King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

KGLW

Pop/Rock

The group's second foray into metal is even more fierce and gripping than their first, incorporating black metal influences into the mix.

— Tim Sendra

Queens of the Stone Age

In Times New Roman...

Matador

Pop/Rock

QOTSA strip down to their essence, sometimes sounding vulnerable underneath their roar.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Meshell Ndegeocello

The Omnichord Real Book

Blue Note

R&B, Jazz

The singer/songwriter and bassist's stellar first album as a leader for Blue Note, produced by Josh Johnson.

— Andy Kellman

John Mellencamp

Orpheus Descending

Republic

Pop/Rock

A returning Lisa Germano gives this earthy record an unexpected emotional kick.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cat Stevens / Yusuf

King of a Land

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock

The former Cat Stevens aligns his musical past and spiritual present on a moving and well-crafted album.

— Mark Deming

Django Django

Off Planet

Because Music

Pop/Rock

The U.K. art-pop combo sound fresh and revitalized on their guest-heavy, space-themed fifth album.

— Timothy Monger

Drive-By Truckers

The Complete Dirty South

New West

Pop/Rock

The Southern rock revivalists' fifth studio album remains impressive, restored to its intended 17-track sequence.

— Mark Deming

Gov't Mule

Peace... Like a River

Fantasy

Pop/Rock

Recorded at the same time as 2021's Heavy Load Blues, this set, composed entirely of originals, channels the band's '70s influences.

— Thom Jurek

Pet Shop Boys

Smash: The Singles 1985-2020

Parlophone / Rhino

Pop/Rock

This remarkable set collating 35 years of high-quality singles speaks for itself.

— Timothy Monger

Kool Keith

Black Elvis 2

Mello Music Group

Rap

The rap visionary revisits one of his key alter egos on the sequel to his 1999 major-label effort.

— Paul Simpson

Boris / Uniform

Bright New Disease

Sacred Bones

Pop/Rock

The two groups channel pandemic-induced rage through an unruly amalgamation of thrash, industrial, sludge, and noise rock.

— Paul Simpson

Creep Show

Yawning Abyss

Bella Union

Electronic, Pop/Rock

John Grant and Wrangler tighten their focus on their second album to confront corruption and indifference with humor and horror.

— Heather Phares

Pat Metheny

Dream Box

Modern Recordings

Jazz

Covers and originals recorded solo over several years have been re-envisioned and re-edited to create a canny set of electric guitar ballads.

— Thom Jurek

Son Volt

Day of the Doug

Transmit Sound

Pop/Rock

A robust, earthy, and fun tribute to the late, great Doug Sahm.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Lorelle Meets the Obsolete

Datura

Sonic Cathedral

Pop/Rock

The band eschew hazy psychedelia once and for all with a set of dark, uneasy, and experimental noise rock.

— Tim Sendra

Bonny Doon

Let There Be Music

Anti-

Pop/Rock

The third LP from these soft rock revivalists is less rootsy and has a livelier, poppier tone that's still amiably laid-back.

— Mark Deming

Motorpsycho

Yay!

Stickman Records

Pop/Rock

Norway's sonic psychonauts shake off the fear and isolation of the pandemic (and their last few records) with uncharacteristically sunny psychedelia.

— Thom Jurek

Tough Age

Waiting Here

Bobo Integral

Pop/Rock

Canadian trio assembles subtle and overt reference points into a collage of sharp, jangly indie punk on their fifth full-length.

— Fred Thomas

Terri Lyne Carrington

TLC & Friends

Candid

Jazz

The rarely heard debut from the Grammy-winning jazz drummer is a hard bop blowing session with veterans.

— Matt Collar

Various Artists

Silberland, Vol. 2: The Driving Side of Kosmische Musik 1974-1984

Bureau B

Electronic, Avant-Garde

An excellent collection of beat-driven highlights from the vast back catalog of reissue-heavy German label Bureau B.

— Paul Simpson

SunYears

Come Fetch My Soul!

Yep Roc

Pop/Rock

Steeped in affectionate nostalgia, this project debut from Peter Bjorn and John's Peter Morén features duets with Ron Sexsmith, Fruit Bats, and more.

— Marcy Donelson

Thomas Hampson / Martin Haselböck / Stephanie Houtzeel / Sunhae Im / Tomasz Konieczny / Orchester Wiener Akademie

Liszt: Orchestral Songs

Aparte

Classical

A superb group of Liszt orchestral songs includes world premieres.

— James Manheim

Marek Štilec / Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra

Novák: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2

Naxos

Classical

Two entertaining works deepen Dvořák's use of Czech folk music and one deeply serious World War II-era work.

— James Manheim

Alexander Melnikov

Fantasie: 7 Composers, 7 Keyboards

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Program showcasing historical keyboards, several owned by the artist, also examines that fantasia as a form.

— James Manheim

Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir / Justin Doyle / Akademie für Alte Musik, Berlin

George Frideric Handel: Coronation Anthems - Blow, Croft

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

Rich, although somewhat undersized, coronation anthems add a Continental touch to these quintessentially English works.

— James Manheim

Piers Lane

Piers Lane Goes to Town Again

Hyperion

Classical

Second volume of encores focuses on dance pieces as delightful and unexpected as the first "Goes to Town" volume.

— James Manheim

Arabella Steinbacher / Lawrence Foster

Bruch & Korngold

PentaTone Classics

Classical

Deliberate, lush performances of late Romantic concertos, with a great match of artist and music in Korngold's 1945 work.

— James Manheim

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