Paul McCartney

Egypt Station

Capitol

Pop/Rock

A colorful, clever record that finds McCartney trying out a couple of new sounds and ideas.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Paul Simon

In the Blue Light

Legacy

Pop/Rock

Paul Simon selects a handful of underappreciated songs from his catalog for elastic, elegant reinterpretations.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bob Seger / Bob Seger & the Last Heard

Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967

ABKCO Records

Pop/Rock

Outstanding collection of the Michigan rock hero's garage-centric early singles; tough, passionate, and energetic.

— Mark Deming

Lenny Kravitz

Raise Vibration

BMG

Pop/Rock

Lenny Kravitz combats these troubled times with a sunny, affirming album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Spiritualized

And Nothing Hurt

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

After six long years, J. Spaceman and friends return with a (literally) homemade album that sounds vital, vulnerable, and abundantly creative.

— Thom Jurek

Estelle

Lovers Rock

VP Records

Reggae

Melodious set of contemporary lovers rock and dancehall with lyrics inspired by her parents' late-blossoming romance.

— Andy Kellman

Alice Coltrane

Spiritual Eternal: The Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings

Real Gone Music

Jazz

Real Gone Music presents beautifully remastered versions of the artist's three Warner Bros. studio albums in a handsome two-disc set.

— Thom Jurek

Waxahatchee

Great Thunder

Merge

Pop/Rock

An EP of stripped-down versions of songs from Katie Crutchfield's onetime side duo with Keith Spencer.

— Marcy Donelson

St. Paul & the Broken Bones

Young Sick Camellia

Columbia / Red

R&B, Pop/Rock

The Alabama retro-soul outfit's reflective, more exploratory third LP updates their sound with help from producer Jack Splash.

— Marcy Donelson

Adult.

This Behavior

Dais

Electronic

The duo's seventh album is a relentlessly dark, danceable return to form.

— Heather Phares

Mothers

Render Another Ugly Method

Anti-

Pop/Rock

The project's John Congleton-produced second LP ventures into more experimental territory.

— Marcy Donelson

Eric Bachmann

No Recover

Merge

Pop/Rock

A dark and powerful chapter in this singer/songwriter's expansive discography.

— Fred Thomas

Escape-Ism

The Lost Record

Merge

Pop/Rock

Second album from Ian Svenonius' low-tech electronic project is less stark but just as smart.

— Mark Deming

Mirah

Understanding

Absolute Magnitude Recordings / K Records

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's sixth album blends the political and personal with life-affirming results.

— Heather Phares

Kandace Springs

Indigo

Blue Note

R&B

A more colorful second album from the Blue Note singer, songwriter, and pianist, featuring extensive input from drummer and producer Karriem Riggins.

— Andy Kellman

Maribou State

Kingdoms in Colour

Counter Records

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Influenced by their extensive global touring following the release of their 2015 debut, Maribou State produce their most joyous work yet.

— Paul Simpson

Grateful Dead

Pacific Northwest '73-'74: Believe It If You Need It

Grateful Dead / Rhino

Pop/Rock

Compiled from several concerts in the Pacific Northwest, this collection finds the Dead in a particularly comfortable and searching phase of their playing.

— Fred Thomas

Swamp Dogg

Love, Loss and Auto-Tune

Joyful Noise

R&B, Pop/Rock

The cult hero and Southern soul eccentric dives into the deep end of electronic R&B with surprising results.

— Mark Deming

CHAI

Pink

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

Bubbly, thrilling, weird and always surprising debut album from a genre-smashing Japanese indie pop quartet

— Tim Sendra

Sauna Youth

Deaths

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

The band's third album pushes their post-punk noise rock attack to extremes without sacrificing hooks or coherent songs.

— Tim Sendra

Chris Liebing

Burn Slow

Mute

Electronic

German techno veteran Chris Liebing diverts from his usual rock-hard techno for a subtler, guest-heavy full-length.

— Paul Simpson

ginla

Codex

Terrible

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Dreamy, abstract electronic pop with elements of drum'n'bass and U.K. garage from a North American indie duo.

— Paul Simpson

The Night Game

The Night Game

Interscope

Pop/Rock

Former Boys Like Girls singer Martin Johnson returns to the spotlight with his sophisticated solo debut.

— Matt Collar

Say Hi

Caterpillar Centipede

Euphobia

Pop/Rock

Eric Elbogen revives his long-running Say Hi project after being told to do so in a dream by a centaur named David Bowie.

— Timothy Monger

Spirit Fest

Anohito

Morr Music

Pop/Rock

Recorded on the road and at home, the group's second album is equally cozy and exploratory.

— Heather Phares

Alpaca Sports

From Paris with Love

Elefant

Pop/Rock

Made with a great cast of collaborators, the Swedish band's second full album is their fullest, most realized slice of indie pop sunbeams yet.

— Tim Sendra

Ital Tek

Bodied

Planet Mu

Electronic

Ital Tek moves further away from his previous hybrid club styles on the cinematic, supernatural full-length Bodied.

— Paul Simpson

Pig Destroyer

Head Cage

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

Sixth full-length from this decades-long institution of aggressive sounds and their first to include a bassist.

— Fred Thomas

William Elliott Whitmore

Kilonova

Bloodshot

Pop/Rock

On his Bloodshot debut, the Iowa singer/songwriter switches gears and delivers an excellent, eclectic set of covers in his inimitable style.

— Thom Jurek

Milo Greene

Adult Contemporary

Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

The Los Angeles band's third effort finds them embracing a sophisticated blend of sounds evoked by the cheeky yet apt album title.

— Matt Collar

Ruston Kelly

Dying Star

Rounder

Pop/Rock, Country

A moody, clever debut from this Americana singer/songwriter.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Thomas Fehlmann

Los Lagos

Kompakt

Electronic

Following albums with the Orb and Terrence Dixon, the producer's busy 2018 continues with another steady set of ambient and dub techno mutations.

— Andy Kellman

Universal Eyes

Four Variations on 'Artificial Society'

Lower Floor Music

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

Wolf Eyes merge with predecessor Universal Indians on this session of post-apocalyptic improvisations.

— Paul Simpson

Princess Chelsea

The Loneliest Girl

BWSCD / Lil' Chief

Pop/Rock

The Kiwi songstress offers a beguiling, synth-rich blend of dark-hued chamber pop and offbeat pluck on her strong third album.

— Timothy Monger

The Molochs

Flowers in the Spring

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock

Airy indie pop adds a sweet and tuneful buffer to some bitter songs from a snarky victim of heartbreak.

— Mark Deming

Mariss Jansons / Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Schubert: Symphonie Nr. 8 C-Dur "Grosse C-Dur-Symphonie"

BR Klassik

Classical

Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra explore Schubert's "Great" C major Symphony on this live BR Klassik recording.

— Blair Sanderson

Harriet Mackenzie / Christina Lawrie

Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev: Works for Violin & Piano

Nimbus Alliance

Classical

A delightful recital that effectively turns serious with the dark Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 1.

— James Manheim

Daniel Barenboim / Michael Barenboim / Yulia Deyneka / Kian Soltani

Mozart: Piano Quartets

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Barenboim and his protégés produce a uniquely strong pair of Mozart piano quartets.

— James Manheim

Andrew Rangell

From the Early 20th...: Ives, Nielsen, Enescu, Schoenberg

Steinway & Sons

Classical

Rangell's trademark Ives interpretation is unusually programmed with European works of the early 20th century.

— James Manheim

Zhenni Li

Mélancholie: Lourié, Bartók, Schumann

Steinway & Sons

Classical

A extremely promising debut from young pianist Li, putting familiar works in a new context.

— James Manheim

Anna Netrebko

Diva: The Very Best of Anna Netrebko

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

A reasonable introduction to perhaps the most distinctive and best-loved soprano voice of our time.

— James Manheim

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