It's been five years since Björk last released an album, but now the Icelandic icon is back with a deeply inventive set called Fossora. Every sound on the record feels as if it's springing into the mix from a different direction, as her vibrant voice shares space with everything from bass clarinets to the voices of Björk's own offspring. Fossora was inspired, at least in part, by the death of the singer's mother, but joy also abounds.

We've also got the star-packed major-label debut of veteran rapper Freddie Gibbs, a reinvention for the long-running jazz group The Bad Plus, the return of U.K. pop star Craig David and a wild electro-pop record from Shygirl.

Featured Albums:

1. Björk — Fossora
Featured Songs: "Fossora," "Mycelia," "Sorrowful Soil"
2. Freddie Gibbs — $oul $old $eparately
Featured Songs: "Pain and Strife (feat. Offset)," "CIA"
3. The Bad Plus — The Bad Plus
Featured Songs: "Sun Wall," "Stygian Pools," "In the Bright Future"
4. Craig David — 22
Featured Songs: "DNA," "My Heart's Been Waiting for You," "Teardrops"
5. Shygirl — Nymph
Featured Songs: "Firefly," "Coochie (a bedtime story)," "Nike," Missin u"

Lightning Round:

Kid Cudi — Entergalactic
Various Artists — The Birdsong Project Vol. V
Adam Blackstone — Legacy (out Sept. 23)
Various Artists — Blue Note Re:imagined II
Ashley McBryde — Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Tyler Childers — Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

New Music Friday: The best releases out Sept. 30

NPR Music