Beach House

Once Twice Melody

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

The group's self-produced double album is a striking mix of ambition and heart that plays to their enduring strengths and reveals new ones.

— Heather Phares

Leon Bridges / Khruangbin

Texas Moon

Dead Oceans

R&B

The Texans follow a 2020 EP with a moodier and deeper sequel that tightens their natural bond.

— Andy Kellman

Hurray for the Riff Raff

Life on Earth

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

"Nature punk" Alynda Segarra updates their folk-rock with such modern touches as urgent melodies and atmospheric keyboards.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Modern Studies

We Are There

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

A richly imagined and confident fourth outing from the U.K. psych-folk outfit.

— Timothy Monger

Various Artists

Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono

Atlantic

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde

U.S. Girls, Japanese Breakfast, David Byrne, Yo La Tengo, and many others contribute to this Ben Gibbard-curated tribute compilation.

— Fred Thomas

Metronomy

Small World

Because Music

Pop/Rock

The band's optimistic seventh album focuses on memorable, affecting songwriting and back-to-basics sounds.

— Heather Phares

Broods

Space Island

Universal

Pop/Rock

Cathartic fourth album that finds the New Zealand siblings processing divorce with escapist anthems and fragile laments.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Sally Shapiro

Sad Cities

Italians Do It Better

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Comeback album for the Swedish duo that finds them covering familiar Italo disco ground while also touching on soft rock, electro-pop, and Madonna.

— Tim Sendra

Shout Out Louds

House

Bud Fox Recordings

Pop/Rock

The Swedish indie pop stalwarts retain their consistency of craft on their textured and energetic sixth LP.

— Timothy Monger

White Lies

As I Try Not to Fall Apart

PIAS

Pop/Rock

The British trio brings a nuanced sophistication to their sixth album of '80s-style new wave and post-punk.

— Matt Collar

Alice Glass

Prey//IV

Eating Glass Records

Electronic

The debut album from the icon of darkly experimental electronic pop reclaims her trauma with uncompromising but catchy songs.

— Heather Phares

Shovels & Rope

Manticore

Dualtone Music

Pop/Rock

Shovels & Rope slow the pace and broaden their musical range.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Eric Chenaux

Say Laura

Constellation

Pop/Rock

The minimal and experimental composer finds gentle beauty in the unlikely combination of wandering, abstract guitar and softly crooned vocals.

— Fred Thomas

The Body / OAA

Enemy of Love

Thrill Jockey

Pop/Rock

Postindustrial techno artist OAA adds more of an electronic crunch to the Body's lurching rhythms and piercing shrieks.

— Paul Simpson

Holm

Why Don't You Dance

PNKSLM

Pop/Rock

Sharing some of the brooding post-punk and driving dance-rock inclinations of his band Yung, this hookier solo debut taps into suppressed thoughts.

— Marcy Donelson

River Shook / Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

Nightroamer

Abeyance Records

Country, Pop/Rock

The no-nonsense alt-country songwriter has been through some changes, and they've informed a great third album.

— Mark Deming

John Reis / John "Swami" Reis

Ride the Wild Night

Swami / Swami Recordings

Pop/Rock

The hardest working man in San Diego rock & roll adds a few pop touches to his music without diluting the excitement or the fun.

— Mark Deming

Pan•American

The Patience Fader

Kranky

Pop/Rock

Mark Nelson's ninth album as Pan•American is a spaced-out set of instrumental reflections for guitar, harmonica, and effects.

— Paul Simpson

David Benoit

A Midnight Rendezvous

Shanachie

Jazz

The contemporary jazz legend returns with a warm album featuring his first big-band recordings under his own name.

— Matt Collar

Methyl Ethel

Are You Haunted?

Future Classic

Pop/Rock

Anchored by piano, the vast psychedelic pop landscapes of this theatrical fourth outing were envisioned as the dreams of a man at an upright piano.

— Marcy Donelson

Elīna Garanča / Christian Thielemann / Wiener Philharmoniker

Live from Salzburg -- Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder; Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Impressive Wagner and Mahler songs work beautifully as a pair although not recorded together.

— James Manheim

Marc-André Hamelin

C.P.E. Bach: Sonatas & Rondos

Hyperion

Classical

Crisp readings of a generous selection of C.P.E. Bach's keyboard works delve deeply into his style.

— James Manheim

Elena Urioste / Tom Poster

From Brighton to Brooklyn

Chandos

Classical

Transatlantic collection unearths many gems found in the repertory of lighter early 20th century music.

— James Manheim

Marius Neset / Edward Gardner / Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Marius Neset: Manmade; Windless; Every Little Step; A Day in the Sparrow's Life

Chandos

Classical

New works with extramusical subjects, including climate change, also with new approaches to the relationship between classical music and jazz.

— James Manheim

Howard Shelley

Mendelssohn: The Complete Solo Piano Music, Vol. 6

Hyperion

Classical

Pianist Shelley brings quintessentially Mendelssohnian balance and a touch of melancholy to Lieder ohne Worte and other short works.

— James Manheim

Fretwork / David Miller / Silas Wollston

Matthew Locke: The Flat Consort

Signum Classics

Classical

A strong recording of mid-17th century composer Matthew Locke's cerebral, little-heard consort music.

— James Manheim

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