Taylor Swift

1989

Big Machine Records

Pop/Rock

On her fifth album, Taylor abandons country for glassy, sophisticated modern pop.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Flaming Lips

With a Little Help from My Fwends

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

The fearless freaks dish up a spacy reimagining of the Beatles iconic eighth album with the help of some heady fwends.

— Gregory Heaney

Rancid

...Honor Is All We Know

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The band's first album in five years is full of fist-raising anthems and punky sloganeering.

— Tim Sendra

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin IV [Deluxe Edition]

Atlantic / Rhino / Swan Song

Pop/Rock, Blues

Zep's towering classic--the ultimate distillation of the band's epic blues--echoing from the Mississippi Delta to Middle Earth.

— Patrick Sullivan

Led Zeppelin

Houses of the Holy [Super Deluxe Box Set Edition]

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Expanded reissue features a second disc of alternate mixes and instrumentals that mirrors the original tracklisting.

Cat Stevens / Yusuf

Tell 'Em I'm Gone

Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The artist once known as Cat Stevens explores his love of the blues and his spiritual concerns on his first album in eight years.

— Mark Deming

Jerry Lee Lewis

Rock & Roll Time

Vanguard

Country, Pop/Rock

A return to the funky, greasy sound of Sun Studios and an excellent latter-day album from the Killer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

His Name Is Alive

Tecuciztecatl

London London

Pop/Rock

The Michigan group returns to its experimental roots, delivering a dazzling, bittersweet set inspired by prog rock and Hammer horror.

— Heather Phares

The Afghan Whigs

Gentlemen [Deluxe Edition]

Elektra / Rhino

Pop/Rock

Reissue of the band's purposefully difficult, ambitious major label debut adds a second disc of demos, instrumentals and covers.

Mono

The Last Dawn

Pelagic

Pop/Rock

The first album in a two-record opus sums up the places the band have visited since 2004 in an ambitious, emotionally poignant context.

— Thom Jurek

Mono

Rays of Darkness

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock

Sans strings and piano, the Japanese quartet unveil welcome, more sinister sonic aspects on their companion to The Last Dawn.

— Thom Jurek

Stalley

Ohio

Atlantic

Rap

Trunk-rattling beats meet thought-provoking lyrics on the Massillon, Ohio rapper's debut album.

— David Jeffries

The Ting Tings

Super Critical

Finca Records

Pop/Rock

Third album from this U.K. duo moves from their bratty pop roots into more club-inspired production.

— Fred Thomas

Medicine

Home Everywhere

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The band's second post-comeback album is another bracing and inventive blast of modern shoegaze and noise pop.

— Tim Sendra

Barry Manilow

My Dream Duets

Decca / Verve

Pop/Rock

Odd collection of electronic duets Manilow cut to old recordings of his favorite deceased singers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Twilight Sad

Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave

Fat Cat / FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

The band's fifth album offers some of its most musically and emotionally rich explorations of heartache yet.

— Heather Phares

The Who

The Who Hits 50!

Geffen

Pop/Rock

Solid double-disc collection of the basics from the Who, enlivened by a couple of left-field choices and the new "Be Lucky."

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pegi Young & the Survivors / Pegi Young

Lonely in a Crowded Room

New West

Pop/Rock

On her fourth -- and strongest -- album, the singer/songwriter and band deliver seven fine originals and three choice covers.

— Thom Jurek

Dillon Francis

Money Sucks, Friends Rule

Columbia / Mad Decent

Electronic

The DJ and producer's up and down debut is one part awesome party, one part pop comedown.

— David Jeffries

The Shivas

You Know What to Do

K Records

Pop/Rock

Fourth album from this '60s-obsessed garage outfit sounds the most authentically vintage of them all.

— Fred Thomas

Ensamble Polifonico Vallenato / Sexteto La Constelacion De Colombia

La Fiesta, Que Viva

Staubgold

Pop/Rock

Sophisticated, rebellious, startling late-'90s recordings from members of Meridian Brothers, Ondatropica, Frente Cumbeiro, and more.

— Thom Jurek

Kiss

Love Gun [Deluxe Edition]

Casablanca / Mercury / Universal

Pop/Rock

Expanded edition of the band's seventh album includes demos, live tracks and interviews.

Ultimate Painting

Ultimate Painting

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Relaxed collaboration between members of Mazes and Veronica Falls mixes parts of each band and comes out a winner.

— Tim Sendra

Daniel Lanois

Flesh and Machine

Anti-

Pop/Rock

The celebrated producer and musician returns with an album on which his recording studio is the primary instrument.

— Thom Jurek

Sleaford Mods

Chubbed Up +

Ipecac

Pop/Rock

The duo's singles collection delivers more scathing, punk-meets-hip-hop takedowns of bad music and social injustice.

— Heather Phares

Miss Pussycat / Quintron

Spellcaster II: Death in Space

Pizza Burglar Records

Pop/Rock

The New Orleans fixture returns with a set of songs perfectly balanced between blobby electronics and fired-up garage rock.

— Heather Phares

Restorations

LP3

SideOneDummy

Pop/Rock

The Philadelphia band delivers a sprawling, ambitious third album full of wide skies, big guitars, and a city-grit-meets-heartland feel.

— Timothy Monger

Ben Ottewell

Rattlebag

The End

Pop/Rock

The soulful, country-folk-tinged sophomore outing from the crafty Gomez guitarist/vocalist.

— James Christopher Monger

Chris Forsyth / Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band

Intensity Ghost

No Quarter

Pop/Rock

Most of the studio band from 2013's Solar Motel returns to help the guitarist explore more instrumental stylistic hybrids in powerful compositions.

— Thom Jurek

Espectrostatic

Escape from Witchtropolis

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Alex Cuervo's second album of eerie instrumentals blurs the line between soundtracks and pop music even more artfully.

— Heather Phares

Dave Davies

Rippin' Up Time

Red River / Red River Entertainment

Pop/Rock

A curious album that feels ragged and polished, one that captures all of the Kinks' guitarist's strange obsessions.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Black Milk

If There's a Hell Below

Computer Ugly

Rap

The producer/MC is more free-form than usual, recalling and celebrating his previous work with this diverse set.

— David Jeffries

DJ Koze

Reincarnations, Pt. 2: The Remix Chapter 2009-2014

Pampa

Electronic

Nearly as thrilling as the volume that preceded it, the techno maverick compiles more of his remix work for Herbert, Caribou, Ada, and others.

— Andy Kellman

Orwell / Andy Ramsay / Alexander von Mehren / Joe Watson / Young Dreams

Aéropop Revisited

Aéropop Records / The Control Group / Folkwit Records / Klangkollektivet / Rallye

Pop/Rock

Collection of very sympathetic remixes of tracks from Aeropop by the likes Orwell, High Llamas, and two guys from Stereolab.

— Tim Sendra

Haerts

Haerts

Columbia / Sony Music Entertainment

Pop/Rock

The debut album from the '80s dream pop-influenced Brooklyn outfit.

— Matt Collar

Holögrama

Waves

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

A warm and detailed debut from this indie-leaning Spanish electronica producer.

— Fred Thomas

Mysteries

New Age Music Is Here

Felte

Pop/Rock

The aptly named, anonymous group deliver dramatic electro-pop that already rivals their better-known contemporaries.

— Heather Phares

Jagged Edge

JE Heartbreak II

Relativity Entertainment / So So Def

R&B

Album eight from the group, featuring their tried-and-true sound, is a ballad-heavy reunion with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox.

— Andy Kellman

Leighton Meester

Heartstrings

Hotly Wanting / Vagrant

Pop/Rock

A classically minded, thoroughly modern collection of lush, adult alternative pop from the actress.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lily & Madeleine

Fumes

Asthmatic Kitty

Pop/Rock

Teenage sister act's sophomore release sees them expand their folk-pop sound, with string arrangements and synths supporting their beautiful harmonies.

— Scott Kerr

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

Dust

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

The Austin post-punk outfit returns after eight years with a dark, gothy-textured sophomore set that also veers into atmospheric dream pop.

— Timothy Monger

Slim Twig

A Hound at the Hem

DFA

Pop/Rock

Tense and brooding conceptual psych rock album and full of references to the masters of art rock and chamber pop.

— Fred Thomas

Suzi Quatro

The Girl from Detroit City

7T's / Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

Celebrating the 50-year career of the original Tuff Girl in 82 songs; includes her major glam rock hits and lots of creative detours.

— Mark Deming

Oren Ambarchi

Quixotism

Editions Mego

Avant-Garde, Electronic, Pop/Rock

Avant-garde composer offers up a dense picture of dynamic tension and unexpected meldings of electro-acoustic instrumentation.

— Fred Thomas

Bessie Jones

Get in Union: Recordings by Alan Lomax 1959-1966

Tompkins Square

Folk, Religious, Children's

A marvelous introduction to Bessie Jones and the treasure that is Georgia Sea Island folk music.

— Steve Leggett

Sam Hunt

Montevallo

MCA Nashville / Nashville

Country

Savvily commercial and slightly electronic bro-country debut from the Nashville songwriter.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Francisco the Man

Loose Ends

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

The L.A. indie rock quartet mix shoegaze dreaminess with a woolly garage punch and strong melodic sense on their debut.

— Timothy Monger

Bulbous Creation

You Won't Remember Dying

Numero / Numero Group

Pop/Rock

Heavy guitars, trippy melodies, and tales of good and evil dominate this one-day wonder from a forgotten Kansas band in 1971.

— Mark Deming

Dan Bodan

Soft

DFA

Pop/Rock

Mostly low-key songs of aching and longing from a Montreal-raised DFA signee who could be nicknamed Junior Boys Jr.

— Andy Kellman

Tigers In a Tank Choir / Devin Townsend / Devin Townsend Project

Z²

Inside Out Music

Pop/Rock

A gonzo batch of progressive hard rock confections that flirt with nearly every genre imaginable.

— James Christopher Monger

Mystery Skulls

Forever

Warner Bros.

Electronic, Pop/Rock

'70s and '80s disco-, R&B-, and electro-infused debut from the Los Angeles outfit.

— Matt Collar

Pianos Become the Teeth

Keep You

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The Baltimore post-hardcore band tries on a more contemplative and subdued tone on its Epitaph debut.

— Timothy Monger

Roger Taylor

Best

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Superb single-disc overview of the Queen drummer's various solo studio albums.

— Matt Collar

Flight Facilities

Down to Earth

Caroline / Glassnote Entertainment Group

Electronic

Evocative and ambitious debut from the Australian electronic production duo.

— Matt Collar

French for Rabbits

Spirits

Lefse Records

Pop/Rock

The New Zealand dream folk duo charmingly mix wistful chamber pop and the warm sounds of British folk on their debut LP.

— Timothy Monger

Lagwagon

Hang

Fat Wreck Chords

Pop/Rock

Lagwagon's timely and politically charged eighth album finds the band breaking their nine-year silence with an impassioned plea for reason.

— Gregory Heaney

Live

The Turn

Thinkloud

Pop/Rock

Returning without Ed Kowalczyk, the band revives the sound and spirit of their early days.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

DRGN King

Baltimore Crush

Bar/None Records

Pop/Rock

Second album from this indie rock quartet sounds both laid-back and attentive as they mix rock, pop, electronics, and grooves.

— Mark Deming

Eric Johnson / Eric Johnson / Mike Stern

Eclectic

Heads Up

Jazz, Pop/Rock

A shared affinity for fusing jazz, blues, R&B, and funk into a single flowing stream.

— Steve Leggett

Black Veil Brides

Black Veil Brides

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

A torrent of furious riffing and monster pick-slides that falls somewhere in between Mötley Crüe and Ride the Lightning-era Metallica.

— James Christopher Monger

Bobby Previte

Terminals

Cantaloupe

Jazz

The drummer/composer delivers his masterwork: five concertos for scored percussion and improvising soloists.

— Thom Jurek

Negativland

It's All in Your Head

Seeland

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

Veteran pranksters and audio manipulators construct a grand-scale think piece on Christianity and Islam.

— Mark Deming

Syleena Johnson

Chapter 6: Couples Therapy

Blakbyrd

R&B

The consistent R&B singer and songwriter smoothly switches labels and collaborators with another steady, down-to-earth release.

— Andy Kellman

The Blind Shake

Breakfast of Failures

Goner Records

Pop/Rock

More guitar-based ferocity from this Minneapolis trio who deliver a volatile mixture of surf, indie, and garage punk.

— Mark Deming

Various Artists

Local Customs: Cavern Sound

Numero / Numero Group

Pop/Rock

Features 24 songs from local artists showing the range of talent that passed through one recording studio in Kansas.

— Mark Deming

Vesania

Deus ex Machina

Metal Blade

Pop/Rock

The Polish symphonic black metal unit's fourth outing delivers a swift kick to the head that leaves a classy mark.

— James Christopher Monger

Asher Fisch / Seattle Opera Chorus / Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen

Avie

Classical

The Seattle Opera's live Ring has been presented as a 14-CD box set, a digital download, and as online streaming.

— Blair Sanderson

Laurence Equilbey / Accentus / Insula Orchestra

Mozart: Requiem

Naïve

Classical

Süssmayr's completion of Mozart's Requiem receives a remarkable period treament from Laurence Equilbey, Accentus, and the period orchestra Insula.

— Blair Sanderson

Vladimir Ashkenazy

Bach: Italian Concerto; French Overture; Aria Variata

Decca

Classical

For established fans of Ashkenazy, his personality comes through here in full, and he seems to wrestle with Bach in the way true greats do.

— James Manheim

Alice Coote / Harry Bicket / The English Concert

Handel Arias

Hyperion

Classical

For many listeners, the chief attraction here from among various similar releases will be the presence of the venerable English Concert under Bicket.

— James Manheim

Stile Antico

From the Imperial Court: Music for the House of Hapsburg

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

This is a very well recorded program. Big pieces like Virgo prudentissima contrast nicely with the the soberer idiom of the likes of Morales.

— James Manheim

St. John's College Choir, Cambridge / Andrew Nethsingha

When David Heard: Sacred Choral Works by Thomas Tomkins

Chaconne / Chandos

Classical

When David heard that Absalom was slain is given a hushed, genuinely tragic atmosphere, and the choir's emotional range under Nethsingha is impressive.

— James Manheim

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