Dum Dum Girls

Too True

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Casting aside noise pop in favor of a slick post-punk-inspired sound, this is the Girls most accomplished, and best, record to date.

— Tim Sendra

David Crosby

Croz

Blue Castle Records

Pop/Rock

After a 20-year hiatus, Crosby collaborates with his son on a sweet, dreamy collection of original songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Gaslight Anthem

The B-Sides

SideOneDummy

Pop/Rock

New Jersey rockers the Gaslight Anthem offer up a collection of live cuts, covers, and acoustic versions on their odds-and-ends collection The B-Sides.

— Gregory Heaney

The Pack A.D.

Do Not Engage

Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

Vancouver guitar-and-drums duo rock harder than ever and show off some new angles on album number five.

— Mark Deming

Actress

Ghettoville

Werkdiscs

Electronic

Even bleaker, more industrial, and decayed than Darren Cunningham's previous set of experimental electronic music.

— Andy Kellman

Hospitality

Trouble

Merge

Pop/Rock

The trio's second album finds them exploring new sounds while remaining true to their strengths: Amber Papini's quirky vocals and their powerful songwriting.

— Tim Sendra

Cities Aviv

Come to Life

Young One

Rap

The edgy Memphis rapper uses the strange sound of cloud rap to create something poignant and positive.

— David Jeffries

Algebra Blessett

Recovery

eOne

R&B

The mature R&B singer and songwriter's second album has much more to offer than her merely enjoyable 2008 debut.

— Andy Kellman

Amy Ray

Goodnight Tender

Daemon Records

Pop/Rock

On her sixth solo offering, the Indigo Girl uses her own country hybrid to deliver 12 compelling songs.

— Thom Jurek

The New Mendicants

Into the Lime

One Little Indian

Pop/Rock

The debut album by Toronto's indie pop supergroup is full of the top-notch songwriting and arrangements expected from members of Teenage Fanclub, the Pernice Brothers, and the Sadies.

— Timothy Monger

Quilt

Held in Splendor

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock

Working with Woods' Jarvis Taveniere, Quilt bring more depth and dimension to their kaleidoscopic psych pop.

— Heather Phares

Rhonda Vincent

Only Me

Country

Divided into a disc of bluegrass and a disc of honky tonk, this two-CD set showcases the traditionalist country singer at her best.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Autumn Defense

Fifth

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

A glorious, emotionally rich evocation of '70s West Coast pop at its best from two Chicago-based musicians, no less.

— Mark Deming

Peggy Sue

Choir of Echoes

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

Peggy Sue's third album balances the band's folk, pop, and rock leanings with more flair than they've shown in some time.

— Heather Phares

Bohren & der Club of Gore

Piano Nights

Ipecac

Pop/Rock, Jazz

On their first album in five years, the German quartet blend more ethereal sounds into their trademark black narcotic mix.

— Thom Jurek

Doug Tuttle

Doug Tuttle

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Solo debut from former Mmoss guitarist is a superb lo-fi voyage through one man's post-breakup depression.

— Mark Deming

Morgan Delt

Morgan Delt

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Modern psych-pop weirdness that doesn't skimp on hooks while it's blowing your mind.

— Tim Sendra

Eleni Mandell

Let's Fly a Kite

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The veteran L.A. singer/songer pairs up with Nick Lowe's backing band for an austere and extremely well put-together effort.

— Timothy Monger

Drowners

Drowners

Frenchkiss Records

Pop/Rock

The Brooklyn quartet's debut is a punchy and economical exercise in late-'90s indie rock ephemera.

— James Christopher Monger

Gem Club

In Roses

Hardly Art

Pop/Rock

Unabashedly melodramatic, dear-diary poetic, and tastefully lush happy/sad dream pop meditations abound.

— James Christopher Monger

Big Scary / Tom Iansek / Jo Syme

Not Art

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

The Australian indie rock duo's ambitious, stylistically varied sophomore effort.

— Matt Collar

Helen Sung

Anthem for a New Day

Concord Jazz

Jazz

The adept jazz pianist delivers her first quintet album, featuring trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and others.

— Matt Collar

Bibio

The Green EP

Warp

Electronic, Pop/Rock

One of Silver Wilkinson's loveliest songs is joined by reworked and previously unreleased songs with the same dreamily pastoral feel.

— Heather Phares

Supreme Cuts

Divine Ecstasy

Dovecote Records

Pop/Rock

The Chicago duo offers a sublime and smooth album with help from vocalists Mahaut Mondino, Haleek Maul, and Channy from Poliça.

— David Jeffries

Snowbird

Moon

Bella Union / Love Da Records

Pop/Rock

Simon Raymonde's first project since the Cocteau Twins delivers dream pop that's gorgeous and distinctive enough to be a worthy successor.

— Heather Phares

Lambchop

Nixon [Bonus Disc]

Merge

Pop/Rock

Typically eccentric, magnificently crafted album that finds the Nashville ensemble truly hitting their peak for the first time.

— Mark Deming

Tony Bennett

The Classics

Legacy / Sony Music

Vocal, Jazz

A two-disc set of solo and duet performances of classic songs selected by Bennett himself.

— Steve Leggett

Frank Sinatra

Sinatra, With Love

Capitol

Vocal

Nice romantic collection of highlights from Ol' Blue Eyes' Capitol and Reprise recordings.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Guardian Alien

Spiritual Emergency

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Guardian Alien experiment with structure on their sprawling second album Spiritual Emergency.

— Gregory Heaney

Habibi

Habibi

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

Stuck between carefree fun and eerie distance, the debut album from this Brooklyn indie act is equally refreshing and infectious.

— Fred Thomas

Holy Wave

Relax

Burger Records / Reverberation Appreciation Society

Pop/Rock

Fine retro-psych sounds from this Texas-based band, conjuring a fuzz-laden drift downstream toward the infinite.

— Mark Deming

Iain Matthews

The Art of Obscurity

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

A quiet, intimate showcase for Matthews' idiosyncratic, melodic songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Angélique Kidjo

Eve

429 Records

International

The Beninese singer and songwriter returns after nearly four years with her most ambitious recording to date.

— Thom Jurek

Arild Andersen / Tommy Smith / Paolo Vinaccia

Mira

ECM

Jazz

The second offering by this trio was recorded in a studio; it's more exploratory, lyric, and deeply satisfying.

— Thom Jurek

Pontiak

Innocence

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Eighth album from these experimental psych rockers finds some of their most detailed songwriting and production to date.

— Fred Thomas

Ronnie Milsap

Summer Number Seventeen

Legacy / Sony Music

Country

A sweet exercise in nostalgia for the songs of the '50s and the sound of Ronnie's early '80s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sleepy Sun

Maui Tears

Dine Alone

Pop/Rock

Fourth album from San Francisco psych rockers finds them becoming an even more tightly wound entity of studio perfection.

— Fred Thomas

Tara Jane O'Neil

Where Shine New Lights

Kranky

Pop/Rock

Seventh solo album from this veteran indie artist offers up her most ambient-leaning pop explorations to date.

— Fred Thomas

The Districts

The Districts

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Soulful Pennsylvanian indie rockers make their Fat Possum debut with two new songs and some catalog standouts on this jangly EP.

— Timothy Monger

Transatlantic

Kaleidoscope [CD/DVD]

Metal Blade / Radiant Records

Pop/Rock

Supergroup offers up another steaming plate of mammoth, meaty, and majestic, haters-be-damned prog rock goodness.

— James Christopher Monger

Watoo Watoo

Une Si Longue Attente

Jigsaw Records

Pop/Rock

Timeless and smooth Stereolab-meets-bossa-nova indie pop from the long-running French duo.

— Tim Sendra

Tippett Quartet

Miklós Rozsa: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Naxos

Classical

Recommended especially for string quartet players themselves, who will benefit if they get to know and program this music.

— James Manheim

James Conlon

Franz Schreker: Die Gezeichneten "The Stigmatized"

Bridge

Classical

This live recorded sound is quite clear, and this can be recommended for devotees of late-stage post-Romantic German opera.

— James Manheim

Philippe Jordan / Paris National Opera

Wagner: The Ring - Symphonic Excerpts

Erato

Classical

This double disc presents concert excerpts from Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, featuring soprano Nina Stemme in Brünnhilde's Immolation Scene.

— Blair Sanderson

Hannoversche Hofkapelle / Anne Röhrig

Händel: Water Music; Concerto Grosso

MDG

Classical

This audiophile recording of Handel's Water Music distinguishes itself from the hundreds of others available in several ways.

— James Manheim

SHUFFLE Concert

SHUFFLE Concert

Shuffle Concert

Classical

This collection, expressly intended as a souvenir for those who have heard this group, commendably captures its ability to play by request.

— James Manheim

Martynas Levickis

Martynas

Decca

Easy Listening, Classical

The bottom line is that this is a tremendous amount of fun, and if you think you don't like accordions, think again.

— James Manheim

Bing Ji Ling

Sunshine for Your Mind

Boundee / Rush Production

Pop/Rock

A mellow and melodic album of chilled-out R&B cover songs.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Punk 45, Vol. 2: Underground Punk and Post Punk in the UK, 1977-1981

Soul Jazz

Pop/Rock

A brilliant snapshot of the rise of U.K. punk and post-punk and the explosive culture shift that followed.

— Aneet Nijjar

The Auteurs

New Wave

3 Loop Music

Pop/Rock

Nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, New Wave established Luke Haines' Auteurs as one of England's best guitar bands of the early '90s.

— Andy Kellman

Baader Meinhof

Baader Meinhof

Hut/EMI / Hut Records

Pop/Rock

One-off concept album from the Auteurs' Luke Haines, regarding the militant left-wing group of the same name.

— Andy Kellman

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