Editors' Choice for August 2023
Western Vinyl Records
The band's hallucinatory second album uses otherworldly noise rock and electronics to capture the magnitude of loss.
- Heather Phares
Uninhabitable Mansions
Disappointment and depression fuel earworms on a set of lo-fi synth pop that marries dark post-punk and bittersweet indie pop tradition.
- Marcy Donelson
Debemur Morti
The second volume in the band's Disharmonium series is more experimental, consistent, and and expansive than its predecessor.
- Thom Jurek
Island
A compelling compilation of iconic Bob Marley tracks revisioned by contemporary Afrobeats artists.
- Thom Jurek
Drag City
A hushed and deeply focused solo outing from this rusty-voiced songwriter recalls elements of his most celebrated earlier work.
- Fred Thomas
4AD
The Big Thief guitarist's third LP is again highlighted by poetic lyrics, charming melodies, an A-plus live-in-studio band, and disarming sincerity.
- Marcy Donelson
Twosyllable
Tenth anniversary reissue of the psych-gaze cult classic, including its dual mono instrumental mix and the band's first song in a decade.
- Paul Simpson
Blue Note
Joshua Karpeh's second album -- his first for Blue Note -- is a pronounced and fascinating deviation from his debut.
- Andy Kellman
ATO
By keeping melodies and harmonies at the forefront, these Grateful Dead disciples keep their shaggy music lucid.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Arts & Crafts / Real Kind
The intricately self-produced, disheartened follow-up to 2020's All That Emotion is an exercise in writing more candidly that pays off.
- Marcy Donelson
Blue Note
On his Blue Note debut, the Cuban pianist and a killer band weave Latin jazz, post-bop, blues, French chanson, and global funk.
- Thom Jurek
Deutsche Grammophon
Brilliant, knife's-edge treatments of Ysaÿe's six virtuoso sonatas also delve into the traditions they represent.
- James Manheim
![Joe Hisaishi: A Symphonic Celebration [Deluxe Edition]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=SuN5q0HyBigJMRzllp35RYAf7E_1E-2MlBBPmPAXRBU=&f=4)
Deutsche Grammophon
Delightful collection of beloved hits from classic Ghibli animated films featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Neil Z. Yeung
Interscope / Verve
The pianist and singer brings a heartfelt intimacy to his seventh album's message of healing and unity.
- Matt Collar
Bella Union
Interior art-pop ballads from the British singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer formerly known as Blue Roses.
- Andy Kellman
Reprise
The first official release of one of the better-known "lost records" in rock history, finished in 1977 but existing only in bootleg form until this edition.
- Fred Thomas
MCA
This salute to the Texas country great Ray Price is an unusually warm and lively tribute album.
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Joyful Noise
A tenth anniversary, track-by-track reworking of the band's thrilling breakthrough LP, Lanterns, featuring Sound of Ceres, Kishi Bashi, and many more.
- Marcy Donelson
Silver Current
The veteran band's final U.S. show captures their greatness with a gripping set centered on their earliest, noisiest days in the underground.
- Heather Phares
Sacred Bones
The genre-blurring art-pop songwriter and her touring band rework highlights from her first three albums.
- Paul Simpson
Steinway & Sons
An extraordinary Mozart program mixes unknown works with fresh readings of well-worn sonatas.
- James Manheim
Sargent House
A near-perfect distillation of the Detroit art-punk collective's maximalist pop that swaps discord for fist-pumping arena rock.
- James Christopher Monger
Disques Hives / Iip-DDS BV
The Swedish garage-punks return from a lengthy hiatus with a concentrated dose of their brash, snarky rock.
- Heather Phares
Real Gone Music
Lovingly presented collection of the Detroit group's A-sides and B-sides helmed by the Philly soul co-orchestrator.
- Andy Kellman
Various Artists
Grapefruit
Four-hour-long compilation collects a spectrum of American psychedelic rock, acid folk, sunshine pop, and more from the year 1967.
- Fred Thomas
Various Artists
Easy Eye Sound
12-track collection of veteran and younger artists digging deep into various strains of blues, ancient and future.
- Thom Jurek