Ryn Weaver – The Fool (Virgin)
Why you should listen: California-born Weaver has worked with Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos and producer Benny Blanco (Jessie Ware, Rihanna, Ke$ha) to create this eclectic album of electropop.
It might not be for you if… You find Passion Pit’s trademark twinkling sound irritating enough when it’s not accompanied by EDM-style bass.
What we said: “[Weaver’s] debut album swings from indie folktronica (New Constellations) to EDM-fuelled stomp-pop (Pierre) to the gentle hip-hop leanings of early Lana Del Rey (Stay Low),” wrote Tim Jonze in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls (Parlophone)
Why you should listen: The metal legends aren’t holding back on this 92-minute album, shifting from piano-led balladry to the crashing metal that first made us pay attention to Dickinson’s soaring voice more than 30 years ago.
It might not be for you if… You have never had time for Iron Maiden – not even Run to the Hills .
What we said: “As is inevitable on a 92-minute-long album, there are a couple of longueurs, not least the lumbering Shadows of the Valley, but for the most part, The Book of Souls is marked by a impressive rawness that scratches against the album’s more grandiloquent moments,” wrote Alexis Petridis in his lead Guardian review.
Score: 4/5
Cécile McLorin Salvant – For One to Love (Mack Avenue)
Why you should listen: Salvant’s playful and powerful voice lifts this album of jazz standards and original material into a wonderfully original territory.
It might not be for you if… You prefer jazz that takes more of a classic approach.
What we said: “This is more like heightened music-theatre, enunciated with authority and polished with elaborate sonic costume changes,” wrote John Lewis in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
The Arcs – Yours, Dreamily (Nonesuch)
Why you should listen: Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach adds another string to his bow with this tight and soulful garage-rock side project.
It might not be for you if… The thought of the Black Keys’ frontman singing with an all-female mariachi band, a country guitarist and a pedal steel player makes you deeply sad and confused.
What we said: “Out go the huge meat’n’two veg riffs the Black Keys are known for, in come slower reflective moments (Put a Flower in Your Pocket), and tracks that could have come from the mind of Dee Dee Warwick or the Stax records vault (Pistol Made of Bones),” wrote Lanre Bakare in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Five Finger Death Punch – Got Your Six (Prospect Park)
Why you should listen: The Vegas metal band stick their hard-hitting formula of chugging guitar riffs and anthemic choruses on this sixth studio album.
It might not be for you if… You prefer metal with more of a noodly, prog touch than this stuff.
What we said: “Got Your Six offers little in the way of creative curveballs and is unlikely to win over anyone that hasn’t already succumbed to the band’s gruff charms, but when it comes to huge, chest-pummelling, melodic metal anthems, the Americans are in a class of one”, wrote Dom Lawson in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
This week also saw the surprise release of Miley Cyrus’ 23-song independent synthpop album, Dam-Funk’s latest funk offering and doom-psych band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats’ third album. What are you looking forward to playing?
