Metallica

72 Seasons

Blackened Recordings / Rhino

Pop/Rock

A big, heavy record containing no ballads and plenty of songs where James Hetfield comes to terms with childhood trauma.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Feist

Multitudes

Interscope

Pop/Rock

Developed at a series of intimate concerts, the songwriter's first album in six years takes on profound subject matter with an experimental bent.

— Marcy Donelson

Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers / Neil Young

Somewhere Under the Rainbow 1973

Reprise

Pop/Rock

Roughly recorded audience tape of a London concert made up of Tonight's the Night material and other unexpected detours.

— Fred Thomas

Temples

Exotico

ATO

Pop/Rock

The group work with Sean Lennon and Dave Fridmann to add new sonic elements like soft rock and stadium indie to their retro-psychedelic sound.

— Tim Sendra

Dinner Party

Enigmatic Society

Sounds of Crenshaw

R&B, Jazz

Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington reconvene for a warm and inviting second effort as a genre-blurring quartet.

— Andy Kellman

The Ducks

High Flyin'

Reprise

Pop/Rock

Archival recordings document Neil Young's brief tenure as guitarist with one of the best bar bands you'll ever hear.

— Mark Deming

Natalie Merchant

Keep Your Courage

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

The former 10,000 Maniacs singer looks to the future with a heart full of love and courage.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Black Thought / El Michels Affair

Glorious Game

Big Crown

Rap

Typically riveting work from the Roots MC combined with bandleader Michels' surprising and effective use of sample-based productions.

— Andy Kellman

GoGo Penguin

Everything Is Going to Be OK

Masterworks

Jazz, Pop/Rock

The British jazz trio reflect on tragedy and loss while producing some of their most comforting and optimistic music.

— Paul Simpson

Petite Noir

MotherFather

Roya

Pop/Rock

Created during a time of travel and reflection, the Congolese artist's eclectic second album wraps joy and sorrow in fascinating sonics.

— Heather Phares

TERRY

Call Me Terry

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

The band return with another lived-in, comfortable shirt of an album built on camaraderie and love, full of great songs and gentle surprises.

— Tim Sendra

Cindy

Why Not Now?

Mt. St. Mtn.

Pop/Rock

LP four welcomes players from the greater S.F. indie scene without cluttering the project's stark blend of slowcore and indie pop inspirations.

— Marcy Donelson

Dave Okumu / Seven Generations

I Came From Love

Transgressive

Pop/Rock, R&B

The genre-defying artist reflects on his family ancestry and Black history for a poetic, defiant album encouraging resistance and positive change.

— Paul Simpson

Jonathan Bree

Pre-Code Hollywood

Lil' Chief

Pop/Rock

Taking on the '80s in his usual idiosyncratic fashion with the help of Nile Rodgers, the artist's craft and heart come through in equal measure.

— Tim Sendra

Lachlan Denton

Furnishings

Bobo Integral

Pop/Rock

After a crushingly beautiful solo album about the death of his brother, the indie songwriter continues exploring grief with far less somber songs.

— Fred Thomas

Bodywash

I Held the Shape While I Could

Light Organ Records

Pop/Rock

The sophomore album from the Montreal shoegaze group tends toward heavier emotional themes and more intricate musical modes than their gentler earlier work.

— Fred Thomas

Chris Duarte

Ain't Giving Up

Provogue

Blues, Pop/Rock

A house-rocking collection of boogies, shuffles, and ravers that keeps the focus on the songs.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Natural Information Society

Since Time Is Gravity

Eremite / Aguirre Records

Jazz

The Chicago-based ensemble with tenor great Ari Brown as a special guest deliver a trancelike exercise in modal jazz and circular rhythm.

— Thom Jurek

The Tallest Man on Earth

Henry St.

Anti-

Pop/Rock

Recording with a band that encourages him to embrace his joy, the Swedish singer/songwriter discovers his jaunty side.

— Mark Deming

Xylouris White

The Forest in Me

Drag City

Avant-Garde, International, Pop/Rock

Recorded continents apart before and during the pandemic, this set manages to offer an even more intimate and adventurous musical language.

— Thom Jurek

Fenne Lily

Big Picture

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

The singer/songwriter offers more of her hazy, melancholy ruminations on an album that traces an ill-fated relationship.

— Marcy Donelson

Kid Koala

Creatures of the Late Afternoon

Envision Records

Electronic, Rap

The visionary turntablist presents a futuristic sci-fi love story, heavy on fuzzed-out guitars, crunchy breakbeats, and constant scratching.

— Paul Simpson

Spencer Cullum

Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection 2

Full Time Hobby

Pop/Rock, Folk

The second solo effort from the pedal steel player is a charming and adventurous mix of vintage pop, folk, jazz, and prog flavors.

— Mark Deming

Dionne Warwick

The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973

Real Gone Music

R&B

Thorough three-disc anthology combining everlasting pop classics with often-thrilling B-sides.

— Andy Kellman

Fabrizio Chiovetta

Schumann: Fantasie; Arabeske; Kinderszenen

Aparte

Classical

Beautifully controlled Schumann program that balances the Beethovenian and the experimental.

— James Manheim

Thibault Cauvin

Bach

Sony Classical

Classical

Extreme Bach on the guitar, with a reverberant church acoustic.

— James Manheim

Gottfried von der Goltz / Kristian Bezuidenhout / Freiburger Barockorchester

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3-5

Aparte

Classical

A muscular, entirely original take on Mozart's familiar violin concertos.

— James Manheim

Enrico Dindo / Daniele Rustioni / Orchestra della Toscana

Dvorák: Cello Concerto Op. 104; Rondo Op. 94; Klid - Waldesruhe Op. 68 No. 5; Laßt mich allein - Lie

Dynamic

Classical

An exceptionally expressive Dvořák cello concerto with a mood that shifts like that of an operatic scene.

— James Manheim

Norwegian Soloists' Choir / Grete Pedersen / Ensemble Allegria

Bent Sørensen: St. Matthew Passion

BIS

Classical

A fascinating rendering of the St. Matthew Passion, with texts by various poets interleaved with biblical words.

— James Manheim

Rafał Blechacz

Chopin

Deutsche Grammophon

Classical

Passionate yet structurally insightful Chopin scores strongly in the big sonatas.

— James Manheim

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