Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool

XL

Pop/Rock

A silvery, shimmering collection of subtly textured sad songs that somehow feels comforting.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ariana Grande

Dangerous Woman

Republic

Pop/Rock

On her third album, Ariana Grande consolidates her R&B and pop influences with restraint and flair.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Blake Shelton

If I'm Honest

East West / Rhino / Warner Bros.

Country

A slick, lighthearted post-divorce album that finds the Voice star seizing the dawn of a new day.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Eric Clapton

I Still Do

Bushbranch

Pop/Rock

A nicely weathered and musical reunion with Slowhand producer Glyn Johns.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bob Dylan

Fallen Angels

Columbia

Pop/Rock, Folk, Vocal

Dylan's second Sinatra tribute record functions as a lighter counterpart to Shadows in the Night.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mudcrutch

2

Reprise

Pop/Rock

On their second album, Mudcrutch tie all the loose ends left hanging from their 2008 album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Various Artists

Day of the Dead

4AD / Red Hott

Pop/Rock

Sprawling, spacy five-and-a-half-hour tribute to the Grateful Dead directed by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Car Seat Headrest

Teens of Denial

Matador

Pop/Rock

The 70-minute song cycle about one confused teenager is a bold, witty, affecting step forward for songwriter/frontman Will Toledo.

— Mark Deming

Zo!

SkyBreak

Foreign Exchange Music

R&B

Native Detroiter continues to evangelize sophisticated late-'70s and early-'80s funk and soul with a modern perspective and extensive supporting cast.

— Andy Kellman

Adult Jazz

Earrings Off!

Tri Angle

Pop/Rock

A still ambitious, seven-track sophomore outing from the timbre-diverse indie pop experimenters.

— Marcy Donelson

Angry Angles

Angry Angles

Goner Records

Pop/Rock

This collection of the raw synth punks' body of work proves they were more than just Jay Reatard's final collaboration.

— Heather Phares

Pantha du Prince

The Triad

Rough Trade

Electronic

German techno producer Hendrik Weber adds more of a dream pop influence to his sound on his fourth full-length release for Rough Trade.

— Paul Simpson

Richard Ashcroft

These People

Harvest / Righteous Phonographic Association

Pop/Rock

The former Verve leader turns in an insouciant, slick solo album that blends ballads with Eurodisco.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mike Adams at His Honest Weight

Casino Drone

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Easygoing soft pop and the occasional power pop gem highlight the Indiana-based singer/songwriter's third full album.

— Tim Sendra

Brett Dennen

Por Favor

Elektra

Pop/Rock

The amiable singer/songwriter strips it down to the essentials on his vulnerable and charming sixth effort.

— Timothy Monger

Mrs. Magician

Bermuda

Swami

Pop/Rock

The band's tighter, brighter second album delivers more sunny pop with a wicked dark side.

— Heather Phares

Terry Reid

The Other Side of the River

Future Days / LITA

Pop/Rock

A companion to the 1973 album contains unreleased songs, alternate takes, and more, clarifying the many myths surrounding it.

— Thom Jurek

Death

Scream Bloody Gore

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

This deluxe reissue from Relapse is completely remastered, and contains two bonus discs and extensive liner notes

— Thom Jurek

Honey Radar

Blank Cartoon

What's Yr Rupture?

Pop/Rock

Lo-fi pop at its finest, in the tradition of GBV but totally original and full of hooks.

— Tim Sendra

Andy Shauf

The Party

Anti-

Pop/Rock

The Canadian singer/multi-instrumentalist follows up his debut with a hyper-detailed prairie pop concept album.

— Timothy Monger

Saosin

Along the Shadow

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Triumphant and cathartic salvo from the post-hardcore quartet, and the first full-length to feature founding vocalist Anthony Green.

— Neil Z. Yeung

The Echocentrics

Echo Hotel

Nacional Records

Latin, Pop/Rock

Producer Adrian Quesada's vivid micro-soundtracks of Latin funk and Southwestern psych feel plucked from the ether of another era.

— Timothy Monger

Karl Blau

Introducing Karl Blau

Raven Marching Band Records

Pop/Rock

The prolific musician and producer Tucker Martine delivers a stellar album of vintage covers.

— Thom Jurek

Kate Jackson

British Road Movies

Hoo Ha Records

Pop/Rock

Former Long Blondes singer teamed with Bernard Butler to record her debut solo album, started in 2006 and finished in 2015.

— Tim Sendra

Kyle Forester

Kyle Forester

Flying Moonlight

Pop/Rock

A warmly crafted guitar pop gem with beguiling hooks and an unshowy appeal.

— Timothy Monger

Black Milk / Nat Turner

The Rebellion Sessions

Computer Ugly

Rap

Soul-filling and '70s-flavored, this is a mostly instrumental LP from Black Milk and his backing band.

— David Jeffries

Blues Magoos

Mercury Singles 1966-1968

Sundazed

Pop/Rock

Eight singles (A- and B-sides) that show these garage/psychedelic one-hit wonders had plenty of tricks up their sleeves.

— Mark Deming

Cyrus Chestnut

Natural Essence

HighNote Records

Jazz

For his second HighNote effort, the pianist is joined by bassist Buster Williams and drummer Lenny White.

— Matt Collar

Helen Love

Smash Hits

Alcopop!

Pop/Rock

The Ramones-loving Welsh group's fourth album eschews the synth pop of their last one in favor of a more traditional Helen Love sound.

— Tim Sendra

Katatonia

The Fall of Hearts

Peaceville Records / Snapper

Pop/Rock

On their tenth studio album, these prog metal Swedes add layers of complexity and accessibility to their ouvre.

— Thom Jurek

Marissa Nadler

Strangers

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Re-teaming with producer Randall Dunn, the singer/songwriter expands her storytelling reach and her sound.

— Thom Jurek

Masabumi Kikuchi

Black Orpheus

ECM

Jazz

The final homecoming concert in Tokyo by the iconoclastic Japanese jazz pianist is a stunning portrait in self-revelation.

— Thom Jurek

Methyl Ethel

Oh Inhuman Spectacle

4AD

Pop/Rock

The Aussie psych-pop band's debut bridges the gap between the dreamy, dance-pop meanderings of Tame Impala and the off-kilter indie rock of MGMT.

— James Christopher Monger

Misha

All We Will Become

Tomlab

Electronic, Pop/Rock

An ebullient breakup album showcasing leader John Chao's eclectic orchestral, electronic, and indie pop sensibilities.

— Matt Collar

Mountains & Rainbows

Particles

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Sprawling debut album from a long-running Detroit garage psych group led by Tyvek's Matt Ziolkowski.

— Paul Simpson

Mutual Benefit

Skip a Sinking Stone

Mom + Pop Music

Pop/Rock

A contemplative, impressionistic second LP that preserves the sylvan elegance of the Jordan Lee project's debut.

— Marcy Donelson

The So So Glos

Kamikaze

Votiv

Pop/Rock

Exploding with energetic punk anthems and some new tricks up their sleeves, the Brooklyn quartet matures and thrills on their polished third LP.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Tanya Donelly

Swan Song Series

American Laundromat Records

Pop/Rock

A surprising and welcome return to the studio from the alt rock heroine of Throwing Muses and Belly.

— Mark Deming

The Highwaymen

The Very Best of the Highwaymen

Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music

Country

Good single-disc overview of the recordings of the country supergroup.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tim Heidecker

In Glendale

Jagjaguwar / Rado Records

Pop/Rock, Comedy/Spoken

The comedian's solo debut album borrows from the singer/songwriter greats of the '70s and '80s with wry, revealing results.

— Heather Phares

Tippa Lee

Cultural Ambassador

Stones Throw

Reggae

The long-lost dancehall singer returns with help from Dub Club producer and leader Tom Chasteen.

— David Jeffries

Zig Zags

Running Out of Red

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Witty pastiche of vintage hard rock, classic metal, and old-school punk is clever, sincere, and suitably loud and punishing.

— Mark Deming

Ziggy Marley

Ziggy Marley

Tuff Gong Worldwide

Reggae

On his sixth solo release, the reggae veteran offers a smaller, chilled, and life-affirming LP.

— David Jeffries

Ingrid Fliter / Antonio Méndez / Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Schumann: Piano Concerto; Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1

Linn Records

Classical

Several factors combine to make this an unusually satisfying Romantic piano concerto offering, really capturing the listener's attention.

— James Manheim

Miguel Harth-Bedoya / Santa Fe Opera Orchestra / Gene Scheer

Jennifer Higdon: Cold Mountain

PentaTone Classics

Classical

A worthwhile operatic entry in the long line of American vocal works descending from Aaron Copland's The Tender Land.

— James Manheim

Leonidas Kavakos / Enrico Pace

Virtuoso

Decca

Classical

This program of show stoppers would have blown the minds of an audience a century ago and still amazes today.

— James Manheim

Paul Lewis / Daniel Harding / Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1; Ballades Op. 10

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Lewis, matched by Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony, brings precision and detail to Brahms' Concerto No. 1.

— James Manheim

Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble

A Moveable Feast: Vaughan Williams, Ravel, De Falla

Channel Classics

Classical

The Stockholm Syndrome Ensemble presents an evocative program of chamber works by Vaughan Williams, Ravel, and De Falla.

— Blair Sanderson

Cédric Tiberghien

Bartók: Mikrokosmos 6; Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs; Suite, Op. 14; Out of Doors; Three Burlesques

Hyperion

Classical

For this 2016 release on Hyperion, the first in a series of three, Cédric Tiberghien plays solo keyboard works of Béla Bartók.

— Blair Sanderson

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