Lana Del Rey

Honeymoon

Interscope

Pop/Rock

Lana Del Rey perfects her sad, enervated pose on her third album, turning her ennui into something comfortingly melancholic.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chris Cornell

Higher Truth

Polydor / UMe

Pop/Rock

For his first solo album in six years, Cornell teams with Brendan O'Brien and creates a warmly intimate, slyly sophisticated, moody record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Keith Richards

Crosseyed Heart

Mindless Records / Republic / Universal / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

A nice, casual record from the Stones guitarist, one that touches upon all his favorite sounds.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Darlene Love

Introducing Darlene Love

Columbia / Sony BMG / Sony Music / Wicked Cool

Pop/Rock, R&B

Comeback set for the legendary '60s rock and soul diva is sometimes too big and glossy, but she delivers a star turn that conquers all.

— Mark Deming

Battles

La Di Da Di

Warp

Pop/Rock

The band's first entirely instrumental album is some of their most engaging and exciting music yet.

— Heather Phares

Robert Forster

Songs to Play [LP]

Tapete Records

Pop/Rock

On his first record in seven years, the former Go-Betweens songwriter delivers a set of rocking pop tunes and elegant ballads.

— Thom Jurek

David Gilmour

Rattle That Lock

Columbia / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainment

Pop/Rock

The former Pink Floyd guitarist delivers a balanced and convincing song cycle about a single day.

— Thom Jurek

Glen Hansard

Didn't He Ramble

Anti- / Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Third solo effort from the former Frames leader is subtle but deeply passionate, with strong songs and evocative vocals.

— Mark Deming

Lucero

All a Man Should Do

ATO

Pop/Rock

Rollicking Memphis band turns down the tempos and ponders where life and love go wrong on this strong, thoughtful change of pace.

— Mark Deming

Mac Miller

GO:OD AM

Parlophone

Rap

After kicking his demons to the curb, the Pittsburgh rapper offers a soulful and vibrant third LP.

— David Jeffries

Metric

Pagans in Vegas

Metric

Pop/Rock

The band's sixth album dials back the stadium sound a bit to allow for more off-kilter synth pop and a few quieter moments.

— Tim Sendra

My Dying Bride

Feel the Misery

Peaceville Records / Snapper

Pop/Rock

On their 25th anniversary, the band deliver a stellar gothic doom album that is deliberately inspired by their early classics.

— Thom Jurek

Nicolas Godin

Contrepoint

Because Music

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Layering genres and eras as well as moods and sounds, the Air musician's delightful solo debut celebrates musical history and creativity.

— Heather Phares

Fennesz / Christian Fennesz / King Midas Sound

Edition 1

Ninja Tune

Electronic

A seamless fusion of aching isolationism and avant lover's rock is offered by this collaboration between the trio and guitarist.

— Andy Kellman

Steven A. Clark

The Lonely Roller

Secretly Canadian

R&B

Impressive first album from a Miami-based singer, songwriter, and producer with a soul-rooted but nostalgia-free hybrid sound.

— Andy Kellman

Dave Alvin / Phil Alvin

Lost Time

Yep Roc

Blues, Pop/Rock, Country

The brothers who formed the Blasters return with a fun, passionate set of acoustic and electric blues classics.

— Mark Deming

Rose McDowall

Cut with the Cake Knife [LP]

Night School / Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

A small treasure trove of "lost" ultra-poppy synth pop recordings made by ex-Strawberry Switchblade singer between 1986-88.

— Tim Sendra

Salad Boys

Metalmania

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Nicely done jangle pop from New Zealand, informed by the classic Flying Nun sound and the college rock sound of mid-'80s America.

— Tim Sendra

Primitive Parts

Parts Primitive

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Thrilling post-punk, guitar pop debut from a trio made up of Sauna Youth and Male Bonding members.

— Tim Sendra

Randall Bramblett

Devil Music

New West

Pop/Rock

On his tenth album, the songwriter employs contemporary sonics and rhythms to extend the blues, R&B, and gospel traditions.

— Thom Jurek

Destruction Unit

Negative Feedback Resistor

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Loud, loud, loud psychedelic noise band from Arizona plays music to pummel the forces of oppression into aural submission.

— Mark Deming

Superhuman Happiness

Escape Velocity

Royal Potato Family

Pop/Rock

With a new focus on vocals and pop song form, the rambunctious music collective exploits tension between reflective melodies and infectious rhythms.

— Marcy Donelson

Telekinesis

Ad Infinitum

Merge

Pop/Rock

Michael Benjamin Lerner's power pop project dives head first into the new wave/synth pop revival.

— James Christopher Monger

Windhand

Grief's Infernal Flower

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

With fan expectations at fever pitch, the Richmond, Virginia doom metal quartet rises to the occasion.

— Thom Jurek

Judy Collins

Strangers Again

Cleopatra / Wildflower

Pop/Rock, Folk

The veteran singer pairs her still-dreamy soprano with a well-chosen complement of all-male counterparts on this duet album.

— Timothy Monger

Katharine McPhee

Hysteria

eOne

Pop/Rock

Retreating from the fussy AAA pop of Unbroken, the American Idol finalist gets looser and better on her third album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

HeCTA

The Diet

Merge

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Electronic side project from Lambchop's Kurt Wagner melds polished digital surroundings with a very human sense of play.

— Mark Deming

Grateful Dead

30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story 1965-1995

Grateful Dead Production / Rhino

Pop/Rock

Four-disc distillation of 80-CD box contains a single unreleased live track from every year the Grateful Dead was an active touring band.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Robert DeLong

In the Cards

Glassnote Entertainment Group

Electronic

The inventive Los Angeles electronic artist showcases a mature, streamlined pop approach on his sophomore album.

— Matt Collar

Alabama

Southern Drawl

Universal / Universal Music

Country, Pop/Rock

The classic country-rock group returns with its first album of secular material in 14 years.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Nathan East / Bob James

The New Cool

Yamaha

Jazz

Predominantly laid-back and entirely amiable set of originals and interpretations from the two crucial contemporary jazz figures.

— Andy Kellman

Bob Moses

Days Gone By

Domino

Electronic

Blissful and wistful house music fills the electronica duo's debut album.

— David Jeffries

Say Hi

Bleeders Digest

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

The Seattle bedroom pop oddball offers up his second vampire-themed concept record.

— Timothy Monger

Sean Nicholas Savage

Other Death

Arbutus Records

Pop/Rock

Yearning, slinky R&B-crooned chamber synths from the winningly wacky, uber-falsettoed Canadian.

— Marcy Donelson

Carter Tutti Void

f(x)

Industrial Records

Electronic

The first studio release from the compelling project featuring members of Throbbing Gristle and Factory Floor.

— David Jeffries

Close Lobsters

Firestation Towers: 1986-1989

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Career-spanning collection of singles and albums by the undeservedly underrated Scottish indie pop group who featured on the legendary C86 cassette.

— Tim Sendra

The Bevis Frond

Example 22

WORONZOW

Pop/Rock

Veteran U.K. group's 22nd album is another lengthy yet accessible set of solid, eclectic psych rock.

— Paul Simpson

Homeshake

Midnight Snack

Sinderlyn

Pop/Rock

Second album from Mac DeMarco's former touring guitarist is an exercise in sparse, lonely indie R&B.

— Paul Simpson

Idjut Boys

Versions

Smalltown Supersound

Electronic

London-based dub-disco duo follow their long-awaited proper debut full-length with an album of adventurous reworks.

— Paul Simpson

Joe Ely

Panhandle Rambler

Rack'em / Rackem Records

Pop/Rock, Country

The veteran alt-country troubadour delivers 12 wonderfully evocative sketches of the Texas Panhandle.

— Timothy Monger

CocoRosie

Heartache City

Lost Girl Records

Pop/Rock

The duo's sixth album returns to the dark, deceptively simple beauty of their early work.

— Heather Phares

David Cook

Digital Vein

Analog Heart Music

Pop/Rock

Resurfacing on an independent label, the American Idol winner sticks to his arena rock and power ballad guns.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Black Dahlia Murder

Abysmal

Metal Blade

Pop/Rock

Despite its title, this Detroit metal unit deals out its brightest, fiercest album to date.

— Thom Jurek

Shelf Life

Everyone Make Happy

Lefse Records / Relativity Entertainment

Pop/Rock

Warm, ambling, introspective guitar tales with a '90s feel from Philadelphia-based musician Scotty Leitch.

— Marcy Donelson

Linda Perry + Sara Gilbert's Deer Sounds / Sara Gilbert / Linda Perry

Deer Sounds

BDG / Custard / Red

Children's, Pop/Rock

Colorful, quirky children's album recorded by Linda Perry and Sara Gilbert as celebration of the birth of their first child.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Roger Lion

Roger Lion

Team Love Records

Pop/Rock

Collaboration between Joe Pernice and Budo shows the two talents are well-matched in creating smart, cynical, but engaging pop.

— Mark Deming

Brideshead

Never Grow Up

Shelflife

Pop/Rock

Sweet, jangling guitar pop with a bit of production muscle from this crafty German group.

— Timothy Monger

Shinedown

Threat to Survival

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

The fifth studio outing from the Florida-based hard rock unit is also the band's most pop-oriented set of songs to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Mariss Jansons / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem

RCO Live

Classical

Mariss Jansons' 2012 recording of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem is a tribute to Kurt Sanderling, who died the previous year.

— Blair Sanderson

Christoph von Dohnányi / Philharmonia Orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9

Signum Classics

Classical

Bruckner's Ninth Symphony receives a powerful interpretation by Christoph von Dohnányi in this live performance from the 2014 Salzburg Festival.

— Blair Sanderson

Denis Matsuev / Valery Gergiev / Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater Orchestra

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1; Shchedrin: Piano Concerto No. 2; Stravinsky: Capriccio

Mariinsky

Classical

Denis Matsuev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in three distinctly high-spirited works make for a delightful evening at the great St. Petersburg concert hall.

— James Manheim

Boris Berezovsky / Thomas Dausgaard / Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor'; Choral Fantasy

Simax Classics

Classical

The last two works for piano and ensemble that Beethoven wrote, by Boris Berezovsky and Thomas Dausgaard with his Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

— James Manheim

Valery Gergiev / London Symphony Orchestra

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Balakirev: Russia

LSO / LSO Live

Classical

A profoundly Russian reading by Valery Gergiev, recorded live with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2014, is a recommended Rachmaninov recording.

— James Manheim

Daniil Trifonov / Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Philadelphia Orchestra

Rachmaninov Variations

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Danil Trifonov plays Rachmaninov's sets of variations on this 2015 Deutsche Grammophon release, featuring the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

— Blair Sanderson

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