Lady Gaga

Chromatica

Interscope / Polydor

Pop/Rock

Lady Gaga returns to glitzy disco and house on the streamlined, stylized Chromatica.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Magnetic Fields

Quickies

Nonesuch / Warner Records

Pop/Rock

Twelfth studio album from these indie heroes collects 28 short and catchy songs, some less than half-a-minute long.

— Fred Thomas

Lil Yachty

Lil Boat 3

Quality Control / Motown

Rap

Fourth album from Atlanta rapper includes some of his best songs to date and an equal number of throwaway tracks.

— Fred Thomas

Nicole Atkins

Italian Ice

Single Lock Records

Pop/Rock

A musically playful, retro-minded fifth album whose many guests include members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Dap-Kings.

— Marcy Donelson

Deerhoof

Future Teenage Cave Artists

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

Ambitious, chaotic, and moving, the band's exploration of the messes left for future generations to clean up finds them at their experimental finest.

— Heather Phares

Jimmy Buffett

Life on the Flip Side

Mailboat Records

Pop/Rock

Jimmy Buffett finds some interesting variations on his signature beachy vibe.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Christine and the Queens

La Vita Nuova

Because Music

Pop/Rock

This moody, reflective EP generates as much heat and excitement as the kinetic dance-pop of Chris.

— Heather Phares

Kip Moore

Wild World

MCA

Country

Kip Moore wears his heart on his sleeve for this brawny yet vulnerable album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Prince

Up All Nite With Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection

Legacy / NPG Records / The Prince Estate / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, R&B

All the 2002 albums released under the One Nite Alone moniker are boxed up as Up All Nite with Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Coriky

Coriky

Dischord Records

Pop/Rock

The debut album from members of Fugazi and the Evens is mature, literate, and impassioned music whether it whispers or shouts.

— Mark Deming

Teddy Thompson

Heartbreaker Please

Chalky Sounds

Pop/Rock, Folk

The seventh album from the singer/songwriter is a testament to his growth and creative maturity 20 years on from his debut.

— Mark Deming

Mrs. Piss

Self-Surgery

Sargent House

Pop/Rock

Short, smart, and punishing debut EP with Chelsea Wolfe and Jess Gowrie letting their metal influences take the lead.

— Mark Deming

PINS

Hot Slick

Haus of Pins

Pop/Rock

Now a trio, the band remakes itself as a glam dance-punk outfit.

— Heather Phares

Sébastien Tellier

Domesticated

Record Makers

Electronic

The producer/multi-instrumentalist's first album in six years gives the comforts of home a glamorous, alluring twist.

— Heather Phares

Gary Olson

Gary Olson

Tapete Records

Pop/Rock

The first solo album from this established indie pop figure maintains his skills at arrangement while exploring new, more refined songwriting.

— Fred Thomas

Linda Guilala

Espacio de Tiempo [2009-2019]

Elefant

Pop/Rock

Compilation from Spanish indie pop act Linda Guilala, who have consistently crafted inventive, introspective noise-pop gems since 2005.

— Paul Simpson

2nd Grade

Hit to Hit

Double Double Whammy

Pop/Rock

Sprightly and sweet guitar pop from a cohort of Philadelphia indie kids that's sometimes sunny, sometimes sad, and always hooky.

— Tim Sendra

Jade Hairpins

Harmony Avenue

Merge

Pop/Rock

Danceable, hooky, and fun, the album is a well-crafted slice of post-punk-inspired indie rock from members of Fucked Up.

— Tim Sendra

Sweet Whirl

How Much Works

Chapter / Chapter Music

Pop/Rock

Esther Edquist's solo project opts for classic songwriting influences and spacious arrangements over the downcast dream pop of her duo Superstar.

— Marcy Donelson

Baths

Pop Music/False B-Sides II

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Will Wiesenfeld transforms a decade's worth of outtakes into songs that highlight his empathetic, impressionistic powers.

— Heather Phares

No Trend

Too Many Humans/Teen Love

Drag City

Pop/Rock

This suitably unrelenting collection of No Trend's most confrontational early material is noise rock not for the weak of heart.

— Mark Deming

The Reflectors

First Impression

Burger Records

Pop/Rock

The L.A. quartet's debut is a must for fans of vintage power pop.

— Marcy Donelson

Varsity

Fine Forever

Run for Cover Records

Pop/Rock

Producer Ben Lumsdaine (Amy O, Major Murphy) slightly sharpens the focus on a third set of catchy, amiable indie pop from the Chicago group.

— Marcy Donelson

Ian Chang

Belonging

City Slang

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The kinetic and eclectic full-length debut from the indie/experimental drummer features guest spots by Kiah Victoria and Blonde Redhead's Kazu Makino.

— Marcy Donelson

Inventions

Continuous Portrait

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Playfully jumbled third full-length by the duo of Eluvium's Matthew Cooper and Explosions in the Sky's Mark T. Smith.

— Paul Simpson

Irmin Schmidt

Nocturne: Live at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival

Mute

Avant-Garde, Classical

Recording of the Can co-founder's first U.K. solo piano concert, consisting of improvisations accompanied by pre-recorded soundscapes.

— Paul Simpson

Kursaal Flyers

Little Does She Know: The Complete Recordings

RPM

Pop/Rock

A four-disc box containing everything the power-poppy pub rockers ever recorded.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Machinegum

Conduit

Frenchkiss Records

Pop/Rock

Featuring members of the Strokes and Nation of Language, the collective's debut album evocatively captures bottomed-out heartache.

— Heather Phares

Mild Orange

Mild Orange

Mild Orange

Pop/Rock

Glassy, reverb-heavy guitar tones, introspective lyrics, and jangling breezy pop from this Kiwi four-piece.

— Timothy Monger

Denis Matsuev / Gábor Tarkövi / Rainer Honeck / Kammerorchester Wien-Berlin

Shostakovich, Schnittke, Lutoslawski

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

An effective program showcases a new variety in Matsuev's playing.

— James Manheim

Jiří Bělohlávek / Jakub Hrůša / Czech Philharmonic / Jan Martiník / Ailyn Pérez / Prague Philharmonic Choir / Svatopluk Sem / Michael Spyres / Christianne Stotijn

Dvořák: Requiem; Biblical Songs; Te Deum

Decca

Classical

The recorded swan song of the great Jiří Bělohlávek, with two performances in his memory.

— James Manheim

Roger Norrington / SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ludwig van Beethoven: Complete Symphonies

SWR Music

Classical

Live 2002 Beethoven performances from Norrington use modern instruments in a historical style.

— James Manheim

Stephen Gould / Camilla Nylund / Christian Thielemann

Richard Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten

Orfeo

Classical

A much-publicized Vienna production of Die Frau ohne Schatten, notwithstanding impressive singing, is a conductor-driven animal.

— James Manheim

Wet Ink

Alex Mincek: Glossolalia; Sam Pluta: Lines on Black

Carrier Records

Classical

New works ideally suited to the talents of the Wet Ink Ensemble.

— James Manheim

Vox Clamantis / Jaan-Eik Tulve

Cyrillus Kreek: The Suspended Harp of Babel

ECM / ECM New Series

Classical

Slightly elaborated versions of folk-based religious pieces by a founder of the Estonian school.

— James Manheim

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