The AllMusic
What was the narrative that flowed through the music of the past 10 years? Is there an iconic image that will be used as shorthand for the era? If there is, it's probably the digital play button (hear selections from our list on Spotify). As the streaming age took hold, audiences fractured wildly, making the musical story of the past decade perhaps the most wide-ranging we've seen yet.
Our editors' list of the decade's 200 best albums reflects the complexities of modern listening: from our favorite French robots to the final dispatches of now-departed icons to a surprising number of Odd Future affiliates, even this quantity and variety of albums likely leaves a few stones unturned. But we did our best.
2010
Beach House
Teen Dream
January 26, 2010
The duo's lavishly heartbroken Sub Pop debut is filled with songs wise enough not to idealize love, and romantic enough to still believe in it.
Janelle Monáe
The ArchAndroid
May 18, 2010
The dynamo's Bad Boy debut has more imagination, conceptual detail, and stylistic turnabouts than most gatefold prog rock epics.
Harvey Milk
A Small Turn of Human Kindness
May 18, 2010
Harvey Milk return to their roots with their most challenging album in years.
Jonathan Nott / Bamberger Symphoniker
Mahler: Symphony No. 2
May 25, 2010
Jonathan Nott's brilliant recording of Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony is quite close to being an ideal performance for audiophiles.
Actress
Splazsh
June 8, 2010
Darren Cunningham transfigures dubstep, IDM, garage, and experimental techno, among other subterranean sounds, to astounding effect.
Ariel Pink / Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Before Today
June 8, 2010
Pink's first album recorded in a professional studio is still plenty weird, mixing soft rock, synth pop, and stadium rock with goofily surreal lyrics.
Kode9
DJ-Kicks
June 22, 2010
The Hyperdub operator's !K7 DJ mix is an uncommonly vigorous set of post-dubstep, grime, U.K. funky, broken beat, and avant-R&B.
Arcade Fire
The Suburbs
August 3, 2010
If nostalgia is just pain recalled, repaired, and resold, The Suburbs is its sales manual.
Esperanza Spalding
Chamber Music Society
August 17, 2010
Esperanza Spalding ups her own ante with a diverse, musically sophisticated program on Chamber Music Society.
Kylesa
Spiral Shadow
August 20, 2010
The Georgia metal outfit delve into melodic psychedelia on their masterful fifth effort.
Bilal
Airtight's Revenge
September 14, 2010
A heavy, messy, and dynamite return from one of the era's most electrifying vocalists.
Jamey Johnson
The Guitar Song
September 14, 2010
Johnson's sprawling album puts the OUTLAW back into country music with grit, craft, and passion.
Deerhunter
Halcyon Digest
September 28, 2010
The band plays with layers of nostalgia on this surprisingly gentle exploration of how fleeting, and important, memories can be.
Shakira
Sale el Sol
October 19, 2010
Shakira's seventh studio album, available in both Spanish and English versions, features collaborations with Dominican rapper El Cata.
Robyn
Body Talk
November 22, 2010
The full-length Body Talk consolidates Robyn's strengths as an innovative, heartfelt songwriter and pop star.
Agalloch
Marrow of the Spirit
November 22, 2010
Epic back-to-basics fourth album from the Oregonian extreme metal pioneers.
Jazmine Sullivan
Love Me Back
November 30, 2010
The sequel to the powerhouse singer/songwriter's Grammy-nominated debut sprawls and stuns in equal measure.
2011
David Binney
Graylen Epicenter
January 6, 2011
With an all-star cast, David Binney's Graylen Epicenter is the most ambitious and satisfying recording of his career thus far.
Adele
21
January 24, 2011
The Grammy-winning sophomore album from the soulful pop diva featured the single "Rolling in the Deep."
Demdike Stare
Tryptych
February 1, 2011
The Lancastrian terror alchemists combine and expand their three continuously mesmerizing releases from 2010.
PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
February 15, 2011
By turning her focus from the personal to the political on these angry, mournful songs, Harvey reaches new artistic heights.
Krallice
Diotima
April 25, 2011
Cathartic and complex third set from the New York black metal gang pushes them in an epic, progressive direction.
Liturgy
Aesthethica
May 10, 2011
With the extremity of its sophistication and power, Liturgy's sophomore album may transcend the metal genre entirely.
Symphony X
Iconoclast
June 20, 2011
In signature fashion, New Jersey's prog metal veterans explore the potential for disaster in the age of technological overkill on their eighth long-player.
Gillian Welch
The Harrow & the Harvest
June 28, 2011
After eight long years, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings return with her strongest album since Time (The Revelator).
Pistol Annies
Hell on Heels
August 30, 2011
The debut album from this country power trio headed by Miranda Lambert is heavy on strong songwriting and pure fun.
London Steve Reich Ensemble
Reich: Different Trains; Piano Counterpoint; Triple Quartet
September 12, 2011
Alternate versions of these attractive pieces make this an indispensible recording for anyone who loves Reich's music.
Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls
September 20, 2011
Veronica Falls' debut album is a thrilling blend of indie pop hooks, punk energy, and post-punk gloom, sweetened by Roxanne Clifford's captivating vocals.
Solstafir
Svartir Sandar
October 17, 2011
Grim and groovy, this sprawling set from the heavy Icelandic crew is an evocative treat.
M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
October 18, 2011
Sprawling, lush, and retro-futuristic, Anthony Gonzalez's double-album statement helped set the tone for synth pop in the 2010s.
Florence + the Machine
Ceremonials
October 31, 2011
Bigger and bolder than 2009's excellent Lungs, rolling in like fog over the Thames and doling out a heavy-handed mix of Brit-pop-infused neo-soul anthems and lush, movie trailer-ready ballads.
Oneohtrix Point Never
Replica
November 5, 2011
A dizzying, jostled, and strangely emotionally resonant collection of nostalgia-sparking samples and abstract synth ambiance.
Meshell Ndegeocello
Weather
November 15, 2011
The unclassifiable maverick illustrates a spectrum of aching emotions throughout one of the finest and rawest recordings of her career.
Venice Dawn / Adrian Younge
Adrian Younge Presents Something About April
November 29, 2011
Eerie, psychedelic soul and pop filtered with masterful skill through decades of breakbeat culture.
2012
Robert Glasper / Robert Glasper Experiment
Black Radio
February 28, 2012
The Robert Glasper Experiment blurs the genres of popular music to creating something entirely original.
Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony
John Adams: Harmonielehre; Short Ride in a Fast Machine
March 1, 2012
Tilson Thomas' powerful reading of Adams' Harmonielehre comes close to being definitive, and the playing of the San Francisco Symphony is superb.
Grimes
Visions
March 12, 2012
The dazzling hybrid of dream pop, synth pop, R&B, and dance music on Grimes' 4AD debut helped shape the sound of the 2010s.
Death Grips
The Money Store
April 23, 2012
The avant hip-hop crew offer a dark ball of anti-matter rap on their exciting major-label debut.
Busy Signal
Reggae Music Again
April 23, 2012
Jamaican superstar takes a turn from dancehall to roots, rocksteady, and lover's rock styles on this riveting collection.
Torche
Harmonicraft
April 23, 2012
On album number three, the Floridians delivering a tight collection of hooky metal, chock-full of driving riffs and soaring melodies.
Turnpike Troubadours
Goodbye Normal Street
May 8, 2012
For their third album, Turnpike Troubadours hunker down and hone their hard Texas country.
Wadada Leo Smith
Ten Freedom Summers
May 22, 2012
This four-disc, five-hour work is the composer and trumpeter's magnum opus, written and performed as tribute to the Civil Rights movement.
Chromatics
Kill for Love
May 26, 2012
Shadowy synth pop band offers some of its most ambitious work with this densely crafted and cinematic album.
Panopticon
Kentucky
June 4, 2012
A scathing exploration of socioeconomic oppression, delivered with the unlikely pairing of bluegrass and black metal styles.
Fiona Apple
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
June 19, 2012
Fiona Apple strips her music down to its core on her fourth original album.
Jimmy Cliff
Rebirth
July 17, 2012
The reggae veteran partners with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong on this vital return to form.
Frank Ocean
Channel Orange
July 17, 2012
The Odd Future affiliate's descriptive and subtle storytelling hits its highest level on a full-length worthy of complete immersion.
Jessie Ware
Devotion
August 20, 2012
A sophisticated, stimulating debut that belongs in a U.K. art-pop class with Roxy Music's Avalon, Sade's Diamond Life, and the Blue Nile's Hats.
Dwight Yoakam
3 Pears
September 18, 2012
Dwight Yoakam returns with 3 Pears, a colorful, adventurous album that ranks among his very best.
Miguel
Kaleidoscope Dream
October 2, 2012
San Pedro's greatest musical export since Minutemen offers a second album that's as pleasurable as modern pop-R&B gets.
Tame Impala
Lonerism
October 8, 2012
Tame Impala return with a spacier, less guitar-heavy vibe on their second album.
Converge
All We Love We Leave Behind
October 8, 2012
Converge's eighth studio album further cements the group's reputation as Webster's definition of American hardcore.
Andy Stott
Luxury Problems
November 6, 2012
Creeping, spellbinding menace from the "knackered house" sovereign, joined here by opera-trained singer Alison Skidmore and other voices.
2013
Ekaterina Gubanova / Anja Kampe / Jonas Kaufmann / René Pape / Mikhail Petrenko / Nina Stemme / Valery Gergiev
Wagner: Die Walküre
February 4, 2013
Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra present a superb version of Wagner's Die Walküre, their first Ring release.
Terri Lyne Carrington
Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue
February 5, 2013
Terri Lyne Carrington and her trio re-vision the classic Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach album Money Jungle on its 50th anniversary.
Kvelertak
Meir
March 25, 2013
The Norwegian party black metal evangelists deliver a face-melting sermon on their stellar sophomore effort and Roadrunner Records debut.
Kurt Vile / Kurt Vile & the Violators
Wakin on a Pretty Daze
April 8, 2013
With longer songs and more articulate production, the fifth album from this drifty Philly songwriter is his brightest and most complex work to date.
Paramore
Paramore
April 8, 2013
Paramore's fourth album, produced by Justin Meldal-Johnson, is the band's transcendent, genre-breaking masterpiece.
James Blake
Overgrown
May 5, 2013
Following his breakthrough 2011 debut, the second album from this dubstep-via-fractured R&B producer cultivates a similarly haunting atmosphere.
Vampire Weekend
Modern Vampires of the City
May 14, 2013
The band get introspective on their third album, contemplating maturity and mortality with a light, confident touch.
Daft Punk
Random Access Memories
May 20, 2013
By tapping into the wonder and excitement of the music of the '70s and '80s, the duo deliver one of the finest electronic albums of the 2010s.
Queens of the Stone Age
...Like Clockwork
June 4, 2013
The band reunite with Dave Grohl and Nick Oliveri but sound markedly different on this bold, complex album.
Deafheaven
Sunbather
June 11, 2013
Bay area band temper black metal's icy catharsis with warmth and reflection on their excellent sophomore release.
Disclosure
Settle
June 11, 2013
The sibling dance synthesists follow three major U.K. pop hits with a debut album abundant in pleasures.
Kanye West
Yeezus
June 18, 2013
Anger and ego both overfloweth, but West's stunning, punkish sixth solo album is unlike anything you've heard before.
Marc Anthony
3.0
July 23, 2013
After nearly a decade, the Latin superstar returns to salsa and delivers a solid, punchy, passionate set led by a chart-topping single.
Arctic Monkeys
AM
September 9, 2013
A moody, adventurous, late-night album thick with heavy riffs and barbed songwriting.
Gustavo Dudamel / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
September 16, 2013
Richard Strauss, Gustavo Dudamel, and the Berlin Philharmonic make this 2013 Deutsche Grammophon release a magnificent feast for the ears.
The Foreign Exchange
Love in Flying Colors
September 24, 2013
Nicolay and Phonte's joyous and audacious fourth album brims with note-perfect incorporation of folk-soul, house, drum'n'bass, and broken beat.
Chvrches
The Bones of What You Believe
September 24, 2013
The Glasgow trio's debut delivers emotional, widescreen synth pop that became one of the definitive sounds of the 2010s.
Danny Brown
Old
October 1, 2013
Detroit rapper masterfully balances technical brilliance and bizarre tangents on this smart, funny, and effortlessly stunning album.
Special Request
Soul Music
October 7, 2013
British house producer Paul Woolford pays tribute to U.K. pirate radio, jungle, and breakbeat hardcore with his first album as Special Request.
DJ Rashad
Double Cup
October 21, 2013
The producer’s first album for the Hyperdub album is an excellent expansion of the footwork genre.
Brandy Clark
12 Stories
October 22, 2013
Superb debut by the country songwriter known for hits by Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and the Band Perry.
Sky Ferreira
Night Time, My Time
October 29, 2013
Ferreira's debut album confirms her status as pop's dark horse, and is more shocking in its consistency and creativity than its outrageous touches.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé
December 13, 2013
Surprise-released during a world tour, an expansive and purposeful work showcasing an artist in total control, at her creative and commercial peak.
2014
The Brodsky Quartet
New World Quartets
January 6, 2014
This superb release by Britain's Brodsky Quartet makes a fine place to start with performances of American music by British and continental European groups.
Future Islands
Singles
February 4, 2014
The group's fourth album finds them streamlining their synth pop-influenced sound into something danceable and emotionally cutting.
Romeo Santos
Formula, Vol. 2
February 25, 2014
On his second studio album, the bachata star not only delivers on the promise of his debut, he surpasses it in ambition and craft.
Calle 13
MultiViral
February 28, 2014
Political commentary and artistic freedom power the Puerto Rican hip-hop group's excellent 2014 effort.
Real Estate
Atlas
March 3, 2014
More sophisticated, straightforward, and confident, the third album from these tuneful indie rockers is their most mature.
The War on Drugs
Lost in the Dream
March 17, 2014
Third album of dreamy, understated, and slowly unfurling rock stands as this Philly group's finest hour.
![Under the Skin [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=HW4HX_Fp6Uzk7ohN11Ph5ipQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=&f=4)
Mica Levi
Under the Skin [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
March 17, 2014
The Micachu & the Shapes frontwoman's first score and solo project is a brilliantly simple study in terror and tension.
Ana Tijoux
Vengo
March 18, 2014
This flawless, wildly ambitious offering is not only mature, but sets a new bar for creativity in Latin music.
Mac DeMarco
Salad Days
April 1, 2014
Canadian goofball grows up alongside his lighthearted but deceptively complex pop style, offering his most consistent set of songs as he ponders aging.
Sidiki Diabaté / Toumani Diabaté
Toumani & Sidiki
May 13, 2014
The kora's modern master and his eldest son team up to deliver a mesmerizing set of unadorned duets on their debut together.
Sturgill Simpson
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
May 13, 2014
On his sophomore effort, the singer/songwriter expands his songwriting and sonic reach but stays country to the core.
Ben Frost
A U R O R A
May 26, 2014
Composed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, this dark, menacing set is the enigmatic composer's masterpiece thus far.
Sleaford Mods
Divide and Exit
May 28, 2014
The Nottingham duo's brilliantly crude breakthrough proves they're one of the most truly punk acts of the 2010s.
Alvvays
Alvvays
July 22, 2014
Fantastic debut from dreamy-eyed and undeniably catchy Canadian indie pop quintet.
FKA twigs
LP1
August 6, 2014
The multi-talented artist's first full-length expands on her innovative sounds and bittersweet sensuality.
The Bug
Angels & Devils
August 26, 2014
Half-threatening, half-punishing collision of dub, ragga, grime, and other strands -- a masterstroke from Kevin Martin and crew.
Moreno Veloso
Coisa Boa
September 9, 2014
On his first record in 13 years, the Brazilian songwriter delivers an intimate, spacious, nearly perfect collection of simple yet elegant songs.
Aphex Twin
Syro
September 23, 2014
Anchored by bass lines that zip and glide, this is one of Richard D. James' most inviting releases, a bright progression from his Analord series.
Flying Lotus
You're Dead!
October 7, 2014
Steven Ellison confronts mortality and pushes four genres forward at once.
Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels 2
October 28, 2014
Growing into something serious, rappers El-P and Killer Mike stun once again with this excellent sequel.
Régulo Caro
Senzu-Rah
October 28, 2014
Fourth album from the young Sinaloan delivers an ambitious range of modern banda, norteño, and cumbia.
Mahan Esfahani
Rameau: Pièces de Clavecin
November 11, 2014
Mahan Esfahani offers exquisite interpretations of Rameau's complete keyboard works on this double-disc from Hyperion.
Juan Luis Guerra / Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Todo Tiene Su Hora
November 11, 2014
The Dominican legend delivers a stellar collection of bachatas, merengues, sons, and salsas, all done with a sense of musical adventure.
D'Angelo / D'Angelo and the Vanguard
Black Messiah
December 15, 2014
The soul enigma's first album in 14 years is bristly, bracing, and more outward-looking than his first two classics.
2015
Björk
Vulnicura
January 20, 2015
A brave, challenging immersion in total heartbreak that reconnects Björk with the emotional core of her music.
Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear
February 9, 2015
Caustic retro-pop confectioner Josh Tilmann finds true love on his second outing under the Father John Misty moniker.
Kendrick Lamar
To Pimp a Butterfly
March 16, 2015
Already excellent Compton rapper transcends to new levels of musicality and expression with this visceral, heartbreaking, and unrelenting masterstroke.
Courtney Barnett
Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
March 24, 2015
Invigorating, compelling debut from the wry and furious Australian singer/songwriter.
Sufjan Stevens
Carrie & Lowell
March 30, 2015
The acclaimed singer/songwriter confronts the death of his mother with this powerful song cycle of memory and loss.
Alejandro Sanz
Sirope
May 4, 2015
The Spanish singer and songwriter pushes many musical boundaries in a provocative, breathtaking collection.
Kamasi Washington
The Epic
May 5, 2015
A massive, accessible, revelatory debut by the veteran L.A. saxophonist, his large band, strings, and a choir.
Ghost
Meliora
May 11, 2015
Ghost look toward world domination with their most accessible and expertly executed meld of pop, rock, and metal yet.
Gerardo Ortíz
Hoy Más Fuerte
May 19, 2015
The great songwriter and accordionist greatly ups his own creative ante with this excellent 26-track album.
Jamie xx
In Colour
June 2, 2015
The influential producer's reflective yet engaging debut album covers the entire spectrum of his music.
The Internet
Ego Death
June 29, 2015
The singular R&B band's third and best album exhibits Sydney Bennett's refined, still-candid songwriting.
Vince Staples
Summertime '06
June 30, 2015
With Clams Casino and NoID, the West Coast rapper makes his official debut with this excellent double LP.
Carly Rae Jepsen
E-MO-TION
August 21, 2015
Sophisticated yet exuberant as a crush, Jepsen's second album established her as a consistently winning pop star.
Okko Kamu / Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Sibelius: The Symphonies
September 4, 2015
Sibelius' complete symphonies are presented in an exceptionally clear and coherent survey by Okku Kamu and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
Julia Holter
Have You in My Wilderness
September 21, 2015
The singer/composer's fourth album offers a more approachable version of her music's breathtaking beauty and ambition.
![Hamilton: An American Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=8GAhsr0QK133HfVujdNH49_M69_UI9rrJSVvWL2-yAg=&f=4)
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Hamilton: An American Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording]
October 16, 2015
Hip-hop and diverse casting meet Revolutionary America in innovative -- and delightful -- musical theater.
Eric Church
Mr. Misunderstood
November 5, 2015
Shorn of excess, this surprise album from Eric Church is a muscular, moving record.
Floating Points
Elaenia
November 13, 2015
Sam Shepherd and supporting players' exacting and dazzling cross between modern creative jazz and ambient techno.
2016
David Bowie
Blackstar
January 8, 2016
Bowie continues his 21st century comeback with this restless, explorative collection of jazzy art-pop.
Anderson .Paak
Malibu
January 22, 2016
High and hard times resonate deeply on the stellar second LP from the multidimensional madcap.
Rihanna
Anti
February 5, 2016
Perched halfway between heartbreak and ennui, Anti is melancholy, cohesive, and compelling.
We Are King
We Are King
February 5, 2016
Beatific electronic soul, all about plush grooves and rich harmonies, slow-cooked to perfection.
Margo Price
Midwest Farmer's Daughter
March 25, 2016
A smart, soulful retro-country debut that feels caught between the country and the city, along with the head and the heart.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Nonagon Infinity
April 29, 2016
The ever-evolving psychedelic tricksters deliver their fiercest album yet, influenced by early heavy metal and made to be played continuously.
Chance the Rapper
Coloring Book
May 12, 2016
Triumphant and uplifting third mixtape from the charismatic Chancelor Bennett, operating at the top of his game.
Maren Morris
Hero
June 3, 2016
An inventive, thoroughly modern, and tremendous debut from the country singer/songwriter.
Mitski
Puberty 2
June 17, 2016
On her gutsy and affecting fourth LP and Dead Oceans debut, the indie rocker addresses a crisis of belonging.
![Stranger Things, Vol. 1 [Original Television Soundtrack]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=NnOGAeEsVoND1ZgP0jKjQ5hUoDg0hsvx4F4sL4oO-nA=&f=4)
Kyle Dixon / Michael Stein
Stranger Things, Vol. 1 [Original Television Soundtrack]
August 12, 2016
Members of atmospheric synth group S U R V I V E deliver a score that transcends its roots in vintage electronic sounds.
Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Skeleton Tree
September 9, 2016
Largely written and recorded in the wake of the death of the artist's son, this is a powerful work concerning mourning and grief.
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Orphée
September 16, 2016
The composer's first album in six years builds on the Orpheus myth, exploring death, rebirth, and creativity with affecting nuance and beauty.
Solange
A Seat at the Table
September 30, 2016
Potent, cathartic, and tender, the third album from the expectation-defying singer, songwriter, and producer weighs a ton and levitates.
Kae Tempest
Let Them Eat Chaos
October 14, 2016
The British poet/rapper paints a chaotic world told through a South London microcosm on their masterful second effort.
A Tribe Called Quest
We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service
November 11, 2016
On their first record in 18 years, the group capture what made them great while giving their sound a modern update.
Ehnes Quartet
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 'Death and the Maiden'; Sibelius: String Quartet Op. 56 'Intimate Voices'
November 18, 2016
The Ehnes Quartet delivers exceptional performances of Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" and Sibelius' "Intimate Voices" string quartets.
Miranda Lambert
The Weight of These Wings
November 18, 2016
A moody, muddy, and audacious double album from Miranda Lambert.
2017
![Max Richter: Three Worlds – Music from Woolf Works [Limited Edition]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=E0ta9-bCA4LLmWQDMBFl-SpQg_7iAU1wjqLgK_xGXts=&f=4)
Max Richter
Max Richter: Three Worlds – Music from Woolf Works [Limited Edition]
January 27, 2017
The composer's music for a ballet inspired by Virginia Woolf's novels is a brilliant testament to both artists' skills.
Rhiannon Giddens
Freedom Highway
February 24, 2017
Rhiannon Giddens digs deep into American folklore on her second album.
Mount Eerie
A Crow Looked at Me
March 24, 2017
Recorded shortly after the death of Phil Elverum's wife, Geneviève Castrée, this is a beautiful, harrowing expression of grief.
Arca
Arca
April 7, 2017
The producer's vulnerable third album puts her voice and the beauty of her music at the forefront in moving, exciting ways.
Café Tacuba
Jei Beibi
May 5, 2017
After a five-year wait, one of the best bands on the planet delivers a woozy, dizzying exercise in 21st century pop.
Nicole Mitchell
Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds
May 5, 2017
The flutist/composer delivers a narrative concept that explores the intersections of duality in a startlingly unique musical language.
La Santa Cecilia
Amar y Vivir
May 12, 2017
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.
Juanes
Mis Planes Son Amarte
May 12, 2017
The Colombian rock star delivers what may be his finest moment: A sense-altering audio-visual album about the nature and necessity of love.
François-Xavier Roth / Les Siècles
Ravel: Daphnis & Chloé, Complete Ballet
May 17, 2017
François-Xavier Roth and his period instruments ensemble Les Siècles re-create Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé with the sounds of its 1912 premiere.
Jlin
Black Origami
May 19, 2017
Gary, Indiana-based producer expands beyond her roots in footwork with her monumental and rhythmically dense second full-length.
SZA
Ctrl
June 9, 2017
Solana Rowe's first true LP, less inhibited and more colorful than her previous work, wields distinct power even when it transmits internal conflict.
The Secret Sisters
You Don't Own Me Anymore
June 9, 2017
Produced by Brandi Carlile, the Rogers sisters' third LP is a marvel of quiet grandeur and steely Southern pragmatism.
Lorde
Melodrama
June 16, 2017
Lorde broadens her sonic and emotional palette on her excellent second album.
Ann Hallenberg / Il Pomo d'Oro
Carnevale 1729
June 16, 2017
This is one of those rare recordings that break entirely new ground yet remain a pure pleasure.
Tyler, The Creator
Flower Boy
July 21, 2017
An open-hearted, vulnerable, and wide-scoped creative leap from the self-produced Odd Future co-founder.
Kip Moore
Slowheart
September 8, 2017
Kip Moore comes into his own on his big-sounding, big-hearted third album.
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Dreams and Daggers
September 29, 2017
An emotionally layered set of live and studio recordings featuring the singer and her trio, as well as the classical string ensemble the Catalyst Quartet.
Kelela
Take Me Apart
October 6, 2017
Soul-piercing hyperballads and zero-gravity club tracks color the singer's riveting Warp debut.
St. Vincent
MASSEDUCTION
October 13, 2017
Annie Clark's fifth album weaponizes pop's trappings, transforming them into sad, witty songs about desire and destruction.
Bunbury
Expectativas
October 20, 2017
Spain's iconic rocker surrounds himself with vintage keyboards, his road band, and saxophonist Santiago de Campo in delivering dramatic, passionate songs.
2018
Matthew Shipp
Zero
February 23, 2018
On this effort, the pianist simultaneously delivers his most accessible solo recording, and the one most densely packed with provocative information.
Sons of Kemet
Your Queen Is a Reptile
March 30, 2018
The ensemble led by Shabaka Hutchings debuts on Impulse! with a political album that sounds like a street party in the making.
Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour
March 30, 2018
An emotionally candid, blissfully soft blend of classic country composition and modern pop.
Mary Halvorson
Code Girl
March 30, 2018
The guitarist and composer's new quintet juxtaposes and recontextualizes avant-jazz, rock, folk, and improvisation in 14 provocative songs.
Saba
Care for Me
April 5, 2018
Second album by this Chicago rapper is an emotionally complex and painfully vulnerable reaction to the murder of a close family member.
Sleep
The Sciences
April 20, 2018
The first album in decades from the stoner rock pioneers is a heavyweight dose of gargantuan riffs and righteous weed.
Carolyn Sampson / Joseph Middleton
A Soprano's Schubertiade
May 11, 2018
Superb interpretations of Schubert, technically flawless, intimate, and deeply felt.
J Balvin
Vibras
May 25, 2018
The Colombian songwriter and singer ignores the language barrier, doubles down on reggaeton, and furthers his quest for pop domination.
Kid Cudi / Kids See Ghosts / Kanye West
Kids See Ghosts
June 8, 2018
This eponymous debut from Kanye West and Kid Cudi is a compact, lushly produced, and thrilling collaboration.
Melody's Echo Chamber
Bon Voyage
June 15, 2018
Free-flowing prog-psych made under the imaginative direction of Melody Prochet with help from members of Dungen and the Amazing.
SOPHIE
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides
June 15, 2018
The producer's debut album is a bold and affecting exploration of imagination and reinvention.
Nathan Salsburg
Third
July 20, 2018
The Louisville guitarist's gorgeous and earthy third outing features nothing but a solo acoustic guitar.
Blood Orange
Negro Swan
August 24, 2018
Dev Hynes' most touching LP mixes and bounds between bedsit post-punk, desolate dream pop, chillwave-coated quiet storm, and low-profile hip-hop soul.
Ozuna
Aura
August 24, 2018
There is no sophomore slump evident on the artist's second long-player, absolutely stacked with romantic performances and numerous guests.
BTS
Love Yourself: Answer
August 24, 2018
Third and final installment of the love-and-loss narrative arc finds the K-pop group at the top of its game.
Noname
Room 25
September 14, 2018
Remarkable debut album from Chicagoan rapper/poet Noname, effortlessly blending introspection with humor over lush, jazzy arrangements.
Wayne Shorter
Emanon
September 14, 2018
A conceptual four-part studio suite with orchestra, a graphic novel (enclosed), and two live discs showcasing a vital quartet, make this a compelling package.
Viktoria Mullova / Paavo Järvi
Arvo Pärt
September 21, 2018
A superb fresh take on Pärt from Russian violinist Mullova, approved by the composer.
Christine and the Queens
Chris
September 21, 2018
The singer/songwriter's triumphant second album borrows from '80s R&B and questions gender roles, engaging minds, hearts, and bodies along the way.
Gustavo Gimeno
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Funeral Song; Game of Cards; Concerto in D "Basel"; Agon
October 19, 2018
Gustavo Gimeno and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg present key works from Stravinsky's Russian, neoclassical, and serial periods.
Daughters
You Won't Get What You Want
October 26, 2018
In looking to capture the ugliness of humanity, Daughters have crafted their most vital outing to date.
Makaya McCraven
Universal Beings
October 26, 2018
The drummer's "organic beat music" is articulated brilliantly by editing the music of four different ensembles improvising live in four cities.
Draco Rosa
Monte Sagrado
October 26, 2018
After two prolonged battles with cancer, the artist returns with his first studio album in nine years and it's a rocker.
Rosalía
El Mal Querer
November 2, 2018
The Barcelona-based singer, songwriter, and actress delivers her sophomore outing that weds flamenco and copla to R&B and urban pop.
Earl Sweatshirt
Some Rap Songs
November 30, 2018
The third album from this innovational rapper finds him taking risks with warped lo-fi beats and jagged, dreamlike production.
Muriel Grossmann
Golden Rule
December 15, 2018
The Ibiza-based Austrian saxophonist's brand of spiritual jazz uses Coltrane's example to jump into the soulful, stirring unknown.
2019
Joe Lovano
Trio Tapestry
January 25, 2019
A richly atmospheric set featuring the saxophonist's trio with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi.
Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom / Allison Miller
Glitter Wolf
February 1, 2019
An exuberant road trip of an album cross-pollinated with Latin and New Orleans grooves, klezmer harmonies, and far-eyed jazz modalism.
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Ancestral Recall
March 22, 2019
A culturally aware, musically expansive dreamscape of an album from the New Orleans-born trumpeter.
Weyes Blood
Titanic Rising
April 5, 2019
Fourth album from this versatile indie-bred songwriter leans into orchestral soft rock touches for some of her most direct and fully formed work.
Big Thief
U.F.O.F.
May 3, 2019
The indie folk-rockers' impressionistic third album is a foray into artful album rock that incorporates improvisation and samples.
Jamila Woods
LEGACY! LEGACY!
May 10, 2019
A galvanizing declaration of pride, support, and discontent from the poet and modern R&B singer/songwriter.
Theo Croker
Star People Nation
May 17, 2019
A cosmic fusion of jazz, electronic traditions, hip-hop, and R&B inform the trumpeter's elevated fifth album.
Baroness
Gold & Grey
June 14, 2019
With new guitarist Gina Gleason, the band deliver their most diverse, kaleidoscopic, intricate release to date.
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
July 12, 2019
Singer/songwriter David Berman's final album is filled with lonely songs that are as warm as a hug from a long-lost friend.
Freddie Gibbs / Madlib
Bandana
July 26, 2019
Five years after the Top 40 LP Piñata, the Gary, IN-Oxnard, CA alliance resumes with more ingeniously coarse rhymes and heady productions.
Osmo Vänskä / Minnesota Orchestra
Mahler 1
August 2, 2019
Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra deliver an exceptional performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major.
Jazzmeia Horn
Love and Liberation
August 23, 2019
The award-winning jazz vocalist offers an ebullient, deeply soulful sophomore album.
Raphael Saadiq
Jimmy Lee
August 23, 2019
The R&B giant breaks from background work to make the most riveting and autobiographical LP of his career.
Lana Del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell!
August 30, 2019
Sixth album from this icon of sad pop is her most subtle and majestic yet.