The expansively visceral Condition does arguably need to be swallowed whole to make sense of its engrossing immersive scope, although a half-time breather is perhaps advisable for those with more delicate dispositions.

A bravely uncompromising yet often richly rewarding affair all told.

Like Serge Gainsbourg’s contrarian career as a whole, there are lot of hidden profundities and canny pleasures to decipher and uncover here. This makes Intoxicated Women a dense yet rewarding affair, which should satisfy and intrigue hardcore Mick Harvey fans and Sergeologists alike for some time.

Closure is undoubtedly a reliably contrarian, brutally honest and uncompromisingly human album for a great band to--at least try--calling it quits on.

Overall, this is sophisticated pop with a folky twist crowned by a heaven-sent voice.

Bamboo Diner In The Rain won’t necessarily catapult The Wave Pictures much further forwards in terms of commercial appeal, but as a self-proclaimed attempt “to grow inwards” it’s a strangely satisfying go-to collection for those already convinced of the group’s lateral charms.

On the whole this is a richly inventive and enthralling eponymous long-player from a side-project with legs of its own.

Wyatt At The Coyote Palace shows us a performer whose energies are intact and whose music and lyrics retain their ability to provoke, charm and occasionally disturb us.

Not a record for the faint-hearted then but one which certainly casts a commanding spell.

It’s all dense and heady stuff that takes several immersive listens to assimilate, but once you’ve found the hooks they don’t let go easily.

The importance of telling the tale far exceeds the risk for Moddi and so he should be praised for bringing these songs and their stories back into mainstream attention across a captivating musical and historical record.

Whilst it has a few unconcealed flaws here and there, that a tighter trimmer tracklist might have edited-out, Say Yes! is a robust, well-rounded and re-signposting listen; which should reward completionists looking for choice off-cuts from their favourite featured artists, remind us to revisit the original source material and hold-up to plenty of standalone spinning.

Whilst Craig Dermody still has some way to go in proving himself as a near-equal to his unconcealed influences, Mid Thirties Single Scene does attest that Scott & Charlene’s Wedding are about far more than a jokey band name, with some increasingly impressive staying-power. Moreover, it’s unquestionably the group’s first keeper collection.

Overall, this is a strong and durable suite of material that holds-up satisfyingly well to repeated and loud airings.

The trademark stridency of “Red Right Hand” or even “Mr Clarinet” is replaced with an altogether more measured and restrained vocal style, and the overall tone of Skeleton Tree is less abrasively didactic one than that of its fifteen predecessors.

It is the product of a septuagenarian survivor ceaselessly exploring a self-made world without conceding to compromise; which is sometimes frustrating yet frequently still compelling in execution.

Not a career-changing collection as such but a quietly redemptive revelation that satisfyingly sustains its author’s veteran status.

The result is a fantastic album, almost cinematic in its scope, which sweeps the listener along and leaves them enthralled.

Delirium Tremens holds many enjoyably solid, if occasionally thorny, rewards.

Whilst occasionally the wistful gossamer elegance of Luck Or Magic comes close to being a touch too understated, its sophistication and warmth--much like Britta Phillips’s latter-day career as a whole--is revealed gradually and invitingly with repeated encounters. A fragrantly intoxicating and slow-burning new beginning all told.

Twenty five and more years ago, an album made by Teardo and Bargeld would have been a much more experimental and chaotic experience than Nerissimo, which is both a work of highly adept modern composition and a sometimes conniving but always listenable performance by a vocalist who knows that even the most eclectic of audiences require entertainment.

Ultimately, for a more cohesive and less exhausting listen, the most accessible parts of Dead could have been crunched-down into a more easily-digestible mini-album.

Perhaps the best thing about Up To Anything is that The Goon Sax seem so fully formed already whilst remaining open to the durable possibilities of longevity. One of this year’s most promising and addictive debut albums all told.

On occasions L’Aurore can feel a little overwhelming but given time its full immersion scope becomes more and more hypnotic and impressive. A bold and brave return to the fray all told.

Whilst long-time fans may still understandably prefer the more complex and organic ilk of 2007’s The Rook or 2010’s The Golden Archipelago, Jet Plane And Oxbow enjoyably expands Shearwater’s widescreen reach without losing what can make the band so special.

Whilst as a whole The Catastrophist doesn’t surpass the high-watermarks of the band’s almost unimpeachable early-years pioneering, it does stand-up well as a solid and consistent collection to add to the post-millennial phase of the Tortoise canon, with just enough refreshed moves to keep the rust and cobwebs at bay.

Whilst sonic variety isn’t perhaps the strongest card pulled out on Split Milk, it does play out with some charming Astor songcraft and insistent hooks.

Overall, as bass-players solo missions go, Right On! fares well in both connecting to and standing apart from the mothership. Admittedly, the record’s best moments could perhaps have been cherry-picked to fold into the next Warpaint album or compressed into a just EP-length statement.