20/17 - This Is How The World Will End

Five contemporary hits. The world is beautiful and terrifying.

Thed Jewel - Fuchsia

Another recommendation from Ali. What a monster beat. The drop at 0:50. And then the addition of a tambourine at 1:38. Banging.

St. Vincent - Los Ageless

Annie Clark pens her most shamelessly catchy radio hit, and it's bloody irresistible. I sing along in the kitchen each time it comes on BBC6. Can't wait to see her next month

How can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their minds too?

Grizzly Bear - Neighbours

The new Grizzly Bear album is like a burly gregarious uncle lifting you up and embracing you tightly, while peppering you with affections, questions and anecdotes, hardly letting you get a word in. Then he proceeds to take you out for drinks and food and pushes a few pound notes down your breast pocket while he's at it. It's just on the verge of being too much, but then you give in and just revel in being pampered for 50 minutes. Every track is jam packed with gorgeous little melodies that hardly get to run their course before the next lovely segment bursts in, and the arrangements are just piles and piles of perfectly calibrated details and warm sounds. It's overwhelmingly generous, is what I'm saying. Just listen to those razors of guitar lines cutting ribbons through the lilting bass while voices swirl around on different astral planes and a bubbling synthesiser merge with curtains of woodwinds. 

Face to face  

We'll watch our bodies break 

Not a care in the world

PJ Harvey - The Ministry of Defence

It took me a while, but I finally made sure I had a complete PJ Harvey collection by purchasing the latest album. And what do you know; once you listen to it as an entity it reveals itself as another masterpiece. I was hesitant before, but I'm a convert now. Blunt and simplistic in one light, raw, powerful observations in another. The production really is a perfect mix of old-school lo-fi Polly Jean and spacious, delicately detailed backing tracks.

Death Grips - I've Seen Footage

I've seen footage...