It caused a stir when it was announced: Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree and No-Man fame) was to release his first-ever full-length solo album. The first question to pop up was: why? After a couple decades of activity under his belt, and two handfuls of bands and projects past and present (including several solo outfits, like Bass Communion), why would he release an album under his own name, and what would that album be like? Well, as it turned out, Insurgentes is basically a Porcupine Tree album in which Wilson wrote all the songs and made all the decisions, including the one to not include all current members of Porcupine Tree in the project. Is that a problem, fans might ask? Not at all. In fact, Insurgentes is an excellent slab of progressive-tinged alternative rock, and a logical next step from Fear of a Blank Planet, PT's last album at this point. The songwriting is sharp and punchy in the short tracks, and atmospheric and contrasted in the longer ones (the wall-of-guitar entry in "No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun"), with maybe a tad bit more input from Wilson's experimental project Bass Communion filtering through in the textures department. Despite featuring only Wilson and PT drummer Gavin Harrison, the leadoff track, "Harmony Korine," would have been perfect as a hit single for the next Porcupine Tree record. "Abandoner" is Wilson at his creepy best: stark electronica beat, aerial vocals, and twisted ambience (enhanced in the 5.1 surround mix version by a tricky placement of acoustic guitar attack and backward effect). Theo Travis guests on flute on this track. Other guest musicians include Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess delivering a stunning piano solo in "No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun," King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, singer Clodagh Simonds (of Fovea Hex) adding wordless vocals to "Significant Other," and Michiyo Yagi on koto (a Japanese traditional zither-like instrument) on the title track. Accessible yet boundary-pushing (in a pop/rock format), Insurgentes is one of Wilson's finer moments. And it must be heard in 5.1 surround sound for its full richness to be experienced, as the man has become a master of the surround mix.© François Couture /TiVo

Whereas Rush's first two releases, their self-titled debut and Fly by Night, helped create a buzz among hard rock fans worldwide, the more progressive third release, Caress of Steel, confused many of their supporters. Rush knew it was now or never with their fourth release, and they delivered just in time -- 1976's 2112 proved to be their much sought-after commercial breakthrough and remains one of their most popular albums. Instead of choosing between prog rock and heavy rock, both styles are merged together to create an interesting and original approach. The entire first side is comprised of the classic title track, which paints a chilling picture of a future world where technology is in control (Peart's lyrics for the piece being influenced by Ayn Rand). Comprised of seven "sections," the track proved that the trio members were fast becoming rock's most accomplished instrumentalists. The second side contains shorter selections, such as the Middle Eastern-flavored "A Passage to Bangkok" and the album-closing rocker "Something for Nothing." 2112 is widely considered by Rush fans as their first true "classic" album, the first in a string of similarly high-quality albums.© Greg Prato /TiVo

Time takes its cues more from such bands as the Alan Parsons Project and Wings than from Jeff Lynne's fascination with Pepper-era Beatles. Sure, all the electronic whirrs and bleeps are present and accounted for, and Time did spawn hit singles in "Hold on Tight" and "Twilight," but on the average, ELO had begun to get too stuck on the same structure and content of their releases. "The Way Life's Meant to Be" echoes very early ELO hits like "Can't Get It Out of My Head," and the "Prologue" and "Epilogue" segments try and bring about a unifying concept that doesn't quite hold up upon listening all the way through. Time proves to be competent ELO but not great ELO.© James Chrispell /TiVo

The first half of 2022's two solo releases from Jack White (acoustic Entering Heaven Alive is out in July), Fear of the Dawn is a solid reminder the rock 'n' roll isn't dead: Call it White's Sabbath era. "Taking Me Back" is as heavy, and as '70s, as anything he's done, layered with fuzzed-out guitar, underwater drums, and in-and-out effects that make the whole thing sound so big it's shorting out the system. The title track absolutely swings, its bass like an 18-wheeler plowing down a highway at midnight—steady while the guitar squalls, out of control and all over the place, refusing to between the lines. White works himself up into a tent-revival preacher froth—on the cusp of evangelism and madness—on "What's the Trick": "Stomping on a box that I thought was empty/ But there was something sharp inside," he rants as a guitar maniacally runs scales through a monster filter. And that's hardly the weirdest moment. White, a guy who has never seemed casual or like he takes his purpose lightly, is in a playful, experimental mood. "Into the Twilight" starts with a bit of Manhattan Transfer-style vocals, then leaps fearlessly into '70s funk and disco camp, throwing in a William S. Burroughs sample ("When you cut into the present, the future leaks out") and down-and-dirty keys. "Hi-De-Ho" kicks in with mystical vocalization before A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip rolls up with some '80s style rap—nodding to the obvious reference ("Hi-de-hi-de-ho is a Calloway vibe") and unleashing some fun top-of-their-game nonsense: "Hurting real bad, like Stevie Wonder with contusions/ It's a guitar chuck coming from Chuck Berry/ Hi-de-high tones from Minnie Rip, Mariah Carey/ Olajuwon post moves, Bron or Embiid/ Everybody got it in 'em, find yours and succeed."  "That Was Then, This Is Now" incorporates '70s bubblegum glam metal á la The Sweet, "Eosophobia" rides a jackhammer rhythm that slides sideways into The Edge-style atmospherics and laser-show effects, and "The White Raven" features both a pounding, industrial grind and haunted-house howls. "My camouflage is invisible … my armor is invincible," White sings, big, freewheeling and refreshed. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

A rare jewel among the piano repertoire, Dvorák's Poetic Tone Pictures, a cycle of piano solo works, is mostly unknown to the public. Following the great success of his Sibelius album in 2017, Leif Ove Andsnes once again brings lesser known piano music into the spotlight, delivering a treasure chest of accessible and romantic tunes performed with artistic brilliance. © Sony Classical

To say that Vincent Peirani has done a lot to change perceptions of the accordion would be an understatement. He joins many others before him who have proved the “piano with straps” can make sweet music; unaffected by the clichés often associated with the instrument. From the very beginning, Peirani has planted himself firmly in the ground of jazz, and as his sound has grown, it’s quickly branched off in different directions. Jokers serves to give his one-of-a-kind sound an extra dimension. The album was recorded at the end of 2021 with guitarist Federico Casagrande and drummer Ziv Ravitz, both of whom are elite musicians. From the start, the trio packs a punch with a cover of This Is the New Shit by Marilyn Manson. The album also contains a cover of another big name in metal: Copy of A by Nine Inch Nails. As if this crazy tsunami of sound wasn’t enough, Vincent Peirani sometimes swaps his accordion for a clarinet (the first instrument he ever learnt), a music box, keyboards or even a glockenspiel!But the real attraction of Jokers doesn’t lie in its unusual assortment of instruments, which is anything but gadgetry. Peirani, Casagrande and Ravitz play as one, inventing a language that is often otherworldly. At the heart of this language is a narrative that remains the driving force of the album. Whether the music is tormented or nostalgic, every note is perfectly placed and chosen, keeping the melodic framework in focus. As for Peirani, his accordion has its own unique voice, speaking its mind freely and daring to play with stylistic boundaries. His albums tells a thousand stories: childhood memories; fairytale worlds; sci-fi universes; circus performances and the end of the world. The kaleidoscope of sound created by Peirani and his two friends is mesmerising. With its compositions and unique array of sounds, Jokers is sure to move you. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Whereas Rush's first two releases, their self-titled debut and Fly by Night, helped create a buzz among hard rock fans worldwide, the more progressive third release, Caress of Steel, confused many of their supporters. Rush knew it was now or never with their fourth release, and they delivered just in time -- 1976's 2112 proved to be their much sought-after commercial breakthrough and remains one of their most popular albums. Instead of choosing between prog rock and heavy rock, both styles are merged together to create an interesting and original approach. The entire first side is comprised of the classic title track, which paints a chilling picture of a future world where technology is in control (Peart's lyrics for the piece being influenced by Ayn Rand). Comprised of seven "sections," the track proved that the trio members were fast becoming rock's most accomplished instrumentalists. The second side contains shorter selections, such as the Middle Eastern-flavored "A Passage to Bangkok" and the album-closing rocker "Something for Nothing." 2112 is widely considered by Rush fans as their first true "classic" album, the first in a string of similarly high-quality albums.© Greg Prato /TiVo

Wielding her violin like a huntress' bow, Lindsey Stirling focuses her classical crossover vision with a deeply imaginative concept for her fifth album, Artemis. Named after the Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon, the effort finds Stirling hitting her artistic stride with a grand soundtrack to a movie that doesn't yet exist, like a neon cyberpunk take on Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings score. Making her early work feel small-scale by comparison -- early-2010s tracks like "Song of the Caged Bird," "Beyond the Veil," and "Heist" come closest to what she's offering here -- Artemis also benefits from fewer special guests, which was a distraction on her previous full-length, Brave Enough. Here, Stirling's animated string wizardry shines and her ethereal vocals do a fine job without too much outside involvement. Not to say special guests Amy Lee ("Love Goes On and On") and Elle King ("The Upside" reprise) aren't welcome here; their contributions are just strategic buffers on an album full of highlights, standout cameos in this world Stirling completely owns. Summoning the mystical spirits of old while channeling future dystopian concepts in a heady narrative centered on persevering through the darkness to reclaim our inner spark, Artemis relies on the tension between light and dark, upsides and downsides, and the past and future to tell a heroic story with full cinematic scope. The grand opening of "Underground," which sounds like Stirling's take on an early-2000s J-pop song, is immediately followed by the sweeping title track, a dramatic swell of shiver-inducing energy that is lifted to the heavens upon her vocals. The rest of Artemis proceeds in a similar fashion, from the rousing "Til the Light Goes Out" and propulsive "Darkside" to the magical "Between Twilight" and angelic "Foreverglow." By the time the fictional credits roll with King's uplifting take on "The Upside," listeners might be begging for a fully realized visual accompaniment to this evocative wonder. With less folksy fiddling or outdated EDM to bog it down, Artemis signals an evolution for the artist, revealing itself to be Stirling's strongest work to date and a pure thrill for fans of her particular hybrid style.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Melody Gardot's debut recording, released in 2006, came two years after she suffered a near fatal automobile accident, the differently able Gardot triumphing in accomplishing what many others, including her, could only dream of. This project has her singing and playing guitar and a little piano, but more so presenting this project of all original material. Gardot has an interesting personal story, but even more intriguing music that straddles the line between lounge jazz, folk, and cowgirl songs. She's part sophisticated chanteuse, college sophomore, and down-home girl next door. Her innocence, sweetness, and light are very alluring, much like the persona of tragic songbirds Eva Cassidy and Nancy LaMott. Feel empathy for Gardot, but don't patronize her -- she's the real deal much more that many of her over-hyped peers. "Quiet Fire" is definitely her signature tune, as it speaks volumes of where her soul is at, in a jazz/blues mode, yearning for true love. The title track follows a similar tack, a slow, sweet, sentimental slinky blues that will melt your heart. A finger-snapping "Goodnite" leaves you wanting that night to continue, but also exudes a hope that permeates the entire recording. She might be a bit down on men during the nonplussed "All That I Need Is Love," but her subdued optimism glows cool. "Sweet Memory" might possibly parallel Feist or perhaps KT Tunstall in a rural country mode, while "Gone" is clearly folkish, and the slow "Some Lessons" expresses a contemporary Nashville precept. The laid-back music behind Gardot is basically acoustic, incorporating hip jazz instrumentation, especially the trumpet of Patrick Hughes and occasional organ, Wurlitzer, or Fender Rhodes from Joel Bryant, but with twists including violin, lap steel, and Dobro. The concise nature of this recording and these tunes perfectly reflects the realization that life is precious, every moment counts, and satisfaction is fleeting. Likely to be placed in the Norah Jones/Nellie McKay/Madeleine Peyroux pseudo jazz/pop sweepstakes, Gardot offers something decidedly more authentic and genuine. She's one-upped them all out of the gate.© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo

This recording has been highly anticipated. For years, Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has been renowned within the international scene, and now she’s finally released her first album: Dissonance, recorded with the Lithuanian-Russian pianist Lukas Geniušas. Dissonance—the name of one of Rachmaninov’s Romances, op. 34—consists of a total of 19 pieces, all of which are filled with intimate conflicts (at least in relation to their lyrics or the circumstances in which they were written). “On the contrary,” says the soprano, "our duo is in perfect harmony."In his Romances, which appeared roughly between 1890 and 1906, Rachmaninov immortalised, in music, poets and writers such as Alexander Pushkin, Afanassi Fet, Heinrich Heine, Anton Tchekov and Fiodor Tiuttchev, to name but a few. The same theme runs through all these texts: the intimate conflicts and sufferings that arise when two lovers are unable to overcome obstacles in order to fully embrace their true feelings for one other.From drama to poetry, from love to death, from beauty to suffering: all these themes are put to music in titles like Child, you are beautiful as a flower, op. 8 No 2, I wait for thee, op. 14 No. 1, How much it hurts, op. 21 no. 12, and the closing title: We shall rest, op. 26 no. 3. “In life,” explains Grigorian, “dissonance serves as a way to make consonance—that is, beauty and harmony—heard again. It helps us recognise and truly feel life’s brightness, something we can’t appreciate when there’s no suffering. "With their masterful technique and unique form of musical expression, Grigorian and Geniušas don’t sound like two musicians who’ve never recorded together before. Their artistic symbiosis creates a balance that’s perhaps further strengthened by the cultural affinity between the two performers and the composer himself. With this release, listeners are treated to a real musical romance. © Lena Germann/Qobuz