Cloud Sounds #14: with Mastodon, CHVRCHES, Mr Scruff and more

On this week's Cloud Sounds, a weekly playlist of new music curated by The Skinny, we present a feverish mix of up-to-the-minute and classic hip-hop, with tracks from the late, great J Dilla, Dâm-Funk and Snoop Dogg as 7 Days Of Funk given the Teklife treatment, and Seattle-based crew All Urban Outfield. There's indie rock from Sub Pop mainstays Constantines and Glasgow's Yusuf Azak; heavier material from Mastodon, Trash Talk and ISIS; synth-pop from Ghostly International's HTRK, CHVRCHES and Sweden's Little Dragon; skeletal pop from Shield Patterns; and bleeding-edge takes on dubstep and grime from Tri-Angle signing SD Laika and Bristol's Joker.

We begin with Mastodon – these Atlanta, Georgia titans are one of the most exciting bands in the heavy rock and metal spectrum, with a progressive, experimental approach. They've just finished working on new album Once More Round The Sun, the follow-up to 2011's excellent The Hunter. Troy Sanders, Brent Hinds and co. are on the form of their lives, referencing the epic heaviness of modern forms of metal, while nodding to the classic songwriting of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. It's a welcome return – the single, High Road, is out today (29 April).

Next up, it's the turn of Swedish synth-pop four-piece Little Dragon, with singer Yukimi Nagano providing a yearning, R 'n' B-style vocal over the gentle synth stabs and washes of electronic noise from her bandmates. It's the third single from Nabuma Rubberband, out 12 May on Because Music. Staying on a similar tip is the beautifully minimal new track from Shield Patterns, aka Claire Brentnall and Richard Knox, offered up in its remixed form. The original is taken from their debut album Contour Lines, which drops on 9 June.

After that, we're into a slice of charming lo-fi folk from Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Yusuf Azak, who is about to release his thrid album, this time moving from Song, By Toad to Gerry Loves Records. Peace in the Underworld is out on 5 May. Then, a slice of post-everything, deconstructed grime from the justly-hyped latest signing to Brooklyn's Tri-Angle label, SD Laika. The Milwaukeee-hailing producer nearly gave up production altogether after his 2012 EP Unknown Vectors, on Visionist's Lost Codes label – now he returns with a new album, That's Harakiri, which dropped this week.

The next track is by Seattle-based rappers p.WRECKS and K. Clifton, who released a damn fine album last year, CRYPTO, under their new moniker All Urban Outfield. Travelling in similar lyrical territory to the best rappers from Anticon, Rhymesayers and Doomtree, these two rap mutants are getting ready to unleash the follow-up, Sacrfice Fly, very soon – keep an eye on their Bandcamp for details. After that, Snoop Dogg and Dâm-Funk's 7 Days of Funk project sees Do My Thang get a blistering juke/footwork re-rub, courtesy of Teklife producers Rashad, Taso and Spinn. Sadly, juke pioneer DJ Rashad passed away suddenly this weekend, aged just 35 – this track is yet another tribute to his talents as a remixer and beatsmith.

Bristol's Joker makes a welcome return next with Digital Mainframe, a free download, and a spacious, minimalist slice of slick bass music that bursts into urgent, chopped brass and strings. It's taken from an as-yet-untitled new album from the Kapsize founder, a follow-up to his well-received 2011 album The Vision. Then we get into a classic, bouncing track – previously unreleased – from Stones Throw legend and much-missed hip-hop producer J Dilla, taken from an EP of new material being released by Pay Jay Productions on clear vinyl on 6 May – find out more about the release here. After that, a surprising cut from veteran turntable trickster Mr. Scruff, showcasing a garage and soul-influenced track, featuring vocals from Denis Jones, from his forthcoming album Friendly Bacteria, out 19 May via Ninja Tune.

Back to the synth-pop next, with a brooding, icy-cold track from HTRK (or Hate Rock), an Australian duo signed to Ghostly International. We were rather enamoured with their latest album Psychic 9-5 Club when it dropped at the start of April. After that, The Range (aka producer James Hinton) remixes Glagsow's CHVRCHES, deconstructing We Sink into a soaring slice of ethereal post-dubstep. It's taken from an expanded edition of their debut, The Bones Of What You Believe, out now.

As we approach the end of this week's Cloud Sounds, we offer up a blast of feral, distorted punk from Odd Future-affiliated guitar-thrashers Trash Talk to clear the palette, taken from new album NO PEACE, out 27 May, before we launch into a classic track from Constantines. The indie rock four-piece from Guelph, Ontario signed to Sub Pop back in 2001. Young Lions is taken from their 2003 album Shine A Light, which is being re-released on deluxe vinyl on 10 June. It's been unavailable for years now, and with the band celebrating two decades together, now is the perfect time for a re-appraisal of this classic record. We finish with another re-released track, this time from post-metal heroes ISIS. Their 2004 album Panopticon is set for a re-mastered, re-packaged reissue, dropping on 29 April on Ipecac. The new masters sound lush, giving a wider sonic spread to their majestic, measured heaviness. 

That wraps things up for this week! Hear the whole playlist below, and follow The Skinny on SoundCloud to keep up to date with our favourites.