It’s overwhelming in its grandiosity, and though it has its virtues, Foxygen’s latest LP is best enjoyed as a bite-size hors d'oeuvre instead of a main course.

This album signifies a moment for UK jazz but more importantly this a moment for Kamaal Williams.

This occasionally uneven, frequently thrilling, plunge into the past proves that sometimes the only way we can go forwards is by looking back.

A step beyond 2022’s ‘Superache’, ‘Found Heaven’ stretches Conan Gray’s pop template once more. Often emotive, it lingers on his truth while relishing synth-pop immediacy.

No one has travelled further than the band themselves. Yet it’s a journey worth savouring, with the renewed duo seemingly capable of soaking up all that life can throw at them.

'Algiers' is a Calexico album unlike any other. More forceful, immediate and polished, whilst still possessing the bewitching musical interplays of old.

Meh. It's alright, but I'm like... I'm like a bit bored, actually.

They're still settling in at the start line, prescribing rose-tinted glasses that could very well divide listeners.

The pervasive dreaminess and charm ultimately results in an absorbing debut album.

Dirty, loud and intimidatingly sexy, Blood Pressures is the result of a year spent apart - Hince's adventures in sound provide the album's thick production, while Mosshart's stint as Dead Weather frontwoman instils further confidence and swagger in her provocative lyrics.

It’s great fun, and clearly a Bay Area attempt at the big league. Like hip-hop used to sound. Praise be.

While the music loses nothing in its thrilling Afro-electro rhythms and horn flecked grooves, this time it’s delivered with an increased universality as Ibibio Sound System broaden out their lyrical approach to be more direct and questioning, addressing their own community as well as the world at large.

There’s nothing inherently bad, but the whole venture feels akin to buying a Lamborghini and then driving it in a way that will maximise fuel efficiency.

It doesn’t burn out so much as creep up and these songs offer yet another new guise for a remarkable talent.

Taking pleasure in the observations of daily life, ‘ilp’ comes bathed in highly saturated colours and rich textures.

In Mind, for all its charms and willingness to explore, mostly opts to bask in the lingering afterglow of Real Estate’s first truly outstanding record.

For such a young talent, his lyrics are strong, but give him a few more years of life experience and they could be in a different league.

The only real criticism of Ceremonials is that this album is completely, relentlessly, Florence. Her fans will lap it up, while those who aren't keen on her will probably remain unconvinced.

When they're good, they are glorious and their enthusiasm is infectious, this band thrive when live but perhaps there's a little too much padding filling the, er, void.

The result is an LP that displays an encyclopaedic knowledge and understanding of its references, without being reduced to mere reference.

The stabilisers are off for global fusion; the first ride could have been a lot worse.

Many Moons is more than a mere side-project, and a solid debut album for any season.

Undeniably there's little here that will surprise fans, but there is certainly plenty to be enchanted by.

Despite a disappointing and fatigue inducing third act, standout tracks such as ‘Careful’, ‘Big Things’ and ‘Step Ahead’ reveal a level of innovation beyond mere nostalgia.

Righton paints the perfect picture of his inner thoughts as he embarks on a cinematic journey with poignant lyricism, exquisite production and charismatically seductive soundscapes reminiscent of Roxy Music.

‘Apocalypse Love’ is a primal cry, a maniacal love letter to their sonic anarchy and the unpredictability of the world we live in. It’s a discordant record, swerving through genres and emotions at breakneck speed, but that’s what the Black Lips are all about.

The result is an album soaked in nostalgia and melancholy but retains the razor-sharp edge that make shame so brilliant.

These 10 tracks continually buckle under the weight of Flowers' torrid lyrics, mind-numbing cliches, and woefully derivative song structures.

Take it as deep dance for when there aren't enough hours in the day.

Despite the still occasionally underdeveloped, teenage diary-like lyrics, there are glimpses of more comedic moments amongst the angst.

Centepede Hz is somehow both futuristically innovative and welcomingly accessible. Amid the obscurantism caused by white noise and radio interference are strong choruses likely to get any form of life dancing.

These are mostly decent songs but the lyrical landscape feels wearily well-trodden and it’s hard not to just want a bit more from an artist with the freedom to risk anything.

Not every song is as enjoyable as it is intriguing, with moments of too many detours and not enough destinations. However, while ‘The Twits’ feels imperfect, intentionally so, it also feels like the final cliffhanger before a chapter ends in a thrilling novel.

Where Bodega do succeed is in serving up an entertaining, intellectual and heartfelt riposte to the broken systems that have engulfed our culture, albeit in a slightly less successful fashion than before.

It is a bewitching, beautiful album, with no two songs alike.

Whilst this LP doesn’t break any new grounds or shatter any glass ceilings, it does bring is a beautiful blend of house, electro-pop and funk, culminating to astoundingly enjoyable heights and sparkly moments that would make even the biggest metal-music-elitist bright-eyed and giddy.

It's a record which feels like a grower but never manages to click.

On their way to maturity, YSP!WSD! lost some of the punkiness that made them exciting, but they still have hooks and groovy synths, so the growth is graceful.

It's about as modern an electronic record as you can get. It's pretty much safe to say that 'Memory' won't be fading for a while.

Their future is full of possibilities; thankfully they didn’t go before their time after all, as Promise Everything is their best work yet.

He should be commended for going light on the MC features--the bluntly-titled ‘Grime’ is proof enough that he can hold his own on a beat.

The record plots a gorgeous curve from open to close, with earthy drum rolls rubbing up against rusty industrial buzzsaw synths and field recordings serving as segues.

At times, it feels like a test drive, pushing the boundaries to prove to itself what can be done. But when he concentrates his focus and narrows his noodling, it delivers substance and heft.

This may not quite be the best punk rock album about the Trump era you’ll hear in 2018--fellow 50somethings Superchunk already had a decent crack at that title--but it’s certainly one of the year’s most enjoyable bundles of rage. A thoroughly welcome return.

There's certainly a harder edge to the sound, yet the songwriting is the key, with a set of tunes commercial enough to sucker you in, yet complex enough to maintain interest.

While it's lovely to have them back, this album is more of a pleasant addition to the Mercury Rev catalogue than a defining moment.

Vulnerable, complex and beautiful, it is an album that gets richer with every listen, and cements Hutson’s status as a songwriter to take notice of.

As dense as it is bare, the aural fog and disorientation of alt-techno he has made his own across four albums has Actress throwing himself headfirst into a heap of wires and making sure every choice earns their right to the tracklist.

Their demons finally overcome, Peggy Sue are now revelling in true resolute defiance.

Showing not only progression and honing of a craft, this record goes from a hulking shredding Goliath to a reflective funk record in the space of a few minutes with wonderfully engrossing results.

Those who found Whitney’s honey-coated tales of love, loss and yearning to be just a bit too smooth the first time around are likely only to strengthen their convictions. For those themselves yearning for another dose, this album should definitely satisfy.

Some of the fragile innocence may have been replaced by moments of casual philosophy and effortlessly grandiose anthemic pop (‘Zigzagging Toward The Light’, ‘Kick’), but Oberst can still throw out quietly stirring minor epics using little more than a guitar and quiet musings.

The production is crisp and varied; Roots' warm vocal typically hits with soul without being too forcefully firebrand and constant changes in style and tempo gives 4Everevolution the energy to see it through.

Often accused of being too calculating in his constructs, Mind Bokeh emerges as a spectral funk odyssey.

In carrying on from their debut and giving it a more personal feel, Folding Time tweaks into a malleable multi-purpose listen.

A charming, timely return.

With one eye on America's rich musical history and one on the future of dance, if his formula needs to be tweaked, it is only by a little.

Recorded with Berlin-based chamber orchestra s t a r g a z e, their sound is simultaneously laid bare and enriched by its cinematic qualities.

'Legends Never Die' is poetic, prophetic and poignant.

Somewhat removed from the robust radio friendly pop of their first Hoffer collaboration The Life Pursuit, this latest record inhabits a more delicate sonic framework, reminiscent of early B & S.

This is a confident, bold and captivating record, and one which is dominated by that beguilingly ragged voice.

Carnage Hall is an album that bristles with clever ideas, memorable sing-a-longs, ‘Highlight’, ‘Drinking Problems Continue’ and ‘Accordion’, whilst reminding you of all the best bits from Devo, Trust Fund, The Rezillos and why you feel in love with those bands in the first place.

A brave and ultimately bold move, it’s hugely effective – direct yet sumptuously nuanced, ‘Dreamland’ is a triumph.

This is the closest we’re likely to get to a new Sonic Youth album, and The Best Day is a great reminder of what made that band so special.

The dirges are ditched, yet the previous elements they made their name with are overdone.

This collection’s predecessor, 2013’s ‘True Romance’, showcased an artist willing to take on the pop world. Sucker finds that same, singular performer rewriting the rules entirely, never mind breaking any, and beating pop at its own game.

On occasion, it gets a little too pleasant, but, when the songs soar, it’s an infectious listen and, with the prospect of summer sunshine ahead, it will serve to soundtrack hazy days.

GINGER is new ground for Brockhampton, and a gentle nudge to others, urging them to go on their own paths of rediscovery and explore their roots. Thing is, we might need a bit more than a gentle nudge.

‘Oh No’ is the strongest album since 2012’s ‘Always’. This definitely is beautiful music for hard times.

Stripped back and unapologetic, Florence Welch’s fourth record as Florence + the Machine carries a sense of nakedness never seen before--it’s self-aware, remorseless, and raw.

This record isn't really comparable to any of Monkeytown's output, but it still stands up alongside it--and not just as a novelty.

It's got piles of ideas, some biting M.I.A.-style hooks, and all the grimy vibrancy of a night out in Soweto.

It's a gorgeous example of an album bursting with huge, dreamy songs.

It's not always pleasant, but in a funny way, it's quite compelling.

House music’s fire will never go out. And this pack of rhythmic aces can only help fan its hypnotic flames.

This is an auspicious start, but it too often seems that Samaris lack the inherent ability to fully realise their ambitions.

In The Seams is the most intricately beautiful auditory to coexist with. Just let it in.

It might be a lot more po-faced than the insouciant antics of the recent Venetian Snares album (‘Traditional Synthesizer Music’) but it's certainly no less engaging.

The frustration bubbles under the surface for the listener, that, competent and effecting as this album is, it could have been so much more. Here’s to next time.

This [‘I am William Corder’], the pinnacle of a truly masterful, sonic annihilation of a record, is a murder ballad not in the melodramatic gothic tradition, but something else, something transcendent, and like the rest of the record something terrifyingly transfixing.

Despite the two opposing moods of the album, the candid and dark lyricism is the only consistent effort in the album. It’s a massive shame, considering how much headway the band made with ‘Asymmetry’, but Mallory Knox have found themselves half a step behind their peers once again.

This album deserves your attention and is a perfect example of a group accomplishing and exceeding their full potential.

Dissolve is a fine album for the time being, but it has a built-in sell by date and TUSKS may well want to diversify before the tide changes and she's left gasping on the shore.

Instantly familiar while still feeling fresh; nostalgic while clearly the product of a band who’ve carved a niche rather than rest on their laurels, Is This Thing Cursed? is the album long-term fans have been clamouring for since Skiba shaved his hair.

'Limbo' is certainly not a representation of his best work, but rather an example of a talented artist not pushing his boundaries.

A singular experience, ‘Island Family’ is unsettling at first, until the listener begins to relax into the world Pictish Trail has prepared. An attempt to discuss familiar experiences in an unfamiliar way, it’s a rewarding, groundbreaking insight into his life, one that retains a playfully experimental edge in the process.

Unfortunately, HAAi’s music here tends to be a bit stiffer, forgoing the benefits of a heady groove in favor of direct impact. If you’re up for it, it might well help you ascend, but it often feels like a forced way to go about it.

‘Driving Just to Drive’ drives safely. Perhaps too safely. We may yearn for Maltese to put his foot down, but it could be argued there is solace in safety. Not everything has to be hell for leather.

‘Snake Sideways’ is a culmination of all of Do Nothing’s talents, and a great debut album which is perfect for the live setting – where the band thrives.

It’s a plaintive, poetic, and endlessly endearing return, a sign that the acoustic well, while previously untapped, remains brimming with inspiration.

Tales Of Us is relentlessly one note but frequently beautiful, and a welcome change from the theatrics of its immediate predecessor, 2010’s ‘Head First’.

An album which altogether represents a welcome change of direction.

Two years spent reconstructing and re-dubbing has clearly paid off for the pair; an essential for all the late-night dub heads out there.

Still in place is their frenetic rushes of sonic trickery, but most notably the band have relaxed a little and even got a little funky.

Please Be Mine will go down as a hugely self-assured debut offering from one of indie’s most promising new acts.

The North Borders is a triumph--each listen is a revelation; seemingly it’s a breadth of work that marks a new, exciting era of electronic music.

Even if there are occasional flirtations with bland daytime soul sludge, Mr. Strickland Banks is a welcome addition to Ben Drew's beguiling set of alter-egos.

By releasing a debut with such honesty at its core Lianne will find a nation falling in love with her.