While they may not be the most exciting of the Appalachian string bands of the early '20s, the Carter Family was certainly the most subtly innovative, beginning with Maybelle Carter's bass string-heavy guitar playing. Combined with A.P. Carter's knack for spotting a good song and the trio's clear, haunting vocal style, the music they made has given them a secure spot as country's first big stars. More importantly, A.P.'s collection of Appalachian folk songs (although he is listed as the composer of many of them, he simply collected and refined them) has given American country music a solid historical base. This collection lacks a couple of key signature songs ('Wabash Cannonball,' 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken'), but delivers plenty of Carter Family standards, including what is probably the definitive version of 'John Hardy'.

Recorded over three sessions in 1957, when Thelonious Monk was leading a band that included John Coltrane, this historic meeting of two legends was not released until 1961 due to contractual issues. By that time Coltrane was a household name, leading his own band, at least as famous or even more so than Monk. This album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

Only a select few artists have the ability to convey their message to the back row, to galvanize an audience with a visceral power that connects on a universal level. David Krakauer is such an artist. Widely considered one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet, he has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music.

In a music scene full of seemingly endless subgenres and transient trends, IN FLAMES are an example of what it means to steadfastly stay true to your vision. Since forming in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1990, the legendary melodic metal act has had six albums debut in the top ten in Sweden, toured alongside everyone from METALLICA to JUDAS PRIEST and influenced many of today's biggest metal acts without ever ceasing to push their own signature sound forward. In that spirit, the band's twelfth full-length "Battles" sees IN FLAMES eschewing proven formulas in favor of trying new things, most notably finding a new collaborator in Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THE USED), who was brought into the band's coveted inner circle in order make "Battles" an album that will appeal to every type of IN FLAMES fan.

"Rave Tapes" is the eighth studio album by Mogwai and their second on Rock Action, the label they set up almost 18 years ago to issue their debut 7inch single, Tuner/Lower. In between, the Scottish quintet have established themselves on the international stage through a prolific recorded output and a commitment to touring that few of their peers can match. Clocking in at just under 50 minutes, the 10-track album is a lustrous collection mined from the same quarry as its predecessors, wreathed in painterly textures underpinned by increasingly electronic beats.

12 × 5 is the second American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in 1964 following the success of their American debut The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hit Makers), released concurrently with their UK debut The Rolling Stones. 12 × 5 is an expanded version of the EP Five by Five, which had followed their debut album in the UK.

The Rolling Stones, Now! is the third American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in February 1965 by their initial American distributor, London Records. Although it contains two previously unissued songs and an alternative version, the album mostly consists of songs released earlier in the United Kingdom, plus the group's recent single in the United States, "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame". Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote four of the songs on the album (including the US single), with the balance composed by American rhythm and blues and rock and roll artists.

"Gasfire Rag" is the second album from Italian blues duo the Gutbuckets, a group dedicated to discovering and rearranging traditional African-American music that emerged from New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta, particularly between the 1920s and the 1940s.

Born in Calgary, Alberta and now residing in Vancouver, BC, Tegan and Sara have sold over 1 million albums and collected 7 Gold certifications, 1 Double Platinum certification, 3 Juno Awards, 2 Polaris Prize nominations, and a Grammy nomination. "Love You to Death" is the band's 8th studio album and once again finds the group working with producer Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Beck, Ellie Goulding). This release follow up to Tegan and Sara's pop breakthrough album "Heartthrob".

Superb trumpeter Tom Harrell, who has been releasing recordings as a leader since 1989, released "Something Gold, Something Blue", on HighNote featuring fellow trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, as well as guitarist Charles Altura, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Johnathan Blake. Harrell is a prolific arranger and composer and a mysterious yet mesmerizing presence in concert and a regular in the recording studio. His resume is impressive, with contributions to bands led by Stan Kenton, Horace Silver and Joe Lovano. He has written scores for ballets and arrangements for symphony orchestras and his previous HighNote album “First Impressions” (HCD 7276) was in the Top Ten Best Jazz albums of 2015 in the 64th Annual Downbeat Critic's Poll while Akinmusire and Harrell took the top two slots in the trumpet category in the same poll.

Called ‘Ouvertüren' in Germany, because they began with a large-scale overture à la française, Bach's Suites for orchestra offer a unique synthesis of the French and the Italian styles. The Leipzig Cantor did not content himself with a mere set of amiable dances for his ‘Collegium Musicum': he revived the genre in his own manner, accenting the contrasts, refining the orchestration, and introducing a hitherto unknown contrapuntal element. Two centuries later these admirable orchestral works continue to represent an indispensable treasure of the Baroque.

With "Fantôme", J-pop megastar Hikaru Utada releases her first album in six years. The best-selling Japanese artist of all time, Utada spent her hiatus travelling and prioritizing her personal life, which included dealing with her mother's suicide, getting married and having a baby. The title Fantôme is a reference to her mother's presence and influence on these songs, sung by Utada in Japanese.

Best known for his Disintegration Loops series of albums from the early 00s, New York-based avant-garde composer William Basinski sculpts samples, drones and feedback loops into soundscapes rich in melancholic atmosphere.

Like his early hero Miles Davis, acclaimed trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has a knack for shaping great bands, and this one, formed in the world’s jazz capital, overflows with promise. Thomas Morgan, Gerald Cleaver and David Virelles join Stanko for this breathtaking masterpiece. This must-have audiophile download is filled with brooding darkness and sophisticated ballads. In the uptempo pieces, all four players enter new territory with exciting results. The double-album program of Stanko compositions is inspired by the poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, the Nobel Laureate.

"Sleepmakeswaves is one of those bands that's there for you. Every one of their releases seems to come at exactly the right time and reflects on the way the world is and what we need to hear right now. This record has a matured sound and composition, building magnificently moving soundscape in their reliably epic style. The new ideas on this record blend perfectly into their recognisable sound and give it more feeling than ever. This album makes their music an important part of life."