Editors' Choice for February 2018

All three albums (plus bonus tracks) and a collection of extended mixes from the brightest and chirpiest pop band of the '80s, and possibly ever.

— Tim Sendra

An essential addition to the saxophonist's catalog and a fine extension of 2015's Surrounded by the Sea.

— Thom Jurek

Michigan-based singer/songwriter Anna Burch makes her solo debut with an excellent set of startlingly direct observations.

— Paul Simpson

This release presents Magnificats by Johann Sebastian Bach and two of his sons, Johann Christian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

— James Manheim

A handsomely packaged box of four of the guitarist's solo albums recorded during his tenure with Pentangle.

— Thom Jurek

There is not a dull moment anywhere on this disc of rare wind band pieces by Percy Grainger.

— James Manheim

Carlile expands upon the catharsis of The Story on this rich, empathetic album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The novelty of this album of English anthems is due to the presence of the new Canterbury Cathedral Girls' Choir.

— James Manheim

Changyong Shin's album on Steinway & Sons is not just a promising debut but an unusually good recording of four repertory works.

— James Manheim

On the heels of personal loss, the band's John Vanderslice-produced third LP is more contemplative but still refreshingly outside the lines.

— Marcy Donelson

Christophe Rousset's recordings of Books I and II of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier feature a 1628 Ruckers harpsichord in the collection at Versailles.

— Blair Sanderson

Almost 12 years after Two/Three, Tadd Mullinix completes his hip-hop trilogy with help from a cast including Doom, Ghostface, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.

— Andy Kellman

In 2015, the Swedish band recorded a truly haunted original score for a live screening of the 1976 film The Tenant.

— Tim Sendra

Dedekind Cut's Kranky debut is an emotionally complex set of ambient pieces ranging from meditative drones to dark, unsettling dreams.

— Paul Simpson

Returning to the trio format after working with guitarists, the Norwegian organ trio deliver jazz-rock with deft imagination and an often dazzling intensity.

— Thom Jurek

Kaspars Putnins and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir are intense and sensuous in works by Schnittke and Pärt.

— James Manheim

As confrontational as it is confessional, combining experiences from the singer's own past with a fictional dystopian narrative.

— Thom Jurek

The band's first record for Creation is an all-instrumental affair that features new keyboardist Martin Duffy.

— Tim Sendra

The band's third album is where their ambition, craft and emotions all come together in stunning, frequently breathtaking fashion.

— Tim Sendra

The Robin Guthrie-produced album contains the band's biggest hit, "Primitive Painters."

— Tim Sendra

The band's first album is moody and muffled, woven from thick strands of mystery and melancholy.

— Tim Sendra

The group's second album adds some expansive space to the arrangements, while bringing Lawrence's more confident vocals to the front of the mix.

— Tim Sendra

The Brewis brothers show no signs of running out of ideas, crafting (yet) another brilliant album of smart and shiny pop.

— Tim Sendra

The Toronto post-punks deliver a commanding debut album that focuses on formidable vocalist Bria Salmena.

— Heather Phares

Gloriously odd, and oddly emotional, record from Lawrence, one of the all-time great English eccentrics, and his crack band.

— Tim Sendra

Smoky-voiced songwriter casts his eye on a chaotic nation, and emerges with an album of passion and purpose.

— Mark Deming

The third solo album from the singer/songwriter is bigger and more ambitious while still sounding warm and intimate.

— Mark Deming

The band trade in guitars and noise for synths and a beat, while staying as cathartic and powerful as before.

— Tim Sendra

François Couperin's Les Concerts Royaux are presented by I Fiori Musicali with period instrumentation and intimate sound quality.

— Blair Sanderson

The folk supergroup delivers an exquisitely shaded debut.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A peculiar and utterly mesmerizing collection of whimsical, dreamlike compositions from the Spanish guitarist and composer.

— Timothy Monger

On his second album for Daptone, England's finest soul singer and his band deliver a fingerpopping collection of upbeat love songs.

— Thom Jurek

John Oates returns to his folkie roots on this charming, relaxed album.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Prolific techno producer John Tejada shows no sign of exhausting his creativity on his fourth full-length for Kompakt.

— Paul Simpson

One of Jordi Savall's most ambitious concepts, this deluxe package covers the millennium of the history of the city of Venice.

— James Manheim

The guitarist returns to his Telecaster and Arclight trio to explore the rootsy rhythms and textures of rock on this intimate, carefree outing.

— Thom Jurek

Astonishing collection of lengthy improvisations by legendary noise guitarist/vocalist Keiji Haino and post-metal trio Sumac.

— Paul Simpson

Kent Nagano and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra present two of Richard Strauss' great tone poems, Ein Heldenleben and Tod und Verklärung.

— Blair Sanderson

Kirill Karabits leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in committed performances of William Walton's two symphonies.

— Blair Sanderson

The venerable avant-garde artist and contemporary chamber music quartet collaborate on a record with enormous reach.

— Bekki Bemrose

The debut long-player from the Texas trio featuring Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg, Cross Record's Emily Cross, and Dan Duszynski, is both heady and heart-heavy.

— James Christopher Monger

Written in the wake of a breakup with fellow Kiwi crooner Aldous Harding, Williams' sophomore effort is awash in post-midnight reverb and spilling over with the despondency of heartbreak.

— James Christopher Monger

This date wonderfully evidences intuitive, strategic, and seductive sonic exploration by the pianist's most democratically run collective.

— Thom Jurek

Remarkable debut full-length from Mint Field, a Mexican duo who play an abstract yet accessible form of dream pop.

— Paul Simpson

German pianist and composer transposes the drama of the sea into deeply satisfying electro-acoustic meditations.

— Timothy Monger

The iconic British jazz singer delivers a poignant and provocative collection of songs by film composers -- some with original lyrics.

— Thom Jurek

The Montreal band return with their most graceful work yet.

— Bekki Bemrose

Peter Gülke and the Brandenburger Symphoniker present Schubert's "Great" Symphony in C major on the audiophile label MDG.

— Blair Sanderson

The pianist and composer utilizes accompanists and a wonderfully canny set of digital editing skills to deliver her finest recording to date.

— Thom Jurek

A bright, reinvigorated return from a singer who twists the confines of pop to match her personality.

— Liam Martin

Virtuoso pianist Ralph van Raat performs solo piano transcriptions of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps and Debussy's La Mer.

— Blair Sanderson

The London-via-Cornwall folk outfit offers a warm and deeply reflective sequel to 2015's Tender Gold & Gentle Blue.

— Timothy Monger

Roxy Music's groundbreaking debut still sounds futuristic decades after its release.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Polished, ambitious effort from this New Jersey trio; more refined than their early efforts, but just as smart and individual.

— Mark Deming

Picking up where 2014's Big Music left off, Glasgow's stadium pop legends successfully revisit their early iconic sound in brand new music.

— Thom Jurek

The idiosyncratic project's poignant fifth album and City Slang debut is informed by loss, fatherhood, and the 2016 election.

— Marcy Donelson

Second album of celebratory, unity-promoting jams from instrumental free music ensemble Sunwatchers.

— Paul Simpson

Written and recorded in a burst of passion after the 2016 elections, the album is full of fire and powerful, political punk-pop anthems.

— Tim Sendra

99 Words ably makes the case for Panufnik as a kind of successor to Tavener in a tradition that is developing.

— James Manheim

The West African powerhouse continues to blaze their own path on their excellent third release for the FatCat label.

— Timothy Monger

A lost psychedelic-meets-baroque pop classic recorded in 1969 by the Cleveland band who went on to form the Raspberries.

— Tim Sendra

The long-running band craft another witty and fun album that compares favorably with the classic records of their younger days.

— Tim Sendra

Stunning debut by a young U.K. trio that gives the baggy indie dance sound of the early '90s a serious upgrade.

— Tim Sendra

An update to the great 1993 collection that gathered up nearly all the Scottish punk-pop whiz's output -- this one does!

— Tim Sendra

The final chapter in a long and noisy run from this Swedish collective is also their most explosive and elaborately composed album.

— Fred Thomas

A suffocatingly dense set of songs that connect the pain of the past to the present.

— Heather Phares

Already known for theatrical and musical excess, this Swedish metal outfit revels in indulgence with a brilliant fully orchestrated three-hour rock opera.

— Thom Jurek

The Australian dream pop combo hit their stride on their sublime sophomore effort.

— Timothy Monger

Members of Literature dial up the '80s new wave/sophisti-pop influence on a bouncy, inviting debut.

— Marcy Donelson

With social and political injustice on her mind, Meg Remy joins with improvisational collective the Cosmic Range for her most immediate LP to date.

— Marcy Donelson

The Jerusalem Quartet has recorded core repertory for Harmonia Mundi, but they seem to have a special rapport with Dvorak's chamber music.

— James Manheim