St Vincent: Daddy’s Home review – master of reinvention warps the sounds of the 70s
Playing with identity and touching on family matters, Annie Clark’s sixth album with wilfully twisted musical backing is hugely impressive - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: The Schoenberg Effect review – symphonic reduction brings expansion
Arranged for piano quartet, Brahm’s third symphony gains insights and richness in this superb new recording by the Notos Quartett - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarRhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi: They’re Calling Me Home review – big, beautiful laments
From lockdown in Ireland, Giddens and Turrisi range across folk traditions on exceptional covers and originals - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarDry Cleaning: New Long Leg review – a singular debut
The everyday becomes poetic on this intensely original album of post-punk shape-shifting from the south London foursome - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarMahler/Cooke: Symphony No 10 review – one of the finest recordings of a final masterpiece
Part of his cycle of works by Mahler, Vänskä’s stoic approach pays dividends in the composer’s unfinished work, with unswerving instrumental detail - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and Warren Ellis: Carnage review – the firebrand returns
The grief remains, but Cave’s hunger for retribution is back too, heightened at every turn by Ellis’s strings, on this wild, writerly masterpiece - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGhetts: Conflict of Interest review – one giant leap for grime
Cinematic in scope, movingly honest, with a phalanx of big-name guests, Justin Clarke’s major-label debut is a dazzling piece of storytelling - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBlack Country, New Road: For the First Time review – one of the best albums of 2021
This remarkably biodiverse seven-piece take the rock band format and soar with it - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarThe Weather Station: Ignorance review – a heartbroken masterpiece
Tamara Lindeman’s shimmering breakup songs double as a rallying cry for our ravaged planet - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJohn Eccles: Semele review – pre-Handel opera is a colourful musical gem
Eccles’s 1706 work is a fascinating insight into its era, and this clean, light-on-its-feet version is a gratifying listen - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBach: 12 Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier II review – wilfully immaculate
Playing his own selection of pieces from Bach’s monumental work may be heresy, but Anderszewki’s intelligence, lucidity and joy is undeniable - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarMadlib: Sound Ancestors review – hip-hop visionary tells wondrous stories in sound
Arranged by Four Tet, the producer’s stunning album is poignant and sincere, combining beats, jazz, reggae toasts and vocal snippets into a kind of folklore - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarBurd Ellen: Says the Never Beyond review – brilliant wintersongs make an eerie snowglobe of sound
Debbie Armour and Gayle Brogan harmonise beautifully and add unnerving sounds to British seasonal songs - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarMegan Thee Stallion: Good News review – galloping into greatness
With easy flow, hard barbs and a magnetic persona, the rapper casts herself as the successor to hip-hop’s old-school heroes - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJS Bach: Goldberg Variations review – softly spoken and immensely powerful
In a revelatory recording, Kolesnikov makes Bach’s variations soar as if new - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBruckner: Symphonies Nos 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 review – glorious performances make a worthy tribute
The late conductor excelled in late Romantic repertoire, and these live recording of Bruckner symphonies see him at his best - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarA Swayze and the Ghosts: Paid Salvation review – a faultless debut
Angry, tuneful and woke – this Tasmanian punk band dazzle on all counts - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSault: Untitled (Rise) review – mystery collective make best album of 2020, again
Just 12 weeks after their previous double album, the British group dance from sorrow to resistance, mixing fearless lyrics with house, funk and disco - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPeter Grimes review – insightful recording is among the opera’s finest
Britten’s opera sounds huge and thrilling in a nuanced recording with sparkling interplay between singers and orchestra – it’s rarely sounded better - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarIves: Complete Symphonies review – Dudamel captures the rapture of an iconoclast
The conductor and his orchestra express the transcendental immensity of Ives, especially in a glorious Fourth Symphony - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarFontaines DC: A Hero's Death review – all the joy and despair of youth is here
The Dublin band deliver a difficult but powerful second album full of songwriting that stares life in the face - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarShirley Collins: Heart's Ease review – unerring brilliance
The veteran singer’s comeback really takes wing with this impeccably judged set - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarTaylor Swift: Folklore review – bombastic pop makes way for emotional acuity
Released with little fanfare this move to more muted songwriting is proof Swift’s music can thrive without the celebrity drama - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarEighth Blackbird: Singing in the Dead of Night review – irresistible, propulsive variations
Three Bang on a Can composers tease lines from the Beatles’ Blackbird into sparky, fierce and unpredictable works, played with exuberance - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHaim: Women in Music Pt III review – a cathartic walk on the blue side of life
The three sisters switch into melancholy for this richly searching, explosively produced third album - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarBessie Jones: Get in Union review – 60 songs straight from the gut and heart
This remastered set of Jones’s recordings with the Georgia Sea Island Singers richly celebrates a traditional vocalist of key historical importance - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarRose City Band: Summerlong review – a gorgeous record
One-man band Ripley Johnson casts an unashamedly sunny eight-song spell - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarBob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways review – a testament to his eternal greatness
Full of bleak and brooding rhythm and blues, Rough and Rowdy Ways reveals Dylan at his lyrical best - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJake Blount: Spider Tales review - instant classic reinstates folk's black, queer roots
This debut album uses limber banjo and fiddle to delve into subversive stories of violence and survival - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarBritish Violin Sonatas Vol 3 review – Tasmin Little bows out in style
The much-loved violinist ends as she began, putting less familiar repertoire centre stage - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarPerfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately review – pop poet discovers new powers
Backed by starry session musicians, Mike Hadreas makes wild but confident leaps between styles on this rich, fascinating LP - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPole: 123 review – calming, abstract, minimal genius
This reissue of Stefan Betke’s first three albums shows how the electronic auteur turned a technical glitch into an innovative, intimate and warm style - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBC Camplight: Shortly After Takeoff review – a tumultuous pop masterpiece
Brian Christinzio distills beauty from pain and allows melodies and hooks to hang around on this triumphant album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarFiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters review – a glorious eruption
The unhurried artist’s first studio album in eight years is astonishing, intimate and demonstrates a refusal to be silenced - Laura Barton
starstarstarstarstarRavel: La Valse; Mussorgsky: Pictures review - brilliantly lit, punchy and athletic
François-Xavier Roth and his period instrument group brilliantly honour the dizzying spirit of Ravel’s La Valse, and the Mussorgsky glows with detail - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarWaxahatchee: Saint Cloud review – the best album of the year so far
With tracks that nestle in heartache and bask in hard-won wisdom, this is an artefact of American song that measures up to Dylan at his peak - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarChildish Gambino: 3.15.20 review – at the peak of the zeitgeist
The actor, comedian and musician Donald Glover has made the first truly outstanding album of the decade, offsetting cultural examinations with moments of sweet levity - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarEpic: Lieder & Balladen review – a storytelling masterclass
Degout/Lepper(Harmonia Mundi)From Schubert’s murderous dwarf to similarly dark works by Schumann and Brahms, Degout and Lepper provide impeccable drama on a superb album - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarCode Orange: Underneath review – a thrilling new form of molten metal
The Pittsburgh quintet marry technical mastery with genre-fusing risk in a record of poetry and spectacular potency - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarSchoenberg: Violin Concerto; Verklärte Nacht review – fabulous colour and nuance
Faust/Swedish RSO/Harding(Harmonia Mundi)Isabelle Faust’s performance of Schoenberg’s violin concerto is exceptional, and Daniel Harding matches her in musical understanding - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarCaribou: Suddenly review – perfectly imperfect pop
Dan Snaith’s project returns after five years away to confront grief and family, beautifully warping songs that are drenched in melody - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBeatrice Dillon: Workaround review – a global future-folk manifesto
These exuberant electronic experiments in mixing 150bpm dub-techno with live instrumentation fizz with the joy of artistic creation - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarLouise Alder & Joseph Middleton: Lines Written During a Sleepless Night review – worth staying up for
(Chandos)Alder’s glorious soprano is wonderfully supported by Middleton’s expressive piano in songs by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Medtner and Britten - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarSault: 5 / 7 review – intriguing grooves from a mystery funk machine
No one seems to know who they are, but one thing is sure: Sault make hooky, dubby, funky music with echoes of ESG and Can - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBerlioz: La Damnation de Faust review – sell your soul for a damned fine Faust
Michael Spyres is almost superhumanly good in this live recording of Berlioz’s légende dramatique - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBurial: Tunes 2011-2019 review – transmissions from an alternate universe
The producer’s collected post-Untrue EPs reveal him as one of the most evocative voices in British music - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarAllison 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
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