Gorillaz

The Now Now

Parlophone / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

Damon Albarn cuts back on the guests and turns inward on this swift sequel to Humanz.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Drake

Scorpion

Republic

Rap

The rapper's 2018 album is a long trek through familar subjects set to a downtempo trap backdrop.

— Tim Sendra

John Coltrane

Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album

Verve

Jazz

Originally thought to be lost, an adventurous, invigorating album culled from a March 1963 session by Coltrane's classic quartet.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Essex Green

Hardly Electronic

Merge

Pop/Rock

After a long break, the chamber pop maestros return with an album that's focused, hooky, and emotional in typically understated fashion.

— Tim Sendra

Ray Davies

Our Country: Americana, Act 2

Legacy / Legacy Recordings / Sony CMG / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

A ham-fisted sequel to Americana.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Florence + the Machine

High as Hope

Republic / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Intimate fourth LP trades the band's usual bombast for meditations on life, growth, and reconciling extremes.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Guns N' Roses

Appetite for Destruction [Deluxe Edition]

Geffen / Polydor / UMC

Pop/Rock

Debut statement of purpose--a brutal fusion of Stones swagger, L.A. strip trashy heaviness, surprising songcraft, and snide attitude.

— Patrick Sullivan

Jim James

Uniform Distortion

ATO

Pop/Rock

On his third solo long-player, the My Morning Jacket frontman pays homage to his rock & roll heroes while asking poignant questions.

— Thom Jurek

Charles Lloyd / Charles Lloyd & the Marvels

Vanished Gardens

Blue Note

Jazz

Gothic Americana meets modern jazz in a seamless collaboration between the saxophonist's new quartet and the Southern singer/songwriter.

— Thom Jurek

David Bowie

Welcome to the Blackout: Live London '78

Parlophone / Sony Music

Pop/Rock

A loose, adventurous document of the final shows of David Bowie's 1978 tour.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Graham Nash

Over the Years…

Atlantic / Rhino

Pop/Rock

A nice summary of Graham Nash's peak, supplemented by a lovely collection of original demos.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Rock*A*Teens

Sixth House

Merge

Pop/Rock

The Pride of Cabbagetown return after an 18-year layoff, sounding less manic but every bit as intense.

— Mark Deming

The Wild Feathers

Greetings From the Neon Frontier

Reprise

Pop/Rock

The Nashville-based country-rockers' third full-length effort goes down like a cold lawnmower beer.

— James Christopher Monger

The Milk Carton Kids

All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do

Anti-

Pop/Rock, Folk

With production by Joe Henry, the acoustic guitar duo's fourth LP expands upon their trademark sound with an eight-piece backing band.

— Marcy Donelson

Self Defense Family

Have You Considered Punk Music

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

Patrick Kindlon gently confronts the conventional wisdom of songwriting and rock & roll with intelligence and emotional honesty.

— Mark Deming

Stanley Clarke / Stanley Clarke Band

The Message

Mack Avenue

Jazz

A dynamic, stylistically varied set from the bassist, touching upon fusion, funk, hip-hop, modal jazz, and more.

— Matt Collar

Buffalo Springfield

What's That Sound? Complete Albums Collection [Remastered]

Atlantic / Rhino

Pop/Rock

An affordable, good-sounding collection of all the original Buffalo Springfield albums.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Let's Eat Grandma

I'm All Ears

Transgressive

Pop/Rock

The duo's vibrant second album dives into synth pop epics and introspective rock with thrilling results.

— Heather Phares

Various Artists

Winds of Time: The New Wave of British Heavy Metal 1979-1985

Cherry Red / Hear No Evil

Pop/Rock

Brilliantly chosen collection of '70s-'80s British heavy metal and hard rock that's rife with beer-stained riffs, blustery vocals, and happily discovered/remembered gems.

— Tim Sendra

Wild Moccasins

Look Together

New West

Pop/Rock

Third album from the Houston indie band is a glossy effort that edges into contemporary dance-pop.

— Mark Deming

Kody Nielson

Birthday Suite

Flying Nun

Pop/Rock

New Zealand-based musician emulates '60s baroque Moog-pop with this fun, creative album of celebratory instrumentals.

— Paul Simpson

Yes

The Steven Wilson Remixes

Atlantic / Rhino

Pop/Rock

The band celebrates its 50th anniversary with a box of remixed, high-resolution LP versions of its five classic '70s albums.

— Thom Jurek

Jaye Jayle

No Trail and Other Unholy Paths

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

Working with David Lynch music supervisor Dean Hurley, the band melds traditional and experimental sounds into a thrilling set of songs.

— Heather Phares

The Fabulous Poodles

Mirror Stars: The Complete Pye Recordings 1976-1980

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

Definitive career overview of the U.K. pub rock hopefuls turned new wave heroes.

— Mark Deming

The Blank Tapes

Candy

Joyful Noise / Piaptk / Universal

Pop/Rock

Recorded at a Portland studio instead of at home, the band leaps into mid-fi with sweetly hooky songs and laid-back style fully intact.

— Tim Sendra

Camila Fuchs

Heart Pressed Between Stones

ATP Recordings

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Second album of challenging, free-associative industrial dream-wave from London-based duo Camila Fuchs.

— Paul Simpson

The Interrupters

Fight the Good Fight

Hellcat Records

Pop/Rock

The ska-punk quartet's third album is reliably energetic, but with tougher and tighter tunes this time around.

— Tim Sendra

Converge

Beautiful Ruin

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Clocking in at just under seven minutes, these four relentless songs were recorded in the same sessions that yielded 2017 album The Dusk in Us.

— Fred Thomas

Elle Belle

No Signal

Little Record Company

Pop/Rock

The L.A. experimental pop maverick offers a synth-heavy sophomore set describing his breakup with America.

— Timothy Monger

Hana Vu

How Many Times Have You Driven By

Luminelle Recordings

Pop/Rock

The label debut of a teenaged home-recordist is a grooving, otherworldly indie rock standout.

— Marcy Donelson

The Mozartists / Ian Page

Mozart in London

Signum Classics

Classical

An unusual in-depth exploration of the music heard by Mozart as a child in London.

— James Manheim

Trio Wanderer

Haydn: Piano Trios XV:14, 18, 21, 26 & 31

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Despite unsatisfying sound, this release by Trio Wanderer finds new details in Haydn's neglected piano trios.

— James Manheim

Hervé Niquet / Le Concert Spirituel Orchestra

Benevolo: Missa Si Deus pro nobis; Magnificat

Alpha

Classical

Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel revive the music of Baroque composer Orazio Benevolo with this disc of polychoral sacred works.

— Blair Sanderson

Justin Taylor

Continuum: Scarlatti, Ligeti

Alpha

Classical

Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti alternate with pieces by György Ligeti on harpsichordist Justin Taylor's 2018 release on Alpha.

— Blair Sanderson

Stephen Hough

Stephen Hough's Dream Album

Hyperion

Classical

A lovely set of miniatures, personal, original in concept, and filled with music to rediscover.

— James Manheim

Amit Peled

To Brahms, with Love

CAP Records

Classical

Brahms, played convincingly in Casals' style, on Casals' cello.

— James Manheim

Previous Week Next Week