Blur

The Magic Whip

Parlophone / Warner Bros. / Warner Music

Pop/Rock

A rich, meditative comeback that sees the kings of Brit-pop reclaiming their status as an art-pop band.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Zac Brown / Zac Brown Band

Jekyll + Hyde

Big Machine Records / Republic

Country

Trying on an even wider range of musical styles this time out, this octet proves they can do it all convincingly.

— Thom Jurek

Mew

+ -

Play It Again Sam

Pop/Rock

The enigmatic Danish pop outfit's sixth studio album brings back some of the post-rock angst of earlier offerings.

— James Christopher Monger

Raekwon

Fly International Luxurious Art

Ice H2O

Rap

The Wu-Tang Clan member's sixth studio album is conceptually driven by both aviation and money.

— David Jeffries

Bill Fay

Who Is the Sender?

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

After a four-decade break, the British songwriter delivers his second gem in three years with producer Joshua Henry.

— Thom Jurek

Martin Gore / MG

MG

Mute

Electronic

Depeche Mode co-founder Martin Gore diverts from his main band for a solo album of cinematic IDM and experimental techno.

— Paul Simpson

Sarah Neufeld / Colin Stetson

Never Were the Way She Was

Constellation

Pop/Rock

An energetic, imaginative series of duets by the Arcade Fire violinist and itinerant reedman/soloist recorded live in the studio.

— Thom Jurek

Tyler Farr

Suffer in Peace

Columbia / Sony Music

Country

On his second record, the macho country singer sticks to steady midtempo ballads and brooding rockers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jackson Scott

Sunshine Redux

Bloodmoss Records

Pop/Rock

Second album of warped and wonderfully blown-out neo-psych weirdness straight from Scott's bedroom.

— Tim Sendra

Nai Harvest

Hairball

Top Shelf Records

Pop/Rock

On their second album, the Sheffield emo-punk-pop duo up the stakes sonically and with their improved songwriting.

— Tim Sendra

Braids

Deep in the Iris

Arbutus Records

Pop/Rock

Cathartic, sensual, and warm, the band's third album brings empathetic clarity to complex emotional states.

— Heather Phares

George FitzGerald

Fading Love

Domino / Double Six

Electronic

Debut album by a scene-defining post-dubstep producer that gracefully deals with a failing relationship as well as disillusionment with the club world.

— Paul Simpson

Josh Groban

Stages

Reprise

Vocal

The pop-classical singer devotes himself to Broadway standards.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Millencolin

True Brew

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The veteran Swedish punk unit's eighth LP offers up a near-perfect distillation of knee-scraping skate rock and melodic, blue-collar punk-pop.

— James Christopher Monger

Brown Bird

Axis Mundi

Demand / Supply and Demand

Pop/Rock

A defiant, powerful, somber, and reflective final outing from the David Lamb-led indie folk ensemble.

— James Christopher Monger

Eric Clapton

Forever Man [2 CD]

GC / Reprise / Rhino

Pop/Rock, Blues

A double-disc chronicle of Eric Clapton's Warner recordings of the '80s, '90s and 2000s

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sam Cohen

Cool It

Easy Sound Recording Company

Pop/Rock

Warm and easygoing throwback pop tunes from former songwriter of Apollo Sunshine and Yellowbirds.

— Fred Thomas

Various Artists

Ghostly Swim, Vol. 2 [Bonus Track]

Ghostly International

Electronic, Rap

Second joint-release compilation of forward-thinking electronic music from Ghostly International and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

— Paul Simpson

The Leisure Society

The Fine Art of Hanging On

Full Time Hobby

Pop/Rock

Nick Hemming and his crew deliver another impeccably orchestrated set of chamber-folk tunes, this time with a dark streak.

— Timothy Monger

Insane Clown Posse / Brian Kuma / Mike P. / Shaggy 2 Dope / Michael "Seven" Summers / Violent J / Young Wicked

The Marvelous Missing Link (Lost)

Psychopathic Records

Pop/Rock, Rap

The rap-rock duo get dark on the first part of this two-part album.

— David Jeffries

Olivia Chaney

The Longest River

Nonesuch / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Impressive, accomplished debut from a U.K. singer and songwriter equally comfortable with traditional and original material.

— Mark Deming

The Weepies

Sirens

Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

Five years after charting with Be My Thrill, the indie folk twosome returns with a well-crafted and moving set of 14 originals plus two covers.

— Marcy Donelson

Paul de Jong

IF

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock

Solo debut from a former member of the Books, retaining that group's playful sense of humor as well as its accomplished musicianship and knack for creative sample editing.

— Paul Simpson

10,000 Maniacs

Twice Told Tales

Cleopatra

Pop/Rock

Warm, open collection of covers of traditional British folk songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bobby Bare

The Storyteller: The Anthology 1960-1983

Raven / Raven Records

Country

First-ever double-disc anthology to cover the entirety of Bobby Bare's career.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rocket from the Crypt / Sonny Vincent

Vintage Piss

Swami

Pop/Rock

Former Testors leader joins forces with the San Diego punk legends and the result is raw, explosive fun.

— Mark Deming

The Kingbees

The Kingbees [Bonus Tracks]

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Lean and scrappy debut album from the proto-rockabilly trio; includes their biggest hit, "My Mistake."

— Mark Deming

The Late Call

Golden

Tapete Records

Pop/Rock

The Stockholm-based singer/songwriter shows his pop ambitions on his warm and enticingly comfortable fourth LP.

— Timothy Monger

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Musique de Film Imaginé

A

Pop/Rock

Anton Newcombe and co. put rock & roll on hold for a set of polished mood pieces inspired by French film music.

— Mark Deming

Charlie Parr

Stumpjumper

Red House Records

Blues, Folk

The Duluth-based singer/songwriter delivers another strong collection of red-blooded country blues and folk, this time with a full band.

— Timothy Monger

Tracey Thorn

Songs from The Falling

Strange Feeling

Stage & Screen, Pop/Rock

Eight succinct, affecting songs recorded for Carol Morley's drama about friends at an English girls school set in the late '60s.

Eaves

What Green Feels Like

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

A windswept and picturesque postcard of a debut, with more than a little brown around the edges.

— James Christopher Monger

Howie Bernstein / Ela Orleans

Upper Hell

HB

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Polish dream pop artist Ela Orleans teams up with veteran producer Howie B for an electro-pop album about hell.

— Paul Simpson

Everclear

Black is the New Black

The End / End Records / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Everclear settle into a hard-rocking, '90s-reviving groove on this second album from the reconstituted lineup.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Robert Pollard

Faulty Superheroes

Guided by Voices, Inc.

Pop/Rock

With Guided by Voices a memory, the group's tireless frontman straightens up and flies right (well, sort of) on this solo effort.

— Mark Deming

Timeshares

Already Dead

SideOneDummy

Pop/Rock

The downstate New York pop-punk quartet returns with a beefed-up second effort that adds a scrappy heartland vibe to the mix.

— Timothy Monger

Kuniko Kato

Iannis Xenakis: IX

Linn Records

Avant-Garde, Classical

Kuniko Kato performs Xenakis' solo percussion works, Pléïades and Rebonds, which are a test of her dexterity, speed, and stamina.

— Blair Sanderson

Marc-André Hamelin

Mozart: Piano Sonatas

Hyperion

Classical

Marc-André Hamelin continues his brilliant exploration of the Classical period with this double-CD of the piano sonatas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

— Blair Sanderson

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe (Complete Ballet); Pavane

BIS

Classical

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra perform Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé in a superb multichannel recording.

— Blair Sanderson

Lance Friedel / Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Great Comedy Overtures

Naxos

Classical

Lance Friedel and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra present 11 comic overtures that are staples of the light music genre.

— Blair Sanderson

Tim Fain / Philip Glass

Tim Fain Plays Philip Glass: Partita for Solo Violin

Orange Mountain Music

Classical

Violinist Tim Fain plays Philip Glass' Partita for solo violin, a seven-movement suite that evokes the spirit of Johann Sebastian Bach.

— Blair Sanderson

Laurence Equilbey / Accentus / Orchestre de Chambre de Paris

Félicien David: Le Désert

Naïve

Classical

Accentus makes a strong case for the revival of Félicien David's Le Désert, an "ode-symphonie," once championed by Berlioz.

— James Manheim

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