Wilco

Ode to Joy

dBpm

Pop/Rock

Jeff Tweedy and his bandmates return after a hiatus with brave, challenging music that searches for hope in dark times.

— Mark Deming

Angel Olsen

All Mirrors

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

Risks pay off on a highly stylized album with lavish orchestral arrangements that only elevate the singer's trademark vulnerability.

— Marcy Donelson

Danny Brown

uknowhatimsayin¿

Warp

Rap

The animated art-rapper's ruminative second Warp album, executive produced by Q-Tip.

— Andy Kellman

Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

Ghosteen

Ghosteen

Pop/Rock

Eloquent and atmospheric, this song cycle rooted in grief, family, and regret is a spare but remarkable work of art.

— Mark Deming

Danny Brown

uknowhatimsayin¿

Warp

Rap

The animated art-rapper's ruminative second Warp album, executive produced by Q-Tip.

— Andy Kellman

Mister Rogers

It's Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers

Omnivore

Children's, Jazz

This marvelous collection of songs from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood resonates as deeply in the 2010s as ever.

— Timothy Monger

Blood Orange

Angel's Pulse

Domino

R&B

Deliberately scattershot and frequently moving mixtape recorded by Dev Hynes after the completion of Negro Swan.

— Andy Kellman

Empath

Active Listening: Night on Earth

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

The excellent debut album from the Philly noise punks tempers chaos with vulnerability.

— Fred Thomas

that dog.

Old LP

Universal

Pop/Rock

The band's first album in 22 years is a near-flawless blend of experience and exuberance.

— Heather Phares

Old Crow Medicine Show

Live at the Ryman

Country, Folk, Pop/Rock

A joyous, rowdy concert tailored to the history of the famed Ryman, home of the Grand Ole Opry.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Mika

My Name Is Michael Holbrook

Republic / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's witty, genuine fifth album boasts some of his most direct and mature songwriting.

— Heather Phares

The Avett Brothers

Closer Than Together

Republic / Universal

Pop/Rock, Folk

The Avett Brothers tangle with the mess of the modern world on this politically charged collection of folk-rock.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bill Frisell

Harmony

Blue Note

Jazz

The guitarist creates more spare and magical soundscapes in tandem with Luke Bergman, Petra Haden, and Hank Roberts.

— Mark Deming

Chromatics

Closer to Grey

Italians Do It Better

Pop/Rock

The first new album in seven years by the celebrated shadowy synth pop band expands only slightly on their well-established templates.

— Fred Thomas

Boris

Love & Evol

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

These Japanese noise rockers issue two separate yet ultimately complementary albums in a single, wildly diverse package.

— Thom Jurek

DIIV

Deceiver

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

The band digs deeper into pain, addiction, and recovery on their grittily beautiful third album.

— Heather Phares

Los Lobos

Llego Navidad

Rhino

Pop/Rock, Latin

Latino rock icons deliver a different kind of Christmas album, with strong performances of South and Central American classics.

— Mark Deming

The Darkness

Easter Is Cancelled

Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

The mature sixth set from the outlandish English group aims to save a broken world with the power of rock.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Brantley Gilbert

Fire & Brimstone

Valory

Country

Gilbert doesn't stray from his slow and low wheelhouse, but he nevertheless shows a sharp sense of craft.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

North Mississippi Allstars

Up and Rolling

New West

Blues, Pop/Rock

Inspired by a collection of forgotten photos, the band, friends, and family celebrate the ties that bind with rocking Hill Country blues.

— Thom Jurek

Gaby Moreno / Van Dyke Parks

¡Spangled!

Nonesuch

Latin, Pop/Rock, International

The gifted Guatemalan vocalist and the iconic American producer and arranger create an ornate, cross-cultural song cycle.

— Mark Deming

Johnny Costa

Plays Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Omnivore

Jazz

Longtime Mister Rogers' Neighborhood pianist offers sophisticated renditions of the show's songs.

— Matt Collar

Brooklyn Rider / Joshua Redman

Sun on Sand

Nonesuch

Jazz

Composer Patrick Zimmerli's engaging, hybridized jazz and classical suite features saxophonist Joshua and chamber ensemble Brooklyn Rider.

— Matt Collar

Black Milk

DiVE

Mass Appeal

Rap

Following 2018's Fever, the Detroit rapper/producer focuses on reflection and empowerment with this generous EP.

— Paul Simpson

Good Morning

Basketball Breakups

Pop/Rock

Recorded over a four-day span in Japan, this is an unassuming record that gracefully balances rambling indie rock and sad lo-fi ballads.

— Tim Sendra

GospelbeacH

Let It Burn

Alive Records

Pop/Rock

The SoCal retro-enthusiasts' third LP expands their Petty-ish pop jangle while delivering some strong ballads.

— Timothy Monger

Jacky Terrasson

53

Blue Note

Jazz

An engaging, deeply lyrical album featuring the pianist and three different rhythm sections.

— Matt Collar

Bruno Bavota

Get Lost

Temporary Residence

New Age, Electronic

The Italian composer's atmospheric, reflective pieces are emotionally direct as well as sonically daring.

— Paul Simpson

Chick Corea

Trilogy 2

Concord

Jazz

The follow-up to the super-trio's Grammy-winning debut features more vibrant concert performances.

— Matt Collar

City and Colour

A Pill for Loneliness

Dine Alone / Still

Pop/Rock

The Canadian songsmith takes a dreamy, ethereal tone on his sixth full-length.

— Timothy Monger

Lisa Prank

Perfect Love Song

Father/Daughter Records

Pop/Rock

The second Lisa Prank album is a full-band affair that spices the garage punk rippers with some soft and sad pop songs.

— Tim Sendra

Jeremiah Jae / L'Orange

Complicate Your Life with Violence

Mello Music Group

Rap

Eccentric beatmaker L'Orange and left-field rhymer Jeremiah Jae detail the savagery of war on their second collaboration.

— Paul Simpson

Lightning Dust

Spectre

Western Vinyl Records

Pop/Rock

Fourth album from Vancouver duo incorporates the best elements of their ever-shifting dark pop muse.

— Fred Thomas

Exhumed

Horror

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

Eighth album from this gore-grind institution is considerably stripped-down and more raw than their last.

— Fred Thomas

Gong Gong Gong

Phantom Rhythm

Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock

Debut from a Beijing duo who play a stripped-down, hypnotic form of rock influenced by blues and punk.

— Paul Simpson

Hiromi / Hiromi Uehara

Spectrum

Telarc Distribution

Jazz

On the eve of her 40th birthday, the virtuoso pianist surveys what she's learned and integrated into her music over the last decade.

— Thom Jurek

Jeb Loy Nichols / The Westwood All-Stars

June Is Short, July Is Long

Compass

Pop/Rock, R&B

Recorded live in the artist's home studio in Wales with local players, the expatriate American singer reaffirms his soul roots here.

— Thom Jurek

Josie Cotton

Everything Is Oh Yeah

Cleopatra

Pop/Rock

A breezy, fun, and frothy mix of '80s sounds that were recorded in 1986 and then shelved for decades, this should have been the singer's third album.

— Tim Sendra

Levitation Room

Headspace

Greenway

Pop/Rock

On their second album, the group expand their neo-garage sound to include soul, acid rock, and soft psych influences.

— Tim Sendra

Minor Pieces

The Heavy Steps of Dreaming

FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

Ian William Craig and Missy Donaldson's otherworldly duo debut puts Craig's fractured sound experiments in the context of structured acoustic song.

— Marcy Donelson

Penguin Cafe

Handfuls of Night

Erased Tapes Records

New Age

Commissioned to write four songs about species of Antarctic penguins, Arthur Jeffes developed the concept into the fourth Penguin Cafe album.

— Paul Simpson

Swim Deep

Emerald Classics

Cooking Vinyl / Pop Committee

Pop/Rock

The British outfit balances their love of '90s guitar pop and dance styles with a deeper sense of lyrical maturity.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Music from Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service

Ace

Pop/Rock

A retrospective of the contemplative, idiosyncratic Sunday afternoon radio show Jarvis Cocker held on BBC6 during the 2010s.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Harriet Burns / Graham Johnson

The Songs of Brahms, Vol. 8

Hyperion

Classical

Soprano Harriet Burns impresses in her debut album, part of Hyperion's complete cycle of Brahms songs.

— James Manheim

Kronos Quartet

Terry Riley: Sun Rings

Nonesuch

Classical

The latest chapter in the Terry Riley/Kronos Quartet collaboration uses actual electronic sounds recorded in space during the Voyager and Galileo missions.

— James Manheim

Marina Heredia / Pablo Heras-Casado / Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Manuel de Falla: El sombrero de tres picos; El Amor Brujo

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Zippy, yet somehow intimate readings of Falla's evergreen hits.

— James Manheim

Julius Drake / Gerald Finley

Schubert: Schwanengesang; Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge

Hyperion

Classical

Gerald Finley and Julius Drake perform a compelling program of Schubert's Schwanengesang and Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge.

— Blair Sanderson

Pauline Kim Harris / Spencer Topel

Heroine

Shiiin / Sono Luminus

Electronic, Classical

Pauline Kim Harris and Spencer Topel have created two ambient works that suggest the infinite through acoustic and electronic means.

— Blair Sanderson

William Christie / Les Arts Florissants

Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

A vigorous live performance of Monteverdi's sleazefest, from the Salzburg Festival.

— James Manheim

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