Björk

Fossora

One Little Independent Records / One Little Indian

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Delivering earthy illustrations of the many kinds of love and how they're expressed, the singer/songwriter's tenth album is one of her most moving.

— Heather Phares

Pixies

Doggerel [Deluxe Edition]

Infectious

Pop/Rock

The band's fourth post-reunion album defies expectations by smoothing off some edges and leaning into folk and country.

— Heather Phares

Freddie Gibbs

$oul $old $eparately

Warner Records

Rap

Fredde Gibbs' long-promised, guest-heavy Warner debut, following instant classics with Madlib and the Alchemist.

— Paul Simpson

OFF!

Free LSD

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Keith Morris' hardcore revivalists move on to something harder, tougher, and gloriously weird on their third album.

— Mark Deming

Melody's Echo Chamber

Unfold

Fat Possum Records

Pop/Rock

Lost treasure consisting of songs recorded for the group's second album but buried for years and sounding like a perfect bridge between eras and sounds.

— Tim Sendra

The Bad Plus

The Bad Plus [2022]

Edition Records

Jazz, Pop/Rock

Reinvented as a pianoless quartet with the addition of saxist Chris Speed and guitarist Ben Monder, the Bad Plus expand their musical palette exponentially.

— Thom Jurek

Wilco

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [Super Deluxe Edition]

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

A greatly expanded remastered edition featuring dozens of previously unreleased tracks, demos, instrumentals, a live concert recording, and more.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Cool It Down

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

Nearly a decade after Mosquito, the trio returns with a consistently engaging set of songs that hover between reflection and elation.

— Heather Phares

Buddy Guy

The Blues Don't Lie

RCA

Blues

An album so laid-back that it almost seems designed to be a chill-out record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Petra Haden / The Lord

Devotional

Southern Lord Records

Pop/Rock

A heavy and hypnotic union of harsh, droning guitars and intense wordless chanting from this unique duo.

— Timothy Monger

Titus Andronicus

The Will To Live

Merge

Pop/Rock

Easing back on punk in favor of a grander sound, the New Jersey band aims for the stars and almost hits the target.

— Mark Deming

Lambchop

The Bible

Merge

Pop/Rock

Kurt Wagner brings in plenty of outside help to create a beautiful and deeply personal album about spirituality and mortality.

— Mark Deming

Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble

II

Tompkins Square

Avant-Garde, Folk

The second offering from this acoustic Chicago-based ensemble offers more imaginative compositions and deeply focused interaction by the trio.

— Thom Jurek

Sammy Hagar / Sammy Hagar & the Circle

Crazy Times

Universal

Pop/Rock

Sammy Hagar & the Circle enjoy flexing their muscles on a variety of different moods, making this an unusually effective Sammy record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Slipknot

The End, So Far

Roadrunner Records

Pop/Rock

This album lacks some of its predecessor's potency, but it makes up for it with sheer grit and some surprising deviations.

— James Christopher Monger

Fujiya & Miyagi

Slight Variations

Impossible Objects of Desire

Pop/Rock

The Brits' ninth album acts as a stylistic retrospective while also pushing their Krautrock-rooted sound in new directions.

— Marcy Donelson

Keith Jarrett

Bordeaux Concert

ECM

Jazz

A compelling, interrogatory performance from the pianist's final European tour in 2016.

— Thom Jurek

Tyler Childers

Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?

Hickman Holler Records / RCA

Country

Three versions of the same eight songs showcase the far-reaching musical vision of Tyler Childers.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Snarky Puppy

Empire Central

GroundUP Music

Jazz

A tangible, infectiously funky homage to the group's Dallas-area roots.

— Matt Collar

YG

I Got Issues

Def Jam

Rap

The sixth studio album from the Compton rapper flits between multiple styles with mixed results in each.

— TiVo Staff

Baal / Baal & Mortimer / Mortimer / Conrad Schnitzler

Con-Struct

Bureau B

Electronic, Pop/Rock

Alexandra Grübler composes ethereal avant-pop using sounds from the late Conrad Schnitzler's vast archive.

— Paul Simpson

2nd Grade

Easy Listening

Double Double Whammy

Pop/Rock

The second album from Philly D.I.Y. power pop band brings louder guitars and nostalgic daydreaming to their melodically sweet sound.

— Fred Thomas

Gabriels

Angels & Queens, Pt. 1

Parlophone

R&B

More turbulent and cinematic fusions of gospel, soul, and funk from the out-of-time trio, assisted by Kendrick Lamar collaborator Sounwave.

— Andy Kellman

Gloria Scott

So Wonderful

Acid Jazz

R&B

A worthy sequel to the under-recorded soul singer's Barry White-produced 1974 debut.

— Andy Kellman

Keith Carlock / Bill Evans / Robben Ford / Darryl Jones

Common Ground

MPS / MPS Records

Jazz

Along with drummer Keith Carlock and bassist Darryl Jones, the saxophonist and guitarist deliver a hip set of jazzy, funky, bluesy originals

— Thom Jurek

Mamalarky

Pocket Fantasy

Fire Talk

Pop/Rock

The quartet's largely home-recorded second album only amplifies the off-kilter, catchy, kaleidoscopic tendencies of their debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Mythic Sunship

Light/Flux

RT Records / Tee Pee

Pop/Rock

Danish space-jazz collective takes a turn toward earthier tones and more restrained performances.

— Fred Thomas

Oren Ambarchi

Shebang

Drag City

Avant-Garde, Pop/Rock, Jazz

A constantly evolving piece divided into several movements, threading together post-minimalism, chamber jazz, ambient country, and more.

— Paul Simpson

Steven Lloyd-Gonzalez / BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 9

First Hand Records

Classical

Quality readings of two Shostakovich symphonies by Lloyd-Gonzalez and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

— Keith Finke

Hélène Clément / Sarah Connolly / Alasdair Beatson

Bridge: There Is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook; Three Songs; Britten: Lachrymae; Elegy

Chandos

Classical

A gorgeous recording of small works by Bridge and Britten, unified by a viola given to the latter by the former.

— James Manheim

University of Texas Wind Ensemble / Jerry Junkin

Migration

Reference Recordings

Classical

Junkin leads the UT Wind Ensemble on a program of works with a generalized theme of migration.

— Keith Finke

Jonathan Tetelman / Karel Mark Chichon / Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria

Arias

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Young tenor plays to his strengths in a voice that's drawing comparisons to Franco Corelli.

— James Manheim

René Jacobs / B'Rock

Schubert: Unfinished & Great Symphonies

Pentatone / PentaTone Classics

Classical

A radical reinterpretation of the "Unfinished" symphony as an intentionally unfinished work shows that the septuagenarian Jacobs can still shock.

— James Manheim

Andrew Staples / Christopher Parkes / Daniel Harding / Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Britten: Les Illuminations; Serenade; Nocturne

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Quiet recording of Britten's three orchestral song cycles seems close to the composer's intentions.

— James Manheim

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