Leon Bridges

Good Thing

Columbia

R&B

The singer adeptly builds off and deviates from the early-'60s foundation of his Grammy-nominated debut.

— Andy Kellman

Belly

Dove

Belly Touring

Pop/Rock

Fondly remembered '90s alt-rock band returns with its sound intact but its energy and focus slightly lacking.

— Mark Deming

Liz Phair

Girly-Sound to Guyville

Matador

Pop/Rock

A deluxe reissue of Liz Phair's 1993 debut that contains all three of her Girly-Sound tapes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

DJ Koze

Knock Knock

Pampa

Electronic

DJ Koze follows his 2013 breakthrough Amygdala with another absurdly inventive, emotive full-length loaded with guest vocalists.

— Paul Simpson

Eleanor Friedberger

Rebound

Frenchkiss Records

Pop/Rock

Inspired by a getaway to Greece, the singer/songwriter's fourth album features some of her most surprising and engaging songs.

— Heather Phares

Gaz Coombes

World's Strongest Man

Caroline

Pop/Rock

Gaz Coombes wrestles with anxiety and the modern world.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Brian Eno

Music for Installations

Astralwerks / Opal

Avant-Garde, Electronic

Fascinating box set containing a selection of audio extracts from Brian Eno's immersive audio-visual installations.

— Paul Simpson

Matt and Kim

Almost Everyday

Fader

Pop/Rock

The duo's first album after Kim's knee injury is introspective and thoughtful -- for them -- and filled with a wide array of guest vocalists.

— Tim Sendra

Iceage

Beyondless

Matador

Pop/Rock

A study in sonic evolution delivered with more clarity and bombast than before, underpinned by Rønnenfelt's signature, sardonic drawl.

— Liam Martin

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Panic Blooms

Rad Cult

Pop/Rock

BMSR's first full-length in six years features some of their sludgiest production as well as their most introspective lyrics.

— Paul Simpson

Swae Lee / Rae Sremmurd / Slim Jxmmi

SR3MM

Eardruma / Mike Will Made-It

Rap

Three-part third album that presents a disc of Sremmurd tunes alongside a solo offering from both Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Holly Golightly / Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

Clippety Clop

Transdreamer Records

Pop/Rock

Well-known chanteuse and horse fancier covers a dozen classic songs about her equine friends.

— Mark Deming

Eternal Summers

Every Day It Feels Like I'm Dying...

Nevado Music

Pop/Rock

The Virginia indie pop trio's fifth album is a sophisticated, understated delight.

— Tim Sendra

Cut Worms

Hollow Ground

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

Fine debut album from a band that loves the Everly Brothers and is able to masterfully re-create the feeling and spirit of their best records.

— Tim Sendra

Damien Jurado

The Horizon Just Laughed

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's first entirely self-produced album blends Rockwellian portraiture and personal remembrances for a deeply affecting set.

— Marcy Donelson

Jon Hopkins

Singularity

Domino

Electronic

The proper follow-up to Jon Hopkins' 2013 breakthrough Immunity is more intense, reflecting a deeper spiritual quest.

— Paul Simpson

Middle Kids

Lost Friends

Domino

Pop/Rock

First full album from this Australian trio boasts big melodies and even bigger guitars.

— Mark Deming

Ihsahn

Ámr

Candlelight Records / Spinefarm Records

Pop/Rock

Black metal's musical conceptualist continues to evolve and transform his sound on this excellent sequel to 2016's Arktis.

— Thom Jurek

Nik Bärtsch / Nik Bärtsch's Ronin

Awase

ECM

Avant-Garde

Bartsch expands the color, texture, and timbral palettes of his music without sacrificing the layers of mystery in its heart.

Frank Turner

Be More Kind

Interscope

Pop/Rock

The British singer/songwriter returns to politics and social issues with an exhortation toward tolerance and understanding during insane times.

— Thom Jurek

Kenny Barron / Kenny Barron Quintet

Concentric Circles

Blue Note

Jazz

The acclaimed jazz pianist marks his 75th birthday by expanding his trio to a quintet for his engaging Blue Note debut.

— Matt Collar

Shakey Graves

Can't Wake Up

Dualtone Music

Pop/Rock, Folk

The Texas-based Americana singer/songwriter gets spacy.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lake Street Dive

Free Yourself Up

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock, R&B

The Boston outfit offers up an earthy, thoughtfully rendered set of Southern-tinged blue-eyed soul, recorded in Nashville.

— Matt Collar

Daniel Lanois / Venetian Snares

Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois

Planet Mu / Timesig

Electronic

Uneasy but fascinating soundclash between guitarist/superproducer Daniel Lanois and breakcore overlord Venetian Snares.

— Paul Simpson

Sugar Candy Mountain

Do Right

Joyful Noise / People in a Position to Know / Piaptk

Pop/Rock

The Oakland chamber-psych outfit turns its gaze to less tranquil waters on its fourth outing.

— Timothy Monger

Shinedown

Attention Attention

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Mainstream-friendly sixth set from the Florida rockers adds pop polish to their usual hard rock might.

— Neil Z. Yeung

High Sunn

Missed Connections

PNKSLM

Pop/Rock

Exuberant guitar pop, crushes, and teen angst mark the full-length studio debut of former D.I.Y. practitioner Justin Cheromiah (and band).

— Marcy Donelson

Eureka California

Roadrunners

Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records

Pop/Rock

The dynamic duo's fourth album is another thrilling blast of punk energy, blown-out guitars, and impassioned noise pop songcraft.

— Tim Sendra

The Temptations

All the Time

UMG

R&B

Mixed bag of originals and covers, including takes on mostly contemporary hits popularized by the likes of John Mayer, Sam Smith, and the Weeknd.

— Andy Kellman

FAN

Barton’s Den

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

The mostly self-recorded debut of a solo project by the Dodos' Meric Long adds synthesizers to his off-balance indie rock.

— Marcy Donelson

Pinkshinyultrablast

Miserable Miracles

Club AC30 / Shelflife

Pop/Rock

Russian dream pop outfit Pinkshinyultrablast embrace energetic '80s new wave on their excellent third full-length.

— Paul Simpson

Reuben and the Dark

Arms of a Dream

Arts & Crafts

Pop/Rock

The Calgary folk-rock ensemble expands into lusher pop-oriented territories on their second outing for Arts + Crafts.

— Timothy Monger

Mat Kearney

Crazytalk

Mat Kearney / UMG

Pop/Rock

The AAA singer/songwriter veteran eases into EDM.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Parker Millsap

Other Arrangements

Okrahoma

Country, Pop/Rock

Parker Millsap leans into soulful Americana.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Parkway Drive

Reverence

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

In finding the thin line between pageantry and purpose, Parkway Drive have delivered their most crucial outing to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Peace

Kindness Is the New Rock and Roll

Ignition Records

Pop/Rock

The Brit-pop-championing quartet's confident third outing shoots from the heart and plays to the back of the room.

— Timothy Monger

Evelyn Glennie / Carol Jantsch / Amy Porter / David Alan Miller / Albany Symphony Orchestra

Michael Daugherty: Dreamachine; Trail of Tears; Reflections on the Mississippi

Naxos

Classical

Superb virtuoso works from American composer Daugherty that take his music in new directions.

— James Manheim

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Olivier Messiaen: Catalogue d'Oiseaux

Pentatone / PentaTone Classics

Classical

These are likely definitive readings of Messiaen's great remaking of programmatic music in a modernist context.

— James Manheim

Ariel Quartet

Brahms: String Quartet No. 2; Bartók: String Quartet No. 1

Avie

Classical

An intelligent pairing of Brahms and Bartók, rendered with warmth and passion by a young American group.

— James Manheim

King's College Choir of Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury

Byrd: Motets

King's College Choir

Classical

Technically flawless Byrd performances in the classic cathedral style.

— James Manheim

Nelson Goerner / Tadaaki Otaka

Brahms: Concerto No. 2

Alpha

Classical

Nelson Goerner's introspective approach to Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 is aided by Tadaaki Otaka and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

— Blair Sanderson

Barry Douglas

Schubert: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 3

Chandos

Classical

Barry Douglas reveals different facets of Schubert's genius in this 2018 release on Chandos, the third volume in the series.

— Blair Sanderson

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