The unashamedly wilful reductionism of Brightblack Morning Light will either engross or alienate listeners, depending wholly on instinctive preferences.

While it may still fall short of the high-water mark established with Clarity, Jimmy Eat World’s latest is still a strong contender for the best album of 2004.

Mudhoney is a new band lyrically and emotionally.

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.

Picking through Blurry Blue Mountain in stages, there is evidently a decent fistful of individually strong moments but taken as a whole its meandering, undemonstrative nature does make it feel like a somewhat makeweight collection; one that will appeal to few people beyond the existing Giant Howe fanbase.

With Crystal Castles’ infectious, eclectic music, this is easily one of the highlights of the year and a great addition to the super-genre that is electronic music.

Throughout High Places vs. Mankind the two further unravel as well as expand their influences and open-up their compact electronic world to include more live instrumentation and more upfront organic vocals.

Everything comes together in a melting pot of rock and pop that is both delightful and intriguing. It has melodies, smart and quirky lyrics, and the band features some unique musicianship that is executed well.

A record of truly original and moving songwriting.

Fall Back Open is a well-constructed modern pop record that displays some neat influences and also contributes a good deal of its own.

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.

Thankfully, Danielson's music is interesting enough to look past some of these lyrical drawbacks.

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.

Keep Your Eyes Ahead is certainly a rewarding venture as it contains enough amiable and alluring dream-pop, with ample atmospheric charm, to overlook it's few weaknesses.

On its own, it has some great moments, and it is a very good pop/rock record.

It’s a compliment to Stevens when one notices that listening to the music alone is rewarding and yet, the shots from the documentary are what run vivid in your head.

This is great music from a fantastic UK band.

The problem is, Parton seems hesitant to just go ahead and continue to make the kinds of albums that will attract hardcore folk and roots enthusiasts, instead tempering her material with apparent attempts to hold appeal to a wider audience. So, at best, the final results are a bit mixed.

Nocturama isn't the weakest album in Nick Cave's canon, but it's far from being a particularly good one either.

The group manages to rise above many of their stereotypical, unoriginal contemporaries by featuring plenty of surprises and innovation (although there is still a very recognizable grounding throughout).

For an album that is only 36 minutes in length, Preoccupations manage to cram in a large amount of ideas, inspirations and ambitions.

While Trans-Continental Hustle isn't exactly a disappointment, it isn't the thoroughly solid album it could (and should have) been.

Horses in the Sky has some melodic, attractive moments, though these are drowned by yelps and off-key vocals that grate and stain the whole work.

It is far too lengthy to function as a coherent hip-hop record.

Much like Slint, Mandarin’s sound is often infused with an eerie coldness that seems to melt when the songs begin to grow exponentially in texture.

A record that could easily be mistaken by record geeks as a 60s underground lost-classic... like maybe Quicksilver Messenger Service’s first album.

The band hasn’t yet proven capable of rendering a thoroughly remarkable album. This is nothing to be ashamed of, though.

Lo-fi recording and lackluster production force the songs to rely on the comforting characteristics of the understated indie-twee-folk, of which there are too little to make it real appealing.