Ultimately the genius of Kiss Land‘s production lies in its ability to literalise Tesfaye’s fractured state of mind.

Instrumentally, the record has all the hallmarks of Super Furry Animals meeting Boom Bip--Rhodes and Wurlitzer, squelchy analogue synths, guitars and keyboards, metronomically tight live drums, Rhys’ brilliantly Welsh-accented American falsetto. Musically and lyrically it also possesses all of the keen humour of the former, modest and understated to a tee.

If his aim was to give musical form to the eastern DRC’s “unnerving beauty and unflinching horror”, then A U R O R A is a dazzling success.

Rinse Presents: Royal-T takes his biggest anthems to date--the abrasive, ferocious 'Orangeade' and the gloriously untethered 'Cool Down'--and builds on them in every direction.

The Narcissist II is so compelling because it is conceptually so much more rigorous and consistent, so much richer with internal resonances than its duo-created cousins.

Everything about the record suggests a separation and a self-contained existence, like a second novel, and is wonderful for it.

The result is a collection of intriguing, often beautiful miniatures--gems to be cherished and enjoyed, sonic curiosities that reward repeated listening.

LHF offer up their most extensive, immersive work to date.

With this record Laurel Halo has created a strong work that, while being notable and challenging for its unusual, compact combination of pop, ambience and musique concrète, is also immersive and enjoyable for this exact reason.

In short, this album holds together even better than On a Mission, and Katy B is still our best pop star.

Legacy’s most obviously rewarding moments, then, are when Space pushes this alien thrill to its limit.

It succeeds as an exploration of bodies, but more specifically, of the kinds of tension created by the dichotomies between them and within them, throughout an intimately crafted pop record that treads that careful line between wallowing and pleasure in the way that all the very best pop records do.

On paper Vapor City looked like Stewart’s descent into a sump of his own pompousness; in reality it’s anything but.

A largely beatific album, it propagates love over high living, but also shipped is the urban locale, the one-dimensional serenading and the cartoonish sexuality that informs a significant percentage of mainstream r'n'b, substituted for the same precocious wisdom, emotional intelligence, writerly nuance and reasoned portrayal of lust displayed on the Tumblr post.

Sebenza demonstrates yet again that LV are an act as admirable as they are on, on their day, masterful.

It’s Album Time is an impressively balanced and varied record.

Raw Solutions is spirited, fiercely effective club music with nothing to hide.

The theme of pining which was thread throughout her debut mixtape Cut 4 Me is still present here, but more pointed and poetic this time around. Each song beams with growth.

It’s the sheer energy on display that pushes Run The Jewels 2 through. The production is popping throughout, funky as hell, and often dotted with unexpected twists and turns.

Al Qadiri doesn’t just walk the line, she strides.

The journey bounds from emotional high to low and back again: ecstasy and agony can both cause tearful eyes and heart palpitations.

The hard-won fruits of this album have been worth it.

The Pinkprint is ultimately Nicki’s most cohesive project.

Yes, fine songs. But in part, though, a little of the success of July should be attributed to producer Randall Dunn.

With Ultraviolence, Lana Del Rey remains a singular figure in music, sounding (and addressing the idea of authenticity) like no one else.

As with any major pop album, LP1 is a crew effort, there’s no doubt as to whose hand is on the rudder.

DS2 is a relentless, dud-free hour that adds in most of his recent highlights to complete the story of his last year.

This honest emotional core is something that Vincent has always put into his music, but rarely has it felt quite so effortless as it does here. It’s the kind of album you could imagine non-house and techno fans getting behind quite easily, and shows that his appeal shouldn’t just be limited to vinyl collectors.