Featured New Releases for
October 6, 2023

Drake

For All the Dogs

OVO Sound / Republic

Rap

Another self-referential batch of hazily atmospheric trap songs delivered with a familiar mix of aggressive bravado and morose introspection.

— Tim Sendra

Sufjan Stevens

Javelin

Asthmatic Kitty

Pop/Rock

Love, both human and divine, is examined in all its complexity and necessity in one of the songwriter's most affecting works.

— Mark Deming

Darius Rucker

Carolyn's Boy

Capitol / Capitol Nashville

Country

The Hootie & the Blowfish singer basks in the sun on this easygoing album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Joe Bonamassa

Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2

J&R Adventures / Provogue

Blues

The guitar slinger celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first all-blues album by showing off how much he's grown in the last two decades.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975)

Elektra / Rhino

Pop/Rock, Jazz

The third volume of this legendary singer/songwriter's ongoing archival series includes behind-the-scenes materials from one of her most transformative phases in the early '70s.

— Fred Thomas

Vanishing Twin

Afternoon X

Fire Records

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The group's first album as a trio adds a shifting, shadowy mystique to their experimental electronic pop.

— Heather Phares

Roger Waters

The Dark Side of the Moon Redux

Cooking Vinyl

Pop/Rock

The onetime Pink Floyd bassist revisits Dark Side of the Moon, placing the emphasis on words, not music.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Butcher Brown

Solar Music

Concord

Jazz

The Virginia-based quintet and a number of first-call guests deliver what is arguably the most elegant, soulful party album of the year.

— Thom Jurek

Mndsgn

Snaxxx

Stones Throw

R&B, Electronic

The third in the producer's series of informal beat tapes is a bit more song-oriented than its predecessors.

— Paul Simpson

Pale Saints

In Ribbons [Expanded 30th Anniversary Reissue]

4AD

Pop/Rock

4AD shines a light on the Leeds dream pop band's second album, remastered and augmented by the bonus 7" from the original vinyl pressing and nine demos.

— Andy Kellman

Mary Lattimore

Goodbye, Hotel Arkada

Ghostly International

Avant-Garde, Electronic, Pop/Rock

The ambient harpist turns in her most richly nuanced album to date, with help from members of Slowdive, the Cure, and other collaborators.

— Fred Thomas

Slauson Malone 1

Excelsior

Warp

Pop/Rock, Rap

The Warp debut from uncategorizable artist Jasper Marsalis is a vulnerable expression of raw truth.

— Paul Simpson

Timber Timbre

Lovage

Hot Dreams

Pop/Rock

Taylor Kirk explores everyday horror with bone-dry satire and sounds ranging from bubbling electro-jazz to Brian Wilson homages.

— Heather Phares

Allison Miller

Rivers in Our Veins

The Royal Potato

Jazz

An ecstatic celebration of America's vital waterways mixing jazz, folk, and tap-dancing traditions.

— Matt Collar

Creation Rebel

Hostile Environment

On-U Sound

Reggae

The first effort from the U.K. roots-dub reggae ensemble in four decades is a triumphant comeback.

— Paul Simpson

Glasser

crux

One Little Independent Records / One Little Indian

Pop/Rock

Cameron Mesirow's first album in a decade brings more depth and directness to her otherworldly electronic art-pop.

— Heather Phares

Various Artists

In the Light of Time: U.K. Post-Rock & Leftfield Pop 1992-1998

Ace

Pop/Rock

Collection of U.K. bands who helped to blow up preconceived notions of what rock music could be, while spinning it off in fascinating, oft-challenging directions.

— Tim Sendra

The Dear Hunter

Migrant Returned

Equal Vision

Pop/Rock

A reimagined version of the band's 2013 LP that features re-recorded tracks in rearranged order.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Tele Novella

Poet's Tooth

Kill Rock Stars

Pop/Rock

The country-psych duo's third album continues in the fancifully haunted fashion of their 2021 Kill Rock Stars debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Orions Belte

Women

Jansen

Pop/Rock

Known for their infectious grooves and whimsicality, the quasi-instrumental rock trio's third album adds sweeping strings to their eclectic sound.

— Marcy Donelson

Chouk Bwa & the Ångströmers

Somanti

Bongo Joe / Disques Bongo Joe

International

Second album of exhilarating voodoo dub from the Haitian roots ensemble and a duo of Belgian experimental producers.

— Paul Simpson

HUNNY

HUNNY'S NEW PLANET HEAVEN

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

Culling 12 songs from nearly 100 demos, and prioritizing band chemistry over studio perfection, the SoCal band's second album demonstrates growth.

— Marcy Donelson

Population II

Electrons Libres du Quebec

Bonsound Records

Pop/Rock

The band continue to dole out exciting and fierce hard psychedelia, only this time with a touch more focus on the songs.

— Tim Sendra

Christian Sands

Christmas Stories

Mack Avenue

Jazz

An all-star octet recorded this lighthearted companion to the pianist's annual Christmas gigs across the globe.

— Thom Jurek

Daniel Villarreal

Lados B

International Anthem

Latin, Jazz

On his second International Anthem release, the drummer re-enlists guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss from his debut.

— Thom Jurek

Adulkt Life

There Is No Desire

Pop/Rock

The second full-length from this London punk act featuring ex-members of Huggy Bear and Male Bonding is a slow-building maelstrom of controlled intensity.

— Fred Thomas

Axis: Sova

Blinded by Oblivion

God?

Pop/Rock

Production from Ty Segall and a revamp of their creative vision lead this psychedelic Chicago trio to their most intriguing yet accessible work to date.

— Fred Thomas

Various Artists

Bolinus Brandaris: Flamenco From the Bay of Cadiz

Dust-to-Digital

International

This rare, beautifully packaged and annotated collection of field recorded traditional flamenco comes from the "cradle of song," Spain's Bay of Cadiz.

— Thom Jurek