Miranda Lambert

Platinum

RCA / Sony Music

Country

Miranda tries to be everything to everyone on her fifth album and comes awfully close to succeeding.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bob Mould

Beauty & Ruin

Merge

Pop/Rock

In the wake of his father's death, Mould explores his own mortality in this powerful, vital album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fucked Up

Glass Boys

Matador

Pop/Rock

The Canadian hardcore band continues to reinvent punk rock on its revelatory fourth album.

— Gregory Heaney

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin [Deluxe Edition]

Atlantic / Rhino

Pop/Rock, Blues

Deluxe reissue of Zep's debut contains an unreleased live concert from 1969.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin II [Deluxe Edition]

Atlantic

Pop/Rock, Blues

Deluxe version contains a bonus disc of outtakes and alternate mixes, including unreleased instrumental "La La."

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin III [Deluxe Edition]

Atlantic

Pop/Rock, Blues

Deluxe version contains a wealth of unheard songs, outtakes, alternate versions, and rough mixes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Die Antwoord

Donker Mag

Craft Records / Zef Recordz

Pop/Rock

The South African electro-freakshow duo return with an album as wild and wonderful as their debut.

— David Jeffries

Parquet Courts

Sunbathing Animal

What's Yr Rupture?

Pop/Rock

Their second album is streamlined, angry, full of undimmed passion and fire, and also quite catchy and fun, just like the group's debut.

— Tim Sendra

Meshell Ndegeocello

Comet, Come to Me

Naïve

R&B

Musically and emotionally a subdued continuation of Devil's Halo and Weather, this involves some of the underappreciated artist's rawest songwriting.

— Andy Kellman

Hamilton Leithauser

Black Hours

Ribbon Music

Pop/Rock

The Walkmen frontman's solo debut carries on his band's tradition with equally fiery and reflective songs.

— Heather Phares

Soundgarden

Superunknown [Deluxe Edition]

A&M / Universal

Pop/Rock

The Deluxe two-CD 20th anniversary reissue contains a remastered version of the 1994 LP along with 16 highlights from the Super Deluxe box.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Taylor McFerrin

Early Riser

Brainfeeder

Electronic

A gleaming, long-in-the-making combination of left-field electronics, alternative R&B, and futuristic jazz released on Flying Lotus' label.

— Andy Kellman

The Shoe

I'm Okay

Community Music

Pop/Rock

The debut album from Jena Malone's band delivers delicate, confessional songs that are equally simple and subtle.

— Heather Phares

Echo & the Bunnymen

Meteorites

429 Records

Pop/Rock

Late-in-the-game triumph for the band, with brilliant production from Youth and lovely vocals by Ian McCulloch.

— Tim Sendra

Joe Henry

Invisible Hour

Work Song

Pop/Rock

The respected singer and songwriter says a great deal with simple means on this set of songs about love and relationships.

— Mark Deming

Peter Murphy

Lion

Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

Lion finds the "Godfather of Goth" at his most unfettered, howling at the moon with the hubris of someone expecting a return call.

— James Christopher Monger

The Orwells

Disgraceland

Atlantic / Canvasback

Pop/Rock

Illinois garage rock revivalists the Orwells prove that attitude is more important than age on their sophomore album.

— Gregory Heaney

50 Cent

Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win

G Unit

Rap

The rapper's first effort after leaving Interscope isn't his long-lost album but a "street release"-worthy collection of tracks.

— David Jeffries

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Only Run

Xtra Mile Recordings

Pop/Rock

Sonically adventurous fourth album full of layered synths and poetic gravitas.

— Matt Collar

Brian Reitzell

Auto Music

Smalltown Supersound

Stage & Screen, Pop/Rock

Acclaimed composer's debut album blends his atmospheric present and his indie rock past.

— Heather Phares

King Buzzo / Buzz Osborne

This Machine Kills Artists

Ipecac

Pop/Rock

So how would the Melvins sound without amps or drums? Probably a lot like this...which isn't always a good thing.

— Mark Deming

Camper Van Beethoven

El Camino Real

429 Records

Pop/Rock

Veteran folk-infused indie rockers are having a bad time down south on their second concept album about life in California.

— Mark Deming

Centro-Matic

Take Pride in Your Long Odds

Navigational Transmissions / Thirty Tigers

Pop/Rock

Texas indie-pop legends offer a musical helping hand on this cool but heartfelt collection.

— Mark Deming

Dave Alvin / Phil Alvin

Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock, Blues, Country

The Blasters' founders pay homage to the iconic bluesman Big Bill Broonzy in their first studio collaboration since 1985.

— Mark Deming

Devon Williams

Gilding the Lily

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

The third LP by this proprietor of artful, new wave-inspired pop is more shimmering, laid-back, and honest than his previous work.

— Timothy Monger

Diamond Version

CI

Mute

Electronic

Following five EPs, Olaf Bender and Carsten Nicolai neatly condense their stripped-down techno and add a handful of vocalists, including Neil Tennant.

— Andy Kellman

Lucy Hale

Road Between [Enhanced]

DMG / DMG Nashville / Universal Music

Country

The Pretty Little Liars star goes country on her debut album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Morrissey

Vauxhall & I [20th Anniversary Definitive Remaster]

Atlantic / Elektra / Rhino / Sire / Warner Music

Pop/Rock

England's most notorious late-20th Century melancholy at the top of his game on lively 1994 LP.

— Jason Thurston

Cypress Grove / Lydia Lunch

A Fistful of Desert Blues

Rustblade

Pop/Rock

These blues-haunted, brooding love songs are predicated on twisted desire, tragedy, and the need to escape. Killer.

— Thom Jurek

Marcus Hook Roll Band

Tales of Old Grand-Daddy [Matured for 40 Years]

Parlophone

Pop/Rock

Trashy glammy studio project from Aussie producers Vanda/Young that also features Malcolm and Angus Young.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Big Smo

Kuntry Livin'

Elektra / Elektra Nashville / Warner Bros. / Warner Music

Rap, Country

Moonshine jars tip high as Frankie Ballard and Darius Rucker join the rapper/reality television star on his debut.

— David Jeffries

Casey Foubert / Matt Johnson / Gabriel Kahane / Rob Moose

The Ambassador

Masterworks / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, Classical

On his Sony Masterworks debut, the audacious composer and songwriter crafts a grand, ten-song cycle about life in L.A., using its buildings as inspirations.

— Thom Jurek

Gold-Bears

Dalliance

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

Second album from this Georgia collective is fuzzy indie pop at its finest.

— Fred Thomas

Harry Dean Stanton

Partly Fiction

Omnivore

Country, Stage & Screen

Though the prolific actor waited until he was 88 to release his debut as a singer, it was well worth it.

— Thom Jurek

Kyla La Grange

Cut Your Teeth

Epic

Pop/Rock

The British psych-folk singer's sophomore album features a move toward contemporary electronic pop.

— Matt Collar

Lee Fields / Lee Fields & the Expressions

Emma Jean

Truth & Soul

R&B

The singer and his band evolve their brand of gritty retro-soul into one that distinctively bears their own signature.

— Thom Jurek

Linda Martell

Color Me Country

Real Gone Music

Country

Rare first (and only) album from the singer who was the first African-American woman to appear on the Grand Ole Opry.

— Mark Deming

LP

Forever for Now

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

A powerful major-label debut that's simultaneously passionate and commercially savvy.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lucky Peterson

The Son of a Bluesman

Jazz Village

Blues

Perhaps his most well-rounded and personal album yet, capturing the blues as an ever-flowing, joyous, and ultimately uplifting thing.

— Steve Leggett

Matisyahu

Akeda

Elm City Music / Fallen Sparks Records

Reggae

Fifth album of radio-friendly reggae-pop from one of the world's more popular Hasidic MCs.

— Fred Thomas

Morgan James

Hunter

Epic

Jazz, R&B

The Broadway performer's studio debut of soulful, retro-sounding R&B.

— Matt Collar

Paul Weller

More Modern Classics, Vol. 2

Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

There may not be as many big hits as there were on Weller's first singles comp, but this new millennial overview is arguably a better collection.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pete Molinari

Theosophy

Cherry Red / Universal Music

Folk

An invigorating, unexpected evocation of '60s folk-rock and psychedelia, tied together by Molinari's exceptional songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Priests

Bodies and Control and Money and Power

Don Giovanni

Pop/Rock

Debut album from D.C. post-punkers carries on their hometown's lineage of catchy mutant punk excellence.

— Fred Thomas

Rich Robinson

The Ceaseless Sight

The End

Pop/Rock

A warm, burnished collection of Southern rock and amiable country-rock reminiscent of Robinson's Black Crowes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sage Francis

Copper Gone

Speech Development

Rap

The thrill of his early days meets wiser lyrics and layered ideas on the indie rapper's 2014 album.

— David Jeffries

The 5th Dimension

Earthbound

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

The final album from the group's original lineup was an uninspired reunion with Jimmy Webb, who produced and arranged the whole thing.

— Andy Kellman

The Bats

The Bats, Vol. 1: Compiletely Bats/Daddy's Highway/The Law of Things

Captured Tracks / Flying Nun

Pop/Rock

Collection of the earliest output from one of kiwi pop's brightest and best acts.

— Fred Thomas

The Donkeys

Ride the Black Wave

Easy Sound Recording Company / Welk

Pop/Rock

Fourth album from the San Diego-based indie quartet sounds like a love letter to their home state.

— Fred Thomas

The KVB

Out of Body

"a" Recordings / A / A.

Pop/Rock

Clearer production and live drums help take this gothic shoegaze duo out of their regularly murky shadows.

— Fred Thomas

The Pierces

Creation [Deluxe Edition]

Polydor

Pop/Rock

The New York-based sister duo's atmospheric, sophisticated fifth studio album.

— Matt Collar

Tijuana Panthers

Wayne Interest

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

Surf and garage rock revivalists show off humor, skill, and a distinct sound on album three, but the songs aren't there yet.

— Mark Deming

Clean Bandit

New Eyes [CD/DVD]

Atlantic

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Classical music and micro-EDM meet on the group's debut album, featuring the singles "Mozart's House" and "Telephone Banking."

— David Jeffries

Robert Francis & the Night Tide

Heaven

Aeronaut Records

Pop/Rock

On his first self-produced effort, the singer/songwriter delivers a poignant, musically ambitious collection with his new band.

— Thom Jurek

Various Artists

Kitsuné America, Vol. 3

Kitsuné

Electronic, Pop/Rock

With its reflective mood and focus on Americana and R&B, Kitsuné's third collection of stateside artists is the most cohesive yet.

— Heather Phares

Kan Wakan

Moving On

Verve / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

The accomplished debut of moody, cinematic orchestral pop from the Los Angeles outfit.

— Matt Collar

Blackbird Blackbird

Tangerine Sky

OM

Pop/Rock

The second album by this Bay Area artist is a hazy love letter to summer with tones of dream pop and warm, lo-fi electronica.

— Timothy Monger

Faith, Hope & Charity

Faith, Hope & Charity [1975]

Real Gone Music

R&B

With partner Joe Cobb out of the picture, Van McCoy drives this 1975 set, led by the number one R&B hit "To Each His Own."

— Andy Kellman

Fanny

Charity Ball [Bonus Tracks] [Remastered]

Real Gone Music

Pop/Rock

Second album from this trailblazing band is a tough, passionate, joyous rock & roll session full of great songs.

— Mark Deming

Previous Week Next Week