletto and three early music ensembles.

— Blair Sanderson

Stemming from a 2008 live performance, Carl Craig reworks selections from his catalog along with pianist Francesco Tristano and orchestra Les Siècles.

— Paul Simpson

Invigorating power pop with heart from a debut by members of LVL UP, Porches, and Normal Person.

— Marcy Donelson

The Minneapolis roots-pop artist delivers her most fully realized work to date.

— Timothy Monger

Chris Stapleton keeps things modest and soulful on the sequel to his unexpected smash Traveller.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Whitley's music is both accessible and rigorous; a promising new voice on the British scene.

— James Manheim

Two 20-minute excerpts of fearless space explorations recorded during the '70s by Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius.

— Paul Simpson

This album by Rinaldo Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano demonstrates the expressive power and theatricality of Monteverdi's madrigals.

— Blair Sanderson

Beethoven's Missa Solemnis receives a period interpretation by Daniel Reuss and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.

— Blair Sanderson

The singer/songwriter's second volume chronicling rural U.K. villages is a warmly captured and richly envisioned endeavor.

— Timothy Monger

Blending minimalism with cosmic disco, Delia Gonzalez's second solo album was inspired by Western films and her return to America after a stint in Berlin.

— Paul Simpson

Complete with proper sequencing and remastered sound, this Tom Wilson-produced album is among the greatest folk-rock albums of the 1960s.

— Thom Jurek

These British power metallers push their music out in all directions and make the argument that they should be one of the world's biggest bands.

— Thom Jurek

AFI-singer Davey Havok and No Doubt's Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young collaborated on this hooky, '80s new wave-tinged debut.

— Matt Collar

Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony present two Elgar classics, the Introduction and Allegro for strings and the Symphony No. 1.

— Blair Sanderson

A dozen albums into their career, the Athens, Georgia lo-fi mavens deliver a satisfying set of catchy but anxious psych-pop.

— Marcy Donelson

Krautrock legends faUSt document their 2016 American tour with a collaboration-heavy yet focused full-length.

— Paul Simpson

The producer returns from several years of scoring projects with some of his boldest music.

— Heather Phares

The soundtrack to the four-hour documentary provides a good introduction to the Grateful Dead.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

One of the legendary Grateful Dead shows, which was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2012, gets an official release.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In a role she was born to play, Bette Midler stars as matchmaker Dolly Levi in this 2017 Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!

— Blair Sanderson

The dreamy lo-fi outfit lock into a consistent, distinctive, and alluring sound for their full-length debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Originally excerpted for an NPR broadcast, this concert by the legendary jazz bassist's big band appears complete with 40 additional minutes of music.

— Thom Jurek

After embracing synths on her 2014 album, The Silver Globe, Weaver delivers a psychedelic gem coated in vintage keys, jangling guitars, and sonic exploration.

— Tim Sendra

A virtuoso debut from the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition winner.

— Matt Collar

Gary, Indiana-based producer expands beyond her roots in footwork with her monumental and rhythmically dense second full-length.

— Paul Simpson

A warm breeze of a record that unfolds like a curl of smoke from a damp bonfire.

— James Christopher Monger

Employing his wide vocal range, Jonas Kaufmann sings the tenor and baritone songs in Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.

— Blair Sanderson

Another enchanting and pleasantly disorienting release from Argentina's inventive pop auteur.

— Timothy Monger

The Colombian rock star delivers what may be his finest moment: A sense-altering audio-visual album about the nature and necessity of love.

— Thom Jurek

The singer and songwriter rocks a bit more this time out, while showing how much he's grown as a tunesmith and vocalist.

— Mark Deming

Lavishly packaged six-disc compilation of the poetic dream pop band's 1988-1994 studio recordings and BBC sessions.

— Andy Kellman

The Los Angeles band creates a stunning live-to-tape audio-visual album playing classic boleros, rancheras, and more in the plazas, bars, and theaters of Mexico City.

— Thom Jurek

Each work -- from cities that became cultural centers as they declined in political power -- has something to recommend it.

— James Manheim

Faux Discx presents a self-titled compilation by Lab Coast, summing up the Canadian lo-fi indie pop group's output to date.

— Paul Simpson

From mariachi to danzon, cumbia to ranchera, son to blues and rock, and covers to originals, the artist delivers a new kind of feminist manifesto.

— Thom Jurek

The masked instrumental combo pays cool and convincing tribute to occasional collaborator Nick Lowe.

— Mark Deming

Low Cut Connie explore their dark side while still rocking up a storm.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The fourth studio long-player from the L.A.-based singer/songwriter delivers a lethal blend of vulnerability, swagger, and hooks.

— James Christopher Monger

An emphasis on self-reflection signifies a tonal shift on the singer/songwriter's third strong full-length.

— Timothy Monger

Kid Millions' drum-heavy Man Forever expand their vision, creating an avant pop album featuring guests Laurie Anderson and Yo La Tengo.

— Paul Simpson

A splendid box set -- three CDs, one DVD -- that sums up the first 30 years of Cave's music with his singular backing band.

— Mark Deming

Spaced-out sonics and soul-searching lyrics from a genre-blurring singer/songwriter who has opened for Maxwell and King.

— Andy Kellman

This performance of Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat features Sir Harrison Birtwistle and George Benjamin with Downton Abbey's Dame Harriet Walter.

— Blair Sanderson

Shoegaze revivalists from Jersey City construct towers of massive, thoughtful guitar on their second album.

— Mark Deming

This L.A. sextet explores the inseparable connection of Mexican music with Caribbean sounds with help from producers Sly & Robbie and many guests.

— Thom Jurek

Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants conclude their cycle of Monteverdi's madrigals with this third volume, devoted to books seven and eight.

— Blair Sanderson

David Hackbridge Johnson's debut recording on Toccata Classics presents his extraordinary Symphony No. 9 and two shorter orchestral works.

— Blair Sanderson

Revelatory Haydn in the way the historical instruments combine with the large forces to produce a truly mighty sound.

— James Manheim

Penguin Cafe return with their most fully realized and captivating collection yet.

— Bekki Bemrose

Mike Hadreas' fourth album moves past pain and toward acceptance, allowing his music to bloom in compulsively listenable ways.

— Heather Phares

The Chicago power pop-punk trio deliver a robust sophomore set with quality songwriting and a satisfying heft.

— Timothy Monger

The old-timey Americana artist makes a bold venture into retro-soul.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

This folk-jazz trio delivers its sophomore recording from a studio, reinventing folk, pop, and jazz standards with depth and elegance.

— Thom Jurek

Balancing lively dance rhythms with profound expressions, Richard Egarr explores the many layers of Bach's Partitas.

— Blair Sanderson

The Ohio-based group's third album is oddball indie pop with glam rock and Joe Meek influences.

— Tim Sendra

The Icelander's more whimsical, piano-centric third LP seems to embrace a palette of pastels instead of blues and silvers.

— Marcy Donelson

German abstract techno producer T.Raumschmiere (Marco Haas) unexpectedly returns to early home Kompakt with the lush, gorgeous Heimat.

— Paul Simpson

On their electrifying sophomore outing, the Panola County, Mississippi trio records at Daptone in Brooklyn backed by a bevy of label sidemen.

— Thom Jurek

On its fourth full-length, the Malcolm Catto-led collective adds a vocalist and travels the space ways through psychedelic jazz and tripped-out spiritual funk.

— Thom Jurek

John Darnielle and company share 12 stories about goths; witty, compassionate, literate, and musically inventive.

— Mark Deming

The English singer's 16th studio album is a compelling set inspired partly by the politics and violence of 2016.

— Marcy Donelson

The soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's Seattle-set romantic comedy defined the grunge era.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A tribute album that doubles as a charity album for War Child, this reveals the depth and variety of Brandi Carlile's The Story.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Beethoven's Eroica receives a brisk and energetic live performance from Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

— Blair Sanderson

Using samples and production tricks, Nathan Williams has crafted a poppy alternative universe version of the usual Wavves sound.

— Tim Sendra

Named in tribute to his acoustic guitar, the singer/songwriter masters elegance and authenticity on his sixth album.

— Marcy Donelson

For this set of the complete rags, waltzes, and marches, William Appling observes the moderate tempos Scott Joplin required.

— Blair Sanderson

For this 2017 Linn release, William Carter performs Bach's lute transcriptions as discrete "reimaginings" for the instrument.

— Blair Sanderson

After a wildly prolific phase of this ever-morphing project, James Toth returns with a beautifully restrained chapter of the Wooden Wand story.

— Fred Thomas