The Chicks

Gaslighter

Columbia / Sony Music

Pop/Rock, Country

The Chicks leave country and the past behind on this richly emotional and defiant album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Pretenders

Hate for Sale

BMG

Pop/Rock

A vigorous back-to-basics move by the Pretenders.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Protomartyr

Ultimate Success Today

Domino / Domino Recording Co. Ltd.

Pop/Rock

The Detroit post-punk heroes add flashes of free jazz and experimentalism to their formula and reach a new high in artful bad karma.

— Mark Deming

Bush

The Kingdom

BMG

Pop/Rock

Melodic, riff-packed eighth set that revitalizes the English rock outfit's late-era catalog.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Ellie Goulding

Brightest Blue

Interscope

Pop/Rock

Triumphant fourth LP that sheds over-produced pop trappings in favor of intimacy and maturity.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Jens Lekman / Annika Norlin

Correspondence

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

Two Swedish singer/songwriters write sonic letters to one another over the course of a year and document it with this conceptual album.

— Fred Thomas

Christian Sands

Be Water

Mack Avenue

Jazz

The jazz pianist draws inspiration from the philosophy and skill of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

— Matt Collar

Bing & Ruth

Species

4AD

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

David Moore switches from piano to Farfisa organ on the meditative fourth album by his post-minimalist ensemble.

— Paul Simpson

Lianne La Havas

Lianne La Havas

Warner Records

Pop/Rock

The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter takes the reins for her third album and shouldn't let go.

— Andy Kellman

Kansas

The Absence of Presence

Inside Out Music

Pop/Rock

Four years on from Prelude Implicit, the American rockers returned to the studio to deliver an album comparable to their best work.

— Thom Jurek

Zombi

2020

Relapse Records

Pop/Rock

On their first album in five years, the duo dials down the synths in favor of dystopian prog rock that feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

— Heather Phares

The Lawrence Arms

Skeleton Coast

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The veteran Chicago punks take a bleak turn on their energetic, dystopian-themed seventh album.

— Timothy Monger

Chris Stamey & the Fellow Travelers / Chris Stamey

A Brand-New Shade of Blue

Omnivore

Pop/Rock, Jazz, Vocal

The dB's frontman moves forward into the past with this gorgeous evocation of late-night vocal jazz in the mid-century style.

— Mark Deming

Various Artists

Martin Green Presents Super Sonics: 40 Junkshop Britpop Greats

RPM

Pop/Rock

A collection of one-hit wonders and never-weres from the glory days of Cool Britannia.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jimmy Heath

Love Letter

Verve

Jazz

A romantic, gorgeously understated final album from the esteemed jazz saxophonist.

— Matt Collar

Jonathan Bree

After the Curtains Close

BWSCD / Lil' Chief

Pop/Rock

A post-breakup album finds the pop craftsman in a blue mood and dipping a toe into modern pop sounds.

— Tim Sendra

Black Light Collective

Black Light Collective

Ropeadope

Jazz

Debut offering from Dave McMurray's socially funky, multi-generational jazz group that reflects Detroit's vast musical landscape.

— Thom Jurek

Kllo

Maybe We Could

Ghostly International

Electronic

After a short break, the Australian electro-pop duo return with their strongest material yet.

— Paul Simpson

Laraaji

Sun Piano

All Saints

New Age

New age pioneer Laraaji returns to his first instrument on this set of inspirational pieces for acoustic piano.

— Paul Simpson

Pantayo

Pantayo

Telephone Explosion

International, Pop/Rock

A remarkable merging of traditional kulintang with edgy lo-fi punk, electronic, and synth pop from this all-female Canadian-Filipina band.

— Timothy Monger

Samantha Crain

A Small Death

Ramseur Records

Pop/Rock

The indie singer/songwriter's very personal sixth album is informed by bouts of chronic pain and distress stemming from a series of car accidents.

— Marcy Donelson

The Texas Gentlemen

Floor It!!!

New West

Pop/Rock

A wild, careening rock & roll ride ideal for listeners with omnivorous tastes and a sense of humor.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dehd

Flower of Devotion

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

With sharper production and an overall push for more electric performances, the Chicago indie trio's third album finds them growing deeper into their melancholic, twilight-toned sound.

— Fred Thomas

Genevieve Artadi

Dizzy Strange Summer

Brainfeeder

Pop/Rock

Playful yet introspective Brainfeeder-issued full-length by Genevieve Artadi of Los Angeles duo KNOWER.

— Paul Simpson

Various Artists

Surrender to the Rhythm: The London Pub Rock Scene of the Seventies

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

This rarities-packed triple-disc collection emphasizes the raucous side of pub rock.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet plays Sonatas by Clementi, Dussek, Hummel, Wölfl

Chandos

Classical

Played with flair, this release attempts to establish aspects of a keyboard "lingua franca" in Beethoven's time.

— James Manheim

Joshua Hopkins / Erin Wall / Andrew Davis

Massenet: Thaïs

Chandos

Classical

An attractive, modestly sized Thaïs that leaves lots of room for story and characterization.

— James Manheim

Masato Suzuki / Bach Collegium Japan

Johann Sebastian Bach: Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings, Vol. 1

BIS

Classical

Muscular Bach keyboard concertos show Masato Suzuki striking out in new directions.

— James Manheim

Martha Argerich / Seiji Ozawa / Mito Chamber Orchestra

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2; Grieg: Holberg Suite

Decca

Classical

A delightful collaboration that betrays nothing of the advanced ages of the performers.

— James Manheim

Tugan Sokhiev / Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8

Warner Classics

Classical

A strong performance of the difficult Shostakovich Eighth that captures the work's gloom and complexity.

— James Manheim

Kathryn Rudge / Vasily Petrenko / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Elgar: Sea Pictures; The Music Makers

Onyx

Classical

Conductor Petrenko's Elgar project moves into lesser-known territory, with impressive results.

— James Manheim

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