It's fair to say that for every misstep there's an unexpectedly winning duet, but not enough of Jones' maturity is brought to the fore.

In Sea of Beas there is definitely a voice, and perhaps a songwriter, who still has something stunning to offer.

The only complaint that can be made--that several of the shorter tracks here could have been developed further, rather than left to merely loop and fade--isn't really a complaint at all, but rather anticipation for what this inventive producer will do next.

A cipher for good songs rather than the reasons those songs are good she may be, but there are few that do it better.

It's a collection that feels fresh and clean, uncomplicated by over-thinking.

At its best, album four matches the duo's darkly seductive early material.

Keaton Henson isn't a show off, but with talent like this, he has every right to be.

If there is a fault with this record however, it isn't Faithfull's but her band's, as the playing is perhaps just too polite and polished.

On paper, everything about Timez Are Weird These Days lends itself to an ostentatious dose of elite, Hoxtonite posturing. But there's substance beneath the style, a welcome human quality to withstand the opulent demi-house compositions.

While Labrinth makes the right kind of noise, and provides a window into himself as an artist, at a fleeting 10 tracks Electronic Earth doesn't exactly give away the farm.

Just like its predecessor, Constellations’ unfussy panoramas may initially seem a little too polite, just a tad too restrained for some, but repeated listening will unravel hidden seams of loveliness.

Ferry can only do jaded and glum nowadays – but when it works, he blissfully drags you under with him.

This is a musician with creativity on tap and enough of it to burn through a little filler here while ensuring the prime cuts emerge perfectly.

While it's no Costello classic, this repays patience.

It's difficult to ignore that a significant amount of The Family Sign emits a passing impression that Slug plucked several emotive subjects from a hat, then challenged himself to use them as a writing framework.

Produced by The Bronx's Joby J Ford--who has also worked with Californian hardcore punks Trash Talk, whose MO is much the same as Cerebral Ballzy's--this eponymous set does a good job of transporting the band's ferocious live show into one's living room.

If there is an overall mood, imagine a slightly sozzled, mischievous Leonard Cohen on the front porch having discovered the joys of country music.

Ryder-Jones has not only pulled off the unusual feat of writing a soundtrack for a complex and experimental novel, complementing the book's allure handsomely. He's also, with its sentiment and inventiveness, made it worthy of repeated plays.

Bossalinis & Fooliyones, while not exactly what you'd call a mainstream rap album, is consistently accessible, and in thrall to a tangle of overground production styles.

A set that is rich with a sense of storytelling, sentiment and atmosphere, warm beneath its songs' occasionally chilly edges.

It's a set that does reward investigation, perhaps not with lasting love but certainly first-few-plays impressions which will last into the New Year.

Scott's permanent air of wonder, and respectful, well-crafted arrangements, allow him to get away with even the most fanciful of tales.

As an album, a glorious rawness and disregard for verse-chorus-verse simplicity runs throughout, but it strains for cohesion.

It's a downbeat record that reclaim's dubstep's original dark energy and experimental imperative.

they've upped their creative ante somewhat, a number of these songs (assuming you pick the 'right' ones) coming across as more measured and mature, and a heck of a lot gloomier, than the upbeat bounce-alongs of old. [Review of UK release The Future Is Medieval]

The Len Price 3 sound well aware that people aren’t tuning in for their Swiftian commentary, but for the fizzy fury of their cheerfully unreconstructed rock’n’roll. Pictures may well be what the doctor ordered, for those whose preferred consultant’s last name is Feelgood.

On much of The Old Magic, he's Richard Hawley unplugged.

If there's a weakness here, it's in the lack of variety to Smalhans' structures and sounds, the emphasis on arpeggios and keyboard lines that arc ever higher.