Editors' Choice for January 2010

Red Krayola ,with Art & Language, mischievously reconstruct five American icons in words and music.

— Thom Jurek

Providing every reason why Kanye West and Judd Apatow are both big fans, this is the actor/comedian’s uproarious debut album.

— David Jeffries

The duo's lavishly heartbroken Sub Pop debut is filled with songs wise enough not to idealize love, and romantic enough to still believe in it.

— Heather Phares

Eclectic and heartfelt, Charlotte Gainsbourg's collaboration with Beck gives her music a new lease on life.

— Heather Phares

A playful set of mostly new tracks from the duo, which masterfully recombines several strains of dance music from the '70s through the '90s.

— Andy Kellman

Citay successfully continue their neo-psychedelic pop quest on Dream Get Together.

— Rovi Staff

Written both before and after the sudden death of her husband, The Sea is the singer/songwriter’s poignant second album.

— David Jeffries

End Times' indie rock confesses a relationship's demise and fear of mortality, and accepts life on its own terms.

— Thom Jurek

The second entry in the Costello Show live archival series offers a snapshot of the Attractions at their peak in 1978.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Taking cues from Roy Orbison, Phil Spector, and the best Brill Building songwriters, Brown and producer Bernard Butler fill Love Will Find You with drama.

— Rovi Staff

Hebden's fourth full-length as Four Tet pares his music down to the essentials with little more than soft tones, muted beats, and overlaid music-box melodies.

— John Bush

Part two of the Epics in Minutes comp piles together 12" releases, previously unheard studio outtakes, and rarities from over a dozen 7" records.

— Rovi Staff

A huge treat for indie pop fans, Maintenant is a showcase for Krgovich's irrepressible eclecticism and touches of camp.

— Rovi Staff

Josephine Foster creates a new song cycle from the poems of Emily Dickinson.

— Thom Jurek

Matthew Shipp's 4D sums up his musical past while pointing to his perception of jazz's horizon.

— Thom Jurek

One of the best pop-punk records of 2010 -- emphasis on the pop.

— Rovi Staff

Omarion's third album, issued through his new EMI-affiliated label, thrives on sparse productions and playful vocals.

— Andy Kellman

T Bone Burnett soundtrack features Jeff Bridges, Ryan Bingham, and Colin Farrell performing legends of the country genre.

— Thom Jurek

A wide, ambitious, spacious, classically infused summer storm of a record that bounces around the indie pop spectrum like an open-world RPG game.

— James Christopher Monger

Pat Metheny designs and plays a one-man orchestra using an age old concept and brand new technologies.

— Thom Jurek

Originally written for a European tour, these expansive songs apply simple but hypnotic instrumentation to Pit Er Pat's exotic sound.

— Heather Phares

Ray Wylie Hubbard strips his music to the raw bone, and becomes a mythmaker in the process.

— Thom Jurek

Rjd2's first self-produced album for his own label finds him returning to what he does best: utilizing his excellent production skills.

— Rovi Staff

Spoon get back to basics on this set of songs, which have all the rawness and intimacy of demos.

— Heather Phares

Sweetly surf-tinged, Surfer Blood's debut album is a breath of fresh air in an increasingly cerebral indie rock world.

— Heather Phares

The band’s third album stretches its garage rock formula to include some new influences and sounds with fine results.

— Tim Sendra

Contra makes the global sound local, mixing baile funk, ska, and electronics into the band's sweet Afro-indie pop.

— Heather Phares

Matador Records' co-owner Gerard Cosley expertly captures the Texas D.I.Y. scene circa 2010 with this various-artists compilation.

— Rovi Staff

Electric Cambodia walks a middle ground between traditional Cambodian music and the insistent rhythms and electric instrumentation of Western pop/rock.

— Rovi Staff

Highlights from the Minimal Wave label's first 20 or so reissues of obscure and mostly excellent wallflower synth pop.

— Andy Kellman

The soundtrack to Youssou N'Dour's documentary contains new versions of his hits and two new songs.

— Thom Jurek