Juliana Hatfield

Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John

American Laundromat Records

Pop/Rock

A sharp, heartfelt tribute to the first pop star Juliana Hatfield ever loved.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Gumboot Soup

ATO

Pop/Rock

The group's fifth album of 2017 is a collection of castoffs that sounds like a trippy, proggy greatest-hits collection instead.

— Tim Sendra

Jason Aldean

Rearview Town

Broken Bow

Country

Jason Aldean takes a side glance at middle age on this sturdy set.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

King Tuff

The Other

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Thoughtful introspection and more expansive arrangements mark a fresh approach to Tuff's self-produced, still radiantly psychedelic fourth LP.

— Marcy Donelson

Josh Rouse

Love in the Modern Age

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The veteran songsmith takes a cunning detour into synth-based sophisti-pop on his 12th record.

— Timothy Monger

Nels Cline / Nels Cline 4

Currents, Constellations

Blue Note

Jazz

The two guitarists expand the collective reach of their 2014 date Room with electricity and a rhythm section and the results are stunning.

— Thom Jurek

Tinashe

Joyride

RCA

R&B

Smooth, multi-dimensional return from the pop-R&B singer following myriad snags and delays.

— Andy Kellman

Laura Veirs

The Lookout

Raven Marching Band Records

Pop/Rock

Veirs' understated vocals are paired with arrangements that are as pillowy and warm as they are spilling over with interesting ideas.

— James Christopher Monger

Manic Street Preachers

Resistance Is Futile

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The Manics fuse arena rock and adult-oriented anthems on this melodic, bombastic album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A Place to Bury Strangers

Pinned

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

The band's raw, sleek fifth album is a showcase for new drummer/vocalist Lia Simone Braswell.

— Heather Phares

Rival Consoles

Persona

Erased Tapes Records

Electronic

Fifth album of exquisitely produced, introspective techno from British musician Ryan Lee West.

— Paul Simpson

Wrekmeister Harmonies

The Alone Rush

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock, Folk

Wrekmeister Harmonies' core duo of J.R. Robinson and Esther Shaw cope with personal tragedies on this haunting, powerful release.

— Paul Simpson

Sleepyhead

Future Exhibit Goes Here

Drawing Room Records

Pop/Rock

Deluxe double-LP reissue collects the scrappy indie rock trio's excellent albums Starduster (1994) and Communist Love Songs (1995).

— Tim Sendra

Slug

HiggledyPiggledy

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The second Slug album features Ian Black doing everything himself and crafting another heady set of arty, poppy prog rock.

— Tim Sendra

Confidence Man

Confident Music for Confident People

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

Irrepressibly fun debut from the Australian party-starting quartet that takes cues from Scissor Sisters and LCD Soundsystem.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Say Sue Me

Where We Were Together

Damnably

Pop/Rock

Great dream pop/noise pop/shoegaze with a bit of surf and garage from a young South Korean combo.

— Tim Sendra

Brazilian Girls

Let's Make Love

Six Degrees

Pop/Rock

Blending their signature exoticism with a more straightforward pop approach, the New York dance band offer a welcome comeback.

— Timothy Monger

µ-Ziq

Challenge Me Foolish

Planet Mu

Electronic

Excellent collection of rare and unreleased tracks produced by Mike Paradinas during the late '90s.

— Paul Simpson

Pentatonix

PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. 1

RCA

Vocal, Pop/Rock

The sequel to the 2017 Classics EP finds Pentatonix spending a full album singing the big hits of the day.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Richard Edwards

Verdugo

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

A relatively more hopeful, less personal, and just as elegant companion album to 2017's Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset.

— Marcy Donelson

Chrome Sparks

Chrome Sparks

Counter Records

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Electronic musician Jeremy Malvin surpasses the promise of his earlier EPs with his bright, expressive debut full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Goldmund

Occasus

Western Vinyl Records

Avant-Garde, Electronic

Seventh album from Keith Kenniff's neo-classical solo project Goldmund, blending fragile piano melodies with subtle textural experimentation.

— Paul Simpson

Nino Tempo

Purveyor of Balladry: The Best of Nino Tempo on Atlantic

Omnivore

Jazz

Thirteen elegant, classy ballads compiled from two '90s albums and arranged for jazz quartet/quintet with strings.

— Thom Jurek

John Prine

The Tree of Forgiveness

Oh Boy

Pop/Rock, Folk

The venerable songwriter sounds like a smart and rascally old man on this album, and it suits him perfectly.

— Mark Deming

Josh T. Pearson

The Straight Hits!

Mute / Mute US

Pop/Rock

The alt-country singer takes an unexpected straight left turn on his long-awaited second album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

L.A. Salami

The City of Bootmakers

Sunday Best

Pop/Rock, Blues

Second album from the British singer/songwriter is full of smart and adventurous wordplay and music to match.

— Mark Deming

Benin City

Last Night

Moshi Moshi Records

Electronic

Mixing dance-pop, rap, and poetry, the London-based trio reflect on the club scene of their home city on their second full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Eliane Elias

Music from Man of La Mancha

Concord / Concord Jazz

Jazz

From the vault comes this previously unissued set of music from the iconic musical featuring two all-star rhythm sections.

— Thom Jurek

Breaking Benjamin

Ember

Hollywood

Pop/Rock

Album six for the Pennsylvania band is yet another collection of standard post-grunge/nu-metal blasts.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Bush Tetras

Take the Fall

Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock

This 2018 EP from New York's downtown post-punk lifers finds them as strong and edgy as they were in their '80s heyday.

— Mark Deming

Derek Smalls

Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing)

BMG

Comedy/Spoken, Pop/Rock

The Spinal Tap bassist realizes what a drag it is getting old.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sandy Bull

Steel Tears/Endventions & Tributes

Omnivore

Pop/Rock, Folk

This reissue of the guitarist's final album is his first with vocals. It contains four bonus session cuts and three tributes from all-star pals.

— Thom Jurek

Quarterbacks

Quarterboy

Team Love Records

Pop/Rock

This roughshod four-track debut from lo-fi indie pop songwriter Dean Engle is essentially a set of demos for his full-band debut a year later.

— Timothy Monger

Wrong

Feel Great

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

Wrong continue to excel at pairing the jerky, start/stop riffage and abrupt tonal shifts of Helmet with the pummeling brevity of classic punk.

— James Christopher Monger

Masaaki Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan

Beethoven: Missa solemnis

BIS

Classical

Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan deliver a revelatory performance of Beethoven's late masterpiece, the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123.

— Blair Sanderson

Doric String Quartet

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 64

Chandos

Classical

The Doric String Quartet's playing is precise yet deeply expressive in this traversal of Haydn's Six String Quartets, Op. 64.

— James Manheim

Fretwork

John Jenkins: Complete Four-Part Consort Music

Signum Classics

Classical

In his music for viol consort, John Jenkins had a style of his own, and Fretwork catches it in this beautiful recording.

— James Manheim

Marin Alsop / Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet - Complete ballet

Naxos

Classical

Marin Alsop's recording of Prokofiev's complete Romeo and Juliet is reminiscent of classic recordings by Previn and Ozawa.

— Blair Sanderson

Colin Currie Group / Colin Currie / Synergy Vocals

Steve Reich: Drumming

Colin Currie Records

Avant-Garde, Classical

The Colin Currie Group's recording of Steve Reich's Drumming has several features that were sometimes imperfectly developed on earlier versions.

— James Manheim

Reinhold Friedrich / Juilliard School Brass / Royal Academy of Music Brass

Gabrieli for Brass: Venetian Extravaganza

Linn Records

Classical

The combined brass ensembles of the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School present Gabrieli's antiphonal music with lustrous sound.

— Blair Sanderson

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