Music
Naam: Naam 
Naam’s self-titled debut is a “black hole of reverb and dust” that sucks you into its abyss, said The Village Voice.
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra: Mahler: Symphony No. 7
David Zinman conducts the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra in a “lucid, detailed, but never overfussy" performance of Mahler's Seventh Symphony.
Sufjan Stevens: The BQE
The Brooklyn-based musician's “old-fashioned orchestral suite” was written to accompany his audiovisual tribute to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Adam Lambert’s risky CD cover
The American Idol’s debut is shaping up to be a monster hit—but will its androgynous cover art alienate mainstream fans?
Lyle Lovett: Natural Forces
Lovett continues along his musically unique path on his 12th album and pays tribute to such heroes as Townes Van Zandt and Robert Earl Keen.
Atlas Sound: Logos
The second solo album from Deerhunter’s frontman proves that “his solo creative output is just as rewarding as what came before” said Ash Dosanjh in New Musical Express.
White Denim: Fits
White Denim's newest album moves from stye to style, with the group trying its hand at prog, funk, psychedelia, post-punk, country, and even tropicalia.
Bob Dylan: Christmas in the Heart
The Voice of a Generation has delivered the first holiday album of his career.
Bebel Gilberto: All in One
On her first record for Verve—a label known for some of the best albums of Brazilian music—the daughter of Brazilian singer Miúcha and João Gilberto—steers her global pop sound toward the rhythms of South America.
The Flaming Lips: Embryonic
The 12th album from these freak-rockers is a “glorious act of galloping lunacy,” said John Doran in New Musical Express.
Rihanna's 'Russian Roulette'
What the pop star has to say in her first single since the Chris Brown scandal
Spike Jonze and Kanye West: 'We Were Once a Fairytale'
What Jonze's new short film reveals about the hip-hop star
The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come
John Darnielle doesn’t preach the “word of the Lord” in his new album, though he has drawn inspiration from verses in the Bible to sing about universal themes and the meaning of faith.
Built to Spill: There Is No Enemy
Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch is “alt-rock’s Thomas Pynchon, holed up in a remote studio and issuing immaculate artworks when he damn well pleases,” said Will Hermes in Rolling Stone.
The Very Best: Warm Heart of Africa
In Very Best's debut album, old and new African genres are blended with hip-hop beats, ’80s-style synths, and dub riddim grooves.
Carly Simon vs. Starbucks
Why the singer-songwriter is suing the coffee giant
'This Is It': Michael Jackson's first posthumous single
How the song compares to the pop icon's other work, and how it could reflect on his legacy
Volcano Choir: Unmap
Justin Vernon has paired up with fellow Wisconsinites, Collections of Colonies of Bees, to create a 35-minute mood piece.
Girls: Album
Despite their dark pasts, Christopher Owens and Chet White try to channel good vibrations through hazy Californian surf pop.
Plastic Ono Band: Between My Head and the Sky
With the help of son Sean, Yoko Ono has revived the Plastic Ono Band, which she and Lennon began in the late 1960s and put to rest in 1975.
