Flying Lotus

Flamagra

Warp

Electronic

The artist's sprawling, fire-inspired sixth album features a cast including David Lynch, Solange, and Anderson .Paak, and pays tribute to Mac Miller.

— Andy Kellman

Cate Le Bon

Reward

Mexican Summer

Pop/Rock

The fifth album from this Welsh songwriter trades guitar rock for risky, open-ended songs, resulting in some of her best work.

— Fred Thomas

Morrissey

California Son

BMG

Pop/Rock

Morrissey turns to the 1960s for this collection of covers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sting

My Songs [Deluxe Edition]

A & M Records / A&M / Polydor

Pop/Rock

Sting alters, re-records overdubs, and otherwise modernizes a bunch of his classic hits.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stray Cats

40

Surfdog Records

Pop/Rock

The rockabilly trio reunites for a vigorous, high-spirited set of swinging rockabilly.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Various Artists

Rocketman [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Interscope / Virgin EMI

Stage & Screen, Pop/Rock

The hits of Elton John are recast for the silver screen and sung by Taron Egerton.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

YG

4REAL 4REAL

Def Jam

Rap

"In loving memory of Nipsey Hussle," YG's relatively subdued fifth LP deviates significantly from his previous Def Jam recordings.

— Andy Kellman

Mavis Staples

We Get By

Anti-

R&B

Sharply written and simply produced by Ben Harper, this is another sustaining session from the treasured singer.

— Andy Kellman

Joan as Police Woman

Joanthology

PIAS

Pop/Rock

From her first single to previously unreleased tracks, this comprehensive collection celebrates Joan Wasser's vulnerable, sophisticated music.

— Heather Phares

Billy Childish

Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot! The Billy Childish Story 1977-2018

Damaged Goods

Pop/Rock

Forty years of wild and crazy rock & roll (plus blues, folk, and punk) delivered with fire and fury by a true believer.

— Tim Sendra

Earth

Full Upon Her Burning Lips

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Olympia, Washington's power drone outfit juxtaposes its rifftastic roots with harmonic discovery.

— Thom Jurek

The Waterboys

Where the Action Is

Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

Mike Scott and crew return with a briefer, though similarly eclectic sequel to their ambitious 2017 double album.

— Timothy Monger

Ellen Allien

Alientronic

BPitch Control

Electronic

Highly focused outer-limits explorations from Berlin techno queen Ellen Allien.

— Paul Simpson

Black Mountain

Destroyer

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

The Canadian heavy-psych group's fifth studio long player is their tightest, gnarliest, and least cumbersome outing to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Stephen Duffy

I Love My Friends [Expanded Edition]

Needle Mythology

Pop/Rock

A revamped edition of the album with a different track list, a new cover image, and a second disc of demos.

— Tim Sendra

Ian Broudie

Tales Told [Bonus Tracks]

Needle Mythology

Pop/Rock

Reflective and intimate songs about heartbreak from the Lightning Seeds' leader made with help from members of the Coral.

— Tim Sendra

Amyl and the Sniffers

Amyl and the Sniffers

ATO

Pop/Rock

A riotous debut from the Australian punks that is fit for the thrills of a sweat-and-beer-covered bar brawl.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Sebadoh

Act Surprised

Dangerbird Records

Pop/Rock

The heroes of introspective lo-fi turn things up and rock with impressive confidence on their first album since 2013.

— Mark Deming

Various Artists

Pure Sounds of Michigan

Assemble Sound

Electronic, New Age

Ambient compilation sponsored by Michigan's tourism board, containing meditative pieces embedded with field recordings.

— Paul Simpson

Thee Oh Sees

Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Reissue of a 2008 collection of songs recorded in unique locales like the side of the highway and the forest by a stripped-down lineup.

Primal Scream

Maximum Rock 'n' Roll: The Singles

Sony Music

Electronic, Pop/Rock

A double-disc compilation that tells Primal Scream's story from 1986 through 2016.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

L'Eclair

Sauropoda

Beyond Beyond Is Beyond

Pop/Rock

Spontaneously recorded third album from the Swiss sextet, channeling proto-house and cosmic disco vibes.

— Paul Simpson

Cold Showers

Motionless

BWSCD / Dais

Pop/Rock

The band's second full-length adds heft and introspective haze to their '80s-worshipping synth pop.

— Heather Phares

The Glow

Am I

Double Double Whammy

Pop/Rock

Arriving shortly after the breakup of his band Lvl Up, the solo debut from songwriter Michael Caridi continues their fuzzy searching.

— Fred Thomas

Steve Lacy

Apollo XXI

3qtr

R&B

Brave and playful debut of the Grammy-nominated Internet member, who was on numerous Top Ten albums by his 21st birthday.

— Andy Kellman

JETS

Zoospa

Innovative Leisure

Electronic

Glitch-hop veterans Jimmy Edgar and Travis Stewart produce their most sophisticated collaborative effort yet.

— Paul Simpson

Pieces of a Dream

On Another Note

Shanachie

Jazz

In celebration of their 40th anniversary, Philly's contemporary jazz icons deliver another gem.

— Thom Jurek

Honeyblood

In Plain Sight

Believe Direct Limited / Marathon / Marathon Artists

Pop/Rock

The project's first album with Stina Tweeddale as its lone member finds her reveling in her freedom with witchy, paranoid pop.

— Heather Phares

Justin Townes Earle

The Saint of Lost Causes

New West

Country, Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter delivers a satisfying mix of form and content in these 12 songs of malaise in America.

— Mark Deming

Faye Webster

Atlanta Millionaires Club

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

The multi-faceted Atlanta singer/songwriter floats between languid indie melancholy and summery R&B.

— Fred Thomas

Hygiene

Private Sector

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

Irritated, infectious protest songs from a London band inspired by '70s punk, post-punk, and late-2010s economic inequality.

— Marcy Donelson

Anna St. Louis

First Songs

Mare / Woodsist

Folk, Pop/Rock

A pleasant if not fully formed EP of early material from this country/folk indie songwriter.

— Fred Thomas

Four Fours / The Human Instinct

1963-1968

Frenzy / RPM

Pop/Rock

A thorough collection of singles from this New Zealand group that charts their progress from instrumental rock to psychedelic pop.

— Mark Deming

Fire! Orchestra

Arrival

Rune Grammofon

Jazz

Trimming its massive roster to 12 players and two singers, this European big band delivers a collection of utterly intriguing originals and covers.

— Thom Jurek

Marlon Williams

Live at Auckland Town Hall

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

The first concert album from the New Zealand crooner, and the non-studio follow-up to his heavy-hearted sophomore LP, Make Way for Love.

— James Christopher Monger

Lee Moses

How Much Longer Must I Wait?: Singles & Rarities 1965-1972

Future Days / LITA

R&B

Complete collection of non-LP sides from the enigmatic soul artist whose fearless passion knew no bounds.

— Mark Deming

Emerson String Quartet / Evgeny Kissin

The New York Concert: Mozart, Fauré, Dvorák

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Superstar chamber collaboration works against the odds.

— James Manheim

Valéria Csányi / Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV

Leó Weiner: Toldi - Symphonic Poem

Naxos

Classical

Enjoyable, cinematic post-World War II Hungarian symphonic poem in a Romantic style.

— James Manheim

Chicago Pro Musica / Jenny Lin / Rufus Müller / Olga Vinokur

Victoria Bond: Instruments of Revelaton; Frescoes and Ash; Leopold Bloom's Homecoming; Binary

Naxos

Classical

Enjoyable pictorial chamber works by American composer Bond, who has been prolific in old age.

— James Manheim

Vasily Petrenko / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Elgar: Enigma Variations

Onyx / Onyx Classics

Classical

This is a lean, light, and beautifully sculpted Enigma Variations; Petrenko has given it one of its best performances in recent years.

— James Manheim

Janet Sung

Sung Sessions: Edge of Youth

Sono Luminus

Classical

Impressive debut by violinist Sung, featuring contemporary material in an intelligent program.

— James Manheim

Thierry Fischer / Utah Symphony

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 2 in A minor; Symphony in F major 'Urbs Roma'; Danse macabre

Hyperion

Classical

Wonderful Saint-Saëns performances including an early rarity.

— James Manheim

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