Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2 (Mass Appeal)
Why you should listen: The rap duo, made up of Atlanta’s Killer Mike and New York’s El-P, leaked their own album a week before its scheduled release and packed it full with quickfire wordplay on America’s racialised prison system, police brutality and a selection of brash disses.
It might not be for you if … I don’t know, you don’t like rap? Perhaps if you don’t like their heady mix of braggadoccio, social awareness, and the odd fellatio mention.
What we said: “[Theirs is] an unrelenting style, which may sound like overkill to some, but there’s no disputing its power and sophisticated composition,” wrote Paul MacInnes in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste (Azealia Banks/Prospect Park)
Why you should listen: Remember 212? From about three years ago? Harlem rapper Azealia Banks has finally released her debut album, featuring the breakout single, and it’s a mixture of UK garage, trap, 90s house and her consistently tongue-twisting bars.
It might not be for you if … You gave up on Miss Banks sometime during 2013, when her Twitter spats, record label tiffs and album release delays tested your patience one time too many.
What we said: “It’s childish and kitsch: the use of xylophones creates a tropical timbre … but it’s a knowingly naff, Hawaiian resort kind of tropical,” wrote Suzie McCracken in the Observer.
Score: 4/5
Hookworms – The Hum (Weird World)
Why you should listen: The psych-rock five-piece serve up a second album of their crashing, noisy and reverb-loving signature sound.
It might not be for you if … You’ve never understood psychedelia revivalists, and just wish they would stop.
What we said: “Tough and burly like their ear-bludgeoning former record, tracks like The Impasse and Beginners emanate an energy so febrile and frenzied it’s the sort of devil rock you’d imagine parents from the God-fearing right ought to protect their teenager’s ears from,” wrote Harriet Gibsone in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Click here to stream The Hum on a Domino Records custom-built site
Rumer – Into Colour (Atlantic)
Why you should listen: Rumer pairs easy-listening soul sweetness with dark lyrical content on this album, recorded in California and produced by her now-fiance Rob Shirakbari.
It might not be for you if … Regardless of Into Colour’s deeply personal lyrics on mental illness, you struggle to get onboard with disco-tinged, 70s-style music of this style.
What we said: “As ever, she sings with admirable restraint, eschewing melisma in favour of an adherence to melody in the style of Dusty Springfield or Karen Carpenter,” wrote Jon Dennis in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds (Nuclear Blast)
Why you should listen: There are few hints of California sunshine heard on the Oakland metal four-piece’s latest, but it’s brimming over with bombast, explosive dynamics and an unshackled, almost frenzied, power.
It might not be for you if …You recoil in horror at the sound of a harsh metal vocal.
What we said: “Striking an exquisite balance between brute force, insistent melody and bold experimentation, this is the finest mainstream metal album of 2014 by a huge margin,” wrote Dom Lawson in the Guardian.
Score: 5/5
Whether you’re bothered about these releases or not, which albums will you be getting stuck into this week? Let us know in the comments section.
