Featured New Album Releases

Elvis Costello / The Roots

Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs [Deluxe]

Blue Note

Pop/Rock

Dense, self-referential collaboration between the old punk and the hip-hop traditionalists.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jack Johnson

From Here to Now to You

Brushfire / Republic

Pop/Rock

Another mellow summer day of an album from the soft rock surfer, this time with a couple of uptempo pop songs to liven things up.

— Tim Sendra

MGMT

Columbia

Pop/Rock

MGMT return to work with Dave Fridmann on their most artistically ambitious album to date.

— Gregory Heaney

Bill Callahan

Dream River

Drag City

Pop/Rock

With a subtle, diverse musical backdrop, the songwriter expands the definition of "Americana" in a set of expertly crafted songs.

— Thom Jurek

Sebadoh

Defend Yourself

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

After a 14-year dormancy, this flagship act of indie rock returns with the same bumbling brilliance of its '90s work.

— Fred Thomas

Gregory Porter

Liquid Spirit

Blue Note

Jazz

On his Blue Note debut, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter makes an inspired artistic leap.

— Thom Jurek

The Band

Live at the Academy of Music 1971

Capitol

Pop/Rock

A deluxe, exhaustive revamping of the classic 1972 live album Rock of Ages.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mark Lanegan

Imitations

Vagrant

Pop/Rock

On this collection of covers, the singer convincingly delivers standards, obscure numbers, and contemporary songs.

— Thom Jurek

Various Artists

Self Made, Vol. 3

Atlantic / Maybach Music

Rap

Filled with club tracks and thug anthems, the 2013 edition of Rick Ross' annual series features guest shots from Omarion, Wale, and others.

— David Jeffries

Billy Currington

We Are Tonight

Mercury Nashville / Steamhammer

Country

Excellent collection of suburban country-pop colored with slight hints of the beach.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Grateful Dead

Sunshine Daydream: Veneta, OR, August 27th, 1972

Grateful Dead / Rhino / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Long traded by fans in inferior versions, this properly mixed document captures the Dead in one of their finest hours.

— Fred Thomas

Chris Young

A.M.

RCA

Country

A.M. finds Chris Young ditching traditional country in favor of country-pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Crystal Stilts

Nature Noir

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

On their third album, they band expand their sound to include acoustic guitar and strings but still conjure up a wonderfully dark psych pop sound.

— Tim Sendra

The Bloody Beetroots

Hide

Ultra

Electronic

Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton, and Tommy Lee join the Italian electro act on this over the top thrill ride.

— David Jeffries

Jonny Lang

Fight for My Soul

Concord

Blues

An unexpected and successful transition into blue-eyed soul.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Justin Moore

Off the Beaten Path

Valory

Country

Underneath its appealing modern gloss, this third LP from Moore showcases a proud good ol' boy.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Dirtbombs

Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey!

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

The ever-changing Detroit garage rockers take a crack at making a bubblegum record and knock it out of the park.

— Tim Sendra

Manic Street Preachers

Rewind the Film

Sony Music

Pop/Rock

Quietly adventurous, contemplative record with a strong British folk undercurrent.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Windhand

Soma

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

Windhand's sophomore effort finds the band creating a more dynamic take on doom with an album that isn't afraid to show its lighter side.

— Gregory Heaney

Wesley Stace

Self-Titled

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The 11th long-player from the artist formerly known as John Wesley Harding.

— James Christopher Monger

Avicii

True

Island

Electronic

On his debut album, the Swedish EDM producer surprises with a soft, country-influenced effort with numerous guest stars.

— David Jeffries

Johnathan Rice

Good Graces

SQE

Pop/Rock

Rootsy, unassuming, late summer road trip confections from the Laurel Canyon-based singer/songwriter's third long-player.

— James Christopher Monger

The Strypes

Snapshot

Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

The Irish teens' debut delivers bluesy rock with confidence and musicianship that belies the band's age.

— Heather Phares

Islands

Ski Mask

Manqué Music

Pop/Rock

The band's fourth record is another tuneful, truthful dispatch from the broken heart of Nick Thorburn.

— Tim Sendra

Tift Merritt

Traveling Alone [Deluxe Version with Traveling Companion]

Yep Roc

Country, Pop/Rock

Tift Merritt's Traveling Alone was recorded in Brooklyn and features guest spots from Marc Ribot, Andrew Bird, and others.

— Steve Leggett

LAKE

The World Is Real

K Records

Pop/Rock

With their fourth and finest record for K, this Olympia collective's evolution toward indie pop perfection continues.

— Fred Thomas

Nightmares on Wax

Feelin' Good

Warp

Electronic

The veteran Warp artist involves several instrumentalists for a characteristically eclectic, if uneven, downtempo set.

— Andy Kellman

Grouplove

Spreading Rumours

Atlantic / Canvasback

Pop/Rock

The Los Angeles band's joyous sophomore album combines pysch pop melodies with '90s alt-rock crunch.

— Matt Collar

John Paul Keith / The One Four Fives

Memphis Circa 3AM

Big Legal Mess Records / Fat Possum Records / Turnstile

Pop/Rock

Another fine outing from a power pop songwriter who deserves a wider audience.

— Steve Leggett

Sigurlaug Gisladdóttir / Hildur Guðnadóttir / Samuli Kosminen / Múm / Örvar Póreyjarson Smárason / Gunnar Örn Tynes / Gyða Valtýsdóttir

Smilewound

Morr Music

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The Icelandic collective's sixth album splits the difference between pastoral folktronica and their later experiments.

— Heather Phares

Tony Joe White

Hoodoo

Yep Roc

Country

The swamp rock is almost a little too relaxed on this sometimes foreboding latter-day LP.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

San Fermin

Downtown Records

Pop/Rock

A powerful and epic statement of conceptual chamber pop finds a balance between huge hooks and obtuse, sometimes difficult orchestration.

— Fred Thomas

Potty Mouth

Hell Bent

Old Flame Records

Pop/Rock

The all-female band's debut borrows from the '90s, but bridges the gap between nostalgia and present-day urgency thanks to fiery performances.

— Heather Phares

Blouse

Imperium

Pop/Rock

Blouse's second album eschews hazy electro-pop in favor of wide-ranging, often exciting possibilities.

— Heather Phares

Placebo

Loud Like Love

Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Brian Molko's glitter-goth outfit delivers one of its most accessible and anthemic albums.

— Matt Collar

Five for Fighting

Bookmarks

Wind-Up Records

Pop/Rock

John Ondrasik delivers his shiniest, happiest set of adult pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sidi Touré

Alafia

Thrill Jockey

International

On his third Thrill Jockey offering the Malian songwriter jarringly addresses the social and political upheaval in his homeland.

— Thom Jurek

Royal Bangs

Brass

Modern Art Records

Pop/Rock

The Tennessee trio delves into melodic '70s-inspired soul on this mature, Patrick Carney-produced album.

— Matt Collar

Us3

Hand on the Torch [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Blue Note

Rap

Hip-hop and the Blue Note catalog come together on this jazz-meets-rap favorite which features the big hit "Cantaloop."

— David Jeffries

Said the Whale

Hawaiii

Hidden Pony

Pop/Rock

The Vancouver-based indie rockers' most well-crafted, and deliberately misspelled, collection of songs to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Yip Deceiver

Medallius

New West

Pop/Rock

Of Montreal members Davey Pierce and Nicolas Dobbratz debut their side project with this light electro-pop winner.

— David Jeffries

The Devil Wears Prada

8:18

Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock, Religious

The Christian metalcore group continues to push boundaries on their most extreme release to date.

— Jason Lymangrover

Carcass

Surgical Steel

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

Extreme metal legends' first outing in 17 years is a punishing and decisive thrust of the scalpel.

— James Christopher Monger

Clark

Feast/Beast

Warp

Electronic, Pop/Rock

This remix collection is an extensive, entertaining reminder of Clark's versatility as a sound-shaper.

— Heather Phares

The Naked and Famous

In Rolling Waves

Republic

Pop/Rock

The New Zealand synth pop outfit's mature, organic, and acoustic guitar-infused sophomore album.

— Matt Collar

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Fly by Wire

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

The indie group abandons their Americana roots and soars away in a pleasant soft rock direction.

— Jason Lymangrover

Sky Larkin

Motto

Wichita

Pop/Rock

With its third album, this noisy quartet turns in its most focused production along with its most dour lyrical content.

— Fred Thomas

Tommy Keene

Excitement at Your Feet: The Tommy Keene Covers Album

Second Motion Records

Pop/Rock

Dynamite covers album paying tribute to the power pop legend's inspirations and peers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dustin Wong

Mediation of Ecstatic Energy

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Without losing his spontaneity, this wizard of processed instrumental guitar turns in his most compositional, focused effort to date.

— Fred Thomas

Marques Houston

Famous

Shanachie

R&B

The singer's sixth album and first for Shanachie is dominated by mature slow jams.

— Andy Kellman

Las Kellies

Total Exposure

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Argentinean trio's fourth album scales back on the riot grrrl energy in favor of a reggae-influenced sound that would make the Slits proud.

— Tim Sendra

Saves the Day

Equal Vision

Pop/Rock

Saves the Day return refreshed from their conceptual trilogy with a self-titled album of wonderfully effervescent pop.

— Gregory Heaney

The Resonars

The Greatest Songs of the Resonars

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Collection of the underrated Arizona groups's incredibly hooky songs presented chronologically shows they are one of the best unknown power pop bands of all time.

— Tim Sendra

Seams

Quarters

Full Time Hobby

Electronic

The first proper album from this Berlin-based producer is a little more active than his previous home-listening-oriented material.

— Andy Kellman

Sponge

Stop the Bleeding

The End

Pop/Rock

Muddled but effective revival of the Detroit alt-rockers late-'90s heyday.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Left Lane Cruiser

Rock Them Back to Hell!

Alive

Pop/Rock

More raw, unhinged hillbilly punk-blues that roars like a modal, tweaking chain saw.

— Steve Leggett

Bnois King / Smokin' Joe Kubek

Road Dog's Life

Delta Groove Music / Delta Groove Productions / Jazzhaus

Blues

Following the unplugged Close to the Bone, a return to plain old electric Texas barroom blues.

— Steve Leggett

The Alan Parsons Project

I Robot [Legacy Edition]

Legacy / Sony Legacy

Pop/Rock

Expanded double-disc of 1977 album contains a second disc of alternate takes, demos, rough mixes, promos, and radio commercials.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album cover for Circles Super Bon Bon Sleepless How Many Cans? True Dreams of Wichita Monster Man Mr. Bitterness Maybe I’ll Come Down St. Louise Is Listening I Miss the Girl Unmarked Helicopters The Idiot Kings So Far I Have Not Found the Science by Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty

Circles Super Bon Bon Sleepless How Many Cans? True Dreams of Wichita Monster Man Mr. Bitterness Maybe I’ll Come Down St. Louise Is Listening I Miss the Girl Unmarked Helicopters The Idiot Kings So Far I Have Not Found the Science

Snack Bar

Pop/Rock

Singer/Songwriter Mike Doughty returns to his Soul Coughing days with an album that finds him reimagining some of his work from the '90s.

— Gregory Heaney

Carol Kleyn

Return of the Silkie

Drag City

Folk, Pop/Rock, New Age

On her third (and best) record, the songwriter/harpist is accompanied only by the sounds of the ocean surf and sea lions.

— Thom Jurek

Diego Bernal / Ernest Gonzales

Atonement

Exponential

Rap

The two San Antonio producers team up for an evocative half-hour score to an unmade Mexican Western.

— Andy Kellman

The Watson Twins

Pioneer Lane

Burnside / The Watson Twins

Country, Children's, Folk, Pop/Rock

A low-key, brightly reflective listen, full of water-colored lullabies.

— Steve Leggett

Thomas Dybdahl

What's Left Is Forever

Strange Cargo

Pop/Rock

The Norwegian singer/songwriter enlists producer Larry Klein and L.A. session greats on a sophisticated, trippy exercise in luxuriant, soulful pop

— Thom Jurek

Daniel Barenboim / West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique; Liszt: Les Préludes

Decca

Classical

Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra revisit Weimar in their 10th anniversary concert of music by Berlioz and Liszt.

— Blair Sanderson

Martin Haselböck / Orchester Wiener Akademie

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies

CPO

Classical

The orchestral arrangements of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies are played in period style by Martin Haselböck and the Wiener Akademie Orchester.

— Blair Sanderson

Stephan Genz / Anna Lucia Richter / Marin Alsop

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem

Naxos

Classical

Marin Alsop conducts a vibrant performance of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem that enfolds the listener with its warmth.

— Blair Sanderson

Chris Thile

Bach: Sonatas & Partitas, Vol. 1

Nonesuch

Classical

This is an impressive job by a child-prodigy instrumentalist who accomplishes the difficult task of continuing to productively challenge himself as an adult.

— James Manheim