Florence + the Machine

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

Florence Welch's third studio long-player finds the English songtress dialing back and looking inward.

— James Christopher Monger

Merle Haggard / Willie Nelson

Django and Jimmie

Legacy

Country

Warm, cozy duet album that finds the old friends slyly alternating between good times and sweet melancholy.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Major Lazer

Peace Is the Mission

Mad Decent

Electronic

Diplo's wild project offers a surprising and slow effort where the highlights are primarily ballads.

— David Jeffries

The Darkness / The Last of Our Kind Choir

Last of Our Kind

Canary Dwarf

Pop/Rock

A relentlessly likeable smorgasbord of hard rock posturing that manages to touch on nearly every iteration of the genre.

— James Christopher Monger

Dawes

All Your Favorite Bands

Hub Records

Pop/Rock

Literate, impeccably produced rumination on love, memory, and the music that moves our hearts.

— Matt Collar

Robin Gibb

Saved by the Bell: The Collected Works of Robin Gibb 1968-1970

Rhino

Pop/Rock

Excellent archival box containing all of Gibb's recordings from his two-year hiatus from the Bee Gees at the dawn of the '70s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jamie xx

In Colour

XL

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The influential producer's reflective yet engaging debut album covers the entire spectrum of his music.

— Heather Phares

Algiers

Algiers

Matador

Pop/Rock

The explosive debut by this trio employs elements of gospel, blues, post-punk, funk, and psychedelic soul.

— Thom Jurek

Jason Derulo

Everything Is 4

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Containing some of the singer's best frivolous pop material, this features a guest list that ranges from Stevie Wonder to Meghan Trainor.

— Andy Kellman

Melody Gardot

Currency of Man

Decca / Verve

Jazz

Recorded in Los Angeles with Larry Klein, the singer/songwriter shifts toward blues and vintage, jazzy R&B.

— Thom Jurek

Damaged Bug

Cold Hot Plumbs

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Second album of synth exploration from Thee Oh Sees' Jon Dwyer, this time with more poppy hooks.

— Tim Sendra

Daughn Gibson

Carnation

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Singer and songwriter walks away from his country leanings and is transformed into a moody new wave guy.

— Mark Deming

Zella Day

Kicker

Pinetop Records

Pop/Rock

Rootsy yet bombastic electronic-infused pop and folk from the Arizona-born singer.

— Matt Collar

Eternal Summers

Gold and Stone

Kanine Records

Pop/Rock

Self-produced fourth album from Virginia indie pop trio balancing their dreamy and anthemic sides.

— Paul Simpson

Ben Lee

Love Is the Great Rebellion

Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

On his tenth solo album, the singer/songwriter delivers a big, bright, shiny slab of positivity.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Billy Currington

Summer Forever

Mercury Nashville

Country

A bright but chilled-out summertime party record from the laid-back country singer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chris Stamey

Euphoria

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The power pop legend touches upon all the music he's ever played or loved on this vibrant, vital album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

SOAK

Before We Forgot How to Dream

Rough Trade

Pop/Rock

Debut album from young Irish singer/songwriter reflects the 18-year-old's age in its brave, undiluted emotional honesty.

— Mark Deming

Simply Red

Big Love

EastWest / Rhino

Pop/Rock

A smooth collection of slow-burning romantic high-class soul from the reunited Simply Red.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lil Durk

Remember My Name

Def Jam

Rap

The Chief Keef-like rapper offers a darker and more emotionally down album than expected.

— David Jeffries

Nozinja

Nozinja Lodge

Warp

Electronic, International

Exhilarating debut album from the architect of South Africa's hyperkinetic Shangaan electro sound.

— Paul Simpson

Philip Dickey / Tom Hembree / Will Knauer / Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

The High Country

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

Tom Hembree returns on bass for the band's fifth studio album, which ups tempos and power for a melodically sweet yet electrified reunion.

— Marcy Donelson

Sun Kil Moon

Universal Themes

Caldo Verde Records

Pop/Rock

The follow-up to Sun Kil Moon's 2014 breakout success Benji is another life-affirming triumph for songwriter Mark Kozelek.

— Paul Simpson

The Catenary Wires / Amelia Fletcher / Rob Pursey

Red Red Skies

Matinée

Pop/Rock

Indie pop legend Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Tender Trap) and longtime cohort Rob Pursey return as a duo to deliver quiet, heartfelt acoustic pop.

— Tim Sendra

Arthur's Landing

Second Thoughts

Buddhist Army

Avant-Garde

Second collection from a group of musicians who collaborated with Arthur Russell, offering new interpretations of the late composer's material.

— Paul Simpson

Expert Alterations

Expert Alterations EP

Kanine Records / Slumberland

Pop/Rock

Debut EP from a Baltimore trio steeped in Flying Nun and C-86-inspired jangle and pop.

— Tim Sendra

Goatsnake

Black Age Blues

Southern Lord Records

Pop/Rock

Fifteen years after its last album, this L.A. quartet returns to glory with monstrous riffs and new ideas.

— Thom Jurek

Holychild

The Shape of Brat Pop to Come

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Pop/Rock

Bombastic pop-culture satire and funky-beats make for an infectious, thought-provoking debut from the Los Angeles duo.

— Matt Collar

Indigo Girls

One Lost Day

Vanguard

Pop/Rock

Teaming with a new producer, the duo enters its fourth decade empowered and adventurous on this bracing set.

— Thom Jurek

In Camera

Era

4AD

Pop/Rock

Thorough reissue of the 4AD post-punk band's studio recordings, enhanced with rehearsals, live material, and demos.

— Andy Kellman

Trails and Ways

Pathology

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

The full-length studio debut from the Northern California-based, self-described "bossa nova dream pop" quartet.

— James Christopher Monger

Vows

Soon Enough Love

Section Sign Records

Pop/Rock

The Vermont/New Jersey indie pop duo's third LP immerses itself in the exuberant psychedelia of today and yesterday.

— Timothy Monger

Wild Yaks

Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks

Ernest Jenning

Pop/Rock

Deity-approved folk-punks from Brooklyn raise their voices in song about love, Jesus, and divorcees.

— Mark Deming

Kinski

7 (Or 8)

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

Seattle guitar maulers seek the riff at the center of the universe, and after 38 minutes they nearly find it.

— Mark Deming

Roman à Clef

Abandonware

Infinite Best

Pop/Rock

The side project of members of A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Ice Choir construct a dreamy, Prefab Sprout-conjuring debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Tenement

Predatory Headlights

Don Giovanni

Pop/Rock

Ambitious third album from this punk trio is full of great songs you'll remember, and some noise experiments you'll want to skip.

— Mark Deming

The Dunwells

Lucky Ones

Concord

Pop/Rock

Four-song EP finds the British group applying their harmonies to sleekly crafted pop tunes with an electronic finish.

— Mark Deming

The Kentucky Headhunters

Meet Me in Bluesland

Alligator Records

Country

This 2003 studio session featuring the eclectic country-rockers and Chuck Berry's pianist receives a belated and rollicking release.

— Mark Deming

Alice Coote / Graham Johnson

L' Heure Exquise: A French Songbook

Hyperion

Classical

The focus is on Coote, whose rich, almost smoky, mezzo grabs you from the first notes. A strong candidate for a French song collection cornerstone.

— James Manheim

József Balog

Liszt: Transcendental Études

Hungaroton

Classical

József Balog plays the 12 Transcendental Études, a piano collection that took Liszt almost 30 years to complete.

— Blair Sanderson

Sarah Fox / Christopher Maltman / Andrew Litton / Colorado Symphony

Vaughan Williams: Dona nobis pacem; Stephen Hough: Missa Mirabilis

Hyperion

Classical

Strong solo turns by Fox and Maltman add to the appeal and the sense of a mixture held together well by the conductor.

— James Manheim

Valer Sabadus / Dmitri Kitayenko / Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2; Vocalise

Oehms Classics

Classical

Despite the countertenor version of the Vocalise, which traditionalists will dismiss, this release of Rachmaninov's Second Symphony is first-rate.

— Blair Sanderson

Joyce El-Khoury / Michael Spyres / Mark Elder / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Donizetti: Les Martyrs

Opera Rara

Classical

Recordings of Les Martyrs are not common, but Donizetti fans will be interested to discover the nimble ways in which he revised the work.

— James Manheim

Afiara String Quartet / Skratch Bastid

Spin Cycle

Centrediscs

Classical

This entire project is enjoyable and fresh. Recommended for any listener with a degree of speculative frame of mind.

— James Manheim

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