Featured New Album Releases

Jessie Ware

Tough Love

Interscope

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to the singer's Mercury Prize-nominated debut plays it safe with impressive performances and lukewarm material.

— Andy Kellman

Thurston Moore

The Best Day

Matador

Pop/Rock

Solo outing from Sonic Youth figurehead returns to sprawling guitar rock after the folk detour of his last album.

— Fred Thomas

T.I.

Paperwork

Columbia

Rap

Pharrell executive produces the rapper's very pop 2014 effort, and the results are vibrant and varied with plenty of highlights.

— David Jeffries

Aretha Franklin

Sings the Great Diva Classics

RCA

R&B

An entertaining but ultimately uneven all-covers affair guided by Clive Davis with help from Babyface and André 3000, among others.

— Andy Kellman

Neil Diamond

Melody Road

Capitol

Pop/Rock

A Don Was-assisted returned to show biz schmaltz for the veteran singer/songwriter

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sunn O))) / Scott Walker

Soused

4AD

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

The pairing of artists renowned for experimentation yields a strangely melodic, often thunderous offering equal to the sum of its parts.

— Thom Jurek

Little Big Town

Pain Killer

Capitol / Capitol Nashville

Country

The quartet throws out the rule book on this restless, unpredictable country-pop record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Annie Lennox

Nostalgia

Blue Note

Pop/Rock

An album of distinctive, sophisticated cover songs that showcases the former Eurythmic's powerhouse vocals.

— Matt Collar

Ben Howard

I Forget Where We Were

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter goes electric and gets painterly on this haunting sophomore set

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mark Lanegan / Mark Lanegan Band

Phantom Radio

Flooded Soil / Vagrant

Pop/Rock

The raspy-voiced singer and songwriter works with cleaner surfaces here, but always shapes the music to his advantage.

— Mark Deming

The Budos Band

Burnt Offering [LP]

Daptone

Pop/Rock, R&B

On its fantastic fourth album, the ten- piece unit shifts gears, embracing stoner psych and soundtrack funk in its signature sound.

— Thom Jurek

Wrekmeister Harmonies

Then It All Came Down/You've Always Meant So Much to Me

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

JR Robinson and his large collective deliver a powerful new work that combines ambient, metal vanguard composition, and drones.

— Thom Jurek

The Coral

The Curse of Love

Skeleton Key Records

Pop/Rock

Recorded in 2006 but shelved until 2014, the album presents a spooky, low-key direction the band could have pursued.

— Tim Sendra

Dorian Concept

Joined Ends

Ninja Tune

Electronic

The second album from Viennese producer and musician Oliver Johnson is a beatific trip filled with spiraling melodies.

— Andy Kellman

Slipknot

.5: The Gray Chapter

Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock

Slipknot deliver an emotional tribute to a fallen friend with their fifth studio album.

— Gregory Heaney

Billy Idol

Kings and Queens of the Underground

BFI

Pop/Rock

The old rocker bares his soul as he bellows his way through this shiny Trevor Horn production.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Boyz II Men

Collide

Absolute / Relativity Entertainment

R&B

The group feels revitalized, but the set is scattered, involving over three dozen songwriters and producers, as well as Auto-Tune.

— Andy Kellman

Primus

Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble

ATO

Pop/Rock

Primus deliver their interpretation of the iconically whimsical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory score on their eighth studio album.

— Gregory Heaney

Bush

Man on the Run [Deluxe Edition]

Zuma Rock Records

Pop/Rock

The reconstituted grunge band dip their toes in EDM waters on this second new millennial album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Logic

Under Pressure

Def Jam

Rap

No guest artists or filler to be found on the Maryland rapper's stunning autobiographical debut album.

— David Jeffries

Cold War Kids

Hold My Home

Downtown

Pop/Rock

Building on Dear Miss Lonelyhearts' success, the band delivers some of its most engaging, confident music since Robbers & Cowards.

— Heather Phares

Inspiral Carpets

Cherry Red / Keep the Faith

Pop/Rock

Surprisingly effective, muscular comeback from the organ-laden Madchester band.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cooly G

Wait 'Til Night

Hyperdub

Electronic

More direct and simplistic than Marissa Campbell's first album for Hyperdub, this is all about shadowy sounds and blunt come-ons.

— Andy Kellman

The Blind Boys of Alabama / Taj Mahal

Talkin' Christmas!

Masterworks

Holiday, R&B, Blues

More a Blind Boys Christmas set than Taj Mahal's, it brightly mixes gospel and R&B into a wonderful holiday blend.

— Steve Leggett

Various Artists

Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

A tribute compilation dedicated to the maverick avant-garde musician Arthur Russell, featuring the likes of Hot Chip, Sufjan Stevans, Scissor Sisters, and more.

— Aneet Nijjar

Rory Gallagher

Irish Tour [Live] [Bonus Tracks]

Eagle Rock

Pop/Rock, Blues

Instead of reproducing the original classic album, this 40th anniversary version presents the tour's Cork show in its entirety for the first time.

— Thom Jurek

Cave

Release: Singles 2007-2013 [LP]

Drag City

Pop/Rock

Cave deliver a collection of the forgotten 4-track gems on their Motorik singles collection Release.

— Gregory Heaney

The Luxembourg Signal

Shelflife

Pop/Rock

Debut album from former members of indie pop group Aberdeen shares their sensibilities, but injects more noise and a more mature lyrical viewpoint.

— Tim Sendra

The Aislers Set

Terrible Things Happen

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

The short-lived but groundbreaking indie/chamber pop band's comparatively raw debut album.

— Fred Thomas

The Aislers Set

The Last Match

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

Second album from this beloved and influential indie pop group moved toward more orchestrated chamber pop.

— Fred Thomas

The Pop Group

We Are Time

Freaks R Us / Kartel

Pop/Rock

This collection of rarities provides a bracing overview of the post-punk band's experiments in funk, noise, and dub.

— Mark Deming

The Pop Group

Cabinet of Curiosities

Freaks R Us

Pop/Rock

Archival collection from the pioneering post-punk band is as challenging and powerful as when it was recorded in 1978/1980.

— Mark Deming

Dave Hollister

Chicago Winds...The Saga Continues

eOne

R&B

A fine return to secular R&B, produced and written almost entirely by Warryn Campbell and Eric Dawkins.

— Andy Kellman

Dope Body

Lifer

Drag City

Pop/Rock

Third album of messy, frantic noise grunge from this exuberant Baltimore quartet.

— Fred Thomas

Elisa Ambrogio

The Immoralist

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The Magik Markers and 200 Years singer/guitarist delivers some of her most introspective and accessible songs yet.

— Heather Phares

Elliott Brood

Work and Love

Paper Bag Records

Country, Pop/Rock

The Canadian roots trio's fifth LP is as dark and daring as it is warm-hearted.

— Timothy Monger

FF

Lord

Couple Skate

Pop/Rock

The Seattle trio's debut is a convincing, enjoyable throwback to the heyday of the rougher side of shoegaze.

— Heather Phares

Horse Feathers

So It Is with Us

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

The band's spirited fifth outing may not be a party record, but it makes a noble attempt to mingle with its guests.

— James Christopher Monger

Houston Person

The Melody Lingers On

HighNote Records

Jazz

Soulful balladry and blues from the journeyman tenor saxophonist.

— Matt Collar

Huxley

Blurred

!K7 / AUS / Aus Music

Electronic

Grimey bass meets blissful house on the U.K. producer's wonderful debut.

— David Jeffries

Jerry Garcia / Jerry Garcia Band

Garcia Live, Vol. 5: December 31st, 1975 Keystone Berkeley

ATO

Pop/Rock

A loose and sometimes bumbling New Year's Eve set with cameos from Bob Weir and Mickey Hart.

— Fred Thomas

Jukebox the Ghost

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

An 11-track assault of sugary, feel-good millennial pop confections that sound like Ben Folds devoid of all cynicism.

— James Christopher Monger

Modern Vices

Autumn Tone Records

Pop/Rock

The Chicago garage quintet's debut is a dark-hued, lo-fi affair.

— Timothy Monger

Nicole Scherzinger

Big Fat Lie

RCA

Pop/Rock

Produced by Tricky Stewart and the-Dream, the second solo album from the Pussycat Doll is sexy, stylish, stiff dance-pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Nude Beach

'77

Don Giovanni

Pop/Rock

Brooklyn garage punks evoke classic power pop on their third album, an ambitious and impressive two-LP set.

— Mark Deming

Baxter Dury

It's a Pleasure

Le Label / PIAS

Pop/Rock

Peculiar collection of quirky neo-new wave pop tunes that can't help but recall Dury's father Ian.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Robert Lester Folsom

Ode to a Rainy Day: Archives 1972-1975

Anthology

Pop/Rock

A collection of lost recordings and home demos straight from the soft rock/AM pop underground.

— James Christopher Monger

Rory Block

Hard Luck Child: A Tribute to Skip James

Stony Plain

Blues

Celebrated guitarist and singer pays homage to one of her key influences on this splendid acoustic blues session.

— Mark Deming

Sleater-Kinney

Start Together

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Deluxe, limited-edition vinyl set gathering all seven of the band's groundbreaking albums.

— Heather Phares

Stray Birds

Best Medicine

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock, Country, Folk

Modern Americana, grounded in traditional elements but recast in a 21st century light.

— Steve Leggett

Susan Boyle

Hope

Syco Music

Vocal

A predictable but warm collection of mid-century standards from the middle of the road singer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tennis System

Technicolour Blind

Papercup Music

Pop/Rock

The noisy L.A. guitar pop band is decidedly less noisy and more dreamy on its second album.

— Tim Sendra

The Body / Sandworm

The Body/Sandworm [Split LP]

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Split LP from long-running experimental metal veterans and fresh-faced black metal upstarts.

— Fred Thomas

The Chills

Stand By [Bonus Tracks]

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

2004 EP is a bit short on studio craft, but shows Martin Phillipps's songwriting and vocals are in splendid form.

— Mark Deming

Tindersticks

Ypres

Lucky Dog Recordings

Pop/Rock

A restrained yet powerful instrumental score for a permanent installation at the Flanders Fields Memorial Museum in Belgium.

— Thom Jurek

Jane Weaver

The Silver Globe

Bird

Pop/Rock

Weaver's fourth full-length release blends early electronic-inspired sounds with inventive psych folk.

— James Wilkinson

Weyes Blood

The Innocents

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock

Fantastic second album from this formerly noisy folk project steps up in terms of clarity and emotional weight.

— Fred Thomas

Sterling Roswell

The Call of the Cosmos

Media Roscom

Pop/Rock

The former Spacemen 3 drummer's second solo effort is a delightfully confounding mix of prime space rock and warm psychedelia.

— Timothy Monger

Marie-Pierre Langlamet / Anna Prohaska / Ludwig Quandt / Lara St. John

Schubert

Ancalagon

Classical

Langlamet plays several of Schubert's impromptus solo, with delightful effect. This is something of a mixed bag, but it's a recital with a novel idea.

— James Manheim