John Mayer

Sob Rock

Columbia

Pop/Rock

John Mayer evokes the dusky sound of '80s adult-contemporary rock on his 8th album.

— Matt Collar

Wavves

Hideaway

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

A slickly produced, easygoing version of the band mixes grungy punk with relaxed, almost pretty ballads on their most radio-friendly album to date.

— Tim Sendra

Clairo

Sling

Fader / Republic

Pop/Rock

Recorded with Jack Antonoff, the '70s-evoking follow-up to Immunity trades any trace of pop luster for an intimate, dreamlike orchestral folk-rock.

— Marcy Donelson

Willow

Lately I Feel Everything

Roc Nation

Pop/Rock

Rocking fourth set that finds the multi-hyphenate tackling pop-punk and '90s alternative with an unpolished youthful spirit.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Chet Faker

Hotel Surrender

Australia / BMG

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Chet Faker makes a grand return with a subtly cathartic LP of hypnotic grooves, effortless cool, and plenty of heart.

— Timothy Monger

Alice Coltrane

Kirtan: Turiya Sings

Impulse!

Religious, New Age

A rare mix of her first and only vocal album from 1982, it features the musician/guru chanting, accompanied only by her organ.

— Thom Jurek

Karen Black

Dreaming of You 1971-1976

Anthology / Anthology Recordings

Folk, Pop/Rock

The award-winning actor's previously unreleased songs make for a fascinating time capsule of 1970s folk ranging from sunny to spooky.

— Heather Phares

April March

In Cinerama

Une Vie

Pop/Rock

Adding in new sonic elements like Afro-pop grooves, West Coast sunshine pop harmonies, and introspective singer/songwriter feels, this is March's masterpiece.

— Tim Sendra

Barenaked Ladies

Detour de Force

Raisin' Records

Pop/Rock

The Canadian icons return for their 13th album, balancing wry, poignant observations and feel-good pop.

— Matt Collar

U-Roy

Solid Gold U-Roy

BMG

Reggae

Completed shortly before his death, the final album from this dancehall legend revisits multiple reggae classics with assistance from an all-star cast of guests.

— Fred Thomas

Rodrigo Amarante

Drama

Polyvinyl

Latin, Pop/Rock

A captivating journey of modern-day Tropicália from the supremely talented Brazilian singer/songwriter.

— Timothy Monger

Smile Machine

Bye for Now

Exploding in Sound

Pop/Rock

Debut effort from drummer/vocalist Jordyn Blakely's solo project updates the over-utilized shoegaze template with distant lo-fi production choices.

— Fred Thomas

A Place to Bury Strangers

Hologram

Ded Strange

Pop/Rock

The band's first release on their own Ded Strange label is a highly concentrated dose of their noise rock, blissful shoegaze, and imaginative sonics.

— Heather Phares

Always You

Bloom Off the Rose

Shelflife

Pop/Rock

The Hochheim brothers (the Pains of Being Pure at Heart) debut a name change for their dreamy, adept take on '80s new wave/sophisti-pop.

— Marcy Donelson

Dave McMurray

Grateful Deadication

Blue Note

Jazz

The Detroit saxophonist delivers ten Grateful Dead covers with danceable, sophisticated charts focusing on their infectious rhythms and melodies.

— Thom Jurek

Tones and I

Welcome to the Madhouse

Elektra

Pop/Rock

The debut full-length from the Australian singer showcases her emotive vocals and kinetic pop grooves.

— Matt Collar

The Fall

Are You Are Missing Winner

Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

The Fall's most difficult, perplexing album, reissued with bonus tracks and three entire live sets.

— Paul Simpson

Roy Brooks

Understanding

Cellar Live Records

Jazz

This archival release showcases the drummer leading an incendiary quintet with Woody Shaw, Carlos Garnett, Harold Mabern, and Cecil McBee.

— Thom Jurek

John McLaughlin

Liberation Time

Abstract Logix

Jazz

Recorded during lockdown with three different ensembles across five cities on three continents, this is a freedom celebration in electric jazz.

— Thom Jurek

Stimulator Jones

Low Budget Environments Striving for Perfection

Stones Throw

Rap

Glowing beat LP from Sam Lunsford, his first album for Stones Throw since 2018 and his second full-length of 2021.

— Andy Kellman

Lucrecia Dalt / Aaron Dilloway

Lucy & Aaron

Hanson

Avant-Garde, Electronic

This collaborative album from two distinctive personalities of experimental music reaches the highest articulation of their respective styles.

— Fred Thomas

Declaime

In the Beginning, Vol. 1

SomeOthaShip

Rap

A previously unheard set of mid-'90s Madlib productions which plays like a tape of late-night college radio freestyle sessions.

— Paul Simpson

Aesop Rock

Appleseed

Rhymesayers Entertainment

Rap

Second self-issued release from the loquacious rapper and producer, establishing his now-familiar style of ultra-dense yet introspective lyrics.

— Paul Simpson

Cautious Clay

Deadpan Love

Cautious Clay

R&B

Four years after he first made waves with "Cold War," the singer/songwriter continues to refine his nuanced, soul-infused pop with his first album.

— Andy Kellman

Various Artists

Garland Records: Pacific Northwest Pandora's Box

BeatRocket

Pop/Rock

A collection of late-'60s/early-'70s hard rock obscurities from the Pacific Northwest including a couple great bands amid the duds.

— Mark Deming

András Schiff / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concertos

ECM New Series

Classical

Historically oriented Brahms piano concertos from Schiff are often revelatory.

— James Manheim

Vasily Petrenko / Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6; Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 27

Lawo Classics

Classical

A superb performance of Myaskovsky's final symphony is paired with a fully competent Prokofiev.

— James Manheim

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

American Quintets: Amy Beach, Florence Price, Samuel Barber

Chandos

Classical

Little-known and worthy chamber works by women composers frame a fine recording of Barber's Dover Beach.

— James Manheim

Simon Trpceski / Cristian Măcelaru / Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos & Piano Trio No. 2

Linn / Linn Records

Classical

A superb Shostakovich release with an unusual combination of concertos and chamber music.

— James Manheim

Elizabeth Llewellyn / Simon Lepper

Heart & Hereafter: Collected Songs of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Orchid Classics

Classical

Llewellyn's debut recording is a pioneering investigation of songs by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, generally all but unknown.

— James Manheim

Nicolas Altstaedt / Barnabás Kelemen / Alexander Lonquich

Kodály: Duo for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 7; Dvorák: Piano Trio Op. 90 'Dumky'

Alpha

Classical

Alpha's Lockenhaus Festival series continues, delving into chamber music by Kodály and Dvořák and influenced by Eastern European folk traditions.

— Keith Finke

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