Featured New Releases for
October 1, 2021

Neil Young

Carnegie Hall 1970 [Live]

Reprise / Warner Records

Pop/Rock

Previously unreleased recordings of the first of two legendary nights at Carnegie Hall find this classic songwriter solo and in his prime.

— Fred Thomas

Brandi Carlile

In These Silent Days

Low Country Sound

Country, Pop/Rock

A bold, brawny, and smart record that proves Brandi Carlile is one of the best singer/songwriters of her generation.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Various Artists

The Metallica Blacklist

EMI

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Phoebe Bridgers, Kamasi Washington, Darius Rucker, Miley Cyrus, and dozens more contribute to this daunting tribute to Metallica's 1991 breakthrough album.

— Fred Thomas

Tony Bennett / Lady Gaga

Love for Sale

Columbia / Interscope / Streamline

Vocal, Jazz

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga reunite for a light and breezy collection of Cole Porter tunes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Flying Lotus

Yasuke [Music from the Netflix Original Anime Series]

Warp

Stage & Screen, Electronic

Riveting score for LeSean Thomas' anime series inspired by a real-life 16th century African samurai.

— Andy Kellman

Japanese Breakfast

Sable

Masterworks

Pop/Rock

The indie pop artist crafts a deeply enveloping and textural new age-inspired video game soundtrack.

— Matt Collar

Illuminati Hotties

Let Me Do One More

Hopeless Records / Snack Shack Tracks

Pop/Rock

Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Tudzin delivers an embarrassment of smart pop riches on her great third LP.

— Mark Deming

Kevin Morby

A Night at the Little Los Angeles

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

This collection of rough demos for Morby's 2020 album Sundowner has an intimacy and tension that could get lost in their studio counterparts.

— Fred Thomas

Tirzah

Colourgrade

Domino

Pop/Rock, Electronic, R&B

The project's hypnotic second album is a strikingly honest audio portrait of love, creativity, and the effort that goes into both.

— Heather Phares

The Specials

Protest Songs 1924-2012

Island

Pop/Rock

The politically principled ska band makes an album that takes up the politics but leaves the ska by the wayside.

— Mark Deming

Ducks Ltd.

Modern Fiction

Carpark Records

Pop/Rock

On their debut full-length, this Toronto duo looks to jangle pop royalty for inspiration while writing songs with emotional angles all their own.

— Fred Thomas

Kedr Livanskiy

Liminal Soul

2MR

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Kedr Livanskiy's self-produced third album is a reflective set of dreamy indie dance, with her most creative vocalizations to date.

— Paul Simpson

Hovvdy

True Love

Grand Jury Music

Pop/Rock

The slowcore descendants' texturally and tonally warm, newlywed-penned fourth album was co-produced with Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver).

— Marcy Donelson

Cindy

1:2

Mt. St. Mtn.

Pop/Rock

A continuation of 2020's Free Advice and its refreshingly unpolished blend of murmured slowcore and vintage indie pop.

— Marcy Donelson

Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Adrian Younge

Instrumentals JID009

Jazz Is Dead

Jazz

Vocal-less versions of material that originally appeared on the duo's sessions with Roy Ayers, Marcos Valle, Gary Bartz, and João Donato.

— Andy Kellman

audiobooks

Astro Tough

Heavenly

Pop/Rock

A more deliberate second outing from producer David Wrench and Evangeline Ling focuses on playfully arty, high-contrast dance songs.

— Marcy Donelson

Philip Frobos

Vague Enough to Satisfy

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

Album of skeletal pop songs and soundtrack snippets from half of Omni that serves as a companion to his debut novel of the same name.

— Tim Sendra

Boy Scouts

Wayfinder

Anti-

Pop/Rock

Recording again with Stephen Steinbrink, Taylor Vick is nonetheless alone with her thoughts on a dreamy, midtempo set informed by pandemic isolation.

— Marcy Donelson

The Lathums

How Beautiful Life Can Be

Island

Pop/Rock

The U.K. jangle pop combo's heartfelt debut is a heaping dish of comfort food.

— Timothy Monger

Shep Pettibone

Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: Shep Pettibone - The Classic 12" Master-Mixes

Edsel

R&B

Crucial four-disc summary of Pettibone's visionary and varied remix work throughout the '80s.

— Andy Kellman

Kit Sebastian

Melodi

Mr. Bongo

Pop/Rock

Adding all sorts of new sounds -- and some jazz -- to their already overflowing tapestry of international psychedelia, the band take a leap forward on their second album.

— Tim Sendra