It’s a virulent mixture of political discourse, political polemic, self-aggrandizement, self-diminution, childish humor, and intelligent irony; but, above all, everything is pulled off with undeniable character.

The album's middle section yields the record's most comprehensive songwriting.

Calla's sound continues to evolve as they explore divergent musical avenues within the context of potent, atmospheric alt-rock.

While not every song on Glass Floor is a gem, the best ones here are so good, I can only assume Maritime will be a step forward even for these artists’ illustrious careers.

It's not entirely necessary, sure, and it's not going to be essential listening for new fans, but it's a classy retrospective on Merritt's songwriting prowess.

Clocking in at just a shade over an hour, Zonoscope is – as its cover art of Manhattan being engulfed by a waterfall suggests – a very surreal leviathan, an object that surely mesmerizes as we all wait for the oncoming Armageddon.

Although Smother isn't as suffocating as perhaps it should be, it's still an interesting venture for Wild Beasts to have taken and definitely, a worthy follow-up to Two Dancers. And so while there isn't anything as wildly inventive as maybe "Hooting & Howling" anywhere to be found, there is a great deal of lingering new sounds to get lost in.

These sparse, unfastened and more importantly, exuberant covers are all flash and no substance. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t specially well done and loads of fun, either.

While the tunes on Adventures may be a bit more nebulous and a bit less intricate than those found on From Here on In and With the Tides, they are by no means any less engaging, and in some cases are even more resplendent.

The consistent, unwavering quality songs make up for most of Jaill's derivativeness. It's pretty hard to write meaningful music out of such rooted conventions of guitar, drums, and bass, but That's How We Burn is engaging throughout, which is quite an achievement for a meat and potatoes rock band.

Ultimately, although Into Forever might not quite hit the same consistent heights as the meticulously-crafted Modular Living, it’s still a respectable and forward moving addition to the Eat Light Become Lights canon in own right.

It certainly lacks the ambition and scope of Transatlanticism, but given the group's recent personal and professional triumphs, it's encouraging to hear them produce a piece of work reflective of their situation.

Although This Too Will Pass is a very solid effort from a maturing artist, it seems to be missing some of the energy of previous releases.

The understated songs are the most memorable here (and the least Why?-like), and it sort of makes me wish the rockier material were shelved so that the whole album could be tailored to this mood of graceful resignation.

The Beatific Visions is not flawless, but even with a few glaring misses, this album is above average and often brilliant.

With the absence of anything quite as moreish as say “Tweet Tweet Tweet” or “No One’s Bothered” it may go for less instant satisfaction but it’s undoubtedly still worth tucking into as part of the steady Sleaford Mods diet.

Life Like may not beg for repeated listens as much as Birds Make Good Neighbors but it’s still an honest and original piece of work that is sorely needed in these times.

For all that is revealed about Charlotte’s experiences via the songs on this album, there is always the knowledge that Beck is the songwriter, which raises the questions of how close Charlotte is to the lyrics, and if Beck has transcribed what Charlotte described to him with minimal interference, or if his own views and ideas have shaped the finished work and altered Charlotte’s original intent.

It's not entirely clear yet whether Loud Planes Fly Low will be the Rosebuds' swan song or simply a restatement of purpose, but either way, the band has delivered one of the most arresting breakup albums since Beck's Sea Change.

The overall effect is some formidable, quirky inde-rock.

Write About Love may not be remembered as a seminal Belle & Sebastian long-player but its uncomplicated charms still make it an effective ephemeral pleasure.

Welcome to the Drama Club shows that he’s still got plenty of catchy hooks left.

Whilst the nostalgia-soaked Sky Blue Sky will cause consternation amongst those who backed Wilco’s brave efforts to bend the staidness of plaid-shirted alt. rock, it’s still arguably one of the most charmingly-effortless records Jeff Tweedy has ever spearheaded.

Everything is New is a gifted and resounding response to the many nay-sayers out there. It’s not the best Peñate could have done but who else could have expected this kind of departure?

Whilst Moore’s meandering stops Sonic Nurse from going that much needed extra mile, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo are on reassuringly good form.

Taken as a whole, this strangely captivating cowboy-themed album is certainly not all hat and no cattle. Whilst ultimately it will probably not reach much beyond the shared bubble of Dean Wareham and Cheval Sombre’s respective fanbases, it’s certainly a curious and welcoming bubble to get stuck in.

The infusion of pop and blues has not only been done before, it’s also been done better.

Whilst as a whole Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You does perhaps miss having a few more mellow Mulcahy moments to give it a stronger balance of moods, its rapidly flowing melodicism is impressively infectious nevertheless.

For all its sonic roaming and mulching, Inside The Ships holds together surprisingly well as a combined entity.

If you're looking for a less structured, more experimental 764-Hero-style band, these two guys do it quite well.

At times of course, as with other Zedek Band releases, a little more space would have let the recordings feel a little less austere and more melodically-open. On the whole though, Fighting Season is a rousing call for gritty humanity.

Overall, there is a very cloud-like vibe, reticent of stammering into a mysterious blend of genres.

All in all, Foreign Body is a very rewarding and promising collaboration for fans of the more emotive side of droning ambient music.

While this most recent release does not equal the shimmering weight of Bows and Arrows, it has more than enough potency to stand on its own.

Nothing is Real is an eleven-song effort that showcases Crystal Antlers with a tighter outfit and in turn, a tighter release.

His most complete album to date, Chad Van Gaalen's Soft Airplane carries aisles of contradictions through turbulence and diffused sunlight. Here, the talented artist plays to his strengths.

This small grievance aside, Getting Paid is sure to delight not only the Mars Volta fans out there, but also anyone with a passing fancy for artists ranging from Geddy Lee to Jack White.

Abe Vigoda is not quite up to the level of a band like No Age, but if this EP is any indication, they do have the potential to hone and fine-tune their sound. Reviver would be a great introduction for a potential listener, and fans of post-rock will probably find a lot to like with Abe Vigoda.

A solid – albeit unadventurous - long-player, which refines instead of redefines and consolidates more than it innovates.

Even without a surplus of terrific songs to launch the affair into orbit, the band still knows perfectly well how to lock into each other and stay that way.

So there we have it, more of the recent same and sufficiently good enough to keep the good ship GBV sailing onwards. However, a little more variety and a few more Tobin Sprout songs next time around would certainly help to prevent any risk of drifting into more ponderous waters.

As is to be expected in any collaboration of this type, there are a lot of good ideas to be found, and it’s worth hearing, even with a few missteps.

Like the band’s 2012’s Tucson LP, Heartbreak Pass is perhaps a tad too long to digest easily in one sitting. Yet its warmth, scope and consistency makes for an album that defiantly and enjoyably belies the age of Howe Gelb and his most-loved brand.

While Embryonic shares with Brew many of the spontaneous bursts of chaos that made that album such a jarring listen, you can rest assured that this beautiful mess was--thanks to Coyne and his admitted control issues--a very calculated affair.

Whilst the modus operandi suggests something rather derivative, somehow the album achieves more than fan-boy indulgence; managing to be stylish and atmospheric without being too slick or insubstantial.

Whereas the past experiences showcased Holland much more embellished and free-wheeling with his flow, Hello Cruel World places a focus on the lyrical content with a flow that ends up being much easier to follow and in turn, far more accessible.

Whilst the overall the artistic advancement is decidedly impressive for such a fledgling talent, Marling does at times sell herself a little short on the lyrical and vocal front.

These aren't the most outlandish songs but they also aren't the most invasive either; it's all about how much you're willing to let go and enjoy pop music in one of its most honest states. And even if it doesn't move you, Animal Feelings will definitely have you grooving and shaking for quite some time.

Woodsman are at the very least an inventive group of musicians, but the balance between their songwriting abilities and their wilder excursions into improvised sound isn't quite equal, although this creates its own dynamic throughout the album.

It’s definitely not album of the year (nor would it have nabbed that distinction in 2007 when it was actually released on the other side of the Atlantic), but the Shortwave Set bring just enough innovation with them to make this 45 minute disc worth your while.

The band's style has clearly altered, but the transition is graceful, making Engine Down another enjoyable release.

It’s the best batch of songs he’s had in a while.

Everything about Staring At The X is tightly controlled and composed, from its guitar chords through its electronic bass lines right up to the mixing board pyrotechnics that propel the songs forward.

By the end of the album, you're likely to forget that the band band has been tagged as stoner rock, because there's a lot more than that going on here.

Interstellar may not be the most enterprising album released this year, but there won't likely be another one that so cogently captures the celestial side of an era [the 80's] known for its excesses.

Much popier than the band’s previous efforts, this is a fun album with catchy beats, cool guitars and a lo-fi sound.

Relatively minor misdemeanours aside though, 1,000 Years is a respectable and rejuvenated return to the fray for Corin Tucker's febrile talents.

A refreshingly new take on classic indie guitar rock.

Inevitably, this strand of the release contains more obstacles for those unable to cope with the bedroom-birthed murkiness of the album as a whole. However, with some fine-tuning this less guitar-centric side of Keel Her could rise more positively to the fore in future.

Minor niggles aside though, Silver Bullets is a solid and rewarding return to the fray for The Chills which patient followers will wrap their ears around gratefully.

Everything has been stripped to the core, with the focus on creating a tight album from beginning to end.

The result is slightly overlong and occasionally repetitive, but it’s also a determined sounding reappraisal of the abilities of the three musicians and also an album that could slide unnoticed into the myriad of Indie releases of the last decade, raising only one or two significant ripples as it does so.

Two years later, the five-piece returns with Simple Math – a concept album which, according to Hull himself, examines perennial hot button topics like marriage, love, religion, and sex. Again, not exactly revelatory material, but Hull has a gift with prose that turns even the most banal observations into striking reflections.

Whatever the circumstances have been in Lana's rise to fame, all that doesn't detract from the captivating quality of the songs on Born To Die.

The proceedings, though, are not without occasionally lesser moments and that’s something that fans of Save Everything and Very Soon may be surprised to hear.

The songs themselves feel loose, a bit non-cohesive, making How to Get to Heaven... a good, though not great, album.

While Daisy does have its share of issues, it is by no means a bad album. The fact is that it falls beneath Brand New’s lofty standards.

Volta is her most accessible album in years, even if it is sometimes at the expense of its own best interest.

Obits revels in the sort of music that's at the other end of the spectrum from brooding introspection and critical listening; these songs don't ask for a response so much as they demand a reaction.

They have evolved their sound in this release with a host of much stronger tracks than ever before. While the immaturity remains in these tracks, the instrumentals are much more polished and infectious.

It's definitely worth checking out if you're into noisy, low-key rock and inventive guitar work.

I'm sure that O'Hagan realizes that his band has made a name for itself in being able to almost take the listener away for an entire album of music. The experience is definitely a good one and a huge reason why Talahomi Way is a success because of it.

This is an album for the patient, who are willing, as the title of the album suggests, to sit through a slide show made by someone you don't really know that well.

Orcas, stays in the same zone [gauzy ambient folk], but edges closer to the sublime and harrowing atmospheres more associated with Irisarri.

The band's latest release is a substantial departure from previous efforts, employing a strong post-punk vibe to its production, with repetitive, pronounced bass line and drum rhythms (courtesy of Ailidh Lennon and David Gow, respectively), wiry guitar agitation, and the feel of being recorded in an empty room.

Though generally a triumph, the album has a couple cuts that feel unsubstantiated.

Mary Star of the Sea doesn't come close to SP's best work, but it absolutely obliterates everything Corgan has done since Mellon Collie.

The results are far better than you'd imagine.

Essentially one long postcard from the very edge of loneliness and sorrow.

Get Guilty is unlikely to bust Carl Newman out beyond his inherited fan-base but neither is it likely to disappoint those listening out for more-of-the-same, albeit with obvious but not crippling disadvantages.

Thankfully aside from a few superficial blemishes, Here’s The Tender Coming’s world is dense enough, and interesting enough to merit a visit.

Zoo Psychology is gritty, and crazy, and at times, almost maddening.

The net result is a strong suite of compositions that canter and curl with commanding calmness.

A good, albeit soft, Brit-pop CD, from a band that continues to mature.

Pyramid, while not being a step back, isn’t a step forward.

The Moonlight Butterfly won't allow The Sea And Cake to set the world on fire but with its reviving studio craftsmanship and exploratory attitude, it should happily smoulder in the ears of those who needed the band to deliver something just a little to the left of a self-defined centre.

The songs hold up well live, and the recording quality is terrific.

The second half of the album wallows in the shadow of the first, unable to conjure the absolute majesty of the first four tracks.

The results are pretty rewarding overall, even if the strictly unadorned arrangements might have occasionally benefitted from some counterbalancing extra instrumental layers.

Beach House is the perfect accompaniment for an introspective day, or night, of watching the globules of a lava lamp slowly float and sink.

They’ve amassed a collection of songs that stand together, proudly. It’s not a life-changing moment, nor is it even something that will win tons of new fans but it is a solid album, from front to back.

Roots & Crowns encircles the listener and flows effortlessly as each song melts into the next in bewitching bliss.

These two guys are good on the turntables and production, and they've got some stellar hip hop and rock guests. Check out this collaboration, one of the few hip-hop albums that I truly think is a must-have.

There’s so much going on here that you have to listen close. And still, it’s a fun album, catchy and wild and full of exuberance.

The Bird and the Bee is as light as a feather, for sure. It’s not throwaway, though; the darting melodies and twinkling keyboards are like some divine ringtone and the pair’s love of jazz standards is apparent in the harmonic reach and twists of their songs.

This short EP clearly isn't up to the muster of classic 70s Wire.

Red Devil Dawn is by far the most consistent Crooked Fingers album, and in many respects, probably the best in general.

This album is a lot more than just a singer/songwriter's romantic confessions but not quite the grandiose rock of The Flaming Lips and Beck, but The Russian Futurists have carved a nice little niche somewhere in between.