Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks

Wig Out at Jagbags

Matador

Pop/Rock

The Jicks get mellow, sunny, and mischievous on this, their first album since Malkmus reunited Pavement.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kid Ink

My Own Lane

RCA

Rap

The L.A.-based rapper's major-label debut features plenty of hooky club tracks along with the substantial highlight "Murda" with Pusha-T.

— David Jeffries

John Newman

Tribute [Bonus Track]

Republic

R&B

Super-charged modern soul belters from the U.K. artist who broke through in 2012 with lead vocals on hits by Rudimental.

— Andy Kellman

Ariel Pink

Early Live Recordings: Gorilla/Appleasians

Human Ear Music

Pop/Rock

Remastered from CD-Rs and cassettes, this collection delivers an entertainingly fleshed-out portrait of Pink's pre-Haunted Graffiti years.

— Heather Phares

Bettye Swann

The Complete Atlantic Recordings

Real Gone Music

R&B

23 rare tracks (5 previously unreleased) that demonstrate this little-known soul siren was a major talent.

— Mark Deming

Blood, Sweat & Tears

The Complete Columbia Singles

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

Double-disc set containing the As & Bs of every BST single from 1968 to 1976.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Blut aus Nord

What Once Was...Liber III

Debemur Morti / Relativity / Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

The third installment in this EP series combines the band's black metal roots with tortured, droning dissonance.

— Thom Jurek

Leo Welch

Sabougla Voices

Big Legal Mess Records / Fat Possum Records

Blues, Religious

Mississippi guitarist with a hybrid sound that makes the blues and gospel speak together in one voice.

— Steve Leggett

Paul Potts

The Greatest Hits

Sony Music / Syco Music

Vocal

This effort results in a reasonably satisfying sound, and one that keeps replicating what drew listeners to Potts in the first place.

— James Manheim

Roosevelt Sykes

Music Is My Business

Fat Possum Records

Blues

Recorded in 1975 with guitarists Johnny Shines and Louisiana Red, and the harmonica-playing Sugar Blue to help out on some of the tracks.

— Steve Leggett

Dmitri Kitayenko / Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne

Tschaikowsky: Symphonie Nr. 4; Capriccio Italien

Oehms Classics

Classical

Dmitri Kitayenko and the Gürzenich Orchester Köln turn in solid performances of the Fourth Symphony and the Capriccio Italien.

— Blair Sanderson

Marc Minkowski / Les Musiciens du Louvre - Grenoble

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer

Naïve

Classical

Wagner's original one-act version of Der fliegende Holländer appears with Dietsch's Le Vasseau fantôme in a side-by-side match-up.

— Blair Sanderson

Amaryllis Quartett

Green: String Quartets by Robert Schumann and György Kurtág

Genuin

Classical

The Amaryllis Quartett gives distinctive modern performances of the Schumann pieces, which emerge as nervous, experimental, and highly original.

— James Manheim

Peter Oundjian / Royal Scottish National Orchestra

John Adams: Harmonielehre; Doctor Atomic Symphony; Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Chandos

Classical

This recording of music by John Adams, by a Scots orchestra with a Canadian conductor, is illustrative of Adams' growing international success.

— James Manheim

Robert Spano / Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7; Tapiola

ASO Media

Classical

Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra present exquisite readings of three of Jean Sibelius' mature works from the 1920s.

— Blair Sanderson

Cappella Nova

Alpha & Omega

Linn Records

Classical

Most of this music has not been recorded until now and this collection will satisfy MacMillan fans and perhaps make some new ones.

— James Manheim

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