Editors' Choice for April 2025
Linear Labs
The do-it-all ends his romantic psychedelic soul trilogy with a 30-piece orchestra and a cast of Brazilian vocalists singing his Portuguese lyrics.
Sacred Bones
Confrontational in ways quiet and loud, Abyss is a testament to Anika's
fierce artistic independence and gift for haunting moods.
Smalltown Supersound
The Berghain resident adds elements of chamber jazz and dub to his innovative style of cascading ambient techno.
Pompeii
A sweetly melancholy set of chamber folk songs and instrumentals for a circus show about a man who catalogs lost thoughts and creations.
Drag City
After releasing their first joint album ten years prior, the spiritual jazz ensemble and spacey synth trio reactivate their collaboration on this focused, meditative set.
Mute
The singer/songwriter transforms some of her hardest times into transcendent, timeless-sounding expressions of empathy.
Joyful Noise
The band's 20th album is a noisy, poignant reminder that in times of conflict, empathy is vital.
Believe Direct Limited / Bella Union
Intense and uncompromising yet compassionate sludge metal from guitarist/saxophonist Takiaya Reed and collaborators.
Hausu Mountain
The experimental guitarist and composer pays tribute to his late grandmother with this collection of joyful, gratitude-inspiring pieces.
![On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco [2 CD]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0006627650/front/220/noF754hDvFW0zdHU8fGESQ4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg)
Resonance
A previously unreleased, scorching 1967 set by the trumpeter with Bennie Maupin, Herbie Lewis, Freddie Waits, and Kenny Barron.
Blue Note
The pianist blends contemporary jazz and DJ-inspired concepts on his deftly experimental third Blue Note album.
Smalltown Supersound
One of the most joyous, uplifting releases in Chicago house veteran Jamal Moss' endless discography.
Jazz Is Dead
A meeting between an iconic Brazilian soul innovator and Jazz Is Dead's multi-instrumental label boss with Azymuth drummer Ivan Conti.
Decca
Absolutely delightful performances centered on the Piano Concerto in D flat major, Op. 38, of Khachaturian.
Shelflife
The band's satisfyingly dissatisfied, sonically blurry second album bolsters their blend of vintage indie pop, dream pop, shoegaze, and post-punk.
Matador
The singer/songwriters reclaim the sounds of their childhood with heartfelt queer country songs that bring out the best in their music.
Concord / Easy Eye Sound
Another heady dose of psychedelic funk from the high-octane pairing of the Heliocentrics' drummer and guitar hero Barrie Cadogan's band.
4AD
The Irish singer/songwriter's first album for 4AD is a deeply reflective, lushly detailed effort.
Marlon Williams
The Kiwi singer/songwriter leans into his ancestral heritage on an album sung entirely in te reo Māori.
Thrill Jockey
A full-length collaborative work from the avant-metal group and poet/sound artist that plays as a tense, panic-stricken narrative.
Bella Union
Released after her death at age 17, the singer/songwriter's first set of original songs is a bubbly, often poignant glimpse into teenage girlhood.
Ghostly International
The bedroom producer/songwriter moves further from his instrumental hip-hop beginnings with these vividly personal songs guided by the spirit of 2000s indie rock.
Nonesuch
A joyful, rootsy reunion of banjo and fiddle tunes between the former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmates.
Concord / Rounder / Universal
Returning to work with producer Bobby Harlow, the guitar slinger and her road band deliver a bold, disruptive collision of roots, blues, and pop.
Kill Rock Stars
The Australia-based performer presents her raw-nerve perspectives and depressive narratives with crushingly stark, often barely-there piano accompaniment.
ECM
With Primavera en Salonico and Tunisian singer Lamia Bedioui, the Greek vocalist offers a 21st century historical exploration of songs about water.
Mom + Pop Music
The duo gives equal time to headbanging and heartache on one of their most satisfying albums.
Alligator Records
The Memphis quartet returns with a soaring, gritty, spiritually uplifting fourth album that celebrates love, struggle, determination, and family ties.
Lucky Number
The indie trio balance hooky rock riffs and AM pop sweetness on their candid, assured fourth album.
Sub Pop
The TV on the Radio frontman continues his musical legacy with his passionate, imaginative, musically restless solo debut.
Concord
The Tennessean finds an inspired collaborator in producer M. Ward, yielding a deeply textured and memorable album.
Various Artists
Cherry Red
Four-CD deep dive into the 1970s German underground, encompassing prog, psychedelic, hard rock, and experimental electronics.
Various Artists
Cherry Red
Breathe the pressure with four CDs of big beat, trip-hop, and alternative dance crossovers from electronica's peak era.
Psychic Hotline
The guitarist's immersive fifth album is as spectral and disorienting as it is beautiful.
Mute
Half-solo piano and half-electronic post-rock, and inspired by a 2023 sailboat tour, an epic drawing on self-reflection and societal upheaval.