Eric Church

The Outsiders

Capitol Nashville

Country

The country renegade swings for the fences on his ambitious fourth album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cibo Matto

Hotel Valentine

Chimera Music / E1 Entertainment

Pop/Rock

The duo's first album in 15 years tells the story of a haunted hotel with the same mix of funky and ethereal sounds that made them '90s icons.

— Heather Phares

Neil Finn

Dizzy Heights

Lester Records

Pop/Rock

Teaming with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann, the Split Enz/Crowded House singer/songwriter surprises.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

††† (Crosses)

†††

Sumerian Records

Pop/Rock

Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez's project †††'s self-titled debut is dark, mysterious, and above all, melodic.

— Gregory Heaney

Temples

Sun Structures

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

Temples' debut is a thrilling introduction to their brand of backward-looking, forward-sounding psych pop.

— Tim Sendra

Fanfarlo

Let's Go Extinct

Blue Horizon Ventures

Pop/Rock

A bold concept album that sees the London-based outfit delve into themes of human evolution and possible futures.

— Scott Kerr

Tinariwen

Emmaar

Anti- / Wedge

International

Forced to flee Mali, the band recorded this in the American southwest. Here they evolve musically, yet keep their root sound intact.

— Thom Jurek

Sam Roberts / Sam Roberts Band

Lo-Fantasy

Paper Bag Records

Pop/Rock

A sunny, lightly psychedelic, '80s dance-rock-influenced album featuring production from England's Youth.

— Matt Collar

Hurray for the Riff Raff

Small Town Heroes

ATO

Pop/Rock

Amiable, millennial-informed, urban crafted, Woody Guthrie-inspired, modern hobo folk anthems from the Big Easy.

— James Christopher Monger

Dianne Reeves

Beautiful Life

Concord

Jazz

The vocalist teams with producer Terri Lynne Carrington and a star-studded cast to deliver the finest album in her career.

— Thom Jurek

John Hamson Jr. / Marcus Pepperell / Thumpers

Galore

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Meticulous studio pop productions never lose their humanity on the debut full-length from this U.K. duo.

— Fred Thomas

Cheatahs

Cheatahs

Wichita

Pop/Rock

Canadian/British quartet brings back the big guitars of the shoegaze era with joyous peals of noise and feedback.

— Mark Deming

The Fleshtones

Wheel of Talent

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The Kings of Super Rock explore past, present and future as they recall the Ramones, make fun of hipsters, and head to the roof.

— Mark Deming

Nostalgia 77

A Journey too Far

Tru Thoughts

Pop/Rock

Ben Lamdin's band uncovers the R&B and psychedelic-drenched sounds of Swinging London, updated for the new century.

— Thom Jurek

Sun Kil Moon

Benji

Caldo Verde Records

Pop/Rock

This is the record where the songwriter finally offers direct, intimately confessional songs about people and events from his own life.

— Thom Jurek

Band of Horses

Acoustic at the Ryman

Brown Records

Pop/Rock

Recorded in Nashville in 2013, these stripped-down acoustic versions add clarity to the band's moody, thoughtful songs.

— Fred Thomas

Greg Laswell

I Was Going to Be an Astronaut

Universal / Vanguard

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter revisits and rearranges key songs in his catalog with a couple of surprises added in.

— Thom Jurek

Illum Sphere

The Ghosts of Then & Now

Ninja Tune

Electronic

Ryan Hunn's gorgeously abstract debut album makes good on the promise of his singles.

— Heather Phares

Frankie Ballard

Sunshine & Whiskey

Warner Bros.

Country

Songs that explore back-road beers, wild Friday nights, and romantic hits and misses in a contemporary Nashville style.

— Steve Leggett

Nina Persson

Animal Heart

Lojinx

Pop/Rock

The Cardigans and A Camp singer's solo debut delivers a more personal, vulnerable take on her sparkling pop songwriting.

— Heather Phares

Speedy Ortiz

Real Hair [12" Single]

Carpark Records

Pop/Rock

Inspired by Top 40 and R&B radio, the band gives more pull to the pop side of its musical tug-of-war on this EP.

— Heather Phares

Let's Wrestle

Let's Wrestle

Fortuna POP!

Pop/Rock

The group's third album shows some commendable growth that comes without any reduction in energy or youthful enthusiasm.

— Tim Sendra

The Glitch Mob

Love Death Immortality

Glass Air

Electronic

The L.A.-based EDM trio get bigger and louder on their well-crafted sophomore album.

— David Jeffries

The Go Find

Brand New Love

Morr Music

Pop/Rock

By adding some synth pop and gentle surprises to their intimate, melodic sound, the Go Find deliver their most satisfying record to date.

— Tim Sendra

Noah Gundersen

Ledges

Dualtone Music

Folk, Pop/Rock

A low-key, autumnal-sounding album that impresses with its unhurried pace and muted gospel intensity.

— Steve Leggett

Robert Ellis

The Lights from the Chemical Plant

New West

Country, Pop/Rock

On his third album, this singer/songwriter reveals a polished new sound without forsaking his roots traditions.

— Thom Jurek

The Casket Girls

True Love Kills the Fairy Tale

Graveface Records

Pop/Rock

Second album from these haunted sisters reaches increasingly dreamy and textural heights with catchier tunes than its predecessor.

— Fred Thomas

Thug Entrancer

Death After Life I-VIII [Bonus Tracks]

Software

Electronic

Dark debut album from Chicago-based abstract techno producer crafts a shadowy hybrid from elements of acid, juke, and minimal house.

— Fred Thomas

Jamestown Revival

Utah

Wild Bunch

Pop/Rock

L.A. duo offer up country-folk confections that blend tight Everly/Avett Brothers harmonies with breezy west coast melodies.

— James Christopher Monger

Helms Alee

Sleepwalking Sailors

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

Helms Alee deliver an impressive fusion of jangly rock and sludgy metal on their third album.

— Gregory Heaney

Hollow & Akimbo / Brian Konicek / Jonathan Visger

Hollow & Akimbo

Quite Scientific

Pop/Rock

Artful, melodic, and somewhat experimental debut from the Michigan indie pop duo.

— Matt Collar

Lilies on Mars

Dot to Dot

Saint Marie

Pop/Rock

The trio's third album connects the dots between their dream pop influences and their experimental leanings.

— Heather Phares

Doug Keith

Pony

The Village Label

Pop/Rock

The New York singer/songwriter delivers a warm, heartfelt record with unique experimental tendencies.

— Timothy Monger

Jonathan Richman

No Me Quejo de Mi Estrella

Munster

Pop/Rock

Singer/songwriter Jonathan Richman delivers a compilation of his 2000s work for his fans outside of the United States.

— Gregory Heaney

Katy B

Little Red

Columbia

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to Katy B's number two U.K. debut is another bold -- if not as thrilling -- fusion of underground club music and pop.

— Andy Kellman

Tim Halperin

Heart Tells Your Head

Music Video Distribution / Tim Halperin

Pop/Rock, Religious

The second full-length album from the Omaha, Nebraska singer, songwriter, pianist, and American Idol contestant.

— Steve Leggett

Momo Kodama

La Vallée des Cloches

ECM / ECM New Series

Classical

Pianist Momo Kodama performs works by Ravel, Takemitsu, and Messiaen, to demonstrate the piano's potential for atmosphere and scene painting.

— Blair Sanderson

Anne Akiko Meyers

The Four Seasons: The Vivaldi Album

eOne

Classical

The star of this show is the violin by Gesù. Meyers draws from it a rather eerie meeting of instrumental sound and composition.

— James Manheim

Conspirare / Craig Hella Johnson

The Sacred Spirit of Russia

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Conspirare's album of Orthodox chants from the "New Russian Choral School" is a rich and resonant collection of sacred music.

— Blair Sanderson

Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov / Jean-Guihen Queyras

Beethoven: Piano Trios Opp. 70/2 & Op. 97 "Archduke"

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

The way Melnikov handles the 1828 fortepiano is a good compromise between a historical sound and what modern pianists expect.

— James Manheim

Bernard Haitink / London Symphony Orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9

LSO Live

Classical

Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra deliver one of the finest performances of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony ever recorded.

— Blair Sanderson

Simone Dinnerstein

Bach: Inventions & Sinfonias

Masterworks / Sony Classical

Classical

Each piece has a specific atmosphere teased out of its simple counterpoint and Dinnerstein's interpretations are personal rather than radical.

— James Manheim

Chas & Dave

The Rockney Box, 1981-1991

Edsel

Comedy/Spoken, Pop/Rock

Almost all of Chas & Dave’s '80s records for Rockney are boxed up here.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Solvent

New Ways: Music from the Documentary I Dream of Wires

Music Video Distribution / Suction

Electronic, Stage & Screen

Sixth album by Canadian electronic musician also serves as the soundtrack to his documentary about modular synthesizers.

— Fred Thomas

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