Fiona Apple

Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Epic

Pop/Rock

A dense, unpredictable, and joyfully cathartic fifth album from Fiona Apple.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Shabazz Palaces

The Don of Diamond Dreams

Sub Pop

Rap

Ishmael Butler adds some love and affection to his trademark interstellar escapades on his Sub Pop group's fifth and funkiest LP.

— Andy Kellman

Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne

Everso Records

Pop/Rock

This self-titled offering is a candid, poignant, and nakedly honest meditation on the complexities of romance, desire, and love itself.

— Thom Jurek

EOB

Earth

Capitol / Polydor

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The Radiohead guitarist makes his solo debut with an exploratory set that traverses post-Brit-pop, electronic, tropicalia, and acoustic folk.

— Timothy Monger

RJD2

The Fun Ones

RJ's Electrical Connections

Pop/Rock, Rap

The producer digs into vintage funk and hip-hop on this outsized love letter to creativity and the power of music.

— Heather Phares

Soul Asylum

Hurry Up and Wait

Blue Elan Records

Pop/Rock

Dave Pirner blends his natural scruffiness with a more measured maturity and makes it work on his band's twelfth studio album.

— Mark Deming

Tech N9ne

Enterfear

Strange Music

Rap

This 22nd album is yet another aggressive and tongue-twisting display from the Kansas City rapper.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Ron Sexsmith

Hermitage

Century Media / Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

The great songwriter moves away from the big city and makes an album that's playful and fun in unexpected ways.

— Mark Deming

The Black Dahlia Murder

Verminous

Metal Blade

Pop/Rock

Michigan's melodic tech death metal kings deliver album number nine. They shift their attack to revel in more speed, hard grooves, and old-school metal.

— Thom Jurek

Active Child

In Another Life

Sony Music

Pop/Rock

The third album of hypnotic, electronic-tinged pop from the singer and harp player.

— Matt Collar

Damaged Bug

Bug on Yonkers

Castle Face

Pop/Rock

The Oh Sees side project tackle the songs of psychedelic iconoclast Michael Yonkers with their usual twisted glee.

— Tim Sendra

The Howling Hex

Knuckleball Express

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Hagerty's first album in four years is a loose, sprawling throwback to the Howling Hex's 2000s albums.

— Heather Phares

Richard Bishop

Oneiric Formulary

Drag City

Pop/Rock, Jazz, International, Folk, New Age

A typically eclectic, well-crafted, and rewarding set from the former Sun City Girls guitarist.

— Mark Deming

Primo

Sogni

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

The Australian combo's second album is a near copy of their first that delivers more home-cooked, sparse, and fun indie pop.

— Tim Sendra

Duke Dumont

Duality

Astralwerks / Virgin EMI

Electronic

Long-awaited full-length debut from the English DJ is an emotionally uplifting set of anthems.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Bobby Bare

Great American Saturday Night

BFD

Country

A big, bawdy, rowdy party album recorded in 1978 but not released until 2020.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Datura4

West Coast Highway Cosmic

Alive Records

Pop/Rock

With keyboardist Bob Patient fully integrated into the lineup, this crew serves up a wooly collection drenched in psych-blues rock.

— Thom Jurek

Enter Shikari

Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible

So Recordings

Pop/Rock

The English "trancecore" enthusiasts deliver one of the most innovative and genre-obliterating efforts of the year.

— James Christopher Monger

Leslie Mendelson

If You Can't Say Anything Nice

The Royal Potato / Royal Potato Family

Pop/Rock

Both anxious and reassuring, the fourth album by this heir to '70s singer/songwriters combines timeless craft with timely sentiments.

— Marcy Donelson

Lido Pimienta

Miss Colombia

Anti-

Electronic, Latin

A vivid panoply of heritage-rich, progressive global pop from this Canadian-Colombian singer/songwriter.

— Timothy Monger

Jake McMullen / Louis Prince

Thirteen

Last Gang Records

Pop/Rock

Debut album from this atmospheric indie project calls on the influence of both flowing piano jazz and Bon Iver-like production.

— Fred Thomas

Anna Fedorova / Modestas Pitrenas

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Channel Classics

Classical

A rather low-key, elegant Rachmaninov draws the listener in if given a chance.

— James Manheim

Joby Burgess

Eric Whitacre: Marimba Quartets

Signum Classics

Classical

Fabulous engineering from Signum Classics on this EP of Whitacre's choral music arranged for marimba quartet.

— James Manheim

Dimitri Ashkenazy / Jennifer Anschel / Mechthild Karkow / Gundula Leitner / Robin Sharp

Brahms & Khoury: Clarinet Quintets

Paladino Music

Classical

A lyrical and episodic reading of Brahms by Ashkenazy stresses the intimacy and mood of the work.

— Keith Finke

Stéphane Degout / Simon Lepper / Marielou Jacquard / Felicity Palmer

Epic: Lieder & Balladen

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

A collection of songs in an "epic" storytelling mode, quite intensely sung by baritone Degout.

— James Manheim

Portland State University Chamber Choir / Ethan Sperry

Eriks Esenvalds: Translations

Naxos

Classical

A wonderful product of the exciting and growing collaboration between minimalist Esenvalds and the Portland State Chamber Choir.

— James Manheim

Paavo Järvi / Estonian Festival Orchestra

Erkki-Sven Tüür: Mythos

Alpha

Classical

A fine example of contemporary music with national roots, highly idiomatically performed.

— James Manheim

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