Editors' Choice for April 2012

The full-length follow-up to the 2011 EP Sister Wife.

The group's second album cuts back on ukulele and adds more uptempo tracks, but has the same melodic charm and emotional punch as their debut.

— Tim Sendra

On their brilliant Weather Systems, Anathema embrace strings unreservedly, become very accessible musically and lyrically, and still remain heavy.

— Thom Jurek

Marwood and Madzar unpack the detailed material Brahms put into these intricate, late works, full of big melodies.

— James Manheim

The veteran noise act’s electronic fits are never easily approachable, but their sixth album is fun-filled nonetheless.

— Jason Lymangrover

Bleeding Knees Club's rambunctious, youthful debut LP is made for lazy hangouts, trips to the beach, or drives to a make-out spot.

— Chrysta Cherrie

This country/folk/psychedelic collaboration between Will Oldham and Trembling Bells is a cult classic in the making.

— Heather Phares

Demos spanning from Carole King's Brill Building days to the early '70s shed light on her genius with a sense of intimacy and immediacy.

— Fred Thomas

Collecting his early King Records sides and his later Starday Records sides, this set is easily the best Cowboy Copas introduction out there.

— Steve Leggett

Brazilian songstress Céu changes things up on Caravana Sereia Bloom, melding MPB with cumbia, brega, and rocksteady to deliver a stunner.

— Thom Jurek

The avant hip-hop crew offer a dark ball of anti-matter rap on their exciting major-label debut.

— David Jeffries

On Locked Down, Dr. John and producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, get gritty, funky, spacey, and steamy.

— Thom Jurek

The duo's second album takes on heartache and breakup with a fuller sound that gives their sweet indie pop tunes some real emotional punch.

— Tim Sendra

Plug 1 and Plug 2 from the legendary De La Soul join French producers Chokolate and Khalid on this ambitious concept album.

— David Jeffries

Graham Coxon returns to arty, noisy punk-pop on the thrilling A+E.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jack White's first solo album is a softer, polished spin on his signature blues-rock, filled with country and classic rock flourishes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kenny Garrett's Seeds from the Underground is an excellent aural portrait of sophisticated melody, harmony, and adventurous rhythms.

— Thom Jurek

Gerald Love's first album away from Teenage Fanclub delivers all the guitar pop melody and hooks of a TFC record, but double the relaxed atmosphere.

— Tim Sendra

Lonely Drifter Karen's third album is an eclectic triumph, adding rock and electronic touches to their masterful cabaret and folk.

— Heather Phares

This album is more straightforward than The Floodlight Collective, but it's still a great showcase for Lockett Pundt.

— Heather Phares

A sequel of sorts to 2010's Ghost Train, Marty Stuart's second album for Sugar Hill Records features his touring band, the Fabulous Superlatives.

— Steve Leggett

Robin Ticciati and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra present one of the most exciting versions of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

— Blair Sanderson

The trio's first album in 15 years sounds like it was made with no expectations beyond delivering a high-quality 2012 R&B album.

— Andy Kellman

This Japanese chamber pop duo builds a meticulous world of sound that comes on childlike but has a hidden core of darkness.

— Fred Thomas

The Eastbound & Down soundtrack collects music from the first two seasons of the HBO original series depicting the fall and rise of Kenny Powers.

— Gregory Heaney

Enjoyable oddness from obscure outsiders, equipped with drum machines and synthesizers, whose contemporaries included Timmy Thomas, Shuggie Otis, and Motown space cadet Mandré.

— Andy Kellman

Chicago outsider offers an incredibly raw selection of genre-hopping basement jams, and a sometimes uncomfortably honest look into a very personal world.

— Fred Thomas

Martynov is outstanding in Liszt's transcriptions of these two Beethoven symphonies, using an 1837 Erard piano for authenticity.

— James Manheim