The Best New Vinyl to Spin This April

Triplicate, by Bob Dylan
Like Bob Dylan’s previous two albums, Triplicate is a collection of covers, specifically classic American songs that influenced him early in his career. However, Triplicate is the first triple-LP Dylan has ever released. It means a lot that a guy with Dylan’s career is still finding firsts, and you’ll hear that sense of joy and curiosity in every track on this deluxe, limited-edition LP. Each disc has its own theme—‘Til the Sun Goes Down, Devil Dolls, and Comin’ Home Late—featuring covers by Jimmy Van Heusen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Johnny Burke, Irving Berlin, and Hoagy Carmichael, among others.

Brand New Day, by The Mavericks
The Mavericks are well named, having avoided easy characterization throughout their entire career as a band. Ostensibly a country band, they’re are known for their Tex-Mex and Cuban influences, and with this record—the first release on their own label—they introduce 60s pop into their repertoire. Phil Spector-esque, wall-of-sound production plays a big role in Brand New Day, from the swingin’ bossa nova horns in “Easy As It Seems” to the Motown-style vocal arrangements (and background bells) of the title track. More traditional country fans will like “Rolling Along,” which is bluegrassy with a few French street music flourishes.

Cornell 5/8/77, by the Grateful Dead
Known for their unpredictable (and frequent) live shows, the Dead made it nearly impossible for fans to pick a favorite concert recording. For many listeners, however, the best Dead show—and live album—was this one, recorded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1977. Recorded straight from the soundboard and later inducted into the the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, this concert is a great example of the Dead’s freewheeling, improvised, multifaceted live presence. There are too many good tracks on this multiple-LP release to list here, but “Loser,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and their version of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” are all fantastic.

No Plan, by David Bowie
Released on what would have been Bowie’s 70th birthday, No Plan is an EP featuring the four original songs—“Lazarus,” “No Plan,” “Killing a Little Time,” and “When I Met You”—written for Bowie’s Broadway musical, Lazarus. As expected, these songs continue the avant-garde direction Bowie took in his final years, but there’s just enough Broadway accessibility for listeners who might be intimidated by late-stage Bowie weirdness. These songs, especially the first two, are given a lot of room to breathe; the pacing of the vocals allows the listener time to take them in, and the same can be said for each song’s layered composition.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, by James Newton Howard
Composer and musician James Newton Howard has not only scored dozens of great films (including The Sixth Sense, I Am Legend, The Devil’s Advocate, and Treasure Planet, among others), he has also worked with the likes of Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Elton John, and Neil Diamond. Those are the chops he brought to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and his score is an engaging blend of whimsical and epic, soaring fantasy, with fragments of the original Harry Potter theme sprinkled throughout. Since the film is set in the 1920s, there’s even a section of Gershwin-esque jazz (“Kowalski’s Rag”) that’s one of this record’s best tracks.

Westworld: Music from the HBO Series, Season 1, by Ramin Djawadi
Fans of the HBO series Westworld will be happy to hear that the first season’s soundtrack is just as strange and alluring on its own—perhaps moreso, even. This record contains all the songs released on the Westworld EP—including the creepy player piano covers of “Black Hole Sun” and “Paint It Black”—alongside equally haunting covers of The Cure’s “A Forest,” Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” and Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” and “No Surprises.” The version of “House of the Rising Sun” that appears here is especially good, and breathes new life into what could generously be called an old standard.

This Is My Town: Songs Of New York, by Barry Manilow
As a native New Yorker, Barry Manilow felt it was time he put together an album praising the city that made him. That impulse bore fruit in This Is My Town: Songs of New York, with ten new Barry Manilow tracks split between original songs and standards that, in Barry’s estimation, best represent New York City. His high-energy medley of “New York City Rhythm/On Broadway” makes it clear Barry’s pipes are still in fine working order, and “Coney Island” is an optimistic nostalgia piece that clearly holds a lot of great memories for him. He even pulls out a virtual duet with the legendary (and, sadly, deceased) Mel Tormé for “The Brooklyn Bridge.”