This week’s essential guitar tracks: from lead guitar lightning to one of the most violent riffs of the year

Hello, and welcome to a new Spotify playlist-embiggened Essential Guitar Tracks. As you may well know, every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Our goal is to give you an overview of the biggest tracks, our editor’s picks and anything you may have missed. We’re pushing horizons and taking you out of your comfort zone – because, as guitarists, that’s something we should all be striving for in our playing.

So, here are our highlights from the past seven days… now with a Spotify playlist (scroll to the bottom for April’s latest additions)!

Vexed – Anti-Fetish

For anyone who thinks they’ve heard everything metalcore has to offer, just listen to the first 40 seconds of Anti-Fetish. Guitarist Jay Bacon drops just about the most violent riff we’ve heard this year, with the kind of pitch-shifter abuse that takes Wes Borland’s Limp Bizkit salvos to their logical albeit death-defying conclusion. (MAB)

Jason Isbell – Cast Iron Skillet

A melancholic acoustic turnout from Isbell, who once again flexes his dynamic fingerpicking skills and exquisite instrumental feel with devastating results. (MO)

Avatar - Chimp Mosh Pit

Sweden’s ‘metal circus’ return in rollicking form. Chimp Mosh Pit is appropriate moniker for a track that bounds around in full chaotic color. Extra metal points are awarded for a video in which the lead guitar work generates lightning from the headstock. (MP)

Tommy Emmanuel – Doc’s Guitar/Black Mountain Rag Featuring Billy Strings

The third single from Emmanuel’s new Accomplice Two collaborative record is a quite simply jaw-dropping display of flattop picking prowess from one of the all-time acoustic greats and one of its most exciting new voices in Billy Strings. (MAB)

PJ Harvey – A Child's Question, August

Though lacking any fretboard fireworks, Harvey’s first new track in seven years is a masterclass in ambiance, built upon a hauntingly droning rhythm guitar track that brings to mind distant church bells. (JM)

Wye Oak – Every Day Like the Last

A firm believer in the compositional benefits of alternate tunings, Jenn Wasner is one of contemporary guitar playing’s most unique voices. Here, she updates Joni Mitchell for the indie-rock generation with a gorgeous fingerpicked acoustic bedrock and lashings of aching slide guitar. Stunning. (MAB)

Tinariwen – Kek Alghalm (featuring Wes Corbett)

Yet more musical mastery from the Tuareg collective, who have recruited banjo virtuoso Wes Corbett for Kek Alghalm – a blitzing desert blues offering showcasing the sort of six-string spice that will prove to be particularly enlightening for Western-leaning ears. (MO)

Saint Agnes – Animal

These raucous Spinefarm signings are hot on the nu-metal revival trend, but their fuzzy industrial leanings fuse Nine Inch Nails grind with Nova Twins swagger, too. (MAB)

JOHN – Trauma Mosaic

JOHN are a UK-based guitar and drums duo that – now, listen carefully – do NOT make blues rock. They take more from the hammering, cycling drones of post-punk icons like Wire, summoning invigorating power in the repetitions and rumbling fuzzes. (MP)

Noel Gallagher – Council Skies

The title track from the Oasis legend’s upcoming solo album, filled with glass-like guitar tones, shimmering leads and – what else – an infectious chorus hook that will no doubt fill festival fields in the following months. (MO)

grentperez – When The Day Is Done

Driven by disco-ball funk rhythm work straight out of the Nile Rodgers playbook, the lead single from the Fender Next 2023 artist’s forthcoming EP, When We Were Younger, is the springtime jam you didn’t know you needed. (JM)

Des Rocs – Never Ending Moment

The Who have said there’s no point in their releasing a new album, but who cares when New York songwriting mainstay Des Rocs is dropping epic, essential rock anthems like this? Windmilling acoustic guitars and wailing Flying V solos are the order of the day, and they sound colossal. (MAB)

RVG - Midnight Sun

The Melbourne post-punks’ latest is a driving tirade that calls to mind The Walkmen’s The Rat in its desire to go hard on bitterness and leave the rest to fall under a wall of cathartic, crunching guitars. There’s a great solo (of the ‘wrangling and jangling’ school) in there, too. (MP)

Tame Impala, Thundercat – No More Lies

A wavy sonic trip of the highest order that marries Tame Impala’s hypnotic falsettos with Thundercat’s fierce low-end groove. Come for Tame Impala’s usual dose of psychedelic bliss, stay for Thundercat’s melodic bass noodling. (MO)

Plush – Left Behind

Fresh off support slots with the likes of Alice in Chains, Bush and Slash, the hard-rock foursome dial the anthemic factor up to 11 for this arena-ready single, bolstered by some truly slamming Alter Bridge-esque riffs. (MAB)

The Clientele - Blue Over Blue

A band that formed in 1991 has no right to sound this airy in 2023. Rather than gather dust, though, the London cult indie vets have delivered this soft swaying, chamber pop pick-me-up – all tied together with a lacey, fingerpicked melody. (MP)

Mac DeMarco – 20200817 Proud True Toyota

Indie hero DeMarco quenched his fans’ thirst for new music with a new album that’s 199 – no, that’s not a typo – tracks long. There’s plenty to unpick throughout the near-nine hour runtime, and Proud True Toyota’s modulated, off-kilter chords come as a particular highlight. (MO)

Kevin Morby – Five Easy Pieces Revisited

This reworked version of a standout track from the singer/songwriter’s 2022 LP, This Is a Photograph, is a wondrous thing – jazzy, psychedelic and rounded out with a stunning arrangement and beautifully lyrical solo. (JM)

M Ward – Supernatural Thing

M Ward’s Supernatural Thing documents a chance meeting with Elvis. It’s completely invented, but then isn’t that largely the point? Regardless, he brings a message from the king that’s dripping in tremolo quiver, with a short solo that is full of rock ‘n’ roll nods. (MP)

Girlschool – Are You Ready?

NWOBHM thrills from the British hard-rock institution and Motörhead touring buddies. Are You Ready? is sleazy good-time rock ’n’ roll with a metal backbeat and a punk heart. (MAB)

Wicca Phase Springs Eternal – It’s Getting Dark

Singer-songwriter Adam McIlwee restless spirit has carried him across many creative incarnations. His latest recalls Springsteen’s late night hauntings on Nebraska, proving that sometimes an acoustic, a vocal and a good reverb are all you need. (MP)

Shit Present – What Still Gets Me

Roll up, roll up, Weezer acolytes: UK emo power-pop trio Shit Present have all the quirky chord progressions and anthemic hooks to satisfy your Blue Album cravings (besides possessing one of the best band names in recent memory). (MAB)

Palehound – The Clutch

The first single from Palehound’s upcoming Eye On The Bat LP is a teeth-baring rocker highlighted by a punchy, super-tight solo from El Kempner that takes the tune to another level. (JM)

Home Is Where – yes! yes! a thousand times yes!

This thrilling new song from the Palm Coast, Florida emo stalwarts sucks you in with an incredible hooky riff before exploding into dimed-out catharsis. (JM)