Featured New Album Releases

Bon Iver

22, A Million

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

The third Bon Iver album is a fractured, electronically altered future folk album that's beautiful and strange at once.

— Tim Sendra

Drive-By Truckers

American Band

ATO

Pop/Rock

The thoughtful Southern rockers deliver an impassioned and troubled State of the Union message on their 11th studio album.

— Mark Deming

Pixies

Head Carrier

Pixies

Pop/Rock

The indie rock legends' first album with bassist Paz Lenchantin features some of their friendliest, jangliest songs yet.

— Heather Phares

Van Morrison

Keep Me Singing

Caroline

Pop/Rock, Blues

The iconic singer's first new material in four years is a slow-burning collection presented with attentiveness and finesse.

— Thom Jurek

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones in Mono [Limited Edition]

Pop/Rock

Comprehensive box of all the mono mixes the Rolling Stones released on Decca/London in the '60s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Regina Spektor

Remember Us to Life

London / Rhino / Sire Records / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Strings ranging from a small ensemble to full orchestra mark Spektor's reflective but still whimsical seventh studio album.

— Marcy Donelson

Danny Brown

Atrocity Exhibition

Warp

Rap

The Detroit rapper, assisted by producer Paul White on ten tracks, is in top grim form on his first Warp release.

— Andy Kellman

Yellowcard

Hopeless Records

Pop/Rock

The bittersweet final album from the Jacksonville band that devastates with emotion and nostalgia, both a gift and perfect farewell to fans.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Ultimate Painting

Dusk

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

The duo's third album in three years adds more keyboards and drums to the mix without losing any of their restrained autumnal brilliance.

— Tim Sendra

Jimi Hendrix

Machine Gun: Jimi Hendrix The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/1969

Acoustic Sounds / Experience Hendrix

Pop/Rock

Band of Gypsys' debut live performance, released in its entirety for the first time.

Apollo Brown / Skyzoo

The Easy Truth

Mello Music Group

Rap

Solid East-meets-Midwest hip-hop collaboration between Brooklyn MC Skyzoo and Detroit beatmaker Apollo Brown.

— Paul Simpson

BANKS

The Altar

Harvest / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Laying herself bare with unflinching honestly and vulnerability, the alt-pop singer presents a sacrificial broken heart on The Altar.

— Neil Z. Yeung

The Clang Group

Practice

Domino

Pop/Rock

Witty, fun, and rollicking debut by a brainy pop band fronted by legendary producer Clive Langer.

— Tim Sendra

James Leg

Blood on the Keys

Alive Naturalsound Records

Pop/Rock

The blues punk's third solo outing is fiery, dynamic, and more varied than his earlier works.

— Timothy Monger

Opeth

Sorceress

Atomic Fire / Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

The Swedish band's 12th studio album tautly balances prog rock and traces of its historic past while traveling in new directions.

— Thom Jurek

S U R V I V E

RR7349

Relapse Records

Electronic

After two of its members scored the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, Austin synth wizards S U R V I V E deliver their first album for Relapse.

— Paul Simpson

Warehouse

Super Low

Bayonet Records

Pop/Rock

Artful post-punk jangle meets Athens-inspired college rock from this crafty Atlanta-based quintet.

— Timothy Monger

Marillion

FEAR

Ear Music

Pop/Rock

18 albums in, these veteran prog rockers prove they have plenty left in the tank by delivering their best recording since 2004's Marbles.

— Thom Jurek

Jenny Hval

Blood Bitch

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Combining vampire and menstrual imagery with avant synth-pop, Hval's fourth album is equally scary, sexy, raw, and sophisticated.

— Heather Phares

John Prine

For Better, Or Worse

Oh Boy

Country, Folk, Pop/Rock

The great songwriter once again tackles a set of classic country tunes, with an all-star roster of female vocal partners.

— Mark Deming

Nick Waterhouse

Never Twice

Innovative Leisure

R&B

The retro-R&B stylist's refined third album features Leon Bridges and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Baby, I'm in the Mood for You."

— Andy Kellman

Blonde Redhead

Masculin Feminin

Numero

Pop/Rock

Gathering their first two albums plus singles and rarities, this collection makes fascinating connections between the band's past and present.

— Heather Phares

Bob Weir

Blue Mountain

Columbia / Columbia/Legacy / Legacy / Legacy Recordings / Roar / ROAR Records / Sony Music / Tri

Pop/Rock

A spare, spacy tribute to the cowboy songs dear to Bob Weir's heart.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

EZTV

High in Place

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The group's second, self-produced album features collaborations with Jenny Lewis and members of Real Estate.

— Heather Phares

Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog [25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] [Remixed & Remastered]

Interscope

Pop/Rock

A one-off collaboration between members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam designed to honor the late Seattle singer Andrew Wood.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Herb Alpert

Human Nature

Herb Alpert Presents

Easy Listening, Jazz, Pop/Rock

A soulful, electronic-tinged production from the trumpet icon that balances his classic sound with a contemporary touch.

— Matt Collar

Alcest

Kodama

Prophecy / SPKR / Weltnetz

Pop/Rock

The French duo successfully return elements of black and post-metal back into their mix on this dynamic set.

— Thom Jurek

Betty Harris

The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul

Soul Jazz

R&B

Incomplete if wonderfully presented overview of the singer's Allen Toussaint-driven 1965-1969 output.

— Andy Kellman

Marianne Faithfull

No Exit

Ear Music

Pop/Rock

Audio and video document celebrating the iconic singer's 50th anniversary tour in 2014, featuring Ed Harcourt on piano and backing vocals.

— Thom Jurek

Doyle Bramhall II

Rich Man

Concord / Concord Records (Canada)

Blues

The blues-rock guitarist's first album in 17 years is a funky, soulful workout that is his best record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Emma Ruth Rundle

Marked for Death

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

Marked for Death finds Emma Ruth Rundle both dancing with and exorcizing a slew of personal demons via a brooding blast of icy alt-rock and doomy sludge metal.

— James Christopher Monger

Eric Clapton

Live in San Diego

Reprise / Rhino

Blues

An otherwise blues-heavy 2007 live album highlighted by an easy-rolling rare duet with Clapton idol J.J. Cale.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Faint

Capsule: 1999-2016

Saddle Creek Records

Pop/Rock

A collection rounding up 19 choice cuts from the Omaha, Nebraska dance-rock veterans, including a pair of brand-new tracks recorded in 2016.

— James Christopher Monger

Frankie Miller

Double Take

Universal

Pop/Rock, R&B

Unheard songs from the great blue-eyed soul singer are revived with the help of such friends as Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Willie Nelson.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Itasca

Open to Chance

Paradise of Bachelors

Pop/Rock

Singer, storyteller, and fingerpicking stylist Kayla Cohen adds a full band including pedal steel for her still delicate third Itasca LP.

— Marcy Donelson

Kestrels

Sonic Unyon

Pop/Rock

Following lineup changes and gear theft, Canadian indie rock trio Kestrels re-emerge stronger than ever with their third album.

— Paul Simpson

Low

The Exit Papers

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock

Experimental soundscapes for a movie that doesn't exist; a worthy experiment, but one that isn't fully successful.

— Mark Deming

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years

Ngdb Records / Warner Bros.

Country, Pop/Rock

Joyous, friend-filled celebration of 50 years of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Luke Winslow-King

I'm Glad Trouble Don't Last Always

Bloodshot

Pop/Rock, Blues, Jazz

Romantic troubles bring out the best in this Michigan-bred retro bluesman, who contemplates divorce in a soulful manner.

— Mark Deming

Machinedrum

Human Energy

Ninja Tune

Electronic, R&B

On his third album for Ninja Tune, Travis Stewart sharpens his production style into an ecstatic brand of abstract, futuristic pop.

— Paul Simpson

Mandolin Orange

Blindfaller

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock, Country

North Carolina duo expand into a full band for their fifth album, gaining strength without sacrificing their roots.

— Mark Deming

Sam Evian

Premium

Saddle Creek Records

Pop/Rock

Gossamer vocals, steel guitars, and vintage synths mark the solo debut of Brooklyn producer and Celestial Shore frontman Sam Owens.

— Marcy Donelson

Sully Erna

Hometown Life

BMG / Sony BMG

Pop/Rock

The Godsmack frontman's second solo outing is mature and vulnerable, embracing blues, country, and R&B on a collection of intimate self-reflection.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Supersilent

13

Smalltown Supersound

Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock, Jazz

On their debut for Smalltown Supersound, the improvising trio bring their PA into the studio and make some exceptional intuitive noise.

— Thom Jurek

The Growlers

City Club

Cult Records

Pop/Rock

City Club does away with the "beach goth" aesthetic of prior outings, adding punchy synths and a newly funked-up rhythm section.

— James Christopher Monger

The Luyas

Says You

Paper Bag Records

Pop/Rock

The experimental indie outfit's first release since 2012's Animator is a five-track EP built on improvisation that retains its rough edges.

— Marcy Donelson

The Wytches

All Your Happy Life

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

The Brighton trio offers another dark dosage of doomy, psych-indebted garage rock on its more complex second effort.

— Timothy Monger

Yann Tiersen

Eusa

Mute

Pop/Rock

Inspired by the beloved island the composer calls home, these solo piano works are comforting but never dull.

— Heather Phares

Brabant Ensemble / Stephen Rice

Pierre de la Rue: Missa Nuncqua fue pena mayor, Missa Inviolata

Hyperion

Classical

This satisfying release expands our understanding of a composer thought to be a lesser light of the Franco-Flemish style.

— James Manheim

Nicolas Altstaedt

C.P.E. Bach: Cello Concertos

Hyperion

Classical

Bach delights in unexpected contrasts, and Altstaedt, with his slashing, vibrato-free lines, plays up to the maximum.

— James Manheim

Carolyn Sampson / Laurence Cummings / Elizabeth Kenny / Jonathan Manson

Come All Ye Songsters

Wigmore Hall Live

Classical

The exuberant variety of treatments perhaps reflects what audiences in Purcell's own time would have heard.

— James Manheim

Leonard Slatkin / Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Copland: Appalachian Spring; Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Naxos

Classical

For the second volume of Aaron Copland's ballets, Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra present Hear Ye! Hear Ye! and Appalachian Spring.

— Blair Sanderson