Beyoncé

Homecoming: The Live Album

Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia

R&B

Triumphant live album from her landmark 2018 Coachella-headlining performance.

— Neil Z. Yeung

P!nk

Hurts 2B Human

RCA

Pop/Rock

P!nk broadens her horizons on this lively, colorful album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Cranberries

In the End

BMG

Pop/Rock

The Irish group's bittersweet final LP that bids farewell to their late singer, fans, and the band itself.

— Neil Z. Yeung

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Fishing for Fishies

ATO / Flightless

Pop/Rock

The band take on the blues and do it in typically bonkers fashion, adding vocoders, harp, and synths to the hearty boogie stew.

— Tim Sendra

The Mountain Goats

In League with Dragons

Merge

Pop/Rock

A fascination with Dungeons & Dragons sets the stage for another set of brilliant songs from John Darnielle.

— Mark Deming

Sunn O)))

Life Metal

Southern Lord Records

Avant-Garde, Electronic, Pop/Rock

On their first recording since Kannon, the power riff drone masters enlist Steve Albini in tearing light out of the blackness.

— Thom Jurek

Aldous Harding

Designer

4AD

Pop/Rock

The New Zealand singer/songwriter's third effort eschews the last-call darkness of 2017's Party for something a bit sunnier, though no less peculiar.

— James Christopher Monger

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Mettavolution

ATO

International, Pop/Rock

On their first studio album in five years, the guitar duo deliver a passionate program of new originals and an inspired Pink Floyd cover.

— Thom Jurek

ScHoolboy Q

CrasH Talk

Interscope

Rap

The rapper's fifth LP is his leanest yet but covers much ground, from enlightened reflections to block-prowling anthems.

— Andy Kellman

Kevin Morby

Oh My God

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

The fifth album from this roots-influenced indie songwriter is based around a loose concept exploring religion.

— Fred Thomas

Foxygen

Seeing Other People

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

France and Rado slide musical reference points into the sleeker '70s and '80s on a public farewell to the rock & roll lifestyle.

— Marcy Donelson

The Art Ensemble of Chicago

We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Pi Recordings

Jazz

On its first studio recording in 15 years, the ensemble and friends declare that their creative ethos will be carried forward into a sixth decade.

— Thom Jurek

Prince

Ultimate Rave: Rave Un2 the Year 2000

Legacy / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, R&B

Both versions of Prince's Y2K album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic are combined on this compilation.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rob Thomas

Chip Tooth Smile

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Rob Thomas switches collaborators for the first time in 20 years with this colorful, mature album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Guided by Voices

Warp and Woof

Guided by Voices, Inc.

Pop/Rock

Robert Pollard and Company pay homage to their lo-fi roots with this scrappy LP featuring 24 songs in 37 minutes.

— Mark Deming

MARINA

LOVE + FEAR

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

Sparkling double album that finds the Welsh pop songstress ruminating on the titular emotions.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Altin Gün

Gece

ATO

Pop/Rock

The second album of lovingly updated Turkish psych from ex-members of Jacco Gardner's band.

— Tim Sendra

Aries

Juramento Mantarraya

La Castanya Records / K Records

Pop/Rock

A more polished, modern sound doesn't dim the warmth and joy that radiate from Isabel Fernández Reviriego's voice and songs.

— Tim Sendra

PAWS

Your Church on My Bonfire

Ernest Jenning

Pop/Rock

A period of emotional upheaval colors the Scottish indie rock trio's weary, but deeply satisfying fourth LP.

— Timothy Monger

Mammoth Penguins

There's No Fight We Can't Both Win

Fika Recordings

Pop/Rock

The band's third album is a tight and tough look at modern romance with a slightly expanded musical presentation.

— Tim Sendra

Helms Alee

Noctiluca

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

The Puget Sound metal trio's fifth studio effort feels both streamlined and expansive; it's their most multi-faceted and majestic outing to date.

— James Christopher Monger

SOAK

Grim Town

Rough Trade

Pop/Rock

The alternative songwriter's second album delivers a piece of Zeitgeist as well as a solid set of tunes.

— Marcy Donelson

Craig Finn

I Need a New War

PTKF

Pop/Rock

Another walk on life's darker side from the Hold Steady vocalist, full of songs short on cheer but long on honesty and compassion.

— Mark Deming

Otoboke Beaver

Itekoma Hits

Damnably

Pop/Rock

The Kyoto band's first globally released album delivers plenty of their signature ferocity and velocity.

— Heather Phares

Chet Faker / Nick Murphy

Run Fast Sleep Naked

Downtown

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Shedding the Chet Faker moniker, Nick Murphy rebrands with a more soulful, lively approach.

— Neil Z. Yeung

The Reigning Sound

Abdication... For Your Love

Merge

Pop/Rock

2011 album Greg Cartwright and crew recorded as a car company promo gets a well-deserved reissue.

— Mark Deming

George Benson

Walking to New Orleans: Remembering Chuck Berry and Fats Domino

Provogue

R&B, Blues, Pop/Rock

The soulful guitarist and singer delivers a buoyant homage to two rock & roll legends.

— Matt Collar

Pure Bathing Culture

Night Pass

Infinite Companion

Pop/Rock

Working with old friend Tucker Martine, the duo adds the ultra-smooth sound of the late '80s to their mother-of-pearl pop.

— Heather Phares

Areni Agbabian / Nicolas Stocker

Bloom

ECM

Avant-Garde, Folk

On her ECM debut, the L.A.-based singer and pianist weaves a magical spell from sparse musical elements.

— Thom Jurek

Reptaliens

Valis

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The second album from the Portland indie chillers blurs into one long, easygoing atmosphere.

— Fred Thomas

Josh Ritter

Fever Breaks

Pytheas Recordings

Folk

The lauded Idaho-bred singer/songwriter delivers a taut ten-track set backed by Jason Isbell and his formidable 400 Unit.

— James Christopher Monger

Lamb

The Secret of Letting Go

Cooking Vinyl

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The British duo retain their balance of experimentation and pure feeling on their seventh studio album.

— Paul Simpson

Local Natives

Violet Street

Loma Vista

Pop/Rock

Mature sophistication, pop soulfulness, and subtle post-punk experimentation mark the Los Angeles band's engaging fourth album.

— Matt Collar

BAILEN

Thrilled to Be Here

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

The New York sibling trio's dynamic debut mixes warm '70s soft rock luster with harmony-rich indie folk.

— Timothy Monger

Catfish and the Bottlemen

The Balance

Capitol / Island

Pop/Rock

With the help of producer Jacknife Lee, the Welsh indie rockers sharpen their attack.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Claude Fontaine

Claude Fontaine

Innovative Leisure

Pop/Rock, Reggae

The American singer wraps her songs in the style and fidelity of vintage reggae and Tropicalia on this warm, lovesick debut.

— Fred Thomas

Camara / Deadbeat

Trinity Thirty

Constellation

Electronic

Dub-techno producer Deadbeat and singer/songwriter Fatima Camara commemorate the 30th anniversary of Cowboy Junkies' breakthrough album.

— Paul Simpson

Hannah Cohen

Welcome Home

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

A gentle, dreamy third album that's lost in thought and desire.

— Marcy Donelson

Hash Redactor

Drecksound

Goner Records

Pop/Rock

The debut from this wiry, anxious punk band that includes members of NOTS and Ex-Cult has a dark chemistry all its own.

— Fred Thomas

Olsson

Tropical Cologne

Ingrid

Pop/Rock

A colorful eight-song platter of sleek summertime pop vibes from the Swedish producer and songwriter.

— Timothy Monger

Susan Bickley / Claire Booth / Andrew Matthews-Owen

Debussy, Fauré, Satie & Dove: Songs and Vexations

Nimbus Alliance

Classical

Fine performances that pair works by Debussy, Fauré, and Satie with a modern work.

— James Manheim

The Sixteen / Harry Christophers

An Enduring Voice

Coro

Classical

A "back to the roots" Sixteen release that shows how the group has changed as well as stayed the same.

— James Manheim

Contrapunctus / Choir of the Queen's College, Oxford / Owen Rees

Taverner: Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas

Signum Classics

Classical

Unique and vivid performance of this Tudor mass, with separate choirs in the full- and reduced-scoring sections.

— James Manheim

Leonard Slatkin / Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Copland: Billy the Kid; Grohg

Naxos

Classical

From a consistent Copland champion, a recording of a rare and highly worthwhile early work by the composer.

— James Manheim

Andrew Davis / Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ

Chandos

Classical

A strong version that gets the mystical calm at the heart of Berlioz's religious work for secularists.

— James Manheim

Guy Cutting / Emma Tring / Benjamin Nicholas / Choir of Merton College, Oxford / Oxford Contemporary Sinfonia

Gabriel Jackson: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Delphian

Classical

A powerful Passion setting, with unusual text interpolations, that is both specific to its place and time, and universal.

— James Manheim

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