Bob Dylan

Triplicate

Columbia / Sony Music

Folk, Vocal

For his third collection of Great American Songbook interpretations, Dylan offer three interlocking records in one album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Aimee Mann

Mental Illness

Superego

Pop/Rock

Aimee Mann delivers the slowest, saddest album she could imagine with this strangely comforting collection.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mastodon

Emperor of Sand

Reprise / Warner Music

Pop/Rock

On their seventh studio album, the Georgia quartet re-enlist producer Brendan O'Brien and return to the concept album.

— Thom Jurek

Goldfrapp

Silver Eye

Mute

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Featuring co-production by John Congleton and the Haxan Cloak, the duo's seventh album is satisfyingly eclectic.

— Heather Phares

Nelly Furtado

The Ride

Eleven Seven

Pop/Rock

Working with St. Vincent's producer, Nelly Furtado repositions herself as an independent act.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

ÌFÉ

IIII + IIII

Discos Ifá

Electronic, Latin

Defying categorization with its multicultural blend of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, electronic synths, and Yoruba sounds, this Puerto Rican group's debut is an expansive joy.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Orchestra Baobab

Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng

World Circuit

International, Latin

After a ten-year absence, the Senegalese legends return with an expanded lineup and a gorgeous new sound.

— Thom Jurek

The Moonlandingz

Interplanetary Class Classics

Transgressive

Pop/Rock

Ridiculous, romping album of snide synth glam by a pretend band come to life featuring members of Fat White Family and the Eccentronic Research Council.

— Tim Sendra

George Winston

Spring Carousel

RCA

New Age, Jazz

Not so much a song cycle as it is a broad meditation on illness and recovery, Spring Carousel simmers with quiet soulfulness.

— James Christopher Monger

Neil Diamond

50

Capitol / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

A triple-disc set celebrating 50 years of Neil Diamond.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rodney Crowell

Close Ties

New West

Pop/Rock, Country

The acclaimed singer and songwriter spins tales of lives lived recklessly on this excellent 2017 release.

— Mark Deming

Lydia Ainsworth

Darling of the Afterglow

Arbutus Records

Pop/Rock

The former film-scoring major's second LP doubles down on layered, lilting vocals, bold timbres, sparse electronic grooves, and dark suspense.

— Marcy Donelson

Richard Edwards

Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

The solo debut of Margot & the Nuclear So and So's' leader reflects on personal upheaval with raw lyrics and an elegant, twilight-hued tone.

— Marcy Donelson

Hauschka

What If

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

The composer's fascinating eighth solo album explores the possibilities of the not-too-distant future with worry and wonder.

— Heather Phares

Wire

Silver/Lead [Special Edition] [W/Book]

Pink Flag

Pop/Rock

The band celebrates its 40th anniversary with a set of precise yet strangely moving songs that showcase their ability to evolve.

— Heather Phares

Soulwax

From Deewee

PIAS

Electronic

After over a decade, the Belgian electronic-rock duo return with their thrilling eighth set, which was recorded in just one take.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Devon Sproule

The Gold String

Tin Angel

Folk

Another charming expansion of Sproule's unique folk-pop microcosm.

— Timothy Monger

Somi

Petite Afrique

Masterworks / OKeh Records

Jazz

The New York-based singer celebrates Harlem and the immigrant experience on her second outing for OKeh.

— Matt Collar

Coco Hames

Coco Hames

Merge

Pop/Rock

The former Ettes singer/guitarist delves into burnished Americana on her solo debut.

— Tim Sendra

Chaz Bundick / The Mattson 2

Star Stuff

Company Records

Pop/Rock

Shedding his Toro y Moi moniker, Bundick collaborates with the Mattson 2 on this spacy, psych-heavy project.

— Timothy Monger

Jake Xerxes Fussell

What in the Natural World

Fat Possum Records / Paradise of Bachelors

Folk, Blues

The affable North Carolinian folklorist unearths arcane Southern deep cuts that manage to sound both bittersweet and slightly absurd.

— Timothy Monger

Julia Holter

In the Same Room

Domino

Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

Recorded in two days at a London studio, these reinterpretations of Holter's songbook add presence and warmth to her music.

— Heather Phares

Leela James

Did It for Love

Shesangz

R&B

The contemporary soul singer's mix of grit and grace is in top form on her sixth album, featuring collaborations with Rex Rideout.

— Andy Kellman

Pharmakon

Contact

Sacred Bones

Avant-Garde

The third album by industrial noise artist Pharmakon is about creating trance states and out-of-body experiences.

— Paul Simpson

Rays

Rays

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Promising debut from Oakland quintet with a love of scrappy Flying Nun pop, sprawling indie rock, and wiry post-punk.

— Tim Sendra

Monster Movie

Keep the Voices Distant

Graveface Records

Pop/Rock

In the wake of Slowdive's reunion, the reinvigorated duo added two members to the band and fully embraced a blown-out and epic shoegaze sound.

— Tim Sendra

Sneaks

It's a Myth

Merge

Pop/Rock

Second album from Washington D.C. artists is a cool, witty, minimalist fusion of indie rock smarts and hip-hop structures.

— Mark Deming

Tei Shi

Crawl Space

Arts & Crafts

Pop/Rock

Deft vocals and a slinky, efficient indie electronic sound mark the full-length debut of Berklee alum Valerie Teicher.

— Marcy Donelson

The Buttertones

Gravedigging

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

The Innovative Leisure debut from the scrappy Southern California-based surf-punk unit shimmies and shakes and convulses and twists.

— James Christopher Monger

The Mavericks

Brand New Day

Mono Mundo Recordings / Thirty Tigers

Country, Pop/Rock

Eclectic ninth album has more to do with Latin and pop sounds than country, but is as fun as anything they've done to date.

— Mark Deming

AMOR

Paradise/In Love An Arc

Night School

Pop/Rock

First 12" from an avant disco supergroup channeling Arthur Russell and Walter Gibbons, seeking transcendence through hypnotic dance music.

— Paul Simpson

Geotic

Abysma

Ghostly International

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Will Wiesenfeld (aka Baths) makes his Ghostly International debut with an album of airy, reflective ambient techno under the name Geotic.

— Paul Simpson

Gold Connections

Gold Connections

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Debut EP from Will Marsh's indie pop project is a lo-fi gem with hi-fi ambitions.

— Mark Deming

Body Count

Bloodlust

Century Media

Pop/Rock

The band's sixth studio outing so cogently reflects the political and social divides of its time that its apoplexy feels unusually palpable.

— James Christopher Monger

Charlotte OC

Careless People

Harvest / Polydor

Pop/Rock

The sultry, gothy, R&B-tinged debut from British vocalist Charlotte OC featuring production from Tim Anderson.

— Matt Collar

Craig Brown Band

The Lucky Ones Forget

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

The Detroit lo-fi country rock combo effuses a pleasantly scruffy dive bar vibe on their debut.

— Timothy Monger

50 Cent

Best of 50 Cent [2017]

Interscope

Rap

Straightforward if imperfect collection of Curtis Jackson's 2003-2009 singles, including eight Top Ten pop hits.

— Andy Kellman

Saturn

Beyond Spectra

Rise Above Records

Pop/Rock

Sophomore effort by this Swedish quartet builds on the foundations of its debut by trial, error, killer riffs, and boogie.

— Thom Jurek

Catharina Kroeger / Monica Lonero

Alma Mahler: Lieder und Gesänge; Patrizia Montanaro: Canto di Penelope

Brilliant Classics

Classical

The 14 published songs of Alma Mahler are presented by soprano Catharina Kroeger with Patrizia Montanero's Canto di Penelope.

— Blair Sanderson

Danny Driver / Rebecca Miller

The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 70: Beach, Chaminade, Howell

Hyperion

Classical

This recording is worth the time and money for the Beach performance alone.

— James Manheim

Goldner String Quartet / Piers Lane

Borodin: Piano Quintet; String Quartet No. 2

Hyperion

Classical

Attractive and recommended performances of rarely played repertory from the period of the Russian Mighty Handful.

— James Manheim

Andrew Manze / NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Felix Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

PentaTone Classics

Classical

Andrew Manze and the NDR Radiophilharmonie play Mendelssohn's First and Third Symphonies with Classical polish and Romantic passion.

— Blair Sanderson

The Sixteen / Harry Christophers

Francis Poulenc: Mass in G; Un Soir de neige; Litanies a la Vierge Noire; Etc.

Coro

Classical

Uniquely satisfying results even for those who already have plenty of Poulenc or plenty of The Sixteen.

— James Manheim

François Salque / Eric Le Sage

Beethoven: Les Sonates pour Violoncelle et Piano

Sony Classical

Classical

This is Gallic Beethoven playing at a high level, a lively recording catching the cello in a solo role.

— James Manheim

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