Modest Mouse

The Golden Casket

Epic

Pop/Rock

Boasting a positive outlook and adventurous sounds, the band's seventh album is their finest since Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

— Heather Phares

Tyler, The Creator

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

Columbia

Rap

The rapper's sixth LP is a cosmopolitan embrace of his hip-hop roots, fusing the pure rap abilities of his early years with the complex subjects of his recent works.

— David Crone

The Mountain Goats

Dark in Here

Merge

Pop/Rock

The third album in 14 months from John Darnielle and friends is a smart, masterful study in constructive paranoia.

— Mark Deming

Lucy Dacus

Home Video

Matador

Pop/Rock

The indie songwriter's poignant, sometimes-riveting third album looks back on formative events from her teens.

— Marcy Donelson

Miles Davis

Merci Miles! [Live at Vienne]

Rhino / Warner Records

Jazz

A previously unreleased gig finds Davis, just months before his death, leading this band with a focus and muscularity he hadn't displayed in years.

— Thom Jurek

Hiatus Kaiyote

Mood Valiant

Brainfeeder

R&B

Six years after earning their second Grammy nomination, the Australian avant-soul band delivers a taut and stirring third album.

— Andy Kellman

Hiss Golden Messenger

Quietly Blowing It

Merge

Pop/Rock

Songwriter M.C. Taylor tries to wrap his head around a world of hurt in this album that balances introspection and compassion.

— Mark Deming

Lightning Bug

A Color of the Sky

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

The formerly shoegaze-leaning quintet dial back their smear of reverb and distortion for a far gentler but equally otherworldly sound.

— Fred Thomas

John Grant

Boy From Michigan

Partisan

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter's frequently brilliant fifth album examines the complexities of family, memories, and the United States with a memoirist's eye for detail.

— Heather Phares

Spellling

The Turning Wheel

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

Chrystia Cabral's third album sports her most ambitious arrangements, while her lyrics are both magical and introspective.

— Paul Simpson

Squirrel Flower

Planet (i)

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

An electrically charged and earthbound sophomore set from the Boston singer/songwriter.

— Timothy Monger

LoneLady

Former Things

Warp

Pop/Rock

The producer and singer/songwriter's riveting third album adds bustling textures and plenty of hooks to her taut blend of post-punk and dance.

— Heather Phares

Grateful Dead

Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) [Expanded Edition]

Grateful Dead / Rhino

Pop/Rock

The 50th Anniversary edition of the Dead's second official live releases includes additional previously unreleased concert recordings from the same transitional era.

— Fred Thomas

BTS

BTS, The Best

Universal

Pop/Rock

Best-of compilation that collects the K-pop boy band's Japanese-language hits from 2017 to 2021.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Carlos Niño

More Energy Fields, Current

International Anthem

Electronic, Jazz, New Age

Carlos Niño guides another set of spiritual improvisations, with Aaron Shaw, Dntel, and Shabaka Hutchings among the featured musicians.

— Paul Simpson

Daniel Avery

Together in Static

Phantasy Sound

Electronic

An anxious but ultimately hopeful set of ambient, techno, and downtempo tracks written for a pair of seated, socially distanced concerts.

— Paul Simpson

The Murlocs

Bittersweet Demons

ATO

Pop/Rock

A more mature, fully rounded effort from the band that adds elements of country-rock and classic singer/songwriter fare without losing any youthful energy.

— Tim Sendra

Matthew Dear

Preacher's Sigh & Potion: Lost Album

Ghostly International

Electronic

Matthew Dear revisits his Texan roots with an album of country-influenced songs recorded during the late 2000s.

— Paul Simpson

Various Artists

Good as Gold: Artefacts of the Apple Era 1967-1975

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

Fascinating collection of lost and classics tracks drawn with a curator's touch from various aspects -- publishing, recording studio -- of the Apple empire.

— Tim Sendra

Bill Evans / Bill Evans Trio

On a Friday Evening

Craft Records

Jazz

An engaging archival live album featuring the pianist's trio at a club in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1975.

— Matt Collar

Helvetia

Essential Aliens

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

The tenth album from the long-running lo-fi solo project of Duster's Jason Albertini leans into his psychedelic tendencies more than ever before.

— Fred Thomas

Birds of Maya

Valdez

Drag City

Pop/Rock

The noise rock trio move from basement to studio on this 2014 session and add power to their ear-shredding, goose-loose noise rock sound.

— Tim Sendra

John Carroll Kirby

Septet

Stones Throw

Jazz

Subtly dazzling jazz date from the Stones Throw keyboardist/composer following his mostly solitary 2020 solo recordings.

— Andy Kellman

Michael Cormier

More Light!!!

Dear Life Records / Oof Records

Pop/Rock

The reflective Philadelphian songwriter collaborates remotely with a host of contributors on songs that are atmospheric, warm, and engaging.

— Fred Thomas

The Rubinoos

The CBS Tapes

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

A great teenage rock & roll band goofs off in the studio, acting bratty and having fun doing it while the tape rolls.

— Mark Deming

Mia Joy

Spirit Tamer

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

The Chicago musician's full-length debut soundtracks intimate thoughts with increasingly gossamer guitar and keyboard atmospheres.

— Marcy Donelson

PWNT

Days in the Summer

Acrophase Records

Pop/Rock

A summery indie pop debut filled with retro flair and laid-back grooves from L.A. touring drummer Kosta Galanopoulos.

— Marcy Donelson

Massage

Still Life

Bobo Integral

Pop/Rock

On their infectious second album, the L.A. quintet explore hazier textures while remaining loyal to bouncy, bittersweet jangle pop.

— Marcy Donelson

Greenslade

Temple Songs: The Albums 1973-1975

Esoteric Recordings

Pop/Rock

Greenslade gets the box treatment from Esoteric/Cherry Red. All four '70s studio outings have been painstakingly remastered from analog sources.

— Thom Jurek

Klenke-Quartett / Nicola Jürgensen / Stephan Katte

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet; Horn Quintet

Accentus

Classical

A lovely, perfectly balanced performance of these quintets on historical-style instruments.

— James Manheim

Fredrik Malmberg / Ensemble Altapunta / Ensemble Lundabarock / Höör Barock

Claudio Monteverdi: L'Orfeo - a tale in music

BIS

Classical

A clean, transparent, and dramatic Orfeo, among the first Scandinavian recordings of this work that marks the dawning of opera.

— James Manheim

Vadim Gluzman / James Gaffigan / Luzerner Sinfonieorchester

Violin Concertos: Beethoven, Schnittke No. 3

BIS

Classical

Beethoven's violin concerto with Schnittke cadenzas joined to perhaps the most effective of Schnittke's four concertos.

— James Manheim

Niu Niu

Beethoven: Fate & Hope

Decca

Classical

Child prodigy Niu Niu makes good progress toward adult stardom with a much-needed recording of Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's Fifth.

— James Manheim

Jean-Jacques Kantorow / Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège

Saint-Saëns: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 and in A major

BIS

Classical

Youthful symphonies of Saint-Saëns reveal many pleasures in Kantorow's punchy readings.

— James Manheim

Isabelle Faust / Alexander Melnikov

Mozart: Sonatas for Fortepiano & Violin, Vol. 3

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Superb ensemble work from Faust and Melnikov in this historical-instrument reading of Mozart's mature violin sonatas.

— James Manheim

Previous Week Next Week