Crosses, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete
The second full-length from Chino Moreno’s decidedly un-metal side project, Goodnight… sees the Deftones’ frontman further flesh out the moody, downtempo instincts that always distinguished his other band from their more mookish nu-metal contemporaries. Featuring some of the brightest melodies that Moreno and bandmate Shaun Lopez have yet conjured, the record gets a further injection of energy from guest turns by El-P and the Cure’s Robert Smith. — Andrew Barker
Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana
Clocking in at 81 minutes, with no fewer than 21 full-length tracks, the fifth album from reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny certainly could have used a bit of editing. But unlike some of the more shameless Spotify-spamming artists clogging the charts with Tolstoyan album lengths (not mentioning any names), Benito’s Nadie Sabe… makes a case for its own indulgence by the sheer sonic variety on display. — A.B.
Gavin DeGraw, A Classic Christmas
That’s right, people! It’s jolly well we start the holiday season early with the dulcet tones of Gavin DeGraw. This 6-song EP is well-suited to his heartfelt bluesy delivery and showcases a quiet longing for days gone by. The accompaniment is all traditional - soaring smooth strings, jazzy piano tinkling and understated percussive sleigh bells – and doesn’t veer too far from the tried and true, even down to his hepcat stylings for "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree." DeGraw’s devotion and love for Bing Crosby’s "White Christmas," pretty much sums up his glad tidings: “It may be the greatest record ever made. It happens to be a damn good movie, too." — Amy Hughes
