Editors' Choice for November 2008

A narrative of lust, greed, and betrayal over 14 tracks.

— Matt Rinaldi

Four previous unreleased songs are the true highlights of BBC SESSIONS.

— Eric Schneider

Hitmaking country singer releases a mostly instrumental album focusing on his underrated guitar work

— Charity Stafford

Strikes the perfect balance between power-pop, classic rock, and Americana.

— Jim Allen

The band's roaring 1979 live album brought their sound into sharp focus with electrifying versions of songs such as "I Want You to Want Me."

— Heather Phares

Byrne and Eno called EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS WILL HAPPEN TODAY their "electronic gospel" album.

— Jim Allen

The shifting, kinetic backdrop of DAY BY DAY invents Fela Kuti’s legacy anew for the 21st century.

— Anthony Tognazzini

The early Free Blood been compiled into this proper full-length of sorts.

— Kenneth Herzog

An all-inclusive chronicle of the most creatively fertile period in the career of one of progressive rock's most trailblazing ensembles.

— Jim Allen

Debut album from Los Angeles duo mixing country and folk influences with catchy pop-rock tunes.

— Charity Stafford

Fourth album by Scottish singer-songwriter, with folk-rock and chamber pop influences.

— Charity Stafford

FORDLANDIA finds the lauded Icelandic composer once again working his mesmerizing modern-classical magic.

— Eric Schneider

A thoroughly enjoyable album of sweet, simple indie pop.

— Anthony Tognazzini

This Welsh septet continues their cacophonous cavalcade of pounded out pop melodies, wild keyboards, and rambunctious attitude.

— Kenneth Herzog

An exceptional 2006 performance which saw Reed accompanied by a seven-piece orchestra, a sterling rhythm section, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

— James Steiner

The most song-oriented Luomo album features both European and American vocalists, and the result is immensely pleasurable.

— Rovi Staff

Flips the script on club music's overripe notion of the DJ mix.

— Dave Shim

British pop singer blends the UK neo-R&B sound with a low-key take on the singer-songwriter tradition.

— Charity Stafford

Nine years after his solo debut hit stores, the Abstract Poetic returns with a self-produced tour de force.

— Matt Rinaldi

Combining Byrdsy, folk-rock jangle with obscurantist lyrics and a post-punk compositional sensibility, R.E.M.'s full-length debut is a landmark album that set the standard for the next 10 years of indie rock.

Probably the most unpredictable album the former Beatle has made since 1980’s McCARTNEY II.

— Jim Allen

CHRISTMAS ON MARS is a aural treat.

— Anthony Tognazzini

FLOOD BANK represents a fascinating lost chapter in the history of English post punk.

— James Steiner

With tender ballads, chugging rockers, and introspective midtempo rambles, First Frost spins tales of heartbreak and poetic melancholy; it's the Lucksmiths at their finest.

— Rovi Staff

The Seattle-based producer keeps things tight and ever-developing, while revealing an affinity for the outer realms of shoegaze and ambient techno.

— Rovi Staff

This Smiths compilation is arguably the influential Britpop act’s finest.

— Eric Schneider

An original blend of lounge, space rock, and downtempo electronica.

— Justin Stewart

Snappy power pop was the raison d'être of Kansas City, Missouri's late-'70s/early-'80s Titan label; everything they released -- and more -- is collected here.

— Rovi Staff

Straddling a line between raw post-punk and a more contemporary dalliance with post-rock soundscapes.

— Kenneth Herzog