Pitchfork

The follow-up to the New York lyricist’s Def Jam debut is a stripped-back canvas for his searing, lived-in stories. His vision is clearer than ever.

Self-funded, self-released, self-produced, and self-referential, the Welsh rock band’s seventh album has a big-tent sound with all the requisite wit and panache. It is unquestionably the ultimate Los Campesinos! album.

The country crossover star’s excellent songwriting is raw and evocative, and though he continues to hone his sound, the total emotional experience of the album sometimes wears a bit thin.

The Bronx rapper’s full-length debut leans into a hard-nosed drill sound and features some of her most dynamic and abrasive bars to date.

With her sixth album, Charli XCX transcends all narratives and delivers a hit. Brat is imperious and cool, nuanced and vulnerable, and one of the best pop albums of the year.

Donald Glover’s final album under this moniker features eclectic and adventurous rap and R&B, but the big swings never really connect.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today we revisit Daddy Yankee’s breakthrough album, the unforgettable year of “Gasolina,” and how the Puerto Rican rapper helped make reggaeton a global sensation.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today we revisit Ashanti’s assured blockbuster debut, a lynchpin record for the new era of pop and R&B at the dawn of the century.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the 2000 album from one of the most famous and influential musicians in South Asian history, a spare, heart-rending, spiritually transcendent experience.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the apex of the infamous UK band, a hedonistic and sampledelic Madchester masterpiece that reinvented post-punk for the rave era.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the subversive 1984 debut from the UK synth-pop group, an exquisite-sounding album that snuck an ode to amyl nitrate and orgasms onto pop charts around the world.

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit a foundational new age album from 1975, an alluring, slightly fried soundscape channeled directly to its composer from an inter-dimensional entity named Vista.