Whilst it’s good to see another side to the band, it’s the sheer spiky pleasure of their more direct moments that stand out.

For those people who still think Lily Allen is the epitome of nepotistic celebrity culture, her second album won't change many minds. For the rest of us, It's Not Me It's You cements her position as one of this country's most interesting pop stars and proves that she's not some one-hit wonder.

Like [Beck's] Morning Phase, even Supernova’s failures prove an interesting listen, and when LaMontagne hits his stride, it’s an album that contains some of his best material in years.

Hawk flits between moods with such frequency as to both delight and confound an audience split between enjoyment of his variety and desperation for Hawk to repeat the feat of the LP's finest moments.

Reservations regarding vocals and mannered performances aside, this is an impressive second outing that cements Ulrika Spacek’s position as one of Britain’s most intriguing, painterly guitar bands.

I Told You I Was Freaky is a smart, funny, musically vast album, giving everyone's favorite kiwis a chance to broaden the canvas of their twitchy, awkward, displaced brand of comedy.

Sol Invictus is not a bad return, but it’s not the greatest thing Faith No More has ever done.

Charli is not the perfect pop album, nor is it a fully developed manifesto for where pop could go, but it is a collection of enjoyable, interesting tracks that don’t sound completely alien, but also don’t sound like anyone involved is selling out.

Overall, Postcards finds Manic Street Preachers at the top of their game, even 22 years after their first single. It's not for everyone--though pop radio will undoubtedly spin several of these tracks hourly for the foreseeable future--but longtime Manics fans will likely find plenty to love in this polished, grandiose "last attempt at mass communication" from an enigmatic rock 'n' roll institution.

They may not define the zeitgeist as they did 20 years ago, but God Games proves they can still hit those old heights more often than not.

This is a confident debut by a band that can only keep on improving.

The off-kilter choruses and softly-voiced lyrics take their time to reveal themselves.

Ultraviolet could have had a little more variety in its seven tracks, but it remains an impressive outing by this multi-talented new artist.

Overall Gibb has invited us on an entertaining jaunt through the musical traditions of rural Canada.

It’s by no means perfect and it does feel slightly one-paced, but the layers of Heritage are undoubtedly worth unravelling.

As singles, most of these songs would fly off of the shelves, but taken as a whole album it can get a bit tiring.

The decision to segregate different moods and styles into these contrasting releases was a risky one, but it pays off in that both records remain interesting for their duration. Princess Nokia is for the most part a great rapper, but can sometimes lapse into an artless earnestness, as this enjoyable but patchy diptych demonstrates.

Heartbreaker Please, like much of Thompson’s output, is unshowy yet quietly effective. ... The album can sound a little too cosy, where you’re often yearning for something a bit more raw and less polished. Yet if you’re looking for some timeless, classic-sounding pop, then Thompson does a very good job.

It features some undeniably strong songs but is lacking a vitality which would make it a convincing listen. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating in its own way.

This is a filler-free exercise that sees the band appealing to their purists and pushing their output forward at the same time.

He’s shown that he can write great songs, albeit not quite as consistently as one would like. Despite that, What For? still contains over twenty minutes of some of the year’s most decadently enjoyable music. A treat.

You’ll gather from this that Shake The Shudder is very much business as usual from !!!, though there is extra spice to their modern disco this time around, an all-inclusive party that gives the middle finger to those who dare to stand in its way. It is a wholly affirmative illustration of music’s unifying power.

Fans of airy independent music are sure to welcome this disc with open arms, but a few minor quibbles mean that the rest of us might want to hold back for more until the red carpet is rolled out.

Chant Darling is an album that won't leave a massive impression on first listen, but there's a definite charm that keeps you coming back for more.

At times Drums Between The Bells is too busy, too packed with musical style and incident, but its patchwork nature reveals itself over subsequent listens to be a largely rewarding one.

It might not be exactly how you remember Loop to be, but it’s distinctly Loop nevertheless and is a welcome return for a band that were thought to be done and dusted.

Much of Nervous is a little heavy for what is, on the surface at least, a gentle, lilting folk inflected album. However, there are moments of utter joyfulness to be found.

She’s adept at building a vibe with subtle unfurling layers but the songwriting is sometimes less of a priority, especially in the second half – this stops the album being as dynamic as it could be. Nonetheless we have sparks of inspiration, an appealing vocal register and more infectious rhythm sections than one can shake a stick at, which surely portends a warm reception in the club scene.

With Cry Sugar we get a scrapbook of interesting ideas, diversions and pastiches from a producer with little to prove at this stage – it helps that Mohawke’s imagination and skill make the record great fun to listen to.

The Heliocentrics, then, are in a good place. They continue to build on their obvious ability as musical chameleons, evading capture as they flit from one musical style and approach to another, with hip hop and psychedelia as their common ground.

This is simply a collection of well-crafted songs, honestly and simply arranged and delivered, and as such very much worth a listen.

There are times on Texis that not only do some tracks remind you of previous records, but of previous tracks on the very same album. It’s formulaic, but, as the phrase goes, if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it. There’s little evidence that Sleigh Bells will need fixing anytime soon.

Do It Again isn’t as downright amazing as it could have been, but there are far more pros than cons.

Fading Frontier is probably Deerhunter’s fourth best album. It’s still an excellent record, but it’s just ever so slightly underwhelming.

Like a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon causes a hurricane on the other side of the world, Breton’s attention to detail has made the all-encompassing tone of War Room Stories differ vastly.

Better than the first two? Course not. Better than the last three? Definitely.

More than any other record Wasser has produced, this one feels like it’s purposefully going for accessibility. This is not at the expense of creativity for the most part.

If you like Billy Corgan for his knack of writing a radio-friendly song with a heavy dose of angst, then you may not enjoy TheFutureEmbrace. Yet give the man credit for moving on and signalling a clear break with his past.

It’s A Holiday Soul Party is, for the most part, smooth and subtle enough to be enjoyed at any time of the year.

It might be a bit too idealistic for some people, but these are songs with melodies in abundance, and appealing melodic and lyrical quirks.

UUVVWWZ is undoubtedly promising, in the sense that the band have done the difficult part already, namely finding a signature sound. Now they just need to come up with the songs to match the distinctiveness of their instrumentation and that incredible name.

Contrepoint delights in its escape, and while it might be unhinged and unstructured at times, it is never anything less than intriguing.

Despite Yorke's much-parodied manic dancing in the Lotus Flower music video, the album's cold soul does not lend itself to a carefree, fun-loving dance floor, and as such, the mutations herein are tentative, fragile things built on the backs of their producers, and limited, for the most part, in their relationship to their source material.

Heading back in the direction of their louder MBV influenced roots, married with their clear confidence in producing dreampop, could be the way to go to produce something more unique. Because when the noise comes, it comes in spades--and it’s simply irresistible.

Reflektor is not the vintage record the hype would have us believe. But it will, if nothing else, get your feet moving.

It's the record of a band who have plenty of experience, a good track record and know what makes a good album.

Tranquilizers is an album that’s entrancing enough to survive its occasional foray into the lacklustre, and definitely one to cue up when the sky gets a little bit bluer.

Islands will take a little longer to hit the spot. When it does though, it could well challenge some of their best efforts, even if their diehard fans fail to agree on first listen.

The Family Jewels isn't the classic debut album that her early singles suggested was on the way, but there's enough promise here to carry her through the hype.

Monument is another addition to what’s becoming one of the most quietly consistent back catalogues in UK instrumental music, and proof that while others may begin to run out of ideas at this stage of their careers, Portico Quartet are sounding as fresh as ever.

It’s a promising debut from a musician spreading his wings and continuing to create his own little subculture, one informed by the past but brightening up the future.

The nature of the album seems to suggest added advantages in possibly listening to it at the extremes of the day, whether early in the morning or late at night, being infused with a palpable sense of recoiling and retreat.

In The Wild has some super solid additions to any electronic music playlist--the singles mentioned previously are pretty damn hot--but exploring it front-to-back is simply too much to handle.

Taken as a whole, Animal Joy maintains the quality of Shearwater's earlier outings without quite taking things to the next level they're eminently capable of achieving.

This is a finely crafted homage to the late ’60s sound. Maybe sometime in the future Delt will really mess with the template, but for now, the devil (and the authenticity) is in the detail.

At 50 minutes it sometimes feels like some editing could have been applied a bit more judiciously. Yet that’s a minor criticism, as there are enough high points here to build on the success of AAARTH.

Holding the eclectic mix together is Tabor's characteristic raw yet tender voice, which carries the weight of the world while looking out from a rugged and brutal shore across a bleak, grey but ultimately beautiful ocean.

Collapse Into Now is a fine album, and one that's far better than any band together for three decades has any right to be. What a pity, then, that they're not going to tour it.

Death Cab For Cutie aren’t changing any time soon, and Thank You For Today is another reliable if unsurprising missive from a band who seem to be settling into middle age comfortably.

While there may be a few wrong turns on Clinging To A Dream, Simeon is still creating vibrant, challenging and exciting music.

Monkeytown is definitely an intriguing and thoughtful project, and improves with each listen.

Whilst this may be its chief difficulty, and one that will undoubtedly deter and daunt some listeners, it is nevertheless good to have a band and an artist with this darkly poetic a vision back recording and performing once again.

In contrast to their previous record, on which they felt the need to dress up as some sort of 'shadow band' straight out of Disneyland for the sake of getting a message that got lost amongst the bombast and OTT nature of their sound, this is a refreshing change.

At times arresting, at other moments it's let down by some odd choices in the production and mixing. There is enough to hold the attention and to draw the listener back.

Despite the variety of styles on offer, Remiddi’s songs still have a tendency to seep into one another, and there seems to be more of an emphasis on atmosphere than melody on some tracks. However that atmosphere is well worth soaking in.

A very odd and somewhat unpredictable partnership, but one that is pleasantly surprising in its own way.

The album sags in a way that his previous work never did (much like Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, which inspires its artwork). He remains an inventive and interesting producer, however, and there are significant patches of brilliance on Flamagra that make it a worthwhile listen.

The Haim sisters are back with Something To Tell You, a big, brash, bold pop record which has rather more depth than some might expect.

Light The Horizon could very well be their best album to date but, at just 10 songs in 34 minutes, it will not be enough for fans, especially the new ones that are hearing them for the first time.

The potential is clearly there; The Naked And Famous just need to trim away some of the fat.

As a rather short album, it impresses without feeling like a definitive statement from the group, but contains enough interesting ideas and beautiful moments, as well as a great demonstration of both experimentation and pop-sensibilities in equal measures, that it leaves one excited and intrigued about what Teengirl Fantasy might make in the future.

The album sounds like what it is, then: a spur-of-the-moment, vinyl-only release, written and recorded for simplicity and speed. On these terms, it succeeds.

The relative brevity and sparseness of the album, allied to the fact that it largely extends ideas laid down earlier in Harris’s career, won’t see Grid Of Points talked of in the same elevated way as some of her other work. But it serves as a timely reminder of her ability to create beautifully slow and contemplative music.

While they may not be the finished article just yet, there is enough promise here to suggest an exciting future ahead.

An album that keeps pace with modern pop trends while remaining true to Aguilera’s past.

It's no stinker, more a transition, a typical third LP that just doesn't catch light enough.

When the band take a decent melody and build a whole track around it, the formula is a winning one; what won’t appeal to some though are the occasional meanderings where the spacey blips and bleeps appear to have no meaningful musical direction.

As Is Now sees Weller revisiting various points of his varied career and updating them. So there's the brittle guitar pop of Come On/Let's Go which recalls The Jam, the pastoral, laid back vibe of Wild Wood in All On A Misty Morning and even the ghost of the Style Council is resurrected in Bring Back The Funk.

Boy From Michigan is not an easy album to get to grips with, nor is it one for background listening. For those willing to put the work in, this is another invigorating missive from one of music’s finest minds.

It's not a record to dissect or fall in love with, but rather a diverting, casual listen that brightens up the best part of an hour.

When it’s good, it’s very, very good--but it’s also flawed. Such is the band’s conviction to capturing their reservations about our on-demand culture, it’s hard not to feel drained by the end.

Best Friends work best when they deal in heads down, pulsating rock.

It isn't their best record, but as an acknowledgement that slabs of feedback-laden noise weren't going to take them much further, and change was needed for an attempt at a long-term career, it's promising.

I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life doesn’t quite hit the immense heights of her first two albums, but this is still Merrill Garbus doing her own thing--which is something that’s always worth paying attention to.

99¢ is slick, soulful and full of the imaginative use of reference points that she is so accomplished at bending to her will. It’s by no means as immediate as Santogold, but its pleasures are plentiful if you give it the time it deserves.

Carpeth is traditional enough to please the Cropready massive, but also quite experimental too. Those new to the genre might be better served by checking out something more palatable, but for those with a taste for something more outlandish Carpeth certainly delivers.

Hutchison may seem down on himself on this record, but the music is full of creative energy.

Three wears its scars where they’re visible, at times this makes for an uncomfortable and uneven listen, but when it clicks, they’re unstoppable.

The album’s relative drop in quality towards the second half is a minor quibble though. Obits have long since made their point.

This is a good album, even if they’re not quite great yet.

For now, it’s a worthy instalment in the Moon Duo canon and a fine record on its own terms.

Although there’s nothing ostensibly new about this album, the overall feel and vibe running throughout does at least give a feeling of overall unity. These songs have been given a uniquely peaceful freedom.

The band crafts incredibly tight arrangements of complex, space-age country rock songs that require patience, vision, and time to create. Often, this approach is impressive. And, frankly, it is not always successful.

For Tropicalia purists, the long-delayed return of Os Mutantes will feel like the start of another bizarre, and certainly never boring, miniature revolution.

It’s utterly bonkers, but there’s so much raw talent there, once they’ve learnt to rein in their excesses The Lemon Twigs could go on to produce something truly special in the future.

Good Songs for Bad People maintains a high standard almost throughout, but it does tail off a little disappointingly at the end.

Those not familiar with John Carpenter’s work may find his approach a little baffling, dated, and over the course of an entire album, somewhat monotonous. But they’d have never got it anyway.