David Bowie – The Next Day
A career spent courting otherworldliness, followed by a decade out of the public eye (and a 2004 heart attack), does tend to fuel morbid rumors. Fortunately, Bowie, at the age of 66, is perfectly healthy—or at least healthy enough to work, as only two days after I was assured he was drawing his last breath, his label announced he’d soon debut his first album of new songs in 10 years. The Next Day finally arrives this week, after a couple of videos and a pre-release stream on iTunes, and it’s quite good, too, although you should be wary of critics—even trustworthy me! Read the full review on Vanity Fair

Rhye – Woman
Even without a face to attach it to, Rhye’s music itself feels deeply intimate. Much of this comes from Hannibal and Milosh’s deft arrangements– each of Woman’s 10 songs makes its point with a bare minimum of moving parts. Beats, basslines, and Milosh’s voice are at the center of nearly all of them; although a majority of the tracks boast arrangements for horns and strings, most of these are so subtle that you might not even realize they’re there until you read the liner notes afterward. The lean production leaves little space between the listener and the songs, and they feel almost touchably close. Read the full review on Pitchfork

Devendra Banhart – Mala
[Devendra Banhard] has managed to keep his sound unique without coming across as trying too hard. Eccentric instrumentation, recurring thoughts, and otherworldly concepts just seem to find their way into his special brand of off-kilter, folksy freak-flamenco. His eighth studio album, Mala, although softer and a touch more dour than some of his previous offerings, proves that Banhart is still a strange fella leaving his mark on the world of popular music. Read the full review on consequence of sound