Although the majority of the songs only hang around for a minute, Dead In The Dirt are quite adept at changing tack mid song, no matter how ridiculous it might be.

Master is perhaps less dense than their previous offering, but still possesses the ability to invoke terror and occasionally, irritate. Despite these occasional forays, Master is a powerful album.

As a standalone album From Scotland With Love is good, but found wanting in areas of length and substance. As a soundtrack to a film, it’s wonderful. The context to choose is the listener’s.

Diablo is a sonically powerful record with a clear sense of identity, and this helps to push past any shortcomings as Gurnsey remains a great producer and one to watch in the alternative electronic milieu.

It shows him to be a musically omnivorous artist, should any proof beyond Field Music’s albums be required.

A little patience pays dividends which, for the first time with an Andrew Bird release, are as emotional as they are cerebral.

Part of Lopatin's considerable appeal is his apparent refusal to settle.

It is the sharpness, leanness, and absorption in detail found on Howl that combine to make it a success. It’s not impossible that it could ultimately out-shine a lot of the bigger names it has been pushed up against this year.

The wilderness and going off the map might seem like a frightening concept, but after a little exploration, there’s beauty to be found everywhere.

It's fun while it lasts, but it's easily forgotten once over.

It's primal, life-affirming and powerfully personal, demanding to be heard.

There's an alertness and sense of movement within these carefully crafted soundscapes.

In their search for pop perfection though, they do actually hit the mark a couple of times; it’s just a shame that the best moments mostly appear at the album’s commencement because they far outweigh the vast majority of what follows, meaning you could be tempted to drift off in conversation before the album’s conclusion or, worse still, fall asleep.

Ultimately it proves itself to be Essaie Pas’ most purposeful and satisfying release yet.

Native Sons is a surprisingly great piece of work by a band who know how to please their fans and accidentally make new ones.

It’s a surprising, hugely satisfying trip from a transformed band.

Fans of David Sylvian will doubtless appreciate the elegant compositions and Sylvian's self-indulgent but soulful insights, but there is little to entertain the casual listener who may be better off back cataloguing Tom Waits and Nick Drake and realizing that they are not the same thing.

Everybody’s Heart Is Broken Now resolutely clings to the idea that faded memories can be given vibrant colour through song and that music preserves inner tempests and dreamed oases in amber--and for the most part it succeeds as evidence of that.

There’s barely a weak track on Surrender, and it’s a record that’s destined to appear on a lot of ‘end of year’ lists come December. The fact that this is only Maggie Rogers’ second album is astonishing, given the level of confidence and ability that shines through it.

The Ascension is a far superior and more ambitious album [than 2010 album The Age Of Adz].

Rather than make-up/break-up album, this here is a glacial evolution of sentiment, reflective of his maturity of mind and songwriting.

There are some quite beautiful and pop-infused moments to be found sprinkled across the album despite the best efforts of EMA and her co-producer Leif Shackleford to keep away from the ears of the commercial fraternity.

While most folk acts are content to simply keep churning out album after album of tried and tested traditional standards or self-penned campfire sing-alongs, The Unthanks are stretching the parameters of their genre with an ambition that’s rarely been heard before.

Entanglement is an album that needs to be considered alongside genre heavyweights like The Blue Notebooks by Max Richter or Englabörn by Jóhann Jóhannsson. It’s a timely reminder of how high modern classical music can reach.

It's eccentric, it's exhilarating, it is, in parts, absolutely insane. Yet it's never less than absolutely compelling, which is what makes The White Stripes one of the greatest bands of modern times.

While they might not be better than ever, they’re at least what they once were and what they’ve always been in the collective memory: instrumental virtuosos and sophisticated songsmiths, all the while finding a way to make it look easy.

At times, you won't hear a more beautiful album this year, and there are enough heart-stoppingly dramatic moments on here to more than justify all the excited pre-release anticipation.

Whilst not perfect, Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave is, as the cliché goes, a return to form and the album of a band that has rediscovered what they’re good at.

Sahel Folk is refreshing, especially when set against the fact that many bands can spend months or years tinkering in studio settings for what they deem to be the perfect sound.

Traditional Techniques is neither a revelation nor a disaster, it’s neither a winner nor is it a loser. Simply put, this is a very, very niche record that will likely sink, never to be seen again, as soon as Pavement step foot on the Primavera Sound stage in June (coronavirus permitting). But if you were to give it a few spins, who knows where it might end up taking you?

The Argument is a highly laudable effort--literary heads will enjoy its attempt at condensing the complexities of the epic poem, while many will take pleasure in the story Man’s downfall sounding so varied and tuneful.

Much of it feels like pastiche, albeit of an often very entertaining sort.

At just eight tracks long and with a half-hour running time, I Want To Start A Garden is more an introduction to Haley Heynderickx than a fully formed declaration. It’s enough to make you very excited about what’s yet to come, though--this particular garden is ready to bloom into some very special greenery.

Fifth album The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs doesn’t have the dramatic sense of change of its predecessor, but it is a fascinating album that may even ultimately prove to have more to offer. It’s one of those albums that grows with each listen.

Have We Met is one of Bejar’s most interesting so far. But the grating oh-so-indie-look-at-me lyrics bash against the beauty of the beats. Maybe, just maybe, Destroyer should focus on soundtracks from now on.

Real Life Is No Cool inhabits a place where pop, electro, house, funk and disco collide, and the results are accomplished, stylish and, above all, fun.

As ever, there's a jamming seam throughout the Malkmus landscape, with the likes of Brian Gallop descending (or ascending, more appropriately) into freeform guitar passages that, while inevitably slightly indulgent, are never less than engaging, tuneful and, above all, enjoyable.

Where its predecessor found Plant operating in a finely-tuned genre, Band Of Joy gives him an opportunity to explore his influences, and to colour a few choice odds and ends from the rock 'n' roll canon with his indelible mark.

Whilst it’s not quite in the same league as many of The Flaming Lips’ albums – not just The Soft Bulletin – it has plenty of worthy moments that can blossom in time.

Local Natives have made a stunning debut, feeling simultaneously familiar and challenging, and presenting a sweeping collection of tracks that are at once cinematic and sonically lush, swelling and serene.

Elinor Dougall has obviously taken her time to get this album sounding just as she wants – Strange Warnings and Poison Ivy first appeared on 2013’s Future Vanishes EP – and, on the majority of these cuts, that time has been unquestionably well spent. It doesn’t all work. ... Stellular finishes strong, however.

A remarkably assured and instinctive piece of work, one that speaks of good times on the dancefloor while not being afraid to throw in more poignant and affecting emotions, all wrapped up in clothing that falls nicely on an ambient blend of disco and house.

We knew Sky Larkin had potential. It’s been more than followed up on with Motto, surely one of the best albums of the year.

It is unashamedly cerebral music, but this is a band now finding that they have a powerful beating heart as well as a head.

He has made five albums, at least three of which are very fine indeed. But concern was growing that he might have peaked creatively. Bleeds refutes that notion emphatically, within a minute of the start.

With Chapel Perilous, Gnod have managed once again to create something that is both liberating and, at times, terrifyingly oppressive. 


It may not have the immediacy of old Walkmen songs such as The Rat or Angela Surf City, but these stories of New York characters have a charm and subtlety all of their own, which is rewarded by repeated listening.

The Pineapple Thief’s latest work is a positive reflection of prog rock in the 21st century asserting, after all this time, how underrated they are. Let them be a mystery no more: on Versions Of The Truth, this band bear the torch of prog rock, and it burns still.

It’s a truly absorbing listen, almost effortless. For a band that have been through so much turmoil, they convey so much beauty.

Both qualities [her immense talent and charisma] are on ample display on Hairless Toys.

UGLY certainly isn’t a pleasant listen, and at various points it’s too extreme to be categorised as rap or rock, but many of these tracks are brilliantly executed and their emotional power and impact put Slowthai in a unique position.

At the end of this quite exhausting album, it is hard to ascertain whether anything has been resolved. However, if this is what Krug needs to move on, then Julia With Blue Jeans On is a testament to the healing power of creativity.

Crystal Fairy is a solid and impressive album from start to finish.

Street Worms is a fine example of how to subvert expectations, and it’s a fine example of how to do ‘punk’ in 2018.

La Vita Nouva is a deeply personal and cathartic album and is certainly one that requires more than one listen. Each time will lift you up into a higher state of consciousness. A dramatic and unbridled return to a new beginning.

The result is her most satisfying and unified album to date.

It’s an album that wanders a lot, but every now and again can hold you spellbound, much like Hersh has been doing her entire career.

Fallon's understanding of the redemptive power of music elevates American Slang from being a good record to a great one.

Music for The Age of Miracles is an excellent record and a level above Minotaur, without scaling the heights of their first four albums. More 2009’s Bonfires On The Heath than Suburban Light, perhaps.

There’s no real new ground being broken on Agora, but it does make a good entry point if you’ve not been acquainted with Gilberto’s music before.

On this outing, greater rewards arrive from a more engaged, active approach to listening, one that helps ensure that nuances and small details are appreciated. It might not ultimately have quite the impact of their earlier work but it still has much to offer, showing them still capable of responding to new creative surroundings and edging forward with small refinements to their sound.

In such a hugely enjoyable and compelling set, the weaker moments are few and far between.

7 might have been a gamble for Beach House then, but they don’t appear to have lost anything. What remains to be seen is whether they stay on the same path of progress with their next record.

It’s heartfelt and sincere without pandering to any audience.

When you have the knack, as this band most clearly have, of infusing your music with such full and rich emotion, then it makes sense to use that as your primary method of conveying meaning.

Le Noise is the sound of a restless and prolific artist striving to deal with the burden of his great legacy.

There is a sense that perhaps Swisher is Blondes pushing their oblique take on dance culture by way of rhythmic experimentation as far as it can go, but there’s no doubt that where they have taken it is to an entirely new and sublime level.

They're bright, breezy, accomplished and catchy, indie-pop at its best.

The music drifts effortlessly between bright effervescence and dreamy, eerie moods.

Overload contains multitudes, and at times its lack of cohesion can be a bit unsettling. But it is also proof that Muldrow can excel at whatever style she touches on, and a great collection of songs.

The contributions of an impressive guest list only serve to further enhance this compelling music, which remains uniquely imbued with the spirit of the environment that shaped it.

This could be interpreted as a murky world of drug paranoia, or it could be a response to possible political disinformation and spin. Either way, it has made for one of UK bass music's most intelligent and consistent full length works.

His continually entertaining and tuneful approach should pick up many more fans over the summer, and those that found their way in through tracks such as 'Eany Meany' won't be in a hurry to up sticks either.

Overall, Power is a highly impressive body of work from a producer who continues to engage and surprise with each release.

While Street Horrrsing may never scratch the surface of the mainstream, it is going to make an indelible mark on all those interested in ground-breaking underground music

There is, thankfully, life in the old beast yet.

There are, of course, echoes of the past, but there is also something pleasingly fresh in the way DIIV take an age old sound and turn it into something magical that's at times deeply beautiful.

If this is the sound of the Apocalypse, it's the sound of a fiendishly inventive musician and his talented producer trying to squeeze in all the great ideas before armageddon hits.

Their debut LP Mutual Friends, despite getting bogged down in the middle stretch, is as an album undeniably catchy and, somewhat surprisingly, experimental.

There's an urgency and excitement to a number of these songs that elevate them beyond being pretty and delicate pop nuggets.

Overall, from the Hail To The Thief-like guitar line and giddy chorus of Ferocisimo to the undeniable Eras, Wed 21 is an album that might not change any lives but is full of surprises nonetheless.

Primitive And Deadly, in part, represents an encapsulation of Earth’s discography, but more importantly it also sees the band moving on, entering a new phase and expanding their dimensions.

Chubbed Up is a fairly relentless critique that, were it not for Williamson’s way with words, would be phenomenally depressing. Fortunately, these songs are mostly loaded with an equal share of pinsharp comedic observations and scathing invective.

Tweedy keeps up an unobtrusive presence throughout, letting Thompson play to his strengths, and it all results in another reliably consistent album.

There’s not much in the way of lax to be found here, Liberez are for the time being, geared towards building tension continuously without ever letting go.

For now, Elbow have created another record that comfortably matches up to anything they’ve released to date.

It’s not a Maccabees revival, but rather a delicate, fragile document of a life-changing event – and one that will touch the heart of both parents and non-parents.

Molchat Doma are having a blast reclaiming their heritage and proving themselves to be a more than an entertaining chip off the old Bloc.

What keeps you coming back to Good Woman is a sense of hope and optimism that shines through – that sense that, despite the grief and pain, there’s always better times ahead. Maybe it’s exactly the sort of record we all need in these times, and it certainly contributes towards this being the best Staves album of their career to date.

Song Of Co-Aklan is unlikely to win any fresh converts to Cathal Coughlan, despite it being more commercial than a lot of his output. For those who have fallen under Coughlan’s spell though, there are plenty of new treasures to discover in a fine summation of one of music’s true maverick characters.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is a lovely album, and a big step forward from Albarn’s previous solo effort, Everyday Robots.

There’s plenty of ambient music that dwells in moodiness and tonal shade, but sunlight and heat like this only comes around roughly once a year.

This is another very good, solid album from the Swedish siblings with a fair bit of typical brilliance scattered throughout.

While it’s sometimes a bit too unassuming for its own good, King Of A Land does well to remind the world of just what a legendary songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens is.

This might sound like hard work, but in Hackman’s hands, dark and troubling scenarios are anything but. It’s testament to the sheer brilliance of her songwriting that can address difficult issues and still manage to make them sound positive and hopeful.

For anyone seeking a new sound, in this case a vibrant take on Balkan folk through the eyes of a Westerner, there will be no disappointment.

Perhaps not a headphone masterpiece, but a generous slice of frank and thought-provoking tracks regardless.