Björk – Vulnicura (Trip-Hop)

Icelandic songstress Björk has always pushed boundaries within electronic music, and her latest full-length aptly continues that tradition. Production contributions from Arca and The Haxan Cloak help Björk craft a bleak and engulfing sound throughout the album’s runtime. There was no need for this album to be described as an ode to heartbreak; the sentiment is quite explicit.

The Decemberists – What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (Indie Folk Rock)

The “folk” within The Decemberists’ amalgamation of styles truly shines with their sense of intimacy as a group. Their latest record contains a series of simple pop sensibilities speckled with subtle nuances that all come across as easily accessible. It is quite easy to picture the band jamming in an old barn in their home state of Oregon, bouncing musical ideas off of one another to form an organic track.

Joey Bada$$ – B4.DA.$$ (Hip-Hop)

Amid the unfortunate style-over-substance focus of modern hip-hop, Joey Bada$$ is a refreshing voice due to his emphasis on solid lyricism and affinity for classic New York boom bap. The title of the album itself (pronounced “Before the Money”) further demonstrates Joey’s desire to put aside trivialities and focus on crafting worthwhile music. If he continues this trend of quality, he could easily earn the status of numerous other East Coast legends.

Napalm Death – Apex Predator: Easy Meat (Grindcore)

Fifteen albums into their career, grindcore pioneer Napalm Death still have more lyrical and compositional anger than bands more than half their age. What has changed is these Brit’s ambitious approach to the genre, as their previously one minute diatribes have evolved into detailed manifestos accented with additional instrumentation and even the occasional use of clean vocals. This is truly an album without a single ounce of restraint or remorse.

Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love (Indie Rock)

Almost a decade after entering a hiatus, Washington trio Sleater-Kinney has finally broken their silence with a new record of searing indie rock with a prominent punk sneer. Not an ounce of rust appears on the group’s typically vicious guitar leads and tight percussion. The wait was certainly worth it, and new fans will see why they are considered one of the essential rock bands of the late nineties and early noughties.