Editors' Choice for April 2010

Seven years in the making, VOCAbuLarieS is Bobby McFerrin's most ambitious recording ever, and features over 50 internationally renowned vocalists.

— Thom Jurek

Swim takes a left turn away from the Brit psych of Andorra and heads for the dancefloor.

— Tim Sendra

Year of the Black Rainbow is the prequel to Coheed and Cambria's Amory Wars saga.

— Thom Jurek

The legend's first album finds him trying out styles and sounds -- like MOR -- while making strides toward something magical.

— Tim Sendra

Conceptualized around Imelda Marcos and her nanny Estrella Cumpas, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Here Lies Love takes inspiration from '70s and '80s club music.

— Matt Collar

Disappears' debut album introduces their hard-hitting yet hazy mix of punk and shoegaze.

— Heather Phares

The fourth album from Dr. Dog shows the band really hitting their stride.

— Sean Westergaard

A brooding, windswept blend of bluesy, brooding folk and gothic Americana.

Adam Rudolph and Yusef Lateef compose and perform tributes to one another in a joint testament to friendship and artistry.

— Thom Jurek

The Brooklyn duo’s Vice debut is a fantastically weird concoction of hard beats and skittering electronic sounds.

— Jason Lymangrover

The Austin, TX-based trio brings plenty of ramshackle energy and goofy attitude to the garage rock-influenced songs on its excellent debut album.

— Tim Sendra

Hard rock-oriented third album and first with guitarist James Williamson, originally mixed by Bowie and later remixed by Iggy.

— Paul Simpson

On his Concord debut, , Terrasson unveils his new trio with bassist Ben Williams and drummer Jamire Williams, and hosts a number of guests.

— Rovi Staff

Aided by the analog impressionism of T Bone Burnett, Jakob Dylan's second album is a dreamy, airy affair, given warmth by the harmonies of Neko Case and Kelly Hogan.

Jeff Beck's first studio album in seven years features warm, lyrical blues and prog rock fusion driven by some of the guitarist's most emotional playing ever.

Jesse Malin is older and wiser, rocks harder, and tells mean street stories here.

— Thom Jurek

This Deluxe Edition adds 21 bonus tracks to Murvin’s original reggae masterpiece.

— David Jeffries

Sigur Rós' vocalist Jónsi's first solo album is a textured, almost giddy collection of pop songs.

— Tim Sendra

Monody is an engagingly moody album of bare-bones soft rock and indie soul.

— Matt Collar

I Am What I Am is simply a comfortable, broken-in reflection of who Haggard is, which is nothing less than one of the great American singer/songwriters.

High-jumping the sophomore slump, MGMT make an album as good as, if not better than, their debut.

— Rovi Staff

The San Francisco trio's excellent second album is as twisted and exhausting as its first.

— Jason Lymangrover

A hodgepodge of live performances from 1966 to 1969 capture the enthusiasm and sound of their studio albums from the same timespan.

— Rovi Staff

Mono celebrate their tenth anniversary with a 24-piece chamber orchestra live at 2009's Wordless Music Festival.

— Thom Jurek

Murs and 9th Wonder's fourth hip-hop collaboration is an excellent one, ranking right up there with 3:16: The 9th Edition.

— Jason Lymangrover

The Nels Cline Singers blow away expectations with live and studio discs in this deluxe package.

— Thom Jurek

An intriguing and listenable mix of experimental tangents and pop undercurrents, this is Nice Nice's most ambitious yet immediate work yet.

— Heather Phares

Eight years later, Peter Wolf's Midnight Rendezvous picks up where Sleepless left off, with Shelby Lynne, Neko Case, and Merle Haggard.

— Thom Jurek

A remarkable accomplishment, True Love Cast Out All Evil is the most imaginative and ambitious of Erickson's albums yet.

— Rovi Staff

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' fourth album is a smooth yet gritty '60s soul fantasia that covers everything from Chicago uptown grooves to Stax funk.

Shelby Lynne shines on Tears, Lies and Alibis, the debut release on her own Everso imprint.

— Thom Jurek

The Apples in Stereo add ELO, disco, and '70s radio pop to their swirling blend of influences and come up with one of their best albums.

— Tim Sendra

The Ocean offers a world-view and a welcome change of direction on the progressive Heliocentric.

— Thom Jurek

Swedish indie pop doesn't get much better than this on the Radio Dept.'s third (long-delayed) album.

— Tim Sendra

On their debut, the School deliver an album full of memorable girl group-influenced songs that plays like a greatest-hits collection.

— Tim Sendra

Trans Am return to their robot rock roots on this proggy, sci-fi-fixated set.

— Heather Phares

Trombone Shorty calls Backatown “supafunkrock” but it's a New Orleans dance party for anybody with open ears.

— Thom Jurek

The versatile, energetic debut of an English songwriter who has penned hits for the Pussycat Dolls and Sugababes.

— Andy Kellman

This collection features 21 slabs of rare and independent California funk.

— Steve Leggett