Danzig

Sings Elvis

Cleopatra / Evilive Records

Pop/Rock

The punk/metal icon turns down the volume and makes like the King on this sincere but very curious tribute.

— Mark Deming

Brendan Benson

Dear Life

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

The seventh album from the acclaimed pop songwriter sees him exploring new territory with electronic elements and programmed beats.

— Fred Thomas

Lucinda Williams

Good Souls Better Angels

Highway 20 Records / Thirty Tigers

Folk, Pop/Rock, Blues

A set of raw, impassioned, and compelling performances make up for some good but not great songs.

— Mark Deming

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Chunky Shrapnel

ATO

Pop/Rock

Live album captures the band in full psychedelic flight over Europe at the tail-end of 2019.

— Tim Sendra

Other Lives

For Their Love

ATO

Pop/Rock

A collection of sumptuous and dark '60s-leaning orchestral folk-pop that often evokes the Wally Stott string arrangements of Scott Walker.

— James Christopher Monger

Hazel English

Wake Up!

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

A more polished full-length debut that retains her earlier '60s sensibilities, knack for breezy melodies, and dash of dream-pop luster.

— Marcy Donelson

Trivium

What the Dead Men Say

Roadrunner / Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock

Pushing their creative envelope once more, these Floridians reference their catalog while opening the gates to new sonic frontiers.

— Thom Jurek

Mark Kozelek

All the Best, Isaac Hayes

Caldo Verde Records

Pop/Rock

This collection of travel stories and observational anecdotes is completely spoken word backed by flowing piano.

— Fred Thomas

Joel Harrison

America at War

Sunnyside Communications

Jazz

On his second large-ensemble recording, the New York guitarist and composer offers a meditation on America's obsession with armed conflict.

— Thom Jurek

Katatonia

City Burials

Peaceville Records

Pop/Rock

After a four-year break, Stockholm's favorite prog metal band emerges with a dynamic reflection on memory, loss, grief, and rage.

— Thom Jurek

RVG

Feral

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

An urgent and appealing bouquet of post-punk, new wave, and jangling guitar pop from eclectic Melbourne band.

— Timothy Monger

Ezra Furman

Sex Education [Original Soundtrack]

Bella Union

Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

The soundtrack for the popular British comedy-drama features plenty of new Furman originals as well as some old favorites.

— James Christopher Monger

Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge

Jazz Is Dead 001

Jazz Is Dead

Jazz

The duo build on the like-named event series with original material created beside the likes of Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, and João Donato.

— Andy Kellman

Alice Bag

Sister Dynamite

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

The L.A. punk veteran delivers her toughest and most personal solo album yet, full of joyous rebellion and pride.

— Mark Deming

Lorenzo Senni

Scacco Matto

Warp

Electronic

The long-awaited first Warp full-length by the Italian master of pointillistic trance.

— Paul Simpson

Marker Starling

High January

Tin Angel

Pop/Rock

The ever-consistent soft rock group called in Sean O'Hagen to produce, and the result is heartwarmingly smooth and reliably comfortable.

— Tim Sendra

Sophie Tassignon

Mysteries Unfold

RareNoise Records

Avant-Garde

The Belgian-born, Berlin-based singer and composer delivers an expertly wrought demonstration of skill and creativity on her accessible RareNoise debut.

— Thom Jurek

The Used

Heartwork

Big Noise Records / Hassle / Universal

Pop/Rock

This blistering eighth set from the post-hardcore vets kicks the energy back into gear by bridging their past and present.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Wares

Survival

Mint / Mint Records

Pop/Rock

Singer/songwriter Cassia Hardy comes into her own on these tender, defiant outsider anthems.

— Heather Phares

White Poppy

Paradise Gardens

Not Not Fun

Pop/Rock

Crystal Dorval addresses personal troubles on her most lyrically direct album as White Poppy to date.

— Paul Simpson

America

Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971-1976

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

A second collection of rarities from America, this time focusing on the group's mid-'70s work with George Martin.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Andrew Gold

Something New: Unreleased Gold

Omnivore

Pop/Rock

A collection of demos Andrew Gold recorded in 1973, several years before he landed a record contract.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

AWOLNATION

Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders

Better Noise

Pop/Rock

Vibrant fourth LP that soaks in the Californian sun with a fun but reflective set of pop-savvy anthems.

— Neil Z. Yeung

BC Camplight

Shortly After Takeoff

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

The American expat completes his excellent Manchester Trilogy with pop savvy, enigmatic arrangements, and plenty of gallows humor.

— Timothy Monger

The Pack A.D.

It Was Fun While It Lasted

Fontana

Pop/Rock

Final album from the Canadian blues/garage/hard rock duo is a meditation on loving music and hating the music business.

— Mark Deming

Chris Keys / Quelle Chris

Innocent Country 2

Mello Music Group

Rap

The rap duo's second full collaboration is mature and hopeful, yet still filled with satire and surrealism.

— Paul Simpson

Whitney Rose

We Still Go To Rodeos

MCG

Country

A softer album from the Austin-based singer/songwriter that emphasizes her slyly idiosyncratic Americana.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

John Carroll Kirby

My Garden

Stones Throw

Pop/Rock

The valued collaborator (Solange, Frank Ocean) tends to his own discography with piano-based instrumentals that extend friendly companionship.

— Andy Kellman

Macula Dog

Breezy

Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock

A four-song EP of sharply recorded yet utterly bewildering art-pop from enigmatic, costumed duo Macula Dog.

— Paul Simpson

Peter Oren

The Greener Pasture

Western Vinyl Records

Pop/Rock

A self-described "dystopian farm/phone-themed album" made up of smart, wide-ranging indie folk.

— Marcy Donelson

Dead Ghosts

Automatic Changer

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

Acid-addled Canadian garage punks get a little weirder on album number five and make their trippiness a lot of fun.

— Mark Deming

Romain Collin / Bill Frisell / Grégoire Maret

Americana

Act Music

Jazz

A love letter to the culture and music of the U.S. from two top-notch European-born jazz talents and an iconic American guitarist.

— Thom Jurek

Federico Colli

Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas, Vol. 2

Chandos

Classical

Arch-Romantic Domenico Scarlatti from the charismatic young pianist, Federico Colli.

— James Manheim

Eldbjørg Hemsing / Simon Trpceski

Grieg: The Violin Sonatas

BIS

Classical

An assertive reading of the Grieg violin sonatas that places them in the world of the piano music Liszt admired.

— James Manheim

Julien Martineau / Vanessa Benelli Mosell

Beethoven: Suites

Naïve

Classical

A slyly humorous program that takes Beethoven's mandolin music as a point of departure.

— James Manheim

Rudolf Buchbinder

The Diabelli Project

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

A unique take on Beethoven's Diabelli Variations includes variations from both 19th century and contemporary composers.

— James Manheim

Shai Wosner

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D845, D894, D958 & D960

Onyx

Classical

Quiet, detailed readings of late Schubert sonatas reward close hearings.

— James Manheim

De Profundis / Eamonn Dougan

Juan Esquivel: Missa Hortus Conclusus; Magnificat; Marian Antiphons; Motets

Hyperion

Classical

The Spanish Renaissance composer Juan Esquivel is well-represented by Eamonn Dougan and the all-male chorus De Profundis.

— Blair Sanderson

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