440 / Juan Luis Guerra / Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Literal
The godfather of bachata delivers an unabashedly romantic summertime record filled with a panoramic assortment of rhythms.
A-Wa
Bayti Fi Rasi
The Israeli sisters' sophomore set is a rhythmic wonder of empowered global pop with nods to the past and eyes firmly on the horizon.
Aldous Harding
Designer
The New Zealand singer/songwriter's third effort eschews the last-call darkness of 2017's Party for something a bit sunnier, though no less peculiar.
Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom / Allison Miller
Glitter Wolf
An exuberant road trip of an album cross-pollinated with Latin and New Orleans grooves, klezmer harmonies, and far-eyed jazz modalism.
Altin Gün
Gece
The second album of lovingly updated Turkish psych from ex-members of Jacco Gardner's band.
Andrew Bird
My Finest Work Yet
The celebrated songwriter, singer, and whistler refuses to give in to cynicism and rancor in a world full of chaos.
Angel Olsen
All Mirrors
Risks pay off on a highly stylized album with lavish orchestral arrangements that only elevate the singer's trademark vulnerability.
Ariana Grande
thank u, next
A swiftly delivered Sweetener sequel that confirms Ariana Grande's place as 2019's pre-eminent pop star.
Baroness
Gold & Grey
With new guitarist Gina Gleason, the band deliver their most diverse, kaleidoscopic, intricate release to date.
Bibio
Ribbons
Stephen Wilkinson celebrates his tenth year on Warp with a masterful mix of pastoral reveries and surprising tangents.
Big Thief
U.F.O.F.
The indie folk-rockers' impressionistic third album is a foray into artful album rock that incorporates improvisation and samples.
Billie Eilish
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
A promising debut from the genre-blurring anti-pop star of the disaffected Gen Z masses.
Bobby Krlic
Midsommar [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Bobby Krlic's score to Ari Aster's Nordic folk-horror film is a striking balance of sunshine and shadows.
Bremer/McCoy
Utopia
Enveloping Luaka Bop debut from the Danish instrumental duo that begs to be listened to in one sitting.
Brooklyn Rider / Joshua Redman
Sun on Sand
Composer Patrick Zimmerli's engaging, hybridized jazz and classical suite features saxophonist Joshua and chamber ensemble Brooklyn Rider.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Dedicated
On her fourth album, the Canadian pop star adds sophistication and ambition to her always-relatable songs.
Cate Le Bon
Reward
The fifth album from this Welsh songwriter trades guitar rock for risky, open-ended songs, resulting in some of her best work.
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Ancestral Recall
A culturally aware, musically expansive dreamscape of an album from the New Orleans-born trumpeter.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Kingfish
The debut album by the 20-year-old Clarksdale, Mississippi native more than lives up to the hype.
Coldplay
Everyday Life
This globe-trotting double album finds the band confronting society's ills with optimism and hope.
Comet Gain
Fireraisers Forever!
The long-running band have never sounded punker, sadder, or more alive than on this excellent album.
Cupertinos / Luís Toscano
Manuel Cardoso: Requiem, Lamentations, Magnificat & Motets
The Requiem and other sacred works of Portuguese composer Manuel Cardoso are performed by the eight-member vocal ensemble, Cupertinos.
Danger Mouse / Karen O
Lux Prima
The singer/songwriter's first album in five years is a sophisticated, sonically adventurous collaboration with Danger Mouse.
Danish String Quartet
Prism II: Beethoven, Schnittke, Bach
Awe-inspiring performances reflect on the fugue and its continuing significance, with a blistering performance of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge.
Denzel Curry
Zuu
Celebrating family, his predecessors, and Carol City, the Florida rapper delivers a bold set of bass-heavy anthems.
El León de Oro / Peter Phillips
Amarae Morti
Sacred music of the high Renaissance is offered by early music authority Peter Phillips and the 33-voice chamber choir El León de Oro.
Ex Hex
It's Real
The trio's second album is a shiny love letter to rock & roll's transporting magic.
FKA twigs
Magdalene
Musically wide-ranging and emotionally naked, Tahliah Barnett's breathtaking second album focuses on wounded yet resilient feminine energy.
Floating Points
Crush
Sam Shepherd's engrossing second album veers from motionless ambient interludes to bracing techno tracks.
Fly Pan Am
C'est ça
The Montreal-based group return from an extended hiatus with a dense, unpredictable noise-pop suite.
Foxes in Fiction
Trillium Killer
Lush electro-acoustic production and complex songwriting make the third album from this dream pop project a genre standout.
Franz Halász
J.S. Bach: The Lute Suites
Superb, highly dramatic readings of Bach's lute suites on guitar.
Freddie Gibbs / Madlib
Bandana
Five years after the Top 40 LP Piñata, the Gary, IN-Oxnard, CA alliance resumes with more ingeniously coarse rhymes and heady productions.
Garrick Ohlsson
Brahms: Clavierstücke; Fantasias; Intermezzos
Magisterial Brahms from a giant of American pianism.
Gary Clark, Jr.
This Land
A wildly adventurous blues, funk, R&B, hip-hop, and hard rock hybrid that speaks of America in 2019 with raw passion and wisdom.
Helado Negro
This Is How You Smile
The project's sixth album offers gently powerful songs that sustain a sense of identity, family, and love through difficult times.
HTRK
Venus in Leo
Australian duo HTRK's excellent fourth album contains their most romantic, sensuous material yet.
Intocable
Percepción
Working with producer Don Was, the premiere Tejano/Norteño fusion outfit hits another level with ballads, rockers and dances.
Jamila Woods
LEGACY! LEGACY!
A galvanizing declaration of pride, support, and discontent from the poet and modern R&B singer/songwriter.
Jazzmeia Horn
Love and Liberation
The award-winning jazz vocalist offers an ebullient, deeply soulful sophomore album.
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
Tracing Back the Radiance
The ambient artist makes a sharp turn from warped shoegaze pop to minimal electro-acoustic beauty.
Jessica Pratt
Quiet Signs
Third album from the understated singer/songwriter is her most complex without losing any of the subtlety or intimacy of her earlier work.
Jimmie Vaughan
Baby, Please Come Home
The Texas guitar man returns with a swinging set of unlikely covers of vintage jump blues, R&B, doo wop, and more showcasing his inimitable style.
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes
Cypress Grove
The Delta blues singer collaborates with Black Key Dan Auerbach on his richest-sounding album.
Joan Shelley
Like the River Loves the Sea
Recorded in Iceland, the songwriter's fifth album is quiet but never fragile, and all the more powerful for its modesty.
Joe Lovano
Trio Tapestry
A richly atmospheric set featuring the saxophonist's trio with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi.
Julia Jacklin
Crushing
The sophomore LP's raw performances, complex emotional honesty, and themes of female autonomy set it apart from other breakup albums.
Kim Lenz
Slowly Speeding
The rockabilly queen's empowering fifth album is rife with backwoods menace, pulpy romanticism, and rootsy swagger.
Lana Del Rey
Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Sixth album from this icon of sad pop is her most subtle and majestic yet.
Lankum
Livelong Day
The Irish band's second album for Rough Trade is a vigorously played, smartly arranged long game that manipulates and celebrates its traditional folk roots.
Latvian Radio Choir / Sigvards Klava
Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom; Nine Sacred Choruses
Splendid performances of Tchaikovsky's relatively rare sacred music, in a spirit the composer would have loved.
Lila Downs
Al Chile
Teaming with producer Camilo Lara and 180 musicians, the Mexican-American singer and songwriter delivers her most innovative recording.
Little Simz
Grey Area
An honest and impassioned record that brings Simz's wealth of talent into sharp focus.
Lizzo
Cuz I Love You
The boundary-breaking artist's major-label debut is a triumphant showcase for every part of her talent, physicality, and sexuality.
Loraine James
For You and I
James' boundary-shattering Hyperdub debut is a powerful expression of the London-based artist's identity.
Loscil
Equivalents
Inspired by the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz, the producer/composer's beautiful 12th album is a fascinating meditation on artistic interpretation.
Lost Under Heaven
Love Hates What You Become
The Manchester duo deliver a cathartic, emotionally raw sophomore album that's as moving as it is artful.
Luis Fonsi
Vida
First album in nearly five years from the romantic pop king balances strutting dance-pop, ballads, reggaeton, cumbia, and vallenato.
Maluma
11:11
Following the success of F.A.M.E., the Colombian artist unabashedly swings for the crossover fences, mastering every pop style he tries on.
Marc Anthony
Opus
On his first studio outing in six years, the singer and producer Sergio George adds innovative depth and dimension to salsa's lineage.
Mark Ronson
Late Night Feelings
The Grammy-winning producer's fifth album offers one dejected pop-R&B delight after another.
Matana Roberts
Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis
Utilizing a new band, the artist digs further into her family's history, and American and cultural mythology, delivering a necessary entry in her large project.
Matthias Goerne / Leif Ove Andsnes
Robert Schumann: Liederkreis Op. 24; Kerner-Lieder
Superb Schumann from a vocalist at the very top of his powers.
Megan Thee Stallion
Fever
Debut studio album from the unfiltered Houston rapper finds her at near-peerless levels of bold lyricism and personality.
Michael Kiwanuka
Kiwanuka
On his third long-player, the British singer/songwriter comes into his own in a collection of bracing, affirmative, psychedelic soul tunes.
Mike and the Moonpies
Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold
The Austin band headed to Abbey Road to record this lush collection of neon-lit saloon songs.
Nick Cave / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Ghosteen
Eloquent and atmospheric, this song cycle rooted in grief, family, and regret is a spare but remarkable work of art.
Olivier Latry
Bach to the Future
Brilliant organ recording that was the last one made at Notre-Dame cathedral before the fire of 2019.
Opeth
In Cauda Venenum
The Swedish band have left metal completely to pursue their own brand of 21st century progressive rock, and are heavier than ever.
Osmo Vänskä / Minnesota Orchestra
Mahler 1
Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra deliver an exceptional performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major.
Patience
Dizzy Spells
After a batch of brilliant synth pop singles, the former Veronica Falls member makes good on a full album of brilliant synth pop.
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
Singer/songwriter David Berman's final album is filled with lonely songs that are as warm as a hug from a long-lost friend.
Ralph Alessi / Ravi Coltrane / Mark Ferber / Drew Gress / Andy Milne
Imaginary Friends
Evocative third ECM date from the trumpeter, and first to feature his This Against That group with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
Raphael Saadiq
Jimmy Lee
The R&B giant breaks from background work to make the most riveting and autobiographical LP of his career.
Rapsody
Eve
The North Carolinian rapper follows her Grammy-nominated second album with a riveting set paying tribute to black womanhood.
Rhiannon Giddens
There Is No Other
Collaborating with Francesco Turrisi, Rhiannon Giddens finds common ground between different cultures.
Robert Ellis
Texas Piano Man
The singer/songwriter takes a welcome left turn that brings him toward eccentric Nilsson territory.
Rocketship
Thanks to You
The band's third album harkens back to their '90s indie pop glory while adding new tricks, nearly topping their brilliant debut.
Sacred Paws
Run Around the Sun
The duo's second album has all the giddy exuberance and infectious songs of their debut, plus slightly upgraded production values.
Sandrine Piau / Julien Chauvin
Si j'ai Aimé
Sublime recording from Piau of French mélodies, familiar and new, with period instruments.
Sean Curtis Patrick / Benoît Pioulard
Avocationals
The longtime friends collaborate on a somberly beautiful set of ambient pieces inspired by 20th century shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
Solange
When I Get Home
The singer and songwriter follows her deeply pained, chart-topping third album with a luxuriant joy ride.
Steve Gunn
The Unseen In Between
On his sophomore Matador outing, the guitarist shifts his focus to a more direct, vocal-centric method of songwriting and delivers a gem.
Sudan Archives
Athena
The Stones Throw violinist, singer, songwriter, and producer follows two EPs with an even richer first album.
Tanya Tucker
While I'm Livin'
Assisted by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, Tanya Tucker makes a mighty comeback.
Taylor McFerrin
Love's Last Chance
Casually affecting and more song-oriented second album from the R+R=Now member.
that dog.
Old LP
The band's first album in 22 years is a near-flawless blend of experience and exuberance.
The Cash Box Kings
Hail to the Kings!
A raucous, vibrant, funny collection that brings Chicago blues into the modern age.
The Comet Is Coming
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
On its Impulse! debut, the the U.K.'s futurist trio create an evolutionary new jazz music from traditions past and present.
The Delines
The Imperial
An evocative, cinematic album, ideal for twilight moments of introspection.
The Highwomen
The Highwomen
The supergroup of Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, and Natalie Hemby make a vivid, vital debut.
Theo Croker
Star People Nation
A cosmic fusion of jazz, electronic traditions, hip-hop, and R&B inform the trumpeter's elevated fifth album.
Tool
Fear Inoculum
Long-awaited LP finds the enigmatic prog-metal outfit older, wiser, and at the peak of their craft.
Tyler, The Creator
IGOR
The vital, heartsick follow-up to the rapper and producer's Grammy-nominated Flower Boy.
Vampire Weekend
Father of the Bride
The band returns from a six-year hiatus with some of their most eclectic and satisfying music.
Vanishing Twin
The Age of Immunology
The group responds to late-2010s xenophobia with beguiling psychedelic pop that's equally welcoming and unusual.
Weyes Blood
Titanic Rising
Fourth album from this versatile indie-bred songwriter leans into orchestral soft rock touches for some of her most direct and fully formed work.
William Tyler
Goes West
The guitarist imbues his artistry with a breezy West Coast feel on this articulate full-band outing.