Green Day

Father of All...

Reprise

Pop/Rock

On their 13th studio album, these punk icons take an unexpected turn towards glam rock swagger.

— Fred Thomas

The Lone Bellow

Half Moon Light

Dualtone Music / eOne

Pop/Rock, Country

The rootsy trio moves away from Americana and takes on a more polished and eclectic sound.

— Mark Deming

Prince Royce

Alter Ego

Sony Music

Latin

On his sixth album, the "prince of bachata" delivers a sprawling double-length record chock-full of hit singles and soulful new directions.

— Thom Jurek

Nada Surf

Never Not Together

Barsuk

Pop/Rock

A literate, deeply philosophical and ambitious album, rife with power pop shimmer and moments of poetic introspection.

— Matt Collar

Shopping

All or Nothing

FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

The band explores the impersonality of 21st century life with driving, precise post-punk.

— Heather Phares

Stone Temple Pilots

Perdida

Rhino

Pop/Rock

Taking an unexpected acoustic turn, STP tackle losses in life and love with this plaintive musical therapy session.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Christian McBride

The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Mack Avenue

Jazz, Vocal

The bassist movingly frames the words of four iconic Civil Rights leaders with harmonically sophisticated jazz and choral arrangements.

— Matt Collar

La Roux

Supervision

Believe Direct Limited / Supercolour Records

Pop/Rock

The first La Roux album created entirely by Elly Jackson finds her growing into her music with infectious confidence and fun.

— Heather Phares

Makaya McCraven / Gil Scott-Heron

We're New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven

XL

Jazz, Electronic

The jazz drummer employs his trademark production and ace studio musicians in offering a view of Gil Scott-Heron that balances past, present, and future.

— Thom Jurek

Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

Texas Sun

Dead Oceans

R&B

The well-matched Lone Star State natives, previously touring partners, take a short romantic detour.

— Andy Kellman

Sepultura

Quadra

Nuclear Blast

Pop/Rock

For the first time in two decades, the Brazilian metal outfit's 2020 album displays the power, aggression, and sophistication of their earliest work.

— Thom Jurek

Suhail Yusuf Khan / Jon Thorne / James Yorkston

Navarasa: Nine Emotions

Domino

Pop/Rock

The experimental U.K.-Indian folk trio gamely tackles the nine emotions of the Navarasa on their third outing.

— Timothy Monger

Jorja Chalmers

Human Again

Italians Do It Better

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Haunting dream pop tunes and cinematic instrumentals composed during the Australian musician's constant touring as part of Bryan Ferry's band.

— Paul Simpson

Bryan Ferry

Sympathy for the Devil: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974

BGU / BMG

Pop/Rock

A theatrical and rocking 1974 live concert featuring the Roxy Music singer playing songs off his first two solo albums.

— Matt Collar

Hamerkop

Remote

Drag City / Flying High

Pop/Rock

An expansive, intricately crafted, and warmly evocative album guided by the vision of Annabel Alpers, formerly of Bachelorette.

— Tim Sendra

Ben Boye / Mark Kozelek / Jim White

2

Caldo Verde Records

Pop/Rock

The second volume of jazzy, impressionistic instrumentals from this trio backdropping Kozelek's detail-heavy lyrical rambles.

— Fred Thomas

The Homesick

The Big Exercise

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

The Dutch trio's excellent Sub Pop debut is a mesmerizing amalgam of post-punk precision, pop melodicism, and lean psychedelia.

— Timothy Monger

Galantis

Church

Atlantic

Electronic

Cheerful third set of electronic dance anthems from the Swedish duo.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Blossoms

Foolish Loving Spaces

Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock

Brimming with affection, the U.K. group celebrates love on their bright, mature third set.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Cheerleader

Almost Forever

Bright Antenna

Pop/Rock

Darker, more introspective songs and production by Chris Coady (Beach House, Foals) forge a trippier second album that flirts with post-punk.

— Marcy Donelson

Antibalas

Fu Chronicles

Daptone

International, R&B

The Brooklyn Afrobeat collective is alive and kicking on this homage to their love of martial arts.

— Mark Deming

Christopher Paul Stelling

Best of Luck

Anti- / Epitaph

Pop/Rock, Folk

The fifth album by the singer/songwriter and skilled fingerpicker is an atypically optimistic set of soulful folk produced by Ben Harper.

— Marcy Donelson

Supersuckers

Play That Rock N' Roll

Acetate Records

Pop/Rock

Once more unto the breach for Eddie Spaghetti's manic hard rock crusade, still full of power if not surprises.

— Mark Deming

The Cadillac Three

Country Fuzz

Big Machine Records

Country, Pop/Rock

The greasy Southern rockers expand their musical horizons on this rowdy record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Arbor Labor Union

New Petal Instants

Arrowhawk

Pop/Rock

A boisterous mix of jagged twang and post-punk guitar complexity makes this Georgia band sound like the Soft Boys of the American South.

— Timothy Monger

Shmu

Pure Bliss

Requiem Pour un Twister

Pop/Rock

The long-in-the-making fifth full-length from Sam Chown's eclectic psych-pop project, realized with help from Vinyl Williams.

— Paul Simpson

John Moreland

LP5

Old Omens

Pop/Rock, Country

The singer/songwriter eases up on rootsy sounds in favor of a sleek, moody approach that suits these less-than-happy songs.

— Mark Deming

Colin Stetson

Color Out of Space [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Milan

Stage & Screen

A very creative, creepy, deeply emotive score that acts as an aural witness to what (or who) the film's protagonists encounter.

— Thom Jurek

Demitasse

Perfect Life

Bedlamb

Pop/Rock

The third full-length effort from the San Antonio-based duo is awash in Beatlesesque musicality and rough-hewn Everly Brothers-style harmonies.

— James Christopher Monger

Elkhorn

The Storm Sessions

Beyond Beyond Is Beyond

Avant-Garde, International, Pop/Rock

Experimental guitar duo build two raga-like pieces during a night spent snowed in at the studio.

— Fred Thomas

Jenö Jandó

Franz Liszt: Historical Hungarian Portraits

Naxos

Classical

Franz Liszt's late piano works are explored by Jenö Jandó, a major contributor to this comprehensive series on Naxos.

— Blair Sanderson

Andris Nelsons / Wiener Philharmoniker

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

An uneven but intermittently very powerful Ninth from Nelsons' Beethoven cycle.

— James Manheim

David Murphy / London Philharmonic Orchestra

Ravi Shankar: Sukanya

London Philharmonic Orchestra / LPO

Classical

An opera left unfinished by Shankar at his death in 2012, both entertaining and musically profound.

— James Manheim

Key Ensemble / Leif Segerstam

Beethoven: König Stephan; Leonor Prohaska (Excerpts); Opferlied; Germania

Naxos

Classical

A mixture of theatrical and ceremonial Beethoven works, mostly unknown and often of interest.

— James Manheim

Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Elgar

Decca

Classical

Solid Elgar and attractive shorter pieces from the 20-year-old newsmaker.

— James Manheim

String Orchestra of Brooklyn

Afterimage

Furious Artisans

Classical

This debut album from a new string ensemble brings innovative takes on historical works.

— James Manheim

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