Yoko Ono “Yes I’m a Witch Too” Astralwerks There might not be a bigger hard line in music than Yoko Ono’s voice. Her voice is so distinctive and unique that it either intrigues you or drives you completely mad. “Yes I’m a Witch Too” is a sequel to her 2007

Foxes “All I Need” Sign of the Times In the wake of David Bowie’s untimely return to his home planet, it is sad to note that the type of infectious, world-changing glam-pop that Bowie helped pioneer is more or less dead. “Pop” nowadays is a light, disposable thing that rarely

Lucinda Williams “The Ghosts of Highway 20” Highway 20 Records Lucinda Williams is the cure for bro country. Seemingly single-handedly looking to rescue country music from the beds of beer-soaked pickup trucks, Williams continues to be the closest thing the genre has to Tom Waits. “Ghosts of Highway 20” is

Money “Suicide Songs” Bella Union If you’re unfamiliar with Manchester-based Money, the first thing you should know is that they have some of the most annoying song-naming habits this side of Of Montreal. “Suicide Songs,” the band’s second full-length album, has songs named “A Cocaine Christmas and an Alcoholic’s New

Hinds “Leave Me Alone” Mom+Pop Look, Hinds is fun, OK? I am not trying to argue that the Madrid-based foursome’s sound is anything less than charming and enjoyable. But sometimes you have to ask yourself if that is enough. “Leave Me Alone” is about as DIY as it gets, with

Prince “HITnRUN Phase Two” NPG Let’s be honest, there was a long stretch of time when Prince stunk. He went experimental and developed a bad habit of publishing literally every musical thought that went through his head, no matter how malformed or unready it might have been. “HITnRUN Phase Two”

David Bowie “Blackstar” Columbia At 69, now does not seem like the time for David Bowie to be mixing things up. The world knows what Bowie is, and most everyone is perfectly happy with it, because it is amazing. However, “Blackstar” flips the script completely, as Bowie offers up his

Cage the Elephant “Tell Me I’m Pretty” Sony The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the album. Cage the Elephant’s entire career has seemed to be one long attempt to get you to really, really like them. And it is not like the guys are

Erykah Badu “But You Caint Use My Phone” Independent Erykah Badu is one of those artists for whom greatness is seemingly effortless. “But You Caint Use My Phone” is a self-released mix tape. Recorded over a long weekend, its 11-song menu plays itself out in less than 40 minutes, and

Adele “25” XL/Columbia There are a few things in this world that are unarguably, irrefutably, universally true. That Adele is a huge talent blessed with a magnificent voice is certainly one of them. So in that regard, “25” is gorgeous. You can put the album on shuffle, listen to any