Rosalía

Motomami

Columbia

Latin, Electronic, International

Juxtaposing the jarring, dissonant, and experimental with the sweet, tender, and nurturing, the Spanish singer revels in musical contradiction.

— Thom Jurek

Charli xcx

Crash

Atlantic

Pop/Rock

The multifaceted singer/songwriter celebrates and updates pop's past heyday -- including her own.

— Heather Phares

Sonic Youth

In/Out/In

Three Lobed / Three Lobed Recordings

Pop/Rock

This collection of largely unreleased recordings from the 2000s captures the band's effortless chemistry during their final decade.

— Heather Phares

April March

In Cinerama

Omnivore

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

Broadcast

BBC Maida Vale Sessions

Warp

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Both familiar and surprising, the group's BBC sessions from the late '90s and early 2000s emphasize how brilliant they were from the beginning.

— Heather Phares

Broadcast

Microtronics, Vols. 1-2

Warp

Pop/Rock, Electronic

These engaging electronic miniatures present the band's music at its most whimsically abstract.

— Heather Phares

Broadcast

Mother Is the Milky Way

Warp

Pop/Rock, Electronic

Originally only available on the band's 2009 tour, this mini-album's mystical song collages transcend conventional notions of psychedelia.

— Heather Phares

Midlake

For the Sake of Bethel Woods

ATO

Pop/Rock

The progressive folk-rock combo returns after a nine-year hiatus with a poignant and sonically adventurous set.

— Timothy Monger

Mattiel

Georgia Gothic

ATO

Pop/Rock

The project's first outing as an official duo smooths garage rock corners and opens up their sound while retaining a dark and gritty blues heart.

— Marcy Donelson

Yumi Zouma

Present Tense

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

On their fourth album, the band successfully layer acoustic instruments (piano, woodwinds, strings) into their peacefully melancholy electronic pop sound.

— Tim Sendra

Brad Mehldau

Jacob's Ladder

Nonesuch

Jazz

The jazz pianist explores his love of prog rock on this ambitious, philosophically minded production.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Under the Bridge

Skep Wax Records

Pop/Rock

A mix of artists from Sarah Records past and present paying tribute to the enduring magic of the legendary indie pop label.

— Tim Sendra

Son House

Forever on My Mind

Easy Eye Sound

Blues, Folk

These informal recordings of the Delta Blues legend shortly after his 1964 rediscovery are dazzling in their spare intimacy.

— Mark Deming

Duke Robillard / Duke Robillard Band

They Called It Rhythm and Blues

Stony Plain

Blues, R&B

The guitarist, his house band, and an all-star guest list deliver 18 tracks of strolling, steamy, sweaty, R&B and blues goodness.

— Thom Jurek

Pictish Trail

Island Family

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

While still whimsical and mercurial as ever, the fifth album from Johnny Lynch's psych-pop project takes a dark turn into cabin fever.

— Marcy Donelson

John Carter

My World Fell Down: The John Carter Story

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

Well-curated collection of singles and demos culled from the English songwriter and performer's work during his heyday.

— Tim Sendra

Keith Richards

Main Offender

BMG / BMG Rights Management / Mindless Records

Pop/Rock

Keith Richards' second solo album keeps the focus on loose, bluesy grooves.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Blue States

World Contact Day

Memphis Industries

Pop/Rock

The sixth album from Andy Dragazis' project is a mysterious yet familiar blend of Baroque pop, British folk, and '90s dream pop.

— Paul Simpson

Various Artists

Can the Glam!

7T's / Cherry Red

Pop/Rock

This 80-song compilation covers the heyday of glam rock with inclusions from some of the genre's best-known and least-known acts alike.

— Fred Thomas

Chrome Canyon

Director

Stones Throw

Electronic

A decade after his debut, synthwave artist Morgan Z returns with a more refined, mature second album.

— Paul Simpson

Wesley Gonzalez

Wax Limousine

Moshi Moshi Records

Pop/Rock

A shining flex of glossy pop opulence that reveals a more porous and vulnerable underbelly.

— Timothy Monger

Fortunato Durutti Marinetti

Memory's Fool

Bobo Integral

Pop/Rock

For his second outing under the alias, Daniel Colussi (the Shilohs, the Pinc Lincolns) hypnotizes with ruminative, long-form singer/songwriter folk.

— Marcy Donelson

Marquis Hill

New Gospel Revisited

Edition

Jazz

More than a decade after the release of New Gospel, the trumpeter and a band composed entirely of bandleaders revisit it live.

— Thom Jurek

Danilo Pérez

Crisalida

Mack Avenue

Latin, Jazz

Two ambitious four-part suites featuring the Panama-born pianist and his Global Messengers ensemble.

— Matt Collar

Mindi Abair

Forever

Pretty Good for a Girl Records

Pop/Rock, Jazz, R&B

The saxophonist and bandleader delivers a hooky collection of rootsy vocal and instrumental pop originals with an all-star cast.

— Thom Jurek

Stabbing Westward

Chasing Ghosts

COP International

Pop/Rock

Returning after two decades, the goth-industrial quartet make a surprisingly potent comeback with this tight fifth album.

— Neil Z. Yeung

PLOSIVS

PLOSIVS

Swami

Pop/Rock

Smart punk with pop and indie rock overtones from members of Rocket from the Crypt, Pinback, and Against Me!

— Mark Deming

Edgar Moreau

Transmission: Korngold, Bruch, Ravel

Erato

Classical

Transmission of Jewish-influenced materials is achieved in this collection of works by cellist Moreau.

— James Manheim

Novus Quartet

Shostakovich: String Quartets No. 3 & No. 8

Aparte

Classical

Edgy performances of Shostakovich quartets seem to capture the troubled situations in which they arose.

— James Manheim

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Ruperto Chapí: String Quartets 3 & 4

Sono Luminus

Classical

Hugely enjoyable string quartets from Spain in superb performances, not typically nationalist but marked by Spanish traditions.

— James Manheim

Gil Shaham / Nicholas McGegan / SWR Symphonieorchester

Mozart: Violinkonzerte Nr. 1-5; Adagio KV 261; Rondo KV 373

SWR Music

Classical

Extraordinarily sensitive and flowing readings of Mozart's violin concertos on modern instruments.

— James Manheim

Ensemble Correspondances / Sébastien Daucé

Michel-Richard de Lalande: Grand Motets - Dies Irae, Miserere, Veni Creator

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Splendid performances of underexposed music from the court of the Sun King.

— James Manheim

Kaspars Putniņš / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

BIS

Classical

A lovely, ethereal recording of the lesser-known of Rachmaninov's two large pieces of sacred chamber music.

— James Manheim

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