Maren Morris

Girl

Columbia

Country

The country singer blurs genre boundaries on this ambitious, empowering sophomore set.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Solange

When I Get Home

Columbia

R&B

The singer and songwriter follows her deeply pained, chart-topping third album with a luxuriant joy ride.

— Andy Kellman

Dido

Still on My Mind

BMG

Pop/Rock

Sparkling fifth album that updates the English singer's hybrid electro-folk/trip-hop sound with reinvigorated production.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Amanda Palmer

There Will Be No Intermission

8ft. Records / Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

An epic, ambitious album filled with strings and lengthy, challenging songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Meat Puppets

Dusty Notes

Megaforce

Pop/Rock

Despite the return of their original drummer, this album sounds more like it was cut in 2018 than 1985, which isn't a bad thing.

— Mark Deming

2 Chainz

Rap or Go to the League

Def Jam / Gamebread

Rap

The fifth album from the Atlanta rapper moves into more serious subject matter without losing any fun or energy.

— Fred Thomas

Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin

PGM / Thirty Tigers

Folk, Pop/Rock

A spare and deeply personal album from the talented singer/songwriter that contemplates mortality and survival.

— Mark Deming

Townes Van Zandt

Sky Blue

Fat Possum Records / TVZ

Country, Pop/Rock, Folk

A long-unheard collection of spare home demos made in 1973, directly following this Americana legend's most prolific run.

— Fred Thomas

M83

Knife+Heart

Mute

Pop/Rock

Anthony Gonzalez's soundtrack to an erotic thriller set in Paris' late-'70s gay pornography industry is as transporting as his other albums.

— Heather Phares

Paul Weller

Other Aspects: Live at the Royal Festival Hall

Parlophone / Warner Bros.

Pop/Rock

A lush, introspective live album featuring Paul Weller supported by an orchestra.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Helado Negro

This Is How You Smile

RVNG

Pop/Rock

The project's sixth album offers gently powerful songs that sustain a sense of identity, family, and love through difficult times.

— Heather Phares

SASAMI

Sasami

Domino

Pop/Rock

The ex-Cherry Glazerr synth player debuts with an album of adventurous dream pop with shoegaze and singer/songwriter influences.

— Tim Sendra

The Wild Reeds

Cheers

Dualtone Music

Pop/Rock

Led by the blended three-part harmonies of their co-leaders, the quintet's vibrant fourth album was produced with Lucius' Dan Molad.

— Marcy Donelson

Xeno & Oaklander

Hypnos

Dais

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The duo's sixth album delivers a set of lush, surreal songs that find glamour in unlikely places.

— Heather Phares

Sigrid

Sucker Punch

Island

Pop/Rock

Refreshing debut from the Norwegian pop singer/songwriter that appropriately captures the messiness of growing up.

— Neil Z. Yeung

I Was a King

Slow Century

Coastal Town Recordings

Pop/Rock

Working again with producer Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, the Norwegian quartet deliver a chiming modern jangle pop classic.

— Tim Sendra

Sundara Karma

Ulfilas' Alphabet

RCA

Pop/Rock

The U.K. combo catch up to their own ambitions on this imaginative and engaging sophomore set.

— Timothy Monger

David Gray

Gold in a Brass Age

Iht Records

Pop/Rock

A rich, soulful folk-electronic album that's as appealing in its details as it is on the surface.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Howe Gelb

Gathered

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

The Giant Sand founder slips into lounge lizard mode to engaging effect on this collection of performances from around the world.

— Mark Deming

Justus Proffit

L.A.'s Got Me Down

Bar/None Records

Pop/Rock

The Elliott Smith disciple's Bar/None debut is an angsty, impulsive mix of grungy rock and yearning harmonies, all performed by Proffit.

— Marcy Donelson

Leo Welch

The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name

Easy Eye Sound

Blues

Produced by Dan Auerbach, this is perhaps the final session from one of the last true Delta bluesmen, and it's simply a stunner.

— Thom Jurek

Daniel Blumberg / Hebronix

Liv

Mute

Pop/Rock

A far cry from his earlier, more conventional indie rock, Blumberg's second Hebronix album is harsh, harrowing, and utterly captivating.

— Paul Simpson

Stella Donnelly

Beware of the Dogs

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

Debut full-length from Australian singer/songwriter balances bold political lyrics with well-constructed, airy, indie arrangements.

— Fred Thomas

MUNYA

Munya

Luminelle Recordings

Pop/Rock

Woozy, synth-based songs partly influenced by yé-yé from Montreal's Josie Boivin.

— Marcy Donelson

High Tides

Paradise Daze

Rad Cult

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Chillwave with a slightly sinister edge from the Tobacco-approved electronic duo.

— Paul Simpson

Buckcherry

Warpaint

Century Media / Red / Red Music

Pop/Rock

The L.A. sleaze merchants wear their age admirably on this album, released 20 years after their debut.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chatham County Line

Sharing the Covers

Yep Roc

Country, Folk

An inspired and charming collection of covers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Children of Bodom

Hexed

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

The band's tenth album is catchier and more technical than earlier 2000s releases, and seeks to integrate its entire history moving forward.

— Thom Jurek

Mozes and the Firstborn

Dadcore

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

The Dutch indie rockers prove themselves again on this deceivingly smart and undeniably catchy third outing.

— Timothy Monger

Nick Waterhouse

Nick Waterhouse

Innovative Leisure

R&B

The vintage R&B scholar's fourth album contains some of his sharpest writing and most energizing performances.

— Andy Kellman

Shady Bug

Lemon Lime

Exploding in Sound

Pop/Rock

The album's title reflects a deliberate mix of sweet jangle and distortion on the St. Louis group's Exploding in Sound debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Ten Fé

Future Perfect, Present Tense

Some Kinda Love

Pop/Rock

The sophomore full-length effort from the London-based indie pop group follows the same sonic trajectory as their languid 2017 debut.

— James Christopher Monger

The Coathangers

The Devil You Know

Sacred Bones / Suicide Squeeze

Pop/Rock

The Atlanta trio shows how to balance greater skill and sophistication with plenty of attitude and rock action.

— Mark Deming

E.B. the Younger

To Each His Own

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

The Midlake frontman's solo debut builds on his flagship band's predilection toward pairing dusty indie folk with sunset 70's pop.

— James Christopher Monger

Foals

Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1

Warner Bros. / WEA

Pop/Rock

Pitting laser focus and wild abandon against each other, Foals' fifth studio effort is their most versatile to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Malihini

Hopefully, Again

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The shimmering debut from the Italian couple/duo suffuses their lo-fi sound with effortless cool.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Diana Damrau / Jonas Kaufmann / Helmut Deutsch

Hugo Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch

Erato

Classical

Effective presentation of Wolf's romantic miniatures.

— James Manheim

Bomsori Kim / Rafał Blechacz

Fauré, Debussy, Szymanowski, Chopin

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

An impressive duet debut encompassing the vastly different styles of Debussy and Szymanowski.

— James Manheim

Maurizio Pollini

Chopin: Nocturnes Op. 55; Mazurkas Op. 56; Berceuse Op. 57; Sonata Op. 58

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Pollini's chronological approach yields fresh insights from the great Chopin interpreter.

— James Manheim

Steven Isserlis / Olli Mustonen

Shostakovich & Kabelevsky: Cello Sonatas; Prokofiev: Ballade

Hyperion

Classical

Excellent, Russian-spirited performances of 20th-century cello works, including an underrated sonata by Kabalevsky.

— James Manheim

Paul Lewis

Weber, Schubert: Sonatas

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Strong, even revelatory recording of the rarely heard Weber Piano Sonata No. 2, nicely paired with early Schubert.

— James Manheim

François-Xavier Roth / Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Superb performance of the Mahler Third, carefully forged in both larger shape and small details.

— James Manheim

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