Yard Act

Where's My Utopia?

Island / Republic

Pop/Rock

Leeds post-punks upstage their Mercury Prize-nominated debut with a wry, chaotic, and infectious follow-up produced by Gorillaz's Remi Kabaka, Jr.

— Marcy Donelson

Liam Gallagher / John Squire

Liam Gallagher & John Squire

Warner Music / WEA

Pop/Rock

The Oasis singer and Stone Roses guitarist prove to be natural creative partners.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Julian Lage

Speak to Me

Blue Note

Jazz

A gorgeously textured and varied set from the enigmatic guitarist featuring production from Joe Henry.

— Timothy Monger

The Who

Live at Shea Stadium 1982

Mercury / Mercury Studios

Pop/Rock

A surprisingly robust document of the Who on their 1982 "farewell" tour.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Sean Lennon

Asterisms

Tzadik Records

Jazz, Electronic, Pop/Rock

The musical polymath broadens his scope with an album of completely instrumental cosmic jazz and ambient cinema-scapes.

— Fred Thomas

STRFKR

Parallel Realms

Polyvinyl

Pop/Rock

Album eight hits a sweet spot with 17 bittersweet, grooving synth pop tracks that play out like an hour-long DJ set for the alienated.

— Marcy Donelson

Sheer Mag

Playing Favorites

Third Man Records

Pop/Rock

The Philly band make their Third Man Records debut with their most stylistically diverse yet still rockin' album to date.

— Matt Collar

Faye Webster

Underdressed at the Symphony

Secretly Canadian

Pop/Rock

A lush, laconic album that can sometimes feel like a 21st century spin on yacht rock.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Squarepusher

Dostrotime

Warp

Electronic

One of Tom Jenkinson's most well-rounded full-lengths, with tracks ranging from solemn guitar meditations to acidcore rave madness.

— Paul Simpson

Linda Smith

I So Liked Spring

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

Originally available only on cassette, this 1996 album features the words of Victorian-era poet Charlotte Mew as interpreted by a pioneer of lo-fi indie.

— Fred Thomas

Linda Smith

Nothing Else Matters

Captured Tracks

Pop/Rock

1995 album from this home recording visionary finds her making the transition to relatively clearer production without sacrificing her inventiveness or unique songwriting style.

— Fred Thomas

Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album

Kaiser Chiefs Recordings

Pop/Rock

This energetic eighth set from the Leeds lads finds the ideal balance between their raucous early days and their polished late-era sound.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Pissed Jeans

Half Divorced

Sub Pop

Pop/Rock

Now settled into middle age, Allentown, Pennsylvania's prophets of rage prove some folks don't mellow, they just get angrier.

— Mark Deming

Mildlife

Chorus

Heavenly / Heavenly Recordings

Jazz, Pop/Rock

On their third studio album, the Australian psychedelic fusion quartet seamlessly integrate vintage-sounding jazz-funk, electronics, and spacey rock.

— Thom Jurek

Jahari Massamba Unit

Yhwh Is Love

Law of Rhythm

Jazz, Rap

The second long-player by Karriem Riggins and Madlib offers a warm, spacious, and colorful approach to modern jazz-funk.

— Thom Jurek

Ben Frost

Scope Neglect

Mute

Electronic, Avant-Garde

The experimental artist deconstructs progressive metal on this disorienting work, his first studio album in seven years.

— Paul Simpson

The Bevis Frond

Focus on Nature

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

Nick Saloman adds some edgy sounds to his psychedelic wanderlust in an album that makes room for environmental activism.

— Mark Deming

San Cisco

Under the Light

Nettwerk

Pop/Rock

The romantic and airy fifth album from the Australian indie pop trio.

— Matt Collar

Pheromoans

Wyrd Psearch

Upset the Rhythm

Pop/Rock

Though sometimes subtle to the point of deadpan, the English post-punk band capture a specific mood of observational ennui on their 13th album.

— Fred Thomas

Amaro Freitas

Y’Y

Psychic Hotline

Jazz

The fourth album by the Brazilian pianist was inspired by a nearly mystical 4,600 kilometer journey to Manaus in the Amazon Basin.

— Thom Jurek

Coco

2

Pop/Rock

On the follow-up, members of Lucius, Dirty Projectors, and Pavo Pavo bolster the dreamy soft rock sound of their debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Daniel Romano

Too Hot to Sleep

You've Changed Records

Pop/Rock

The Canadian shape-shifter and his band go full bore on this smart, swaggering punk set.

— Timothy Monger

Daymé Arocena

Al-Kemi

Brownswood

Jazz

The Cuban singer-songwriter teams with producer Eduardo Cabra to deliver an album that melds neo soul, beats, pop, and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

— Thom Jurek

Mannequin Pussy

I Got Heaven

Epitaph

Pop/Rock

The swaggering, apocalyptically romantic fourth album from the Philly indie punk outfit.

— Matt Collar

Walter Trout

Broken

Mascot Music / Provogue

Blues, Pop/Rock

The bluesman offers a steely, empathetic look at life, loss, and reclamation in a dozen cuts with some very special guests helping out.

— Thom Jurek

Jörg Widmann / Hagen Quartett

Mozart & Widmann: Clarinet Quintets

Myrios Classics

Classical

An excellent Mozart Clarinet Quintet performance paired with a new work in the medium by the performer.

— James Manheim

Dalia Stasevska / Lahti Symphony Orchestra

Leiviskä: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1

BIS

Classical

This composer, little-known outside Finland, found ways of developing Sibelian lines of thought in more modern times.

— James Manheim

Tomáš Brauner / Prague Symphony Orchestra

Dvorák: Slavonic Dances

Supraphon

Classical

Here, Dvořák's Slavonic Dances have a full measure of the infectious quality that made them a hit from day one.

— James Manheim

Lyric Fest

Daron Hagen: The Art of Song

Naxos

Classical

Absorbing contemporary song cycle matches a startling diversity of texts with medieval-like textures in which texts sometimes sound together.

— James Manheim

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas / Les Surprises

Te Deum: Charpentier, Desmarest

Alpha

Classical

Contrasting Te Deum settings from the French court goes beyond simple splendor to capture evolving styles.

— James Manheim

Christophe Rousset / Flemish Radio Choir [Vlaams Radiokoor] / Les Talens Lyriques

Louise Bertin: Fausto

Palazzetto Bru Zane

Classical

A revival of a remarkable lost opera by a female composer and friend of Berlioz.

— James Manheim

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