Editors' Choice for December 2014

Excellent, economical no-frills rock & roll record from the unbreakable AC/DC.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A superior Rossini instrumental album that anyone might enjoy, most especially those who've heard it all before.

— James Manheim

Out of nowhere comes a superb recording of Bach's Mass in B minor, BWV 232, from the British vocal-instrumental ensemble Arcangelo.

— James Manheim

A rhythmically savvy prophetic compilation of previously unreleased recordings from the pioneering French experimental composer.

— Thom Jurek

Evian Christ, HTRK, and others offer compelling remixes of tracks from the formidable A U R O R A.

— Heather Phares

A concise, casually dazzling and mature record that showcases all of Billy Corgan's musical obsessions.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Scottish indie pop darlings' final album is a solid sendoff for a band many argue broke up prematurely.

— Tim Sendra

The Brentano String Quartet completes its series of Beethoven's late string quartets with Op. 130 and the Grosse Fuge.

— Blair Sanderson

Bartoli is fearless in many ways here, convincingly bringing home repertory her listeners will never have heard.

— James Manheim

The singer/songwriter keeps more of the swagger she gave to Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea for herself, with fizzy, fun results.

— Heather Phares

Angry hipsters and contemplative cowboys share the stage on this two-disc concept album about life in California.

— Mark Deming

An abstract, dreamy, challenging, 64-minute work in collaboration with Pulitzer-winning poet Franz Wright.

— Thom Jurek

Better than the simultaneously released Corner 2, this lean and mean album brings back the nastiness of 2006's My Ghetto Report Card.

— David Jeffries

Florence Malgoire and Les Dominos play a version of Rameau's Concerts en Sextuor that matches his instrumentation for the théâtre lyrique.

— Blair Sanderson

As performed by Florian Boesch, Schubert's Schwanengesang lacks Die Taubenpost, but includes five lieder on texts by Goethe.

— Blair Sanderson

The Wu-Tang rapper returns to his Tony Stark character on an excellent concept album influenced by funk and the '70s.

— David Jeffries

Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel give Rameau's Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour a brilliant period-style performance.

— Blair Sanderson

Bizarre and beautiful one-off album of acid folk by Australian actor turned songwriter, originally released in 1974.

— Fred Thomas

Poulenc's Organ Concerto and Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3, "Organ," are paired to great effect on this live concert recording.

— Blair Sanderson

A masterpiece of proto new age experimental music that combines American minimalism and sonic decay techniques gets a grand reissue.

— Thom Jurek

This is absorbing and stands up to repeated hearings, revealing something of the complex society from which it sprang. Highly recommended.

— James Manheim

The lutenist returns with nine fine new pieces performed solo, with Follakzoid's Domingo García-Huidobro, Jim Jarmusch, and Yasmine Hamdan.

— Thom Jurek

Julian Bliss performs two of the most important concertos in his repertoire, Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, and Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto.

— Blair Sanderson

Even better than the R&B singer and songwriter's debut, additional proof that she's simultaneously larger than life and 100-percent real.

— Andy Kellman

Kirill Karabits continues his cycle of Prokofiev's symphonies with the cheerful "Classical" Symphony and the uncompromising Symphony No. 2.

— Blair Sanderson

2013 performance recorded in Ireland finds that the venerable singer/songwriter has become a superb stage performer.

— Mark Deming

Lorenzo Gatto returns to classical performance with this album of Beethoven's Violin Concerto and the two Romances.

— Blair Sanderson

Mahan Esfahani offers exquisite interpretations of Rameau's complete keyboard works on this double-disc from Hyperion.

— Blair Sanderson

The queen of hip-hop soul and Rodney Jerkins work with emerging U.K. talent for a mix of aching ballads and substantive dance tracks.

— Andy Kellman

Exhaustive and inspiring collection of the fiery left-wing indie poppers' complete works, including all their BBC sessions.

— Tim Sendra

Overall it's hard to escape the impression that this is the kind of chamber performance just not heard anymore.

— James Manheim

Michael Tilson Thomas' Masterpieces in Miniature is an unusual offering from a conductor better known for recordings of large-scale symphonies.

— Blair Sanderson

If this first volume of the series' third season proves anything, it's that the music gets better and better.

— Thom Jurek

Numero packs up everything they've got by the songwriter in a deluxe slipcase box with his first solo single.

— Thom Jurek

Covers album finds this subdued troubadour tackling mellow renditions of songs by Against Me!, Smoking Popes, and more.

— Fred Thomas

This album is both revelatory and hugely entertaining, and it's a fair bet that Satie and Poulenc, at least, would have loved it.

— James Manheim

Hill pulls this off with logic and enthusiasm, and it's hard to think of a Messiaen release that will appeal so thoroughly to both specialists and generalists.

— James Manheim

With bonus features ranging from Peel Sessions to demos, the classic album's 25th anniversary edition is a trove for Pixies geeks.

— Heather Phares

Indie pop band's first record in over 20 years sounds as fresh and fun as anything from their original run.

— Tim Sendra

Keenlyside chooses a fine program of familiar-but-not-overdone numbers on this ideal gift item for those who enjoy the operatic/musical theater boundary line.

— James Manheim

After almost 30 years, the rhythm section reunites with dub master Paul "Groucho" Smykle on this excellent LP.

— David Jeffries

Ravel's complete Daphnis et Chloé is presented in the hybrid multichannel SACD format in a shimmering performance by Stefan Blunier.

— Blair Sanderson

Ben Lambdin's live band expertly crafts a set of originals and compelling covers in a dynamically and harmonically rich offering.

— Thom Jurek

The pairing of Alexander Raskatov's Piano Concerto, "Night Butterflies," with Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring creates a well-balanced program.

— Blair Sanderson

The Minneapolis band's second LP is a captivating blend of intricate harmonies, punchy guitar pop, and unique Northern mysticism.

— Timothy Monger

The Minneapolis band's auspicious debut introduces their creative vision, flirting with future excellence.

— Timothy Monger

Smart, frantic, and visionary collaboration between Mike Patton and Anthony Pateras that imagines a world in chaos.

— Mark Deming

Lovingly compiled, fun and exhaustive look at the highs (mostly) and lows (few) of the '70s and '80s mod revival scene.

— Tim Sendra

A wonderful and sometimes eerie restoration of the varied buried roots of modern gospel.

— Steve Leggett

Even if there's less Raekwon and Ghostface than usual, the collective sound just fine on their sixth studio effort.

— David Jeffries

The album where Yo La Tengo truly hit their stride, expanded with a bonus disc of demos, live recordings, and session outtakes.

— Mark Deming