New Albums This Week: So Pitted, Teen, Kanye West

So Pitted – Neo (Sub Pop)

On their Sub Pop debut, Seattle trio So Pitted communicate entirely through volume, texture and rhythm. Neo shows that, for So Pitted, no riff is complete unless it fully articulates the sensation of stuffing one’s head in a blender while falling down a spiral staircase. Read our interview with So Pitted founder Nathan Rodriguez.

Teen – Love Yes (Carpark Records)

Away with the fairies and delightfully so, Teen's latest album Love Yes is an uplifting and energetic blast. The band's off-kilter oeuvre, fuelled as ever by lead singer Teeny Lieberson, gains extra purchase here via their strongest set of songs to date.

Cavern of Anti-Matter – Void Beats/Invocation Trex (Duophonic Records)

It’s been seven long years since Marxist ambient-boogie machine Stereolab decided to go on an indefinite hiatus, but Tim Gane returns to the fray with his latest album as Cavern of Anti-Matter. The emphasis is on stretched-out soundscapes and electronic manipulation, with DeerHunter’s Bradford Cox and Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom lending typically out-there contributions

Kanye West – The Life of Pablo (G O O D Music)

Throughout TLOP, Kanye West seems to be engaging in an exercise in self-sabotage and dualities that would be intolerable for most artists. But the genius of Kanye lies precisely at the point where his manic ego gives way to his vulnerabilities, and not only is he candid in recognising his shortcomings, he’s able to turn them into strengths.

Wild Nothing – Life of Pause (Bella Union)

Wild Nothing's evolution continues on album number three, and it’s largely successful, though with a few fumbles. Perhaps it isn't quite fully realised, but Life of Pause still paints a very pretty sonic landscape.

Rangda – The Heretic's Bargain (Drag City)

Sun City Girls guitarist Richard Bishop, Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance and drummer Chris Corsano churn sinister, circuitous riffs over and over till they’re ready to burst on The Heretic's Bargain. The image evoked is of a brewing storm, There’s a storm brewing, until everything suddenly dissipates – only for the process to begin all over again.