Manic Street Preachers – Futorology (Columbia)
Why you should listen: These guys have been going for almost 26 years, so it’s always interesting to see what they’ve got in store. Here, the Blackwood band dish out sparkly krautrock that's layered in synths and the band’s usual scathing take on class, privilege and greed.
It might not be for you if… The Manics haven’t grabbed your attention this far down the line: you’re unlikely to convert now.
What we said: “Futurology never feels like a pastiche, and sounds unmistakably like the Manic Street Preachers while sounding unlike any other album they've made,” wrote Alexis Petridis, in his lead review for the Guardian. Click here for Ally Carnwath’s three-star review, from the Observer New Review.
Score: 4/5
Total Control – Typical System (Iron Lung/Le Vida Es Un Mus)
Why you should listen: Total Control have transitioned from Melbourne’s underground punk scene to producing this second album of tight, dark and synth-driven postpunk tracks.
It might not be for you if… Lyrics like “the rot set in, green turned grey and dead/And now you know you’re to live, thrive, and lick” make you inclined to pass.
What we said: “Postpunk, hardcore, krautrock and odd, spacey lounge-jazz are all sucked up and bent brilliantly out of shape over the course of an album that's abrasive but accessible, awkward but assured,” wrote Tom Hughes, in the Guardian.
Score: 5/5
Sia – 1000 Forms of Fear (RCA/Monkey Puzzle)
Why you should listen: This woman knows how to write a hit. After years racking up co-songwriting credits for the likes of Beyoncé, Rihanna and Eminem, her confessional sixth album sounds like her most confident yet.
It might not be for you if… The combination of her power-pop and slickly polished production doesn’t have quite enough bite for you.
What we said: “Chandelier is the diary of an alcoholic – the giddy highs, and the desperate lows – set to triumphal, rococo pop production techniques,” wrote Kitty Empire, in her lead review for the Observer. Click here for Harriet Gibsone’s three-star review, from Friday’s Guardian G2.
Score: 3/5
Bright Light Bright Light – Life is Easy (Self Raising)
Why you should listen: If you’re in the mood to try out a new dance-pop act, Bright Light Bright Light’s Rod Thomas could be your man. It’s all a bit four-to-the-floor and fistbumpy, but unabashedly playful.
It might not be for you if… You rise each morning, hoping this new day may finally be the day when EDM disappears.
What we said: “It's the hi-hats, rave synth lines and shimmering melodies that linger; Thomas's lingering look at the past won't get the cool kids onside, but ravers of a certain age will find much to love,” wrote Caroline Sullivan, in the Guardian.
Score: 3/5
Noura Mint Seylami – Tzenni (Glitterbeat/Shellshock)
Why you should listen: Mauritania’s Noura Mint Seylami, with her commanding voice, nine-stringed harp-like ardine and griot storytelling legacy, delivers an album of smoky "desert blues".
It might not be for you if… You prefer a bit more variety from both instrumentation and arrangement in music from the northwest African region.
What we said: “This is an album of gutsy, declamatory playing and singing, from the slow and then exuberant traditional love song El Barm to the powerful, chanting Tikifite”, wrote Robin Denselow in the Guardian.
Score: 3/5
Now that we’ve all successfully recovered from Glastonbury festival, we’d like to hear which albums you’re keen to listen to this week. Any from our list? Or are there others you’ve got lined up to download/buy? Let us know, as ever, in the comments section.
