Editors' Choice for September 2009

A fitting display of the explosives this songbird now has in her arsenal.

— Dave Shim

With heavy claps on the beats and experimental effects everywhere, the cohesive and highlight-packed Fluorescent Black is easily Antipop Consortium's best album so far.

— Rovi Staff

The overall effect is that this is one of the Streisand albums most appealing to her fans and her potential fans.

— John Bush

A record that's modern in execution but classic in its feel.

— John Bush

Tells the story of America's greatest cult band this side of the Velvet Underground in a complete and affecting fashion.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A quiet yet forceful stunner, a recording that, if heard, is literally unforgettable.

— Dave Shim

Shows that Drake is for real and works as a tantalizing teaser for his first full-length record.

— Dave Shim

Extensive box set captures ever-changing prog-rock-pop band's many stages on stage.

— Jason Thurston

Girls' 2009 ALBUM actually proved itself worthy of the hype upon its release.

— Jason Lymangrover

Heavy and experimental L.A. band add a touch of harmony to their sound on inviting 2009 record.

— Jason Thurston

Giving in to the album's electronic landscape is easy and in the end, very rewarding.

— Dave Shim

DRESDEN: IN CONCERT is Jan Garbarek's first-ever live album.

— Thom Jurek

Brooklyn icon returns, battle-ready as ever, with 2009's third volume in his gold-label BLUEPRINT series.

— Jason Thurston

Neither a straightforward score nor a collection of kid-friendly indie rock songs, it lies somewhere intriguingly in between

— Heather Phares

This is the work of a mature musician and thinker, and one that bears repeated listening because there is so much in this heady brew.

— Dave Shim

This first official release is a soul searcher and may require more patience than your everyday debut.

— David Jeffries

La Roux's take on '80s synth pop is as unique as it is familiar.

— Heather Phares

A lush, outgoing group effort featuring a generous array of organic instruments, the celebratory Family features some of Le Loup's most pop-oriented work to date.

— Rovi Staff

On this Bear Family collection, the '70s garage band blends Tex-Mex, Byrdsian jangle, CCR-styled choogling boogie, Beatlesque popcraft, and good old-fashioned rock & roll.

— Rovi Staff

Nothing less than a mature, middle-aged spin on 2-Tone

A celebration of Madonna's career that includes some of the most celebratory and thrilling pop music ever created.

— Dave Shim

A wonderful, joyous delight from start to finish

— Steve Leggett

He reins in just enough of his debut's indulgent tendencies to let his gift for great melodies and hooks be the focus

— Heather Phares

She's retained many lessons from her time with Timbaland, giving this a much stronger rhythmic foundation than her first two albums.

— Dave Shim

Legendary Brazilian psychedelic-tropicalia hybrid picks up where they left off on first album since '00s revival.

— Jason Thurston

Heartland rockers up the power-pop-emo-hook ante on impressive follow-up to breakthrough record.

— Jason Thurston

Sharply focused, earthy record that finds Pearl Jam flexing newfound pop songwriting muscles.

— Pemberton Roach

Not the kind of record to light up the charts but in many ways it's superior to Q-Tip’s debut.

— Dave Shim

The Wu-rapper is in top form, spitting out rhymes worthy of the Wu logo and pushing his guest list to work harder.

— Dave Shim

A chamber section and odd instrumentation add intimacy to eight Hawley songs that are musically sophisticated, nakedly tender, gorgeous, and unflinching.

— Rovi Staff

Evokes a lush chamber-country ambiance, sounding intimate one minute and grandly expansive the next.

— Dave Shim

Frames Gomez as a tougher, sassier version of the usual 'tween pop singer, keeping the sappy ballads to a bare minimum.

— Dave Shim

HEARTBEAT RADIO is a consolidation of everything he's done so far.

— Tim Sendra

Featuring songs from all six Apples in Stereo studio albums, this excellent collection focuses mainly on the band's ultra-hooky, power pop-influenced side.

— Rovi Staff

The flagship of the Beatles' reissue campaign, this box set contains all of the group's recordings in their stereo mixes.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Providing ample evidence that the Beatles did spend more time on mono mixes

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Double album recorded live in the studio in front of a small audience.

— Pemberton Roach

Their most focused and diverse set to date widens their garage rock sound without diluting it.

— Dave Shim

Two quirky indie pop bands capture the spirit of summer on 2009 collaboration.

— Jason Thurston

THE STONE ROSES endures as a modern classic and why it's been given this spectacular 20th Anniversary reissue

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Twilight Sad's sophomore album is heavier and denser than their debut, but its direct, muscular approach is fascinating -- and rewarding -- to hear.

— Rovi Staff

Legendary underground Chicano garage band of the 1960s is canonized in thorough 2009 box set.

— Jason Thurston

On sophomore slab, NYC indie rockers stick with the lo-fi and experimental, yet hooky sound which initially captured critics' fancy.

— Jason Thurston

Russell is a novelist in song on his most musically ambitious, lyrically sophisticated album, which seamlessly blends wildly variant genres in irresistible, intoxicating ways.

— Rovi Staff

Passionate and surprisingly playful experimental rock from Battles' leader.

— Jason Thurston

One of the liveliest of the Nuggets boxes, moving from the epicenter of the hippie universe in San Francisco to hipsville central in Los Angeles.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Veteran Hoboken indie rockers return in 2009 with most accessible album to date.

— Jason Thurston