Twenty One Pilots

Scaled and Icy

Atlantic / Fueled by Ramen Records

Pop/Rock

A lean, effervescent dose of measured optimism from the Ohio-bred, genre-blurring duo.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Olivia Rodrigo

Sour

Geffen

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter builds on her blockbuster debut single "Driver's License" with more barbed ballads and surprisingly fierce rock.

— Heather Phares

Lord Huron

Long Lost

Republic

Pop/Rock

The band's fourth full-length effort is a fever dream of Baroque pop and country-western twang.

— James Christopher Monger

Blake Shelton

Body Language

Warner Music

Country

A carefully calibrated, mellow, and sunny country-pop record featuring the Gwen Stefani duet "Happy Anywhere."

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

CHAI

Wink

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

On their third album, the Japanese quartet ditch the guitars and shouting for a sophisticated new sound that blends modern pop and soft R&B.

— Tim Sendra

Paula Cole

American Quilt

BMG

Pop/Rock

A reflective record that finds a common ground between pop, jazz, country, and blues.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Chrissie Hynde

Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan

BMG

Pop/Rock

The leader of the Pretenders takes on the work of another great songwriter in a simple but satisfying fashion.

— Mark Deming

Mdou Moctar

Afrique Victime

Matador

International, Pop/Rock

The Tuareg guitar hero's sixth album is a diverse and deeply satisfying amalgam of desert blues and Western flair.

— Timothy Monger

Facs

Present Tense

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

The band's bleakly hypnotic fourth album consolidates their reputation as post-punk innovators.

— Heather Phares

Georgia Anne Muldrow

Vweto III

ePistrophik Peach

R&B

The prolific Ms. One puts a glide in your stride with her richest (predominantly) instrumental LP yet.

— Andy Kellman

Gruff Rhys

Seeking New Gods

Rough Trade

Pop/Rock

This imagined history of Mount Paektu contains some of the most immediate -- yet still fanciful -- music the former Super Furry Animal has made on his own.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Beabadoobee

Our Extended Play

Dirty Hit

Pop/Rock

Recorded with members of the 1975, the singer/songwriter's first EP since Fake It Flowers returns to the lighter side of her sound.

— Heather Phares

Sara Bareilles

Amidst the Chaos: Live From the Hollywood Bowl

Epic

Pop/Rock

A valedictory performance delivered in front of a hometown crowd.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Trees Speak

PostHuman

Soul Jazz

Pop/Rock

The Arizona-based group's cinematic fourth album packs a wealth of ideas into 18 tracks without losing their focus.

— Paul Simpson

Colleen

The Tunnel and the Clearing

Thrill Jockey

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Dramatic life changes shaped the journey of growth and acceptance on the producer/multi-instrumentalist's starlit, quietly stunning seventh album.

— Heather Phares

Jerry Douglas / John Hiatt / The Jerry Douglas Band

Leftover Feelings

New West

Pop/Rock, Blues

The ace singer/songwriter joins forces with a band of bluegrass masters for an album steeped in blues and roots music flavors.

— Mark Deming

Lambchop

Showtunes

Merge

Pop/Rock

Chilly electronics and organic warmth coexist on the Nashville band's 16th studio album, which is full of spare, evocative beauty.

— Mark Deming

The Reigning Sound

A Little More Time with Reigning Sound

Merge

Pop/Rock

The Memphis masters of rockin' soul return with an album that recalls their past while still sounding of the moment.

— Mark Deming

Robert Finley

Sharecropper's Son

Easy Eye Sound / Universal

Blues, R&B

The Louisiana singer renews his partnership with producer Dan Auerbach in a searingly honest, emotionally powerful set of originals.

— Thom Jurek

Fly Pan Am

Frontera

Constellation

Pop/Rock, Stage & Screen

The Montreal-based group's score for a contemporary dance performance is some of their most trance-inducing work.

— Paul Simpson

The Devil Wears Prada

ZII

Solid State

Pop/Rock

Punishing sequel to 2010's Zombie EP from the Ohio metalcore crew.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Erika de Casier

Sensational

4AD

R&B

Uniformly pleasant ballads and slow jams recalling pop-R&B of the late '90s and early 2000s.

— Andy Kellman

Marinero

Hella Love

Hardly Art

Latin, Pop/Rock

A bewitching mix of soft Latin pop ballads, singer/songwriter tenderness, and sonic adventurism played and sung with understated beauty.

— Tim Sendra

Mat Kearney

January Flower

Tomorrow Music

Pop/Rock

Written while in isolation in Joshua Tree, Kearney's sixth album is rife with a poignant warmth.

— Matt Collar

Indigo Sparke

echo

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

The intimate, world-weary full-length debut of this Sydney indie folk musician was recorded with members of Big Thief.

— Marcy Donelson

Holiday Ghosts

North Street Air

FatCat Records

Pop/Rock

Following a move from Falmouth to Brighton, the U.K. garage pop band offers up a FatCat debut inspired by city-life struggles.

— Marcy Donelson

Allison Russell

Outside Child

Fantasy

Folk, Pop/Rock

The Canadian roots veteran's solo debut is a remarkable meditation on past traumas that feels more defiant than devastating.

— Timothy Monger

Cloves

Nightmare on Elmfield Road

Interscope

Pop/Rock

The Australian singer embraces '90s electronic-tinged alt-rock on her conceptual sophomore album.

— Matt Collar

Sunroof

Electronic Music Improvisations, Vol. 1

Mute

Electronic

Modular synth explorations from Mute Records founder Daniel Miller and producer/engineer Gareth Jones.

— Paul Simpson

Wadada Leo Smith

Trumpet

TUM Records

Jazz

The first of several multi-disc sets commemorating the trumpeter's 80th birthday comprises 37 unissued solo pieces containing single works and suites.

— Thom Jurek

Fatima Al Qadiri

Medieval Femme

Hyperdub

Electronic

Fatima Al Qadiri's third album is a set of weightless, mantra-like pieces which take inspiration from classical poetry written by Arab women.

— Paul Simpson

Lydia Ainsworth

Sparkles & Debris

Zombie Cat Records

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The latest chapter of this producer/songwriter/vocalist's embrace of pop drops icy synth pop in favor of huge hooks and warm live band arrangements.

— Fred Thomas

Murcof

The Alias Sessions

Leaf / Q

Electronic

Murcof returns with a suspenseful, immersive behemoth containing music written for performances by Geneva-based dance company Alias.

— Paul Simpson

PACKS

Take the Cake

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

Toronto's Madeline Link and band deliver a set of moody, sludgy, under-three-minute earworms for a compelling full-length debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Rose City Band

Earth Trip

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Clear production values and straightforward arrangement choices result in the lightest set to date from this cosmic indie country project.

— Fred Thomas

Ducks Ltd.

Get Bleak

Carpark Records

Pop/Rock

The jangly Toronto act expands their 2019 debut with three additional songs, bringing new perspectives to the influence of foundational indie bands.

— Fred Thomas

Doug Carn

Revelation

Real Gone Music

Jazz

The final Black Jazz album from Doug and Jean Carn expands the meld of spiritual jazz and soul of their earlier outings.

— Thom Jurek

Dark Tea

Dark Tea [2021]

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

This more-personal second eponymous album inhabits a similarly homespun, alternative country-rock, with occasional diversions.

— Marcy Donelson

Michael Tilson Thomas / San Francisco Symphony

Berg: Violin Concerto; Seven Early Songs; Three Pieces for Orchestra

SFS Media

Classical

A fine Berg program, showcasing conductor Tilson Thomas' continuing rapport with the San Francisco Symphony he did much to build.

— James Manheim

Fenella Humphreys / George Vass / BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Op. 47; Humoresques, Opp. 87 & 89; Nors S. Josephson: Celestial Voyage

Resonus / Resonus Classics

Classical

Excellent performances of the neglected Humoresques highlight this Sibelius release.

— James Manheim

Louise Alder / Joseph Middleton

Chère Nuit: French Songs

Chandos

Classical

A very intelligently programmed album of French songs strengthens the position of Alder as a rising soprano.

— James Manheim

The Sixteen / Harry Christophers

Good Night, Beloved

Coro

Classical

Accessible favorites, pieces that might be heard on a glee club concert, beautifully executed by The Sixteen.

— James Manheim

Binchois Consort / Andrew Kirkman

Music for the King of Scots: Inside the Pleasure Palace of James IV

Hyperion

Classical

A fascinating release that situates Renaissance choral music deeply in a specific time and place.

— James Manheim

Antonio Pappano / London Symphony Orchestra

Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6

LSO / LSO Live

Classical

A tense pairing of Vaughan Williams' two darkest symphonies has real urgency in this live recording.

— James Manheim

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