It's a record to get lost in, one that constantly surprises with its apparently infinite number of hidden harmonies and wry asides.

A fragrant bouquet of melody, light, love and naughtiness wrapped in an unfamiliar joie de vivre.

Herein lies the beauty of this band: geeky record collectors they may be, but they're quick to impose their feral energy and fierce individuality on proceedings.

They've become accomplished, exciting, restrained and wise.

With this majestic and multifarious new album, he has surely struck sonic gold once again.

It might not turn out to be his biggest album, but 808s & Heartbreak could well be his masterpiece.

Big by design, poignant yet relentlessly uplifting, it has the feel of a career crowning glory, or at the very least a second album, not a first attempt.

[A] strong contender for album of the year.

'The Sky Is Fallin' is a beast.... 'God Is In The Radio' has got just such an awesome riff, like the Lord himself hotwired to a Marshall amp.

Utterly unique and frequently wonderful.

Just knowing Shakira is still in the world and capable of making albums as inspired and assured as "Fijacion Oral Vol 1" is like finding out ABBA are reforming or that the real Michael Jackson was kidnapped and replaced with an evil imposter shortly after making "Thriller".

Take those hats off and launch them into the air for one of the most uplifting, career-topping albums anyone could have released, regardless of age.

2001 has been a tremendous year for hip-hop. At the last moment, the Wu-Tang Clan just made it even better.

A taut, economic album with emotional songs at its heart. Yep, we’re as surprised as you.

In short, it's the album everyone's been waiting for her to make.

It's not just that these sentiments are timeless - these songs, in these hands, are only now receiving their definitive interpretations.

If Adele's debut '19' marked her out as a young chanteuse with a booming voice, her follow-up '21' has shown a maturity in her songwriting that makes her the de facto authority when it comes to soundtracks to broken hearts.

Couples is simply a successful attempt to sound both different and better.

The one-time Best Unsigned Band In The Country have come up trumps with a debut album brimming with whip-smart, post-riot-grrl attitude.

Beyond the shiny surface of these songs lurks an unusual wealth of detail decorating the landscape through which the Furries power, scattering verse after chorus after verse at breathtaking speed.

[A] nine-minute sprawling, shifting and landing tidal wave.

What 'Original Pirate Material' makes abundantly clear though, is that - whilst Skinner may not be at the very cutting edge of Garage's club soundtrack - he's a man blessed with an astonishing aptitude for pop and a mainline into the Zeitgeist.

"Love Kraft"... sees the group slowing down and settling into themselves, revelling in their customary psychedelic indulgences while knocking out a supremely relaxed perfect pop album in the process.

Such is the depth and quality of Turner's songwriting, it plays like a best of.

"Fishscale" is a purist's delight, an album seemingly crafted solely for those who've been chasing his maverick tail for the past decade.

Despite the quick gestation, it's actually better than the successful debut - a rare enough occurrence - and the direction in which they've pushed things is equally surprising.

The quintessential much-loved cult band, they’ve yet to make an album their fans didn’t adore, but the good news is that “Oceans Apart” is one of their finest.

Nas's insight, erudition and poetic intensity override all other concerns.