The Weeknd

After Hours

Republic / XO

R&B

Abel Tesfaye's Blood on the Tracks -- er, teeth -- is an emotionally resonant, sonically varied breakup album.

— Andy Kellman

Morrissey

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain

BMG / BMG

Pop/Rock

A musically adventurous record that finds Morrissey embracing his role as cantankerous curmudgeon.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Adam Lambert

Velvet

More Is More Records

Pop/Rock

A glitter-dipped exercise in '70s disco-era funk, rock, and soul that makes the most of Lambert's swaggering vocal charisma.

— Matt Collar

J Balvin

Colores

Polydor

Latin

Musica urbana's first auteur issues a conceptual party album without collaborators, and turns reggaeton on its head in the process.

— Thom Jurek

Myrkur

Folkesange

Relapse Records

Folk

The shift away from black metal in favor of acoustic neo-traditional, gothic folk, offers listeners drama, resonance, tenderness, and mystery.

— Thom Jurek

Def Leppard

The Early Years 1979-1981

Mercury

Pop/Rock

Complete collection of the group's early recordings highlighted by remastered albums, radio sessions, rare tracks, and a previously unreleased live show from 1980.

— Tim Sendra

Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea

Black River

Country, Pop/Rock

The country singer gets personal and poppy on her third album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Baxter Dury

The Night Chancers

Heavenly / Le Label

Pop/Rock

With this album, Dury perfects his formula of sneering asides and darkly witty observations over swooning strings and slinky trip-hop.

— Tim Sendra

Brian Eno / Roger Eno

Mixing Colours

Deutsche Grammophon

Electronic, Avant-Garde, New Age

Impressionistic collaboration between brothers Roger and Brian Eno, developed over a 15-year period.

— Paul Simpson

Låpsley

Through Water

XL

Pop/Rock

A subtly more colorful set of soul-inflected indie electronica that retains the reflective quality of her Billie Eilish-influencing debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Game Theory

Across the Barrier of Sound: Postscript

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

A fine collection focusing on the little-documented final incarnation of the band, full of unreleased tracks and home demos.

— Mark Deming

Mapache

From Liberty Street

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

The L.A. close harmony folk duo turn in a breezy homemade gem on their strong sophomore set.

— Timothy Monger

Arbouretum

Let It All In

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

The ninth album from this long-running folk rock band finds them exploring both fiery cosmic sprawl and mellow, understated territory.

— Fred Thomas

Eye Flys

Tub of Lard

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

The debut LP from this noisy sludge metal act pushes the aggression of Amphetamine Reptile-styled noise rock into new, ugly places.

— Fred Thomas

The Primitives

Bloom! The Full Story 1985-1992

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

All the songs and recordings by the crash pop icons gathered up in one place, lovingly packaged and sounding as brilliant as ever.

— Tim Sendra

Rustin Man

Clockdust

Domino

Pop/Rock

The counterpart to 2019's elegant Drift Code blends folk, jazz, psych-pop, and electronic elements in its spellbinding, time-traveling songs.

— Heather Phares

Tony Allen / Hugh Masekela

Rejoice

World Circuit

Jazz

A ten-year-old recording documenting a historic meeting gets dusted off, completed, and lives up to its title.

— Thom Jurek

Moaning

Uneasy Laughter

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

On their second album, Moaning add more synths to their sound, resulting in a dark, bitter form of new wave/post-punk.

— Paul Simpson

Helen Money

Atomic

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

The direct yet expansive fifth solo album from cellist/composer Alison Chesley.

— Paul Simpson

Gordon Lightfoot

Solo

Rhino

Pop/Rock, Folk

The elder statesman of the Canadian singer/songwriter community delivers an elemental but satisfying set of rediscovered tunes.

— Mark Deming

Brian Blade / Scott Colley / Wolfgang Muthspiel

Angular Blues

ECM

Jazz

The guitarist resumes his trio explorations for ECM with a diverse, beautifully played program of originals and standards on acoustic and electric guitars.

— Thom Jurek

Carla Olson

Have Harmony, Will Travel, Vol. 2

Sunset Blvd Records

Pop/Rock, Folk

The Americana veteran lets her guest stars take center stage on this fine collection of duets.

— Mark Deming

Conan Gray

Kid Krow

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

The YouTuber's debut finds him turning teenage loneliness and isolation into sugary, and poignant, indie pop anthems.

— Matt Collar

Ratgrave

Rock

Black Focus

Electronic

The second album of cosmic funk-fusion from Julius Conrad and Max Graef, this time with more of a psychedelic/hard rock bent.

— Paul Simpson

Irreversible Entanglements

Who Sent You?

International Anthem

Jazz

Poet supreme Camae Ayewa and her supporting quartet kick out a second stunning set of furious and grooving free jazz.

— Andy Kellman

James Righton

The Performer

DeeWee

Pop/Rock

The debut solo effort from the Klaxons co-founder looks to '70s crooners like Bryan Ferry and Todd Rundgren for inspiration.

— James Christopher Monger

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

Re-Facto

Sonic Cathedral

Pop/Rock

The Mexican psych group follow their triumphant 2019 full-length with an EP of new material and remixes by Cooper Crain and Pye Corner Audio.

— Paul Simpson

The Idle Race

The Birthday Party [Expanded Edition]

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

A definitive expanded collector's edition of this early masterpiece from a pre-ELO Jeff Lynne.

— Mark Deming

The Flytraps

Wild Card

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

High-test blend of garage rock, punk, and hard rock from an Orange County quartet hell-bent for wild good times.

— Mark Deming

Wax Machine

Earthsong of Silence

Beyond Beyond Is Beyond

Pop/Rock

Faithfully executed neo-psychedelia from this British outfit with an emphasis on the folk, jazz, and tropicalia elements.

— Timothy Monger

Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov

Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 2

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

This fine historical performance of Mozart violin sonatas is sensitive to their innovative qualities.

— James Manheim

Utopia Chamber Choir / Andrew Lawrence-King

Piae Cantiones

Alia Vox

Classical

Andrew Lawrence-King and the Utopia Chamber Choir perform selections from the Piae Cantiones, a collection of sacred songs.

— Blair Sanderson

John Eliot Gardiner / London Symphony Orchestra

Schumann: Symphonies Nos 1 & 3

LSO Live

Classical

Live Schumann recording by Gardiner preserves and expands upon the virtues of his earlier Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique set.

— James Manheim

Kirill Karabits / Staatskapelle Weimar

Franz Liszt: Dante Symphony; Tasso Lamento e Trionfo; Künstlerfestzug

Audite

Classical

Fine Liszt performances including a real rarity; a second rarity is available digitally by streaming or as a download.

— James Manheim

WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne Chamber Players

Brahms: String Sextets

PentaTone Classics

Classical

Very strong Brahms chamber music from musicians who know each other well and pay attention to detail.

— James Manheim

Santtu-Matias Rouvali / Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; King Christian II

Alpha

Classical

Stirring Sibelius, uneasy in some places, by one of Finland's most exciting young conductors.

— James Manheim

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