Featured New Album Releases

OFF!

Wasted Years

Vice Records / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Hardcore is back and sounds better than it did in the old days on the second official long-player from these punk rock veterans.

— Mark Deming

EMA / Billy Sandness / Leif Shackelford

The Future's Void

Matador

Pop/Rock

EMA's ambitious second album explores the relationship between identity and the Internet in dazzling, often affecting vignettes.

— Heather Phares

Carlene Carter

Carter Girl

Rounder Records

Country

The former wild child of the Carter Family puts her own stamp on their songbook, with strong, emotionally compelling results.

— Mark Deming

Sweet Apple

The Golden Age of Glitter

Teepee Records

Pop/Rock

All-star-heavy indie band gets bigger, brighter, and poppier on their second album, to fine effect.

— Mark Deming

Ratking

So It Goes

Hot Charity / HXC / XL

Rap

Political boom-bap is alive and well thanks to this N.Y.C. hip-hop crew and their revolutionary debut.

— David Jeffries

SOHN

Tremors

4AD

Pop/Rock

Debut album of pained, glacial brilliance from this soulful electronic producer/songwriter.

— Fred Thomas

Avicii

True: Avicii by Avicii

Island

Electronic

The EDM producer returns to his roots and remixes his surprisingly organic debut into something more electro and expected.

— David Jeffries

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks / Avey Tare

Enter the Slasher House

Domino

Pop/Rock

Debut album from side project of Animal Collective songwriter turns in unexpectedly catchy fare and psychedelic production.

— Fred Thomas

Protomartyr

Under Color of Official Right

Hardly Art

Pop/Rock

Second album from Detroit post-punkers expands on their furious beginnings with more nuanced moods and production.

— Fred Thomas

David Brewis / School of Language

Old Fears

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

Field Music's David Brewis returns with a second solo album of complicated pop that's bright and intimate, with lots of twists and turns.

— Tim Sendra

Tweens

Frenchkiss Records

Pop/Rock

The Cincinnati trio turns its punk-pop, girl group, and new wave obsessions into a promising debut.

Heathers

Kingdom

Big3 Records

Pop/Rock

Irish twins deliver an earworm-heavy collection of electro-folk-pop confections that should please fans of Tegan & Sara, Lorde, and Haim.

— James Christopher Monger

Eric Hutchinson

Pure Fiction

Let's Break Records

Pop/Rock

A likeable and catchy mix of melodic pop from the LA-based singer/songwriter.

— Matt Collar

James Durbin

Celebrate

Wind-Up / Wind-Up Records

Pop/Rock

The former American Idol rocker turns to bright, uplifting pop on his sophomore album.

— Matt Collar

Black Label Society

Catacombs of the Black Vatican [Bonus Tracks]

eOne

Pop/Rock

Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society return with another monument to crunching hard rock on their ninth studio album.

— Gregory Heaney

Todd Terje

It's Album Time

Olsen Records

Electronic

The Norwegian remixer's debut record is a tour of his dance music inspirations that works best on the sleek, dancefloor-friendly electro-disco tracks.

— Tim Sendra

Teebs

Estara

Brainfeeder

Electronic

The producer's second full-length offers a more dynamic, disciplined take on his sunny moods and watercolor melodies.

— Heather Phares

Patton Oswalt

Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time [CD/DVD]

Comedy Central Records

Comedy/Spoken

"I gotta go swab my folds" is added to the list of awesome Oswalt catch phrases thank to this hilarious effort.

— David Jeffries

Young & Sick

Harvest

Pop/Rock

A brightly warped take on left-field electronic R&B that has none of James Blake's mopiness or the Weeknd's skeez, and more catchy songs than either.

— Tim Sendra

John Frusciante

Enclosure

Record Collection

Pop/Rock

Though dense and confusing, one of the more listenable of this alt-rock guitarist's ever-obtuse solo electronic albums.

— Fred Thomas

Linda Ronstadt

Duets

Rhino

Pop/Rock, Country

Collection of duets from throughout Ronstadt's career showcases the sweeter, softer side of the singer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Faint

Doom Abuse

SQE

Pop/Rock

They're still raging against the machine, but they're doing so with the resigned wisdom and work ethic of age.

— James Christopher Monger

Joan Osborne

Love and Hate

eOne

Pop/Rock

On her tenth album, the singer/songwriter delivers a musically diverse outing about the mystery, danger, and joys of romance.

— Thom Jurek

Chuck Inglish

Convertibles

Federal Prism / Sounds Like Fun

Rap

Action Bronson, Ab-Soul, and others join the Cool Kids member on his flashy and fun solo debut.

— David Jeffries

Denney and the Jets

Mexican Coke

Burger Records / Limited Fanfare

Pop/Rock

Laid-back but rowdy boogie with a Southern accent on this Nashville band's first full-length release.

— Mark Deming

Ghetto Ghouls

Monofonus Press

Pop/Rock

Debut album from Texas punks is a raw, confrontational blast of sloppy aggression, all recorded live in the studio.

— Fred Thomas

Martina McBride

Everlasting

Sharon’s Rose / Vinyl / Vinyl Recordings / Vinyl Records UNC

Country

Pleasingly warm and gentle collection of soul covers by the country singer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Paul Thomas Saunders

Beautiful Desolation

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

On his Atlantic debut, the Leeds-based singer/songwriter erects an elaborate dream pop soundworld to house his artfully written songs.

— Thom Jurek

Screaming Females

Live at the Hideout

Don Giovanni

Pop/Rock

Screaming Females are at their strongest on-stage on their ripping live album Live at the Hideout.

— Gregory Heaney

The Greyhounds

Accumulator

Ardent Music

Pop/Rock

The first of a three-album deal with Ardent Music, this set is a synthesis of two different ways of making people head for the dancefloor.

— Steve Leggett

The Groovie Ghoulies

Flying Saucer Rock-N-Roll!: The First Three 7"s!

Green Door Recording Co.

Pop/Rock

A fun collection of early singles from the sadly defunct, monster-obsessed punk-pop combo.

— Tim Sendra

Holy Mountain

Ancient Astronauts

Chemikal Underground

Pop/Rock

Thunderous sophomore release from these Scottish hard rockers is cosmic and brutally heavy at the same time.

— Mark Deming

Anne Lise Frøkedal / Ole Reidar Gudmestad / I Was a King / Bill Rieflin / Frode Strømstad

Isle of Yours

K. Dahl

Pop/Rock

A wonderfully layered set of guitar pop tunes from this Norwegian act who echo bands like the Feelies and the Essex Green.

— Timothy Monger

Marc Ford

Holy Ghost

Naim

Pop/Rock

Languid collection of slow, comforting country-rock that feels both spiritual and haunted.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Christopher Bissonnette

Essays in Idleness

Kranky

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Made only with a self-made synthesizer, the Canadian ambient artist's third album for Kranky nonetheless is of a piece with his previous work.

— Andy Kellman

The Mighty Lemon Drops

Uptight: The Early Recordings 1985-1986

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

Early recordings by one of the better guitar pop bands on the mid-'80s U.K. scene that incudes their very first, very rare cassette release.

— Tim Sendra

Taryn Blake Miller / Your Friend

Jekyll/Hyde

Domino

Pop/Rock

The debut from Taryn Blake Miller offers up a shadowy mix of spectral, lo-fi dream pop and Spector-ish, guitar-driven indie rock.

— James Christopher Monger

Doug Gillard

Parade On

Nine Mile Records

Pop/Rock

Indie rock guitar hero demonstrates his knack for pure pop songwriting on this solo effort.

— Mark Deming

King of Prussia

Zonian Girls… And the Echoes That Surround Us All

Minty Fresh

Pop/Rock

Recorded by an expanded transcontinental lineup in Barcelona and Athens (Georgia), the indie pop combo delivers its third and fourth records in one epic, 20-song affair.

— Timothy Monger