Editors' Choice for July 2020
Bella Union
The first album from this vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist is a beautifully dark exercise in post-rock dynamics.
Ipecac
The masterful third solo outing by the guitarist, producer, and songwriter reflects deeply on loss, acceptance, and rebirth.
PentaTone Classics
Fresh, energetic modern-instrument readings of the Vivaldi-Piazzolla Four Seasons pairing.
Signum Classics
Pleasantly jazz-flavored, programmatic choral music, enhanced by the presence of the venerable Bach Choir.
Wrasse
France's pre-eminent pop songwriter looks back at a life of joys, failures, relationships, musical obsessions, and Formula 1 Racing.
Ropeadope
Debut offering from Dave McMurray's socially funky, multi-generational jazz group that reflects Detroit's vast musical landscape.
Nonesuch
Ebullient interplay and a relaxed intensity mark the reunion of Redman's original '90s acoustic quartet.
Music for Nations / Sony Music
The British metalcore group's sixth effort delivers a weighty set that tosses melody and might into a blender and spams the pulse button.
Harmonia Mundi
An exceptional Renaissance motet collection focuses closely on a specific subject, the last years of Lassus' life, but has universal scope.
Gearbox
A rare small-group date from the trumpeter and his first studio album since 2007's Grammy-nominated With Love.
Delphian
A strong collection of American works in which the British choral style produces novel effects.
Mack Avenue
The jazz pianist draws inspiration from the philosophy and skill of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Channel Classics
Highly listenable, often beautifully lyrical playing in works from the broad neoclassic French sphere.
Fire Talk
With sharper production and an overall push for more electric performances, the Chicago indie trio's third album finds them growing deeper into their melancholic, twilight-toned sound.
Lucky Number
The band's second album leans into their softer side with gently empowering and, above all, catchy songs.
![Outlaw [50th Anniversary Edition]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0005220971/front/220/-84D0gQwsu0Ija9Db4p8dw4Q1ghY8VaPylnm7PwcKNY=.jpg)
Real Gone Music
The '60s pop/R&B star reinvents himself as a genre-spanning politically conscious singer/songwriter on this cult favorite.
Discos De Kirlian / Shelflife
On their first new full-length since 1993, this Australian indie pop band rewire their fuzzy pop sound into something more futuristic and daring.
Blue Note
For his Blue Note debut, the pianist plays in quintet and trio settings, delivering a program of standards and originals at the storied N.Y. venue.
Rune Grammofon
Commissioned by the Vossajazz Festival and re-created in the studio, this sextet outing is the fiery guitarist's first outside her longstanding trio.
Reverberation Appreciation Society
The reliably psychedelic Texas combo add more synths to the mix on their nuanced and atmospheric fifth album.
Hyperdub
The Hyperdub artist's third album is characterized by a stronger emphasis on lyrics and a sturdier post-disco R&B foundation.
BWSCD / Lil' Chief
A post-breakup album finds the pop craftsman in a blue mood and dipping a toe into modern pop sounds.
Chandos
An attractive, modestly sized Thaïs that leaves lots of room for story and characterization.
Interscope
Posthumous studio album from genre-bending rapper/songwriter is some of his best, and saddest, material.
Ninja Tune
On her first album after several life changes, the vocalist/producer explores creativity's therapeutic qualities with transcendent beauty.
Black Focus / Warp
On his second date as a leader, the keyboardist and producer offers a variety of familiar genres and styles as building blocks for a new sound.
Inside Out Music
Four years on from Prelude Implicit, the American rockers returned to the studio to deliver an album comparable to their best work.
Onyx
Conductor Petrenko's Elgar project moves into lesser-known territory, with impressive results.
BIS
An exciting performance of Penderecki's mid-1960s masterwork, paying equal attention to its modernist and traditional aspects.
Darla Records
Sounding like a lost gem from the guitar-heavy early '90s, the Canadian group's fourth album is a dreamy, gazey, near-grunge delight.
Saddle Creek Records
The project's fourth album delves into healing and acceptance with subtly confident, sneakily catchy songs.
Naxos
Unusually deep fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms with modern harmonies from composer Roberto Sierra.
Warner Classics
Superb wind chamber music rediscoveries by a group specializing in neglected wind music.
Lisa Batiashvili / Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra / Nikoloz Rachveli
Deutsche Grammophon
An innovative crossover release with unusual material on a theme of cities and their music.
Solitaire Records
A gently sprawling and imaginative journey with heavy spiritual undertones and plenty of folk-rock craft.
Cantaloupe
An austere, minimal work using various texts to describe a failed love affair receives brilliant performances from Lorelei Ensemble.
CN Records
The veteran singer/songwriter turns in another reliably poignant and warmly crafted collection with a deeply personal feel.
Signum Classics
A vivid, beautifully balanced performance of works in the neglected genre of the English verse anthem.
Reference Recordings
Urgent, exciting Tchaikovsky with some aspects of the score goosed by the conductor.
Far Out / Far Out Recordings
Privately pressed in 1976, this set lives up to the "holy grail" hype with a perfect beat-centric fusion of jazz, funk, samba, and classical harmony.
Loma Vista
The country maverick broadens and deepens her musical purview with production assistance from Sturgill Simpson.
Decca
A delightful collaboration that betrays nothing of the advanced ages of the performers.
Paradise of Bachelors
The solo debut from the leader of the abrasive Purling Hiss is a stunning turn towards gentle acoustic beauty and understated arrangements.
Decca
A taut, muscular Elgar concerto that seeks a middle ground between muscular and lyrical approaches.
Novamute
A startling set of complex audio constructions that challenge the conventional framework of techno.
Memphis Industries
Michael Lovett's satirically funky third album decries the issues of the 2020s and has fun doing it.
Ghostly International
More refined and detailed than his earlier releases, Max Ravitz's first Ghostly LP is a moody, vibrant collection of IDM, electro, and acid tracks.
Island / Universal
The demos of the singer/songwriter's brilliant debut album let the beautiful, nimble bones of its songs stand on their own.
Domino / Domino Recording Co. Ltd.
The Detroit post-punk heroes add flashes of free jazz and experimentalism to their formula and reach a new high in artful bad karma.
BMG
Following diversions into opera, a lush, often gorgeous return to pop recorded with producer Mitchell Froom.
Thrill Jockey
The Chicago post-rock fixture presents his most focused and emotionally resonant set of electronic instrumentals yet.
Domino
The British folk icon returns to the recording studio to create a strong, confident, and forward-thinking album at the age of 85.
Ba Da Bing Records / Glass Modern
The second album from these Scottish folk-rock advocates blends British cool and American warmth and twang with gorgeous results.
Because Music
The singer/songwriter moves on from trauma with uninhibited songs that blur joy, loss, and sensuality together beautifully.
Carpark Records
Born from 18 months on the road, the more reflective follow-up to their breakout debut makes room for slower tempos without skimping on catchy hooks.
Columbia / Sony Music
The Chicks leave country and the past behind on this richly emotional and defiant album.
Somewhat Damaged
The Los Angeles-based New Zealand-bred synth pop outfit pares down to a duo for their effusive, uplifting fourth album.
Erato
Extremely compelling, unique interpretations of French Baroque works on lute and harpsichord.
Various Artists
Grapefruit
This rarities-packed triple-disc collection emphasizes the raucous side of pub rock.
Various Artists
Cherry Red
Cherry Red pulls another three discs' worth of lovingly curated, mostly obscure New Wave of British Heavy Metal gems from the forge.
Dais
The confrontational Brooklyn duo produce a challenging, unstable mixture of broken industrial and power electronics on their bracing second LP.
Merge
Tyler's humble playing and rustic minimalism create a lovely backdrop to Kelly Reichardt's poignant frontier film.
Bar/None Records
Peacefully dreamlike and melancholy album that skillfully blends the softness of dream pop with the sonic overload of shoegaze.