Eminem

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

Shady / Aftermath / Interscope

Rap

Concept album in which the rap god faces off against the exaggerated alter ego that made him a star.

— Fred Thomas

Phish

Evolve

Jemp Records

Pop/Rock

The veteran jam band capture much of their in-concert charm on this lively, loose record.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Clairo

Charm

Clairo Records

Pop/Rock

Forsaking both the bedroom and the orchestra, Claire Cottrill's third album is an alternately sprightly and languid excursion into vintage soul with psychedelic hints.

— Tim Sendra

Cigarettes After Sex

X's

Partisan

Pop/Rock

Shading their minimalist melodrama with soft rock and Tejano, the project's third album hovers between afterglow and aftermath.

— Heather Phares

Brian Eno

Eno [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

UMR / Verve / Verve International

Pop/Rock, Avant-Garde, Electronic, Stage & Screen

The soundtrack to a generative biographical documentary provides a well-rounded view of the iconic artist's 50-year solo career.

— Paul Simpson

Remi Wolf

Big Ideas

EMI / Island

Pop/Rock

The ever-candid, fun-loving, genre-melding popster reunites with Juno producer Solomonophonic for an also delightfully over-the-top sequel.

— Marcy Donelson

Travis

L.A. Times

BMG / BMG Rights Management

Pop/Rock

A look at the modern world through the colorful prism of Fran Healy's adopted home of Los Angeles.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Cassandra Jenkins

My Light, My Destroyer

Dead Oceans

Pop/Rock

An adventurous and exquisitely crafted followup to the New Yorker's 2021 critical breakout.

— Timothy Monger

Joe Goddard

Harmonics

Domino

Electronic, Pop/Rock

The producer, remixer, and Hot Chip member teams up with friends and collaborators old and new to celebrate shared creativity.

— Heather Phares

OneRepublic

Artificial Paradise

Interscope / Mosley Music / Mosley/Interscope / Republic

Pop/Rock

Another full-length from the pop hitmakers that buffers massive international smash singles with serviceable filler.

— Neil Z. Yeung

Brijean

Macro

Ghostly International

Pop/Rock, Electronic

The Los Angeles duo's third full-length blends balmy, '60s exotica and AM pop melodies with groovy, '90s French house vibes.

— Matt Collar

Darien Brockington

Where Love Grows

Foreign Exchange Music

R&B

A concise return from the progressive R&B singer/songwriter and Foreign Exchange associate, his first release since 2010.

— Andy Kellman

Ani DiFranco

Unprecedented Sh!t

Righteous Babe Records

Electronic, Folk

For the first time in her three-plus-decade career, the iconic singer/songwriter collaborates with a producer.

— Thom Jurek

HARDY

Quit!!

Big Loud Records

Pop/Rock

The country singer embraces hard rock on this homage to nu-metal.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Luke Temple

Certain Limitations

Western Vinyl Records

Pop/Rock

An improvisational trio LP still guided by the leader's idiosyncratically cosmic qualities.

— Marcy Donelson

Chris Cohen

Paint a Room

Hardly Art

Pop/Rock

The gently psychedelic songwriter expands his sound with touches of bossa nova, jangle pop rhythms, and complex horn arrangements.

— Fred Thomas

Joan of Arc

A Window & A Mirror

Joyful Noise

Pop/Rock

A box set collects the first five albums from this experimental Chicago rock band, bracketing pathfinding material recorded between 1996 and 2002.

— Fred Thomas

Jake Xerxes Fussell

When I'm Called

Fat Possum Records

Folk, Pop/Rock

The Durham folksinger's first set for Fat Possum is rich in personality and warmth.

— Timothy Monger

Linda Sikhakhane

iLadi

Blue Note

International, Jazz

The South African saxophonist teams up with a rhythm section and producer/pianist Nduduzo Makhathini to explore the heartbeat of spiritual jazz.

— Thom Jurek

The Spinners

Keep On Keepin' On: The Atlantic Years (Phase 2, 1979-1984)

Second Disc Records / SoulMusic

R&B

Complementing the 2023 Thom Bell-era box, this covers a period in which the group worked with Michael Zager, James Mtume, and Leon Sylvers.

— Andy Kellman

Antoine Fafard / Gavin Harrison

Perpetual Mutations

Harmonic Heresy / Timeless Momentum

Classical, Jazz, Pop/Rock

The pair's second outing leans harder into prog, jazz, and fusion with a soupçon of crossover classical woven in for texture and drama.

— Thom Jurek

Love Fiend

Handle With Care

In the Red Records

Pop/Rock

Spunky, energetic blend of guitars, synthesizers, and pop hooks that sounds like the Great Lost New Wave Album of 1979.

— Mark Deming

Meridian Brothers

Mi Latinoamérica Sufre

Disques Bongo Joe

Electronic, International, Latin

The solo studio project of Eblis Alvarez looks to Colombia's Caribbean coastline and Africa on this danceable, futurist concept album.

— Thom Jurek

DJ Boring

DJ-Kicks

!K7

Electronic

An eclectic, largely carefree mix ranging from bubbly ambient pieces to slightly retro house and garage, with some left-field surprises.

— Paul Simpson

Odie Leigh

Carrier Pigeon

Mom + Pop Music

Pop/Rock

Four years after going viral with acoustic folk on a bet, a fully arranged, irresistibly tuneful, disarmingly down-to-earth indie pop debut.

— Marcy Donelson

Orquesta Akokán

Caracoles

Daptone

Latin, International, Jazz

On their third album, the hard-swinging Daptone Afro-Latin band reflect and innovate on the mambo as a core for danceable, creative exploration.

— Thom Jurek

Billy Strings

Live, Vol. 1

Reprise

Pop/Rock, Country

The bluegrass virtuoso thrives in an improvisational setting.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rain

Tomorrow Never Comes: The NYC Sessions 1967-1968

Grapefruit

Pop/Rock

A lost album that verges on classic status from a Beatles-influenced psychedelic pop group who vanished soon after they left the studio.

— Tim Sendra

eco|tonal / Sandbox Percussion / Mak Grgic / Daniel Lippel

David Crowell: Point / Cloud

Better Company

Avant-Garde, Classical

Postminimalist music that directly develops ideas in that of, especially, Steve Reich.

— James Manheim

Mark Elder / Hallé Orchestra

Elgar: Symphony No. 1 in A flat; Symphony No. 2 in E flat

Hallé

Classical

Traditional readings of Elgar from the orchestra that knows him best.

— James Manheim

Sarah Connolly / Pumeza Matshikiza / Andrew Davis / BBC Symphony Chorus / BBC Symphony Orchestra

Tippett: A Child of Our Time

Chandos

Classical

A powerful secular oratorio receives a vocally superior performance, from chorus to soloists.

— James Manheim

Brad Mehldau

After Bach II

Nonesuch

Classical

An expansion of Mehldau's jazz-influenced takes on classical music is both creative and well-executed.

— James Manheim

Colin Currie / JoAnn Falletta / Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman: Percussion Concerto; Wunderkammer

Sony Classical

Classical

Highly listenable works, reflecting but not aping Elfman's film music style.

— James Manheim

Paul Wee / Michael Collins / Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Henselt & Bronsart: Piano Concertos

BIS

Classical

Two rarely recorded Romantic period piano concertos, expertly played, that may set a new standard for each.

— Keith Finke

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