Featured New Album Releases

Richard Thompson

Electric

New West

Folk, Pop/Rock

With the assistance of producer Buddy Miller, Richard Thompson makes an invigorating return to electric guitar on the aptly titled Electric.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Frightened Rabbit

Pedestrian Verse

Atlantic / Warner Music

Pop/Rock

Uplifting with the most downtrodden scenarios, Pedestrian Verse is a triumphant album.

— Daniel Clancy

Tim McGraw

Two Lanes of Freedom

Big Machine Records

Country

After 20 years with Curb, Tim McGraw moves on and delivers a diverse, ambitious, country pop record

— Thom Jurek

Mumford & Sons

The Road to Red Rocks [Special Edition]

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Pop/Rock

A truly "Deluxe" version of one of 2012's most financially successful releases.

— James Christopher Monger

Josh Groban

All That Echoes

Reprise

Vocal

The classical crossover vocalist colors his music with a bit of alt-rock uplift via producer Rob Cavallo.

— Matt Collar

Harry Connick, Jr.

Smokey Mary

Columbia / Columbia Records / Sony Music

Jazz, Vocal

Funk-oriented album celebrates the train engine-shaped float of Connick's Mardis Gras super krewe.

— Matt Collar

Coheed and Cambria

The Afterman: Descension

Evil Ink / Hundred Handed

Pop/Rock

On the conclusion of Afterman, Coheed and Cambria explore new musical terrain while tying up their story.

— Thom Jurek

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

II

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

II builds on the bedroom recording excitement of soloist Ruban Nielson's debut with the addition of a bassist and drummer.

— Jason Lymangrover

Wayne Shorter Quartet / Wayne Shorter

Without a Net

Blue Note / EMI

Jazz

On his first Blue Note date in 43 years, Wayne Shorter leads his stellar group in a startling live program filled with kinetic interplay.

— Thom Jurek

The Chet / E / Eels / Knuckles / Koool G Murder / P-Boo

Wonderful, Glorious [Deluxe Edition]

E Works / Vagrant

Pop/Rock

E and company return with Eels' tenth effort, the sad yet hopeful Wonderful, Glorious.

— Gregory Heaney

Björk

Bastards

One Little Indian

Electronic

Bastards gathers the most striking reworkings of Biophilia's songs by artists ranging from Death Grips to Matthew Herbert.

— Heather Phares

Townes Van Zandt

Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971-1972

Omnivore

Pop/Rock, Country, Folk

A collection of 28 previously unissued demos and alternate mixes offers a candid look at a young and troubled artist in his creative prime.

— Fred Thomas

When Nalda Became Punk

A Farewell to Youth

Shelflife

Pop/Rock

With a minimum of fuss, C-86-inspired Spanish indie pop duo plays simple and true songs about heartache and growing up.

— Tim Sendra

Avant

Face the Music

Mo-B

R&B

Another set of sophisticated, adult-oriented R&B, the singer's seventh album features the classy slow groove "You & I," a reunion with Keke Wyatt.

— Andy Kellman

Robert DeLong

Just Movement

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Electronic, Pop/Rock

An innovative, creatively inspired mix of electronic dance music and singer/songwriter reflection.

— Matt Collar

Matt Pond

The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand

BMG

Pop/Rock

On his tenth album, this seasoned indie troubadour sounds reborn, with songs more hopeful and optimistic than ever before.

— Fred Thomas

Tony Bennett

As Time Goes By: Great American Songbook Classics

Concord / Decca

Vocal

Pascal Pinon

Twosomeness

Morr Music

Pop/Rock

With increased craft and a richer sound, the Icelandic indie pop duo's second album is a more satisfying and emotionally powerful listen.

— Tim Sendra

Eugene Mirman

An Evening of Comedy in a Fake Underground Laboratory

Comedy Central Records

Comedy/Spoken

The comedian is a bit nicer but a lot more weird on this rule-breaking and hilarious album.

— David Jeffries

Bettie Serveert

Oh, Mayhem!

Second Motion Records

Pop/Rock

Twenty years after their debut, the Dutch indie rockers still play with more fire and fury than kids half their age.

— Tim Sendra

Spectral Park

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock

Spectral Park's self-titled debut is a psychedelic onslaught that's worth the risk of sensory overload.

— Heather Phares

Feeding People

Island Universe

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

Noisy indie rock, stoner metal, trippy psychedelic pop and freak folk sit at the same lunch table, resulting in a spirited food fight.

— James Christopher Monger

Night Beds

Country Sleep

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

Soulful indie folk Americana that utilizes the best parts of Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Sun Kil Moon.

— James Christopher Monger

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

We the Common

Ribbon Music

Pop/Rock

On her first proper album since 2009, this bandleader/singer/songwriter turns in her most mature and enjoyable material to date.

— Fred Thomas

Jewel

Greatest Hits

Craft Records / Rhino

Pop/Rock

Jewel's first Greatest Hits contains new versions of "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games," recorded with the Pistol Annies and Kelly Clarkson.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Hayden

Us Alone

Arts & Crafts

Pop/Rock

On this relatively stripped-down album, Canadian songwriter Hayden taps into both his most inviting and personal material to date.

— Fred Thomas

The History of Apple Pie

Out of View

Marshall Teller

Pop/Rock

The U.K. band's debut is a tuneful blast of retro-shoegaze and '90s-flavored guitar noise worship.

— Tim Sendra

Jeff Crawford / Mitch Easter / Chris Stamey

Lovesick Blues

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

Chris Stamey's Lovesick Blues is a hazy, sweetly melancholy album designed for lonely late-night listening.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Holly Williams

The Highway

Georgiana Records

Country

Holly Williams teams with producer Charlie Peacock to deliver an uncluttered collection of righteous Americana and country songs.

— Thom Jurek

Dog Bite

Velvet Changes

CARPARK RECORDS

Pop/Rock

Phil Jones' debut album as Dog Bite explores the pretty, dreamy pop he helped Washed Out make and gives it some experimental twists.

— Heather Phares

Boats

A Fairway Full of Miners

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

Tight arrangements and interesting melodic hooks are weighed down by irritating vocal affectations on this indie troupe's third album.

— Fred Thomas

Various Artists

Now That's What I Call Music! 45

Capitol

Pop/Rock

This volume features a number one single from Taylor Swift, as well as other major and moderate hits from late 2012 and early 2013.

— Andy Kellman

The Como Mamas

Get an Understanding

Daptone

Religious

Daptone follows up its Como Now gospel compilation with a solo album by its earthshaking female trio the Como Mamas.

— Thom Jurek

The Bronx

Bronx (IV)

ATO

Pop/Rock

Ten years after its frantic debut, this L.A. unit leans further away from its urgent punk roots and opts for an increasingly hard rock approach.

— Fred Thomas

The SteelDrivers

Hammer Down

Rounder

Country

On their third album, the SteelDrivers continue to forge their own unique path in the world of bluegrass.

— j. poet

Silverstein

This Is How the Wind Shifts

Hopeless Records

Pop/Rock

Silverstein explore the butterfly effect on their sixth album, This Is How the Wind Shifts.

— Gregory Heaney

Funeral for a Friend

Conduit

The End

Pop/Rock

Funeral for a Friend look to the past on their hardcore-influenced sixth album, Conduit.

— Gregory Heaney

Magnificat / Philip Cave

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang

Linn Records

Classical

This is an interesting collection of pieces that nobody has brought together before, and it's gorgeously performed by the small adult choir Magnificat, under the direction of Philip Cave.

— James Manheim

Fela Kuti

The Best of the Black President, Vol. 2 [Deluxe Edition]

Knitting Factory Records

International

Over four years after the first entry in the series, a second volume in Fela Kuti's finest hits the streets with a bonus DVD.

— Thom Jurek

Tosca

Odeon [Limited Deluxe Edition]

!K7

Electronic

The Viennese trip-hop duo's 2013 effort features a bit more songwriting and vocals than usual, but the tone and feel is classic Tosca.

— David Jeffries

Frank-n-Dank

48 Hours

Delicious Vinyl

Rap, Pop/Rock

Frank-n-Dank / J Dilla

48 Hours Instrumentals

Delicious Vinyl

An instrumental version of the Dilla-produced Frank-n-Dank debut from 2003.

— Jason Lymangrover

Misfits

Dead Alive!

Misfits Records

Pop/Rock

Unfortunately, last original member Jerry Only tiptoes around any classic material in this 2011 live Halloween set.

— Jason Lymangrover

Original Soundtrack

Safe Haven

Relativity / Republic

Pop/Rock, R&B, Stage & Screen

Soundtrack for the Nicholas Sparks-penned romantic drama features 11 songs, most of which are carefully fingerpicked.

— James Christopher Monger

Pure Love

Anthems

Mercury / Vertigo

Pop/Rock

Two emerging torchbearers of 21st century hardcore punk decide to make a mainstream rock album.

— James Christopher Monger

Ensemble Marsyas

The three sonatas, for all their difficulty, are graceful pieces, and Scotland's Ensemble Marsyas carries them off with enviable smoothness and even quietness. It's an extraordinary performance, and the sweet pastoral sounds of Peter Whelan's Baroque bassoon will be worth the price of admission.

— James Manheim

Ron Sexsmith

Forever Endeavour

Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

Working again with producer Mitchell Froom, Ron Sexsmith delivers yet another batch of carefully written and realized songs.

— Steve Leggett

Taj Mahal

The Complete Columbia Albums Collection

Columbia / Sony Legacy / Sony Music

Blues

This gloriously packaged, bargain-priced box contains every recording Taj Mahal cut for Columbia between 1966 and 1976.

— Thom Jurek

Terri Lyne Carrington

Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue

Concord / Concord Jazz

Jazz

Terri Lyne Carrington and her trio re-vision the classic Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach album Money Jungle on its 50th anniversary.

— Thom Jurek

Esa-Pekka Salonen / Barbara Hannigan / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

Henri Dutilleux: Correspondances

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

French composer Henri Dutilleux has had impressive creative longevity, continuing to issue new works well into his nineties. And this is probably a good place to start in sampling his difficult late style.

— James Manheim

Al Green

The Love Songs Collection

Fat Possum Records

R&B

Alex Penda / René Jacobs / Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin

Handel: Agrippina

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Agrippina is not Handel's most famous or consistently perfect opera, but this might be recommended for those new to Baroque opera inasmuch as it is, especially in this version, a great deal of fun.

— James Manheim

Emanuel Ax

Variations

Masterworks / Sony Classical

Classical

Ax's reading of the Symphony seems almost meditative at first, although it eventually builds in power, and it's quite absorbing. And his reading of Haydn's Variations also brings out its adventurous quality.

— James Manheim