Beyoncé

The Lion King: The Gift

Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia

Stage & Screen, R&B

A companion compilation to the 2019 film curated by Beyoncé and featuring a wealth of cross-Atlantic talent.

— Neil Z. Yeung

The Flaming Lips

King's Mouth: Music and Songs

Warner Records

Pop/Rock

The band's most clearly defined concept album returns to the heartfelt, massive-sounding songs of their 2000s heyday.

— Heather Phares

Nas

The Lost Tapes II

Mass Appeal

Rap

An expectedly inconsistent set of Def Jam-era outtakes from Queensbridge's finest, featuring collaborations with RZA, Kanye West, and Pete Rock.

— Andy Kellman

Brian Eno

Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks [Extended Edition]

Capitol

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

Remastered edition of Brian Eno's 1983 soundtrack, including an album's worth of new material with collaborators Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois.

— Paul Simpson

Sum 41

Order in Decline

Hopeless Records

Pop/Rock

The band's intensely political seventh set is an evolution in sound and lyrical maturity for the Canadian punks.

— Neil Z. Yeung

CTMF / Wild Billy Childish & CTMF

Last Punk Standing...

Damaged Goods

Pop/Rock

The band's sixth album adds a bit of psychedelia to their sound, but it remains as reliably raw and punk as any Billy Childish project.

— Tim Sendra

Darren Hayman

12 Astronauts

Where It's At Is Where You Are

Pop/Rock

A deeply engaging and whimsical pop song cycle devoted to the 12 men who have stood on the moon.

— Timothy Monger

The Quiet Temple

The Quiet Temple

Point Of Departure / Wichita

Pop/Rock, Jazz

A fluid collective formed by Duke Garwood and Rich Machin explores jazz, post-punk, dub, psych, and more over six haunted instrumentals.

— Thom Jurek

Tony Molina

SONGS FROM SAN MATEO COUNTY

Smoking Room

Pop/Rock

Career-spanning collection of previously unreleased tracks from the master of power pop miniatures.

— Tim Sendra

Major Stars

Roots of Confusion Seeds of Joy

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The tenth album from this long-standing institution of underground psych-rock is one of their most powerful and emotionally direct.

— Fred Thomas

Tuxedo

Tuxedo III

Funk on Sight

R&B

The third album from this feel-good Mayer Hawthorne project continues the group's throwback to the peak of '70s disco-funk.

— Fred Thomas

Scott Stapp

The Space Between the Shadows

Napalm Records

Pop/Rock

Centered on recovery and redemption, Stapp offers messages of hope on his cathartic third solo album.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Patrice Rushen

Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984

Strut

R&B

Essential post-disco, pre-new jack swing R&B throughout this almost-faultless summation of the artist's most successful period.

— Andy Kellman

Antwood

Delphi

Planet Mu

Electronic

The experimental club producer's third album explores technology and its effect on modern relationships.

— Paul Simpson

Various Artists

Bad Education, Vol. 1: "Soul Hits" of Timmion Records

Daptone

R&B, Jazz

A beautifully compiled selection of soul singles from Finland's Timmion Records, magnificently curated by the Daptone staff.

— Thom Jurek

Good Riddance

Thoughts and Prayers

Fat Wreck Chords

Pop/Rock

The socio-political punk rockers deliver a set that speaks to both the current zeitgeist and the uncompromising spirit of punk rock.

— James Christopher Monger

Jeff Mills

Moon: The Area of Influence

Axis

Electronic

A set of nebulous techno and ambient tracks from the Detroit legend, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

— Paul Simpson

Oceans of the Moon

Oceans of the Moon

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

Low-budget electronics and punk rock snarl find common ground in this trio's bracing debut album.

— Mark Deming

Goon

Heaven Is Humming

Partisan / PTKF

Pop/Rock

West Coast indie rockers excel at crafting sinewy melodies that favor left turns but never abandon their melodic intent.

— James Christopher Monger

Grizfolk

Rarest of Birds

Grizfolk / Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

The L.A. band's amiable sophomore outing takes a more laid-back soft rock approach.

— Timothy Monger

HUNNY

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The full-length debut of a band inspired by the poppier side of the Cure is full of longing, driving rhythms, and choruses that deliver.

— Marcy Donelson

Steve Goodman

Affordable Art

Omnivore

Folk, Pop/Rock, Country

The final album the singer/songwriter released in his lifetime, a strong collection of songs both heartfelt and darkly funny.

— Mark Deming

Steve Goodman

Artistic Hair

Omnivore

Folk, Pop/Rock, Country

The expanded reissue of this set from the celebrated singer/songwriter is an outstanding tribute to his talents as a performer.

— Mark Deming

Ernie Kovacs

The Ernie Kovacs Album [Centennial Edition]

Omnivore

Comedy/Spoken

Rare recordings of the groundbreaking absurdist comic genius from his television and radio work of the '50s and '60s.

— Mark Deming

Mike Love

12 Sides of Summer

BMG

Pop/Rock

The Beach Boy salutes the sunny sounds of summer.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dina Ugorskaja / Peter Gülke / Brandenburger Symphoniker

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 15; Intermezzi Op. 117

MDG

Classical

Deliberate, beautifully detailed reading of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1.

— James Manheim

François-Xavier Roth / Les Siècles

Gustav Mahler: Titan - Eine Tondichtung in Symphonieform

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Intriguing historical-instrument performance of an early version of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 ("Titan").

— James Manheim

Finzi Quartet / Ruth Bolister / Marcus Farnsworth / Robert Plane

Gerald Finzi: By Footpath and Stile

Resonus / Resonus Classics

Classical

Wonderfully delicate music for string quartet by Finzi, some of it arranged from other genres.

— James Manheim

Luciano Pavarotti

Pavarotti [Music from the Motion Picture]

Decca

Classical, Stage & Screen

Well-chosen set of Pavarotti favorites, used in the 2019 biopic.

— James Manheim

Heinz Holliger

Zwiegespräche: Heinz Holliger, György Kurtág

ECM / ECM New Series

Classical

Celebrating the 80th birthday of the irrepressible oboist Heinz Holliger, this release features layers of Zwiegespräche, or dialogues.

— James Manheim

Olivier Latry

Bach to the Future

La Dolce Volta

Classical

Brilliant organ recording that was the last one made at Notre-Dame cathedral before the fire of 2019.

— James Manheim

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