Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory

Jagjaguwar

Pop/Rock

The indie folk-rocker addresses timely themes of anxiety and alienation with an icy post-punk palette on a record written and recorded as a band.

— Marcy Donelson

Guided by Voices

Universe Room

GBV

Pop/Rock

On their 41st studio album, this indie rock superpower scatters their approaches of songwriting, production, and arrangement so very little repeats.

— Fred Thomas

Squid

Cowards

Warp

Pop/Rock

The Brighton post-punk quintet heads into the heart of darkness with vigor and energy.

— Timothy Monger

Wilco

A Ghost Is Born

Nonesuch

Pop/Rock

Well-curated expanded edition of Wilco's adventurous, organic follow-up to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

— Mark Deming

James Brandon Lewis Trio / James Brandon Lewis

Apple Cores

Anti-

Jazz, Reggae

The prolific saxophonist and his trio of longtime collaborators channel the inspirations of writer Amiri Baraka and pioneer trumpeter Don Cherry.

— Thom Jurek

The Moles

Composition Book

Revolver USA

Pop/Rock

Spare and ramshackle indie rock guided by longtime proponent Richard Davies that delves into warm nostalgia and up-to-date angst.

— Tim Sendra

Facs

Wish Defense

Trouble in Mind

Pop/Rock

Rejoined by founding member Jonathan Van Herik, the trio explores dualities with dazzling clarity and charred distortion.

— Heather Phares

Drop Nineteens

1991

Wharf Cat Records

Pop/Rock

Gathering remastered versions of the cult favorite band's early demos for official release, this time capsule also captures the feel of the era.

— Heather Phares

Dream Theater

Parasomnia

Inside Out Music

Pop/Rock

Drummer Mike Portnoy returns to the fold after a 15-year absence and fits right into the band's evolved modern sound.

— Thom Jurek

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Perfect Right Now: A Slumberland Collection 2008-2010

Slumberland

Pop/Rock

A collection of early non-LP singles that range from C86-inspired noise pop to more subtle dream pop with New Order and Cure influences.

— Tim Sendra

Sinner DC / Sonic Boom

Maps

Mental Groove

Electronic, Pop/Rock

This collaboration between the Swiss electronic duo and the ex-Spacemen 3 member incorporates surreal spoken narration into its waves of blissfully damaged sound.

— Fred Thomas

Rats on Rafts

Deep Below

Fire Records

Pop/Rock

The Dutch post-punk weirdos surprisingly pivot to an atmospheric goth/dream pop sound.

— Paul Simpson

Nyron Higor

Nyron Higor

Far Out Recordings

International

The Brazilian composer embraces the ghosts of '70s MPB and samba while extending the tradition into jazz, soul, and psychedelia.

— Thom Jurek

Helen Ganya

Share Your Care

Bella Union

Pop/Rock

On her fourth album, the artist fka Dog in the Snow adds traditional Thai music to her already high-contrast art pop, with compelling results.

— Marcy Donelson

Nadia Reid

Enter Now Brightness

Chrysalis Records

Pop/Rock

With her self-assured fourth LP, the singer/songwriter embraces changes including motherhood, a move abroad, and a sturdier soft rock palette.

— Marcy Donelson

Her Space Holiday

Home Is Where You Hang Yourself [25th Anniversary Edition]

Numero / Numero Group

Pop/Rock

The 25th Anniversary Edition of this depressive indie electronica masterpiece includes an extra album's worth of remixes and other ephemeral tracks.

— Fred Thomas

Mary Halvorson / Mary Halvorson Quartet

John Zorn: Bagatelles, Vol. 1

Tzadik Records

Jazz, Avant-Garde

The first individual disc in John Zorn's four-box set Bagatelles series is reissued as a standalone and well worthy of its distinction.

— Thom Jurek

Tommy Castro / Tommy Castro & the Painkillers

Closer to the Bone

Alligator / Alligator Records

Blues

The bluesman returns to his raucous roots, offering 11 covers and three originals drenched in raw, soulful blues with a killer cast.

— Thom Jurek

Quatuor Ysaÿe

Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets

La Dolce Volta

Classical

Live recordings from 2008 by one of the top quartets of the day treat Beethoven's quartets as a single unit.

— James Manheim

Kahchun Wong / Hallé Orchestra

Benjamin Britten: The Prince of the Pagodas

Hallé

Classical

A little-known 1956 ballet is enhanced by an accurate representation of Balinese gamelan music.

— James Manheim

Alexandre Kantorow

Brahms, Schubert

BIS

Classical

A superb recital featuring public-facing works by Schubert and the young Brahms.

— James Manheim

Brabant Ensemble / Stephen Rice

A Monk's Life

Hyperion

Classical

A novel programming concept relates Renaissance compositions to ideas a monk might contemplate.

— James Manheim

Romain Leleu / Julien Gernay

Folies parisiennes

Harmonia Mundi

Classical

This album showcasing historical instruments functions equally well as a celebration of Paris and an inventive mix of works.

— James Manheim

Ethel / Allison Loggins-Hull

Persist

Sono Luminus

Classical

Works with diverse programs hang together nicely through rhythmic connections.

— James Manheim

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