Beck – Morning Phase
Naturally, after three albums in a row without much stripped down material, Beck has returned to the musicians (and emotions) of Sea Change with Morning Phase, his first new studio album in six years. And this time around, Beck not only has a more positive outlook on life, but sports refined songwriting and musicianship. That is, instead of wallowing in minimalism and his own sadness, Beck uses Morning Phase to show that he’s “tired of being alone”, but also to state that he’s comfortable in his own skin. All in all, it’s one of the best records he’s ever made. Read the full review on Music OHM

St. Vincent – St. Vincent
St. Vincent continues Clark’s run as one of the past decade’s most distinct and innovative guitarists, though she’s never one to showboat. Her harmonic-filled style bears the influence of jazz (she picked up a lot of her signature tricks from her uncle, the jazz guitarist Tuck Andress) and prog rock, two genres known to embrace sprawl. But Clark’s freak-outs are tidy, modular and architecturally compact—like King Crimson rewritten by Le Corbusier. Even at its most spazzy, there’s always something efficient about St. Vincent. Read the full review on Pitchfork

Mike Gordon – Overstep
What Gordon may have given up in control, he gains by creating a more unified and satisfying sound. Don’t worry, Gordon lovers. There’s still plenty of his off-the-wall lyrics. Take “Ether,” the first track, where he dreamily describes floating around and encountering a Cyclops and using rocket components to build a new girlfriend. Read the full review on ABCnews