Norah Jones

Pick Me Up Off the Floor

Blue Note / Virgin EMI

Pop/Rock, Jazz

Norah Jones fashions leftover songs from the Begin Again sessions into a beguiling, cohesive album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Iggy Pop

The Bowie Years

Universal / Virgin

Pop/Rock

Hefty box set from the punk icon's comeback year with Bowie delivers some great music but almost nothing new or unusual.

— Mark Deming

Jehnny Beth

To Love Is to Live

Caroline

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter, actor, and writer's thrilling solo debut album reveals the full scope of her talent.

— Heather Phares

Bibio

Sleep on the Wing

Warp

Electronic

Stephen Wilkinson expands on Ribbons' folky leanings in traditional and experimental ways that are equally delightful.

— Heather Phares

Built to Spill

Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston

Ernest Jenning

Pop/Rock

Recorded mostly during rehearsals for dates backing the legendary singer, the album is a laid-back and lovely tribute to his music.

— Tim Sendra

Liam Gallagher

MTV Unplugged

Warner Bros. / Warner Records

Pop/Rock

A healthy, punctual and professional Liam Gallagher finally delivers a crowd-pleasing (and nostalgic) MTV Unplugged.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Gone West

Canyons

Triple Tigers

Country, Pop/Rock

Colbie Caillat's country-pop group delivers a nice, warm hug of a debut.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Sounds

Things We Do for Love

Arnioki Records

Pop/Rock

The Swedish dance rock group examine the lows of love, merging vulnerability with their familiar pop-savvy style.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Peter Gabriel

Rated PG

Real World Records

Pop/Rock

A tight compilation of songs Peter Gabriel contributed to film soundtracks over the years.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin

Blue Note / Decca

Jazz

On their fifth full-length, England's favorite piano trio deliver beguiling, break-driven tunes criss-crossing post-rock, post-bop, indie and more.

— Thom Jurek

Steve Albini / Alison Chesley / Tim Midyett

Music From the Film Girl on the Third Floor

Touch and Go

Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

Minimalistic "creepy instrumental music" created by three indie rock notables for a 2019 independent horror film.

— Mark Deming

Jack Garratt

Love, Death & Dancing

Interscope / Island

Pop/Rock

Triumphant sophomore set from the English singer/songwriter that builds on the studio wizardry heard on his breakthrough.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Boney James

Solid

Concord

Jazz

Hooky, R&B-infused grooves mark the chart-topping saxophonist's seventeenth album.

— Matt Collar

Noveller

Arrow

Ba Da Bing Records

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic

The solo guitarist/composer delivers her most complex material to date in an album defined by its thick cinematic tension.

— Fred Thomas

Tengger

Nomad

Beyond Beyond Is Beyond

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, International, New Age, Electronic

The South Korean duo tap into new age ambience and steady minimal synth sequences on this water-themed album.

— Fred Thomas

Kahil El'Zabar / David Murray

Kahil El'zabar's Spirit Groove

Spiritmuse Records

Jazz

The percussionist/vocalist's quartet with saxophonist David Murray seeks out the eternal groove in free-minded spiritual soul-jazz.

— Thom Jurek

Kurt Rosenwinkel

Angels Around

Heartcore Records

Jazz

The guitarist's second album on his own Heartcore Records is an intimate, endlessly inventive trio session.

— Matt Collar

Wesley Gonzalez

Appalling Human

Moshi Moshi Records

Pop/Rock

The Londoner mixes sizzling dancefloor synth pop with Andy Partridge-like smarts on his second album.

— Timothy Monger

Richard Edwards / Richard Edwards

The Soft Ache and the Moon

Profound Discomfort

Pop/Rock

On his third post-Margot album, dreamy atmospheres underscore lyrics that rarely venture from streams of thought and private spaces.

— Marcy Donelson

Drab City

Good Songs for Bad People

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

An immersive mix of dub- and exotica-inflected indie pop from the duo of Christopher Dexter Greenspan (oOoOO) and Asia (Islamiq Grrrls).

— Marcy Donelson

Dougie Poole

The Freelancer's Blues

Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock, Country

The second album from indie rock's new psychedelic cowboy is warped on the surface, heartfelt and genuine at the core.

— Mark Deming

Maserati

Enter the Mirror

Temporary Residence

Pop/Rock

The band celebrates its 20th anniversary with a sleek, ominous yet playful album that evokes the dystopian visions of the '80s and the 2020s.

— Heather Phares

Betamax / Nightports

Nightports w/ Betamax

The Leaf Label

Electronic, Avant-Garde, Jazz

Sound artists Adam Martin and Mark Slater reconstruct a series of improvisations by drummer Maxwell Hallett of the Comet Is Coming.

— Paul Simpson

Sammy Brue

Crash Test Kid

New West

Pop/Rock

Co-writing with songwriter and producer Iain Archer (James Bay, Jake Bugg), the young Utah singer/songwriter has crafted his best effort to date.

— James Christopher Monger

Spirit Fingers

Peace

Ropeadope

Jazz

On their second offering, the L.A.-based international jazz quartet enlist a host of accomplished guests and collect several genres under the jazz umbrella.

— Thom Jurek

Endless Field

Alive in the Wilderness

Biophilia

Jazz, Folk

The duo's transcendent, ASMR-inducing second album, recorded outdoors at various remote locations in Southern Utah.

— Matt Collar

Whit Dickey / Whit Dickey Trio

Expanding Light

Tao Forms

Jazz

A bright, accessible offering of modern free jazz by the drummer's new trio with alto saxist Rob Brown and bassist Brandon Lopez.

— Thom Jurek

Trevor Pinnock

J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier I

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

An exceptional Well-Tempered Clavier from this veteran musician, stressing the variety within the work.

— James Manheim

Michael McHale / John Wilson / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Vol. 4

Chandos

Classical

Ongoing series of Bennett's orchestral music reveals some diverse gems.

— James Manheim

Gloriae Dei Cantores / Richard K. Pugsley

Arvo Pärt: Stabat Mater

Gloriae Dei Cantores

Classical

Distinctively American performances of works by Arvo Pärt show the composer's variety.

— James Manheim

Seong-Jin Cho

The Wanderer: Schubert, Berg, Liszt

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

A middling recital saved by an extraordinarily powerful Liszt sonata.

— James Manheim

Andrew Rathbun / Lori Sims / Jeremy Siskind

Impressions of Debussy

Centaur Records

Classical

A fresh take on jazz-classical fusion, with the advantage of having the originals at hand.

— James Manheim

Stephen Hough / Hannu Lintu / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos

Hyperion

Classical

Deliberate, highly detailed, almost meditative Beethoven concertos from Hough draw on historical performance styles.

— James Manheim

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