Featured New Album Releases

Chris Stapleton

From A Room: Volume 1

Mercury / Now!

Country

Chris Stapleton keeps things modest and soulful on the sequel to his unexpected smash Traveller.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Diana Krall

Turn Up the Quiet

Decca / Verve

Jazz

Supported by three separate bands, Diana Krall makes a smoky, subdued album for the wee hours.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mac DeMarco

This Old Dog

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

An emphasis on self-reflection signifies a tonal shift on the singer/songwriter's third strong full-length.

— Timothy Monger

Alice Coltrane

World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda

Jowcol Music / Luaka Bop

Religious, New Age, Jazz

Luaka Bop delivers a treasure trove of rare recordings from the artist's non-jazz period and sheds new light on the importance of her contributions.

— Thom Jurek

Blondie

Pollinator

BMG / BMG

Pop/Rock

Blondie work with a variety of guests to modernize their new wave sound.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Slowdive

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

The band's first album in two decades is classic Slowdive, while making a few modern upgrades and allowing for the passage of time.

— Tim Sendra

Perfume Genius

No Shape

Matador

Pop/Rock

Mike Hadreas' fourth album moves past pain and toward acceptance, allowing his music to bloom in compulsively listenable ways.

— Heather Phares

The Afghan Whigs

In Spades

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Second post-reunion LP from Greg Dulli's band is solid, though it sounds more like a side project than the group's best work.

— Mark Deming

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon

30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth

Caldo Verde Records

Pop/Rock

Mark Kozelek is world-weary but generally content with life on his second collaboration with Justin Broadrick in little over a year.

— Paul Simpson

Joan Shelley

No Quarter

Pop/Rock

A warm breeze of a record that unfolds like a curl of smoke from a damp bonfire.

— James Christopher Monger

Grateful Dead

Cornell 5/8/77

Grateful Dead / Rhino

Pop/Rock

One of the legendary Grateful Dead shows, which was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2012, gets an official release.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album cover for Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 1984-2014 [Limited Edition Super Deluxe] [w/Book] by Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 1984-2014 [Limited Edition Super Deluxe] [w/Book]

Mute

Pop/Rock

A splendid box set -- three CDs, one DVD -- that sums up the first 30 years of Cave's music with his singular backing band.

— Mark Deming

Doug Tuttle

Peace Potato

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's third album is a stylistic left turn from psych-pop and folk-rock to chiming heartland rock à la Tom Petty.

— Tim Sendra

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Best Troubador

Drag City

Pop/Rock

Will Oldham delivers a casual but committed and deeply moving tribute to one of his heroes, Merle Haggard.

— Mark Deming

At the Drive-In

in•ter a•li•a

Rise

Pop/Rock

Seventeen years after releasing a classic, the Texas post-hardcore outfit returns with a solid but safe follow-up.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Café Tacuba

Jei Beibi

Café Tacuba

Latin

After a five-year wait, one of the best bands on the planet delivers a woozy, dizzying exercise in 21st century pop.

— Thom Jurek

Black Lips

Satan's Graffiti or God's Art?

Black Lips / Vice

Pop/Rock

Addled garage punks embrace their murky side with producer Sean Lennon, but forget to bring enough good songs.

— Mark Deming

Juana Molina

Halo

Crammed Discs

Electronic, Pop/Rock, Latin

Another enchanting and pleasantly disorienting release from Argentina's inventive pop auteur.

— Timothy Monger

The Flaming Lips

Onboard the International Space Station: Concert for Peace

The Flaming Lips / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

These reinterpretations of Oczy Mlody highlights are even more poignant and hopeful than the originals.

— Heather Phares

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood / Chris Robinson

Betty's Self-Rising Southern Blends, Vol. 3

Megaforce / Silver Arrow Records

Pop/Rock

The third installment of CRB live material recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson focuses on a November 2015 Southern tour.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Nite Jewel

Real High

Gloriette

Pop/Rock

The project's fourth album is an artful mix of pop hooks and soft-focus retro R&B.

— Heather Phares

Various Artists

Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story (An Album to Benefit War Child)

Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

A tribute album that doubles as a charity album for War Child, this reveals the depth and variety of Brandi Carlile's The Story.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Keb' Mo' / Taj Mahal

TajMo

Concord

Blues

The two veteran bluesman celebrate the sunny side of the blues.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ozomatli

Non-Stop: Mexico to Jamaica

Cleopatra

Latin, Reggae, Rap

This L.A. sextet explores the inseparable connection of Mexican music with Caribbean sounds with help from producers Sly & Robbie and many guests.

— Thom Jurek

Kasabian

For Crying Out Loud

Columbia

Pop/Rock

Simply put, For Crying Out Loud works because the band knows exactly what its listeners want.

— James Christopher Monger

Logic

Everybody

Def Jam

Rap

The rapper's third proper Def Jam album, his most panoramic and personal work, deals with prejudice, anxiety, and spirituality.

— Andy Kellman

Hoops

Routines

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

The dreamy lo-fi outfit lock into a consistent, distinctive, and alluring sound for their full-length debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Avishai Cohen

Cross My Palm with Silver

ECM

Jazz

The Israeli-born trumpeter's second ECM album of atmospheric, classically influenced jazz.

— Matt Collar

Bill MacKay

Esker

Drag City

Pop/Rock, Blues

The Chicago-based musician delivers his third and easily most mysterious solo album of "spirit guitar" songs.

— Thom Jurek

Brother Ali

All the Beauty in This Whole Life

Rhymesayers Entertainment

Rap

After a five-year break, the prophetic, socially conscious rapper returns with a message that hits with the hammer of compassion.

— Thom Jurek

Patti LaBelle

Bel Hommage

GPE

Jazz

Half a century into a varied career, the singer finally records a purely jazz album.

— Andy Kellman

Wooden Wand

Clipper Ship

Three Lobed

Pop/Rock

After a wildly prolific phase of this ever-morphing project, James Toth returns with a beautifully restrained chapter of the Wooden Wand story.

— Fred Thomas

Carl Craig

Versus

InFiné

Electronic

Stemming from a 2008 live performance, Carl Craig reworks selections from his catalog along with pianist Francesco Tristano and orchestra Les Siècles.

— Paul Simpson

Delia Gonzalez

Horse Follows Darkness

DFA

Electronic, Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock

Blending minimalism with cosmic disco, Delia Gonzalez's second solo album was inspired by Western films and her return to America after a stint in Berlin.

— Paul Simpson

The Mountain Movers

Mountain Movers

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

The band's second album with lead guitarist Kryssi Battelene is a sprawling, guitar-heavy psychedelic trip made up of long jams and wistful melodies.

— Tim Sendra

Moon Duo

Occult Architecture, Vol. 2

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

If the duo's first album of 2017 suffered from not taking enough chances, their second one may take a few too many.

— Tim Sendra

San Cisco

The Water

Island City Records / MGM

Pop/Rock

Third album of frothy, summer-ready, '80s new wave-style pop from the Australia outfit.

— Matt Collar

The Sword

Greetings From

Razor & Tie

Pop/Rock

The Lone Star State doom metal unit's first concert LP, Greetings From marks the Sword's third release in so many years.

— James Christopher Monger

Various Artists

Follow the Sun

Anthology / Anthology Recordings

Pop/Rock

Well-curated compilation of obscure songs from the deeper corners of Australia's independent music scenes of the late '60s and early '70s.

— Fred Thomas

Penguin Cafe

The Imperfect Sea

Erased Tapes Records

Pop/Rock

Penguin Cafe return with their most fully realized and captivating collection yet.

— Bekki Bemrose

Faust

Fresh Air

Bureau B

Pop/Rock

Krautrock legends faUSt document their 2016 American tour with a collaboration-heavy yet focused full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Föllakzoid / J. Spaceman

London Sessions

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Chilean Krautrock revivalists Föllakzoid update two tracks from their 2015 album with the help of Spacemen 3/Spiritualized frontman Jason Pierce.

— Paul Simpson

Forest Swords

Compassion

Ninja Tune

Electronic

The producer returns from several years of scoring projects with some of his boldest music.

— Heather Phares

Djustin

Voyagers

Labrador

Pop/Rock

Debut album of icy, '80s-style synth pop from the duo featuring Sweden's Johan Angergård and Detroit singer Rose Suau.

— Matt Collar

Sóley

Endless Summer

Morr Music

Pop/Rock

The Icelander's more whimsical, piano-centric third LP seems to embrace a palette of pastels instead of blues and silvers.

— Marcy Donelson

Fazerdaze

Morningside

Flying Nun

Pop/Rock

Easygoing and cheerfully sweet bedroom pop from the legendary Flying Nun label.

— Tim Sendra

John Moreland

Big Bad Luv

4AD

Pop/Rock, Country

The amiable rusty-voiced Oklahoma troubadour makes his debut for U.K. label 4AD.

— Timothy Monger

Motionless in White

Graveyard Shift

Roadrunner / Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock

On their fourth full-length, the gothcore outfit continues the evolution away from generic metalcore and into the territory of late-'90s Orgy and Marilyn Manson.

— Neil Z. Yeung