Allison Moorer: Blood review – an aching, moving testimony
(Autotelic/Thirty Tigers) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarLeonard Cohen: Thanks for the Dance review – a sublime final statement
This posthumous album finds the poet and singer on reflective, insightful, deadpan form, ‘settling accounts of the soul’ - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarSchubert Symphony No 9 review – high-octane and purringly smooth
Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev inspires the SCO in Schubert’s massive work, with grandeur and great washes of feeling - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarMichael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka review – one of the greatest albums of the decade
The soulful singer’s third LP is timeless and contemporary at the same time, with shades of everything from What’s Going On to Screamadelica - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarLankum: The Livelong Day review – the Irish folk songbook uprooted
Folk standards get extreme makeovers on the Dublin four-piece’s latest, cementing their place at the forefront of the form - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarKim Gordon: No Home Record review – calling out culture with charisma, wit and menace
Gordon’s first solo album sees her skewer everything from harassment to fame - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarRichard Dawson: 2020 review – Britain's best, most humane songwriter
Dawson adds pop-facing elements to folk on this brilliant album, full of stories of a benighted Britain - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review – a heavenly haunting
In the first album wholly written since the death of his son, Cave reaches an extraordinary, sad and beautiful artistic evolution - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarPat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band: Obiaa! review – sparkling highlife reinvention
(Strut Records) The ‘golden voice of Africa’ reboots the Ghanaian form for a new, globalised fanbase - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review – the most beautiful songs he has ever recorded
Cave’s voice is richer than ever on this stunning double album that sets desperation against empathy and faith - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSturgill Simpson: Sound & Fury review – country's outlaw catches fire
Another big shift in direction for Simpson, with anime visuals, glam rock, disco and grunge ornamenting never-more-country lyrics: it’s extraordinary - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarTetzlaff: Beethoven and Sibelius Concertos review – leaves you breathless
Tetzlaff/Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Ticciati (Ondine)Well-known works played with impressive nonchalance and grace by violinist whose touch is light, and right - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarDusapin: Penthesilea review – restraint lends powerful drama a truly shocking edge
The story of an Amazonian queen who falls in love with Greek warrior Achilles and mistakenly kills him, Dusapin’s work is taut and compelling, lingering in the mind - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe Murder Capital: When I Have Fears review – a raw, rampaging debut
Dublin five-piece draws on post-punk from Joy Division to Idles, but their unsettling, thrilling energy is all their own - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarBon Iver: i,i review – complex and majestic
(Jagjaguwar) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarMarika Hackman: Any Human Friend review – selfishness, sex and passion
With deadpan humour and rock-star confidence, Hackman essays her own restive, messy desires, from denial to acceptance - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarBanks: III review – her best album yet
(Harvest) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarPurple Mountains: Purple Mountains review – sardonic Americana with the lyrics of the year
(Drag City)Life has tested David Berman, and he translates it into songs of mordant wit on this fantastic collaboration with Woods - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJohn Luther Adams: Become Desert review – a unique voice turns to the sands
Inspired by the desert landscapes of his new Mexico home, the Pulitzer prize-winner takes us on an journey from the joyous to the apocalyptic - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarFreddie Gibbs & Madlib: Bandana review – unvarnished and utterly dazzling hip-hop
The rapper-producer duo follow up Piñata with another cinematic series of street stories delivered with lyrical majesty - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarBill Callahan: Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest review – brilliantly sly celebration of family and the infinite
Humour and subtly shattering insights into a new life as a parent add profundity to Callahan’s expansive album - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarJake Xerxes Fussell: Out of Sight review – peppy, sensual, murderous visions of folk
Fussell’s exceptional covers show how folk songs seep into funk, rock and soul, while making them decidedly his own - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarSlowthai: Nothing Great About Britain review – snarling in the face of power
On his debut album, the Northampton rapper swears at the Queen, dodges the far right and tries to pull a posh girl. It all adds up to a hilarious punk portrait of the nation - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarHolly Herndon: Proto review – dizzying beauty and bracing beats
(4AD) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarRhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi: There Is No Other review – a folk landmark
Stellar folk musician joins forces with Italian multi-instrumentalist to connect African and Arabic sounds with traditional forms – it’s stunning - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarJS Bach: Cello Suites review – a violin reboot to make you dance
Violinist Rachel Podger makes Bach’s suites sound as if they were written for her instrument, such is her buoyancy and agility - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarKelsey Lu: Blood review – absorbing, astonishing debut album
(Columbia) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarFontaines DC: Dogrel review – boisterous Irish punks' perfect debut
In a bracing Dublin accent, Grian Chatten rants, brags and balladeers across a fantastic range of quality songs - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarAki Takase/Japanic: Thema Prima review – vivacious, genre-vaulting jazz adventures
(BMC)Recorded in Budapest for her 70th birthday, Takase’s new album fields catchy hooks, improv, raw noise and cryptic vocals in indefatigable style - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarSchubert: Sonatas & Impromptus review – Schiff's 1820 piano brings fascinating insights
A 19th-century Viennese fortepiano shows off its special tonal qualities in this magnificent detailed and expressive double disc set - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarChausson: Poème de l'Amour et de la Mer/Symphonie review – glorious singer brings key composer to life
The effortlessly elegant Véronique Gens shows why she is one of the great singers of our time on this transcendent work - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLucy Rose: No Words Left review – her starkest, most striking album yet
Rose’s stripped-back songs convey bleakness and beauty in equal measure – they are her strongest artistic statement yet - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarThe Cinematic Orchestra: To Believe review – heartbreakingly brilliant
(Ninja Tune) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarDave: Psychodrama review – the boldest and best British rap album in a generation
Fearless and incisive, Dave’s reportage-style tracks sketch out race, prison and abusive relationships, resulting in a landmark record - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDurand Jones & the Indications: American Love Call review – immaculate and eternal soul
The sound may be retro but this band’s new, strong songs show how timeless soul music is. It has the makings of a classic - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarOur Native Daughters: Songs of Our Native Daughters review – devastating beauty from banjo supergroup
Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell and Amythyst Kiah have joined forces to confront the abuse of African American women with authority and pride - Laura Barton
starstarstarstarstarRustin Man: Drift Code review – pastoral pop with a beautiful patina
The former Talk Talk man’s weathered voice adds warmth to folk-informed songs that exist in a tradition of their own - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarFederico Colli: JS Bach/Busoni CD review – natural fluency and thoughtfulness
Playing on a modern Steinway, the Italian pianist invests Bach’s keyboard works with vitality and a memorable soft-edged inwardness - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBill Ryder-Jones: Yawn review – emotion, elation and effortless intimacy
The tunes seem to spill out of Bill Ryder-Jones, leavening his stark arrangements and mordant lyrics to envelop listeners - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSidney Gish: No Dogs Allowed review – mordant, charming indie pop
The young Bostonian’s funny, breezy songs tackle self-obsession with a scathing wit - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarEarl Sweatshirt: Some Rap Songs review – powerful, emotional poetry
Cut-up beats are a foil for candid reflections on the artist’s battles with drugs and depression, with moving moments of parental reconciliation - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarSchumann: Frage CD review – Gerhaher launches epic project with verve
Schumann brings out the best in baritone Christian Gerhaher on this striking recording with pianist Gerold Huber - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarKeith Jarrett: La Fenice review – dazzling spontaneity from 2006
(ECM) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarMarianne Faithfull: Negative Capability review – up there with Cohen and Cash
(BMG) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarTrifonov: Destination Rachmaninov. Departure review – peerless playing
Daniil Trifonov’s extraordinary eloquence removes every trace of over-familiarity – this is one of the releases of the year - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarRobyn: Honey review – beautifully personal pop perfection
By manipulating the modern pop palette to craft a complex heartbreak album, Robyn shows her imitators how it’s done - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarNeneh Cherry: Broken Politics review – raw-silk empathy in a shattered world
Cherry’s sage perspective weaves through these tender tracks, making it a beautiful and revelatory record - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarLisa O'Neill: Heard a Long Gone Song review – raw and unvarnished folk for austere times
O’Neill has returned to her vocal roots and made an album that is rough, calloused and totally relevant - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarIgor Levit: Life review – pianist's transcendental meditation on grief
Whether performing Liszt, Busoni or even Bill Evans, the pianist explores sorrow, grief and closure - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarFucked Up: Dose Your Dreams review – hardcore punks' joyful reinvention
The Toronto band’s fifth album adds new voices and sounds but keeps the punk spirit in their best songs yet - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarPrince: Piano & a Microphone 1983 review – revelatory listen from a colossal talent
Prince’s amazing abilities as a pianist, on embryonic hits or cover versions, are all over this posthumous album – he’s on fire here - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarLow: Double Negative review – the sound of the world unravelling
Shuddering blooms of static and an incantatory tone make this document of social collapse one of 2018’s most important albums - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarBlood Orange: Negro Swan review – a dizzying triumph
(Domino) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarMitski: Be the Cowboy review – thrillingly dark bait-and-switch pop
There is a malevolent undertow to Mitski’s songs – surreal, funny and sad – that catches you off guard on this brilliant album - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarClassical album of the week: Stravinsky: Perséphone review – beautifully modulated drama
Stravinsky’s hybrid ballet/cantata is rarely heard and this recording returns one of the best works of his neoclassical period to its rightful place - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHelena Hauff: Qualm review – zeitgeist DJ bends techno to her will
Hauff’s second, rawer and louder, release finds harmonic charm in tough electronica - Lauren Martin
starstarstarstarstarErroll Garner: Nightconcert review – dizzying jazz talent, live in 1964
(Mack Avenue) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarClassical album of the week: Hindemith: Das Marienleben review
Banse and Helmchen’s 1923 version of Hindemith’s song cycle is a glorious achievement - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarDeafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love review – black metal with grey areas
By turning their outsider status – not quite metal, not quite indie, beholden to shoegaze and dreampop – into a virtue, Deafheaven have made a unique album - Lanre Bakare
starstarstarstarstarLet's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears review – bold, intense pop that gets under the skin
The duo’s second album is all about abandoning fear and leaping towards desire - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarGwenifer Raymond: You Never Were Much of a Dancer review – fingerpicking good
The Welsh musician serves up a stew of bluegrass, blues and haunted Americana - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarNeko Case: Hell-On review – a pitch-perfect roar of female defiance
The dauntless singer’s seventh album sees her recalling and reclaiming her life-story in the wake of a series of traumas - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarSimian Mobile Disco: Murmurations review – hypnotic genius takes flight
Electronics meets human voices to dramatic effect - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarHugh Masekela: Masekela 66-76 review – crammed with great music
This rich collection of great music, some of which has been unavailable for years, represents the South African musician’s remarkable life’s work - Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: Symphonies No 1-4 review – peak connection in bewitching Brahms
Conductor Robin Ticciati creates a distinct sound world for each symphony, while Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s playing is unfailingly vivid - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarKacey Musgraves: Golden Hour review – universal classic from acid-dropping country star
Drugs, futurism, LGBTQ rights … Musgraves’ new album confirms she is not your average Nashville star - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCourtney Marie Andrews: May Your Kindness Remain review – Americana on the brink of eruption
- Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarYoung Fathers: Cocoa Sugar review – sounds like freedom feels
(Ninja Tune) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarFerneyhough: La Terre Est Un Homme / Plötzlichkeit review – massive and mesmerising
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarDeux: Kopatchinskaja/Leschenko CD review – their playing bristles with energy
(Alpha)Also reviewed: Lisa Batiashvili performs Prokofiev, and cellist Matthew Sharp rediscovers Hans Gál - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarReich: Pulse/Quartet CD review – pitch perfect performances
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarNo Age: Snares Like a Haircut review – vital dreamlike punk for all comers
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJacob Obrecht: Missa Grecorum & motets CD review – a Renaissance revelation
The Brabant Ensemble/Rice(Hyperion) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarStravinsky: Chant Funèbre, etc CD review – Chailly brings fascinating insights to the road not taken
Lucerne Festival O/Chailly(Decca) - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarPowerdance: The Lost Art of Getting Down review – love is the message
The collective celebrate disco and post-punk from an age before tedious dancefloor Instagrams – but their bass-heavy toughness means they never become retro - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMyra Davies: Sirens review – witty spoken-word skewering of violence, patriarchy and modern music
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarFela Kuti: Box Set 4, curated by Erykah Badu review – witty, informative selection of music from a master
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarREM: Automatic for the People, 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition review – the perfect mix of playful, angry melancholy
- Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarMaryam Saleh, Maurice Louca, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh: Lekhfa review – remarkable Egyptian indie collaboration is a triumph
- Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarNelly Akopian-Tamarina: Brahms review – enchanting, intimate and irresistible
Akopian-Tamarina(Pentatone) - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarAlkan: 12 Etudes, Op 35 review – Viner rises to Alkan's extraordinary challenges
The young British pianist proves himself a hugely impressive interpreter of some of the most demanding and explosive 19th-century music - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Quartets, Vol 4 DVD review – bright, volatile, exciting and terrific
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarKarine Polwart with Pippa Murphy: A Pocket of Wind Resistance review – warm, wise, compelling
(Hudson) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarAnna Ternheim: All the Way to Rio review – a wonderful, autumnal record
- Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarBerlioz: Les Troyens CD review – electrifying performances set a new benchmark
John Nelson, Joyce DiDonato and a carefully assembled cast never let the pace slacken in a stylish recording full of tremendous dramatic commitment - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarAbrahamsen: String Quartets CD review – definitive recordings of a vital series
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSabine Devieilhe: Mirages CD review – mesmerising, radiant, sensual singing
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBach arr Alessandrini: Variations on Variations CD review – revelatory Goldbergs and more
Concerto Italiano/Alessandrini(Naïve) - Nicholas Kenyon
starstarstarstarstarDebussy: Sonatas and Trio CD review – fulsome and winningly authoritative
These late sonatas, with their fond neoclassicism, hint at where Debussy’s music might have gone after the first world war and are performed responsively - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBartók: Concerto for Orchestra etc CD review – wonderfully alive
James Ehnes (violin), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Gardner(Chandos) - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarLankum: Between the Earth and Sky review – brilliant, raw, detonating folk
- Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarÉliane Radigue: Occam Ocean 1 CD review – ultra-slow, ephemeral and virtuosic
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarSeamus Fogarty: The Curious Hand review – magical amplified folk journeys through modern life
- Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarKayn: A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound CD review – a cosmic achievement
- Kate Molleson
starstarstarstarstarSchubert/Zimerman: Piano Sonatas D959 and D960 CD review – thoughtful and technically impeccable
- Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLeo Richardson Quartet: The Chase review – a superlative debut
(Ubuntu) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarSchubert: Der Einsame CD review – Young tenor Ilker Arcayürek is in a class on his own
- Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarDomenico Scarlatti: Sonatas Vol 2 CD review – another accomplished Angela Hewitt recital
Angela Hewitt (piano)(Hyperion) - Stephen Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarProtomartyr: Relatives in Descent review – sensational, bloodied but unbowed post-punk
- Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarCécile McLorin Salvant: Dreams and Daggers review – awe-inspiringly audacious jazz reworking
- John Fordham
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