Featured New Album Releases

Empire of the Sun

Two Vines

Astralwerks

Pop/Rock

The band's third album is dipped in sunshine and full of sleekly warm modern pop.

— Tim Sendra

Kenny Chesney

Cosmic Hallelujah

Blue Chair Records / Columbia / Sony Music

Country

Kenny Chesney embraces the modern world on a shiny, savvy record featuring a duet with P!nk.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jeezy

Trap or Die 3

Def Jam

Rap

On his seventh Def Jam album, the rapper leaves the pulpit and sticks to the cold-blooded menace of his earlier releases.

— Andy Kellman

Tove Lo

Lady Wood

Island / Polydor

Pop/Rock

Despite its provocative title, the singer/songwriter's second album delivers more straightforward EDM and R&B-tinged pop.

— Heather Phares

She & Him

Christmas Party

Columbia / Sony Music

Holiday, Pop/Rock

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's second Christmas collection puts their charming spin on Mariah Carey, Chuck Berry, Vashti Bunyan, and more.

— Marcy Donelson

Kacey Musgraves

A Very Kacey Christmas

Mercury

Holiday, Country, Pop/Rock

The country singer goes mid-century modern with a wink on this swinging, clever Christmas album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Helmet

Dead to the World

Ear Music

Pop/Rock

Helmet's first collection of new music in six years, Dead to the World, continues in the vein of 2010's more alt-rock-oriented Seeing Eye Dog.

— James Christopher Monger

Alejandro Escovedo

Burn Something Beautiful

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

Celebrated Texas singer/songwriter teams up with R.E.M. and Young Fresh Fellows members to cut a strong, adventurous album.

— Mark Deming

Girl Tears

Woke Against the Tide

Sinderlyn

Pop/Rock

The punk rock trio's second album adds some raw power to their brief and agitated songs.

— Tim Sendra

The Legal Matters

Conrad

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

Midwest pop supergroup ups the ante with a sophomore album that tops their debut in all respects.

— Mark Deming

Rafter

XYZ

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

After a left turn into reggae, the oddball bedroom pop auteur returns with his most focused and accessible record to date.

— Tim Sendra

CRX

New Skin

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

Featuring production by Josh Homme, the band's debut mixes new wave sheen with the crunch of '80s metal.

— Heather Phares

Arab Strap

Chemikal Underground

Pop/Rock

Beloved Scottish indie duo celebrate their 20th anniversary with a double-disc collection including numerous B-sides and rarities.

— Paul Simpson

Sam Roberts / Sam Roberts Band

TerraForm

Paper Bag Records

Pop/Rock

The sixth album of spacy, groove-oriented pop and hooky melodic rock from the Canadian singer/songwriter.

— Matt Collar

Bettie Serveert

Damaged Good

Palomine Records

Pop/Rock

The band keep chugging along, releasing yet another album's worth of top-notch indie rock.

— Tim Sendra

Tony Molina

Confront the Truth

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

Quiet, mostly acoustic single shows that the hardcore punk and indie rocker has some range.

— Tim Sendra

Testament

Brotherhood of the Snake

Nuclear Blast / PHD Wholesale

Pop/Rock

After a four-year wait, the Bay Area legendary thrash metallers deliver another slab of thunder and bone-crushing grooves.

— Thom Jurek

TOY

Clear Shot

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

The group's third album polishes its heady psych-pop into crystalline brilliance.

— Heather Phares

Michael Mayer

&

!K7

Electronic

Appearing on !K7, Kompakt's Michael Mayer collaborates with over a dozen close friends on this wide-ranging full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Jennifer Nettles

To Celebrate Christmas

Big Machine Records

Holiday, Country

The Sugarland singer gets cozy on her Christmas album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg / Nada Surf

Peaceful Ghosts: Live with Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

A lushly arranged, deeply poignant orchestral live album featuring Nada Surf in concert with Germany's Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.

— Matt Collar

Neil Diamond

Acoustic Christmas

Capitol

Holiday, Pop/Rock

A charming, low-key Christmas record from Neil Diamond.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Brett Eldredge

Glow

Atlantic

Country, Holiday

The soulful country singer goes full Frank Sinatra on his holiday album Glow.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kurt Elling

The Beautiful Day: Kurt Elling Sings Christmas

Masterworks / Sony Music / OKeh Records

Holiday, Vocal, Jazz

The acclaimed jazz vocalist's first full album of holiday-themed music is as literate and nuanced as his previous work.

— Matt Collar

Jimmy Buffett

'Tis the SeaSon

Mailboat Records

Pop/Rock, Holiday

A breezy, cheerful seasonal album from Jimmy Buffett.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Hidden Cameras

Home on Native Land

Outside Music

Pop/Rock

Simultaneously homey and fabulous, Home on Native Land introduces country, folk, and pedal steel-driven Canadiana into the band's lexicon.

— James Christopher Monger

Honeyblood

Babes Never Die

Fat Cat / FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

The duo doubles down on spiky, '90s-influenced rock, evoking the Breeders, Bettie Serveert, and Throwing Muses.

— Heather Phares

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Third World Pyramid

A

Pop/Rock

The veteran psych outfit's umpteenth record cascades out in a textural multitude of jangling guitars, horns, and voices.

— Timothy Monger

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Silver Tears

New West

Pop/Rock

The songwriter/guitarist's second LP and debut with New West offers a version of Americana that exudes both musical knowledge and personality.

— Marcy Donelson

Elvis Presley / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

RCA / Legacy

Pop/Rock

A second collection of old Elvis Presley vocal performances paired to new orchestrations by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Heimer

Teilzeit Swag

Tomlab

Electronic

Berlin-based musician and visual artist Heimer's debut solo full-length is an incredibly fun, inventive set of playful yet reflective glitch-hop.

— Paul Simpson

Jacuzzi Boys

Ping Pong

Mag Mag

Pop/Rock

The band's fourth album leans heavily toward grunge and '90s indie rock, forsaking the garage rock energy of the past.

— Tim Sendra

Ice / Lafayette Afro Rock Band

Afro Funk Explosion!

Manifesto

R&B, Pop/Rock

Most comprehensive compilation to date by American funk septet who've been sampled by everyone from Public Enemy to Flying Lotus.

— Thom Jurek

Lou Barlow

Apocalypse Fetish

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Five-song EP with the artist handling all instruments and vocals shows he's still in touch with his lo-fi muse.

— Mark Deming

Marching Church

Telling It Like It Is

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Now a full-fledged band, the project's second album mixes soul, jazz, dub, and post-punk with stream-of-consciousness abandon.

— Heather Phares

The Olympians

Daptone

R&B

Expertly executed Daptone instrumentals, masterminded by Toby Pazner, that evoke late-'60s/early-'70s Philadelphia International, Cadet, Motown, and Blue Thumb.

— Andy Kellman

LightDreams / Paul Marcano

10,001 Dreams

Got Kinda Lost Records

Pop/Rock, New Age

Initially released as home-dubbed cassettes in 1982, the follow-up to Islands in Space is far more sprawling and immersive.

— Paul Simpson

River Tiber

Indigo

eOne / Factor

Pop/Rock, R&B

Haunting debut from the Toronto producer that combines alt-R&B production with the sonic textures of Radiohead.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Slothrust

Everyone Else

Dangerbird Records

Pop/Rock

Bandleader Leah Wellbaum's vivid imagery and piercing turn of phrase highlight this third LP from the Brooklyn grunge revivalists.

— Marcy Donelson

Soft Hair

Weird World

Pop/Rock

Sleazy freak pop collaboration between Connan Mockasin and LA Priest.

— Timothy Monger

Steve Hauschildt

Strands

Kranky

Electronic

The Emeralds co-founder's fourth solo album for Kranky balances calmness with darker, more fearful moments.

— Paul Simpson

The Pop Group

Honeymoon on Mars

Freaks R Us

Pop/Rock

Second, less dense reunion effort from U.K. post-punk rabble-rousers, with studio help from Dennis Bovell and Hank Shocklee.

— Mark Deming

Titán

Dama

ATP / ATP Recordings

Pop/Rock, Latin

After a decade-long break, the acclaimed Mexican electronic outsiders deliver a tough and distinctive set with surprising guests.

— Timothy Monger

Broad City

Broad City [Original Series Soundtrack]

Comedy Central Records / Milan

Stage & Screen, Rap, Electronic, Pop/Rock, Latin

The critically acclaimed sitcom's first soundtrack is highlighted by empowering, stylized electro-hop that often captures the show's cheekiness.

— Marcy Donelson

Wayne Hancock

Slingin' Rhythm

Bloodshot

Pop/Rock

The modern-day master of Lone Star honky tonk swing keeps on ticking on his eighth studio album.

— Mark Deming

Wolfgang Muthspiel

Rising Grace

ECM

Jazz

The Austrian guitarist expands his trio to a quintet in a relaxed yet dazzling series of new tunes and leaves plenty of room for solos.

— Thom Jurek

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra / Tafelmusik Chamber Choir / Bruno Weil

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

Tafelmusik Media

Classical

Bruno Weil leads the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir in a period performance of Beethoven's Ninth.

— Blair Sanderson

Simon Rattle / Australian World Orchestra

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8

ABC Classic

Classical

Simon Rattle leads the Australian World Orchestra in a traditional but compelling performance of Anton Bruckner's massive Symphony No. 8.

— Blair Sanderson

Philippe Jaroussky

Bach, Telemann: Sacred Cantatas

Erato

Classical

The main attraction is Jaroussky's instrument itself, undiminished by a decade in the classical Top Ten.

— James Manheim

Daniil Trifonov

Transcendental: Daniil Trifonov Plays Franz Liszt

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Daniil Trifonov is in his element in Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, which allow him to demonstrate his brilliant virtuosity and deeply reflective character.

— Blair Sanderson