Featured New Album Releases

Sleater-Kinney

No Cities to Love

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

A dense, bright, furious, and joyful reunion from the trail-blazing punk trio.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Belle and Sebastian

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Matador

Pop/Rock

The Scottish collective loosen up, stretch out, and play some disco on their ninth album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lupe Fiasco

Tetsuo & Youth

Atlantic

Rap

This ambitious and excellent album about growing up in Chicago puts the rapper back on hip-hop's top tier.

— David Jeffries

The Decemberists

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

Capitol

Pop/Rock

Bigger hooks, tighter songs, and greater stylistic ambitions on the eighth studio album from the gifted Portland, Oregon quintet.

— Mark Deming

Fall Out Boy

American Beauty/American Psycho

Island / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Perhaps the best fusion yet of Patrick Stump's love of soul and Pete Wentz's rock & roll savior aspirations.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Marilyn Manson

The Pale Emperor

Loma Vista

Pop/Rock

On their ninth studio album, these icons of evil adopt an unexpectedly blues-steeped style.

— Fred Thomas

The Go-Betweens

G Stands for Go Betweens, Vol. 1

Domino

Pop/Rock

Massive set collecting the influential post-punk/indie pop band's first three albums, their early singles, and four discs of rarities plus essays, posters, and more.

— Tim Sendra

Mac DeMarco

Demos, Vol. 1

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

Hissy four-track demos and instrumental fragments rendered by this laid-back indie singer/songwriter.

— Fred Thomas

Disappears

Irreal

Kranky

Pop/Rock

The Chicago trio strips its music down to its bones, with uncompromising and often riveting results.

— Heather Phares

Jellyfish

Spilt Milk

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

San Francisco pop heroes shoot for the stars on their grand-scale second album, a baroque and ambitious masterpiece.

— Mark Deming

Hanni el Khatib

Moonlight

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

The bluesy, garage punk artist from San Francisco delivers a solid, rhythm-heavy third effort that stretches out creatively.

— Timothy Monger

Viet Cong

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

Eclectic Canadian indie rockers sound big, smart, and edgy on their first album, which jumps from electronics to noise rock.

— Mark Deming

Night Terrors of 1927

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Melodic '80s new wave and yearning emo pop influences underscore this pleasing debut.

— Matt Collar

Amen Dunes

Cowboy Worship

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Demos and well-chosen covers make this a fine companion piece to the gently transcendent Love.

— Heather Phares

Perfect Pussy

I Have Lost All Desire for Feeling

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

Decidedly raw but alarmingly captivating early demo recordings from this ecstatic post-hardcore act.

— Fred Thomas

Alex Calder

Strange Dreams

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The Canadian singer/songwriter's debut full-length finds him spiking his catchy pop songs with murkily expressionistic gloom.

— Tim Sendra

BC Camplight

How to Die in the North

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

Bold, beautiful, campy, heartbreaking, and flush with moxie, BC Camplight's third outing is a left-field gem.

— James Christopher Monger

Erase Errata

Lost Weekend

Under the Sun

Pop/Rock

The band's first album in eight years finds them lightening and loosening up just enough to deliver some of their most engaging music yet.

— Heather Phares

Boxed In

Nettwerk / Nettwerk Music Group

Pop/Rock

The electropop trio's winning debut rivals the work of their better-known contemporaries.

— Heather Phares

Chris Spedding

Joyland

Cleopatra

Pop/Rock

Veteran British sideman steps into the solo spotlight with a moody effort featuring guest spots from Johnny Marr and Bryan Ferry.

— Mark Deming

Menace Beach

Ratworld

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The Leeds groups makes a strong and highly contagious debut full of '90s-inspired indie rock hooks.

— Timothy Monger

Franz Nicolay

To Us, the Beautiful!

Xtra Mile Recordings

Pop/Rock

Fourth album from Brooklyn songwriter takes a relatively more traditional approach to his ever eclectic style.

— Fred Thomas

Willie Nile

If I Was a River

River House Records

Pop/Rock, Country

The rockin' singer and songwriter turns off his guitar amp for a thoughtful set of acoustic, piano-based tunes.

— Mark Deming

Ledisi

The Intimate Truth

Verve

R&B

Fan-pleasing EP of full-effort acoustic recordings issued between a Grammy nomination and the singer's appearance as Mahalia Jackson in Selma.

— Andy Kellman

Mikky Ekko

Time

RCA

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's debut proves there's more to his music than ballads like his Grammy-nominated Rihanna duet "Stay."

— Heather Phares

Norman Blake

Wood, Wire & Words

Plectrafone / Western Jubilee Recording Co.

Folk, Country

On his first collection of all-original material in four decades, the iconic guitarist delivers story songs and instrumentals with earthy aplomb.

— Thom Jurek

Universal Togetherness Band

Numero

R&B

Windy City band's long lost recordings (cut by audio production students) reveal a clever, unique blend of R&B, funk, and rock.

— Mark Deming

Raised Fist

From the North

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Sixth ferocious and unrelenting album from this long-running Swedish hardcore band.

— Fred Thomas

Siskiyou

Nervous

Constellation

Pop/Rock

Thick and overcast Vancouver chamber pop that invokes names like Tindersticks, Frog Eyes, and Alt-J.

— James Christopher Monger

Jack Name

Weird Moons

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Second album from the hard to figure out, lo-fi pop weirdo who is pals with Ariel Pink and played guitar with White Fence.

— Tim Sendra

Joyce Moreno

Raiz

Far Out Recordings

International

The great Brazilian singer and guitarist celebrates 50 years in music by going back to her deep roots in MPB.

— Thom Jurek

Etienne de Crécy

Super Discount, Vol. 3

Pixadelic

Electronic

Ten years after his last album, the French house producer alternates between cheeky dance treats and serene house tracks.

— David Jeffries

Alborosie

Sound the System Showcase

Greensleeves Records

Reggae

This fine set of extended mixes based on the Sound the System album features guests Ky-Mani Marley and the Abyssinians.

— David Jeffries

Motorpsycho

Demon Box [Deluxe Edition]

Rune Grammofon

Pop/Rock

Demon Box resets historic album in original unedited sequence, with three bonus discs containing EP and live cuts, outtakes, and a full video concert from 1993.

— Thom Jurek

Mind Brains

Orange Twin

Pop/Rock

The debut album by this Athens-based, Elephant 6 supergroup is an experimental and cerebral affair.

— Timothy Monger

Ensemble Clément Janequin / Dominique Visse

Au Sainct Nau

Alpha

Classical

This may seem a rather specialized release, but it is of interest to anyone who likes the music of the 16th century.

— James Manheim

JACK Quartet / Hans Jørgen Jensen / Northwestern University Cello Ensemble

John Luther Adams: The Wind in High Places

Cold Blue

Classical

Despite its simplicity, the thematic material in Adams' music is not neutral. Recommended for anyone interested in new directions in contemporary chamber music.

— James Manheim