Soft Will marks a further refinement of Smith Westerns’ sound, resulting in one of the year’s most straightforwardly enjoyable indie-rock records.

Convenanza is essentially a good time record, a celebration that looks back, but doesn’t forget to put its best foot forward too.

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.

Earth To Dora finds him in a relatively peaceful place – and it will have a similarly calming effect on Eels fans too. More than 20 years on, this band are still very good at what they do.

Cunningham is skilled in sustaining uncomfortable moments right up to a breaking point but he's also brilliant at making this self-contained, insular music sound sleek, modern and somehow appetising.

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.

They know their way around a captivating (if not subtle) hook, so whilst it sounds bigger than the sum of its parts, there are enough great songs to justify this super-stylised and fearless approach to pop.

As enjoyable as it all is though, it’s hard to escape the lingering feeling that Lidell is best when balancing his desire to mine the rich seam of electronic music’s past with a more innovative perspective.

Black Pudding, like the foodstuff it’s named after, is more of an acquired taste.

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

The pace is so chilled it would make a trip-hopper give up valium, and once past Vaporise it's hard to take much notice. You suddenly find yourself at track seven, and don't remember what's come before. Things do pick up again towards the end, although by now the debt owed to other artists is piling up.

A Coliseum Complex Museum, despite sporting yet another bonkers title, is a top effort that bolsters their burgeoning reputation, even if it doesn’t quite reach the highs of their very best.

Wonder Where We Land sounds like an album of great moments, rather than a consistently great record.

Apart from the nice flourishes and an undoubtedly authentic-sounding replication of mid- to late-'60s underground psychedelia, this album seems to have been something of a misfire, lacking a convincing emotional undertow, or sufficient clarity in its musical presentation to engage or entrance the listener.

It's certainly a promising debut, just one hampered by a songwriting scope that strips it of its own vitality rather than informing it.

Social Distortion still hit as hard as they ever did - barring the obvious newfound musical influences. Anyone not yet convinced by Social Distortion probably won't find new evidence for greatness here, but for longtime fans, the six-year wait is more than worth it.

Gallagher is never going to win awards for originality, but he has definitely progressed musically with this solo debut.

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.

It will surely be remembered as perhaps the greatest Frank Black LP (to date, at least) and perhaps even as the record that made it cool to like country again.

Napa Asylum graces us with moments of understated beauty, and when it's not terrifying us with bad trips, leaves a feeling of contentment and fuzzy warmth with the world. However, 22 tracks is gratuitous and excessive, and the repetitiveness inherent in some of the tracks shows that quantity, and not always quality, swayed the making of the final cut.

With this album and its predecessor, he has achieved a genuine gravitas and, more importantly, a believable honesty.

It’ll never go down as a classic of the Crosby canon, yet it is quite unlike anything else he’s ever done. Perhaps it’s best summed up in four simple words--one for the purists.

As Passion Pit albums go, it may not sound drastically different to what has gone before, but, nevertheless, it feels like a fresh start.

Even with the missteps, there is plenty to love about The Wombats’ fourth effort.

The stronger of the two records by a clear mile, it breaks away from Sword’s definition of drone to incorporate clear distinctions in its abrasive mise-en-scène.

MONSTA X, formed through a reality TV programme, display versatility, emotion and style on their second English-language album. If their third is a tad more ambitious they’ll really be onto a winner.

The music is fun and easygoing, whether it’s the title track’s blissful 80s-style chords, or Make It Out Alive’s sparkling synth line, or the dizzying strings of Sweet Talker (a far better Galantis collaboration than Heartbreak Anthem with Little Mix). When the pace drops the results become more mixed, as Intimacy sports a clumsy riff under melodies that don’t gel while 20 Minutes is nice but forgettable.

Lyrically and (especially) musically, it’s business as usual on Will Of The People. It’s huge, over the top, and ever so slightly ludicrous – and yet, there’s an exhilaration about this band when they click into place.

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.

Underneath The Rainbow is more of an assault on the ears than anything else, although that’s mostly in a good way, as the band never lose sight of the style that first brought them success.

The prolificacy is undoubted, and at times the quality is unequivocally intriguing. But with the tendency to occasionally experiment and deviate, consistency is not forthcoming; that said, when Pond hit the right notes they soar.

It brings its fair share of frustration, but Christine And The Queens’ third record is undoubtedly interesting, a lateral progression if ever there was one.

Grapefruit is an exhilaratingly exciting album.

One of the most eagerly awaited soundtrack albums for years is a laudable success, provided you approach it in the right way. It might not give up its treasures immediately, but if you provide widescreen sound or a pair of expensive headphones, the sonic treats are considerable and mighty.

It is instinctive but planned, primal but enlightened, and hazy but focused. The only sure thing about it is that it is Ulver’s finest work to date.

As it is, Divine Providence is very good rather than truly great.

THR!!!ER has plenty of moments that live up to its self-hyped billing, but it’s the love of the gimmick, that old friend Shtick Shtick Shtick, that will always be the thing that both endears and estranges.

We're not reviewing the single, rather the accompanying album, which after all that promise is something of a minor let down.

Shin Joong Hyun has long been a cornerstone figure in South Korea's rock 'n' roll history, and Light In The Attic have done a commendable job in helping cement his place in the wider scope of rock 'n' roll the world over.

You could equally say the album was allowed to peak too soon, but either way let it take nothing from the fact that this is a refreshing and extremely promising debut effort.

Most of the songs are well constructed and do not outstay their welcome, though a few do not make the grade.

Better then anyone could have hoped.

At just eight tracks, The Sister never outstays its welcome, and by the time it's finished, you're likely to want to go straight back to the start. And if this is your first introduction to Nadler, you'll want to explore her back catalogue straight away.

Kurt Vile: 50% Velvet Underground; 50% The Jesus And Mary Chain. Childish Prodigy: 50% Velvet Underground & Nico; 50% Darklands.

Though The Duke Spirit lack the Tex Avery mania of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the eye-bulging strutting confidence of Polly Harvey, they do have an easy way with structured reverberative grooves.

Stornoway have boldly struck out and in doing so have navigated the often choppy waters of the second album with panache.

While British Sea Power do occasionally revert back to the anthemic formula that worked so well on previous albums, on the whole, Machineries Of Joy is a more considered and composed effort.

It probably won't appeal to all, and some of Furtado's fans may be hugely turned off by the more danceable tracks. Yet Timbaland has revitalized Furtado - this is the sound of an artist having the time of her life.

The Future Will Come is the kind of album you could listen to loudly in a club, or at home with some headphones and it would suit either. Welcome back intelligent dance music, we've missed you.

If you take this for what it is, then you’ll have a great time, but the second you start to think about the longevity or replay value of this album, it all starts to come apart at the seams. This is a great album for the fans, but that’s essentially all it is.

Chapman is an eloquent lyricist with a strong social conscience, but she's also a superb songwriter and musician and Where You Live contains several instances of low key beauty.

Unusually for a debut album, there's not a dud track here, and even the less immediate tracks such as February Snow work their way into your brain after a few plays.

This record can sound slightly off-putting at times, but that's what makes it so compelling.

From the poorly thought out lyrics to the day-glo “punk” cover and the calls to revolution that ring hollower with every listen, this is an album that flatters to deceive.

Perhaps inevitably for a first solo album, this is Mark Peters’ most personal work to date. It is the dissemination of music that has occupied his inner ear for decades, the soundtrack to countryside and habitats that have been a lasting part of his life. Because of that, Innerland has a deep set emotional significance and intimacy that carries beyond Peters and out to the listener.

Burial is the most important influence across Civic Jams, but while his productions, his songwriting, his structures carry a real emotional heft, Darkstar sound for the most part as if they’re playing for time.

Cafe Carlyle is the perfect venue for Vega, a small, bohemian and glamorous venue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and this fitting tribute to New York praising its riches, uncovering its faults and exploring its tragedy is as beguiling and incredible as Vega herself.

At 55 minutes, it’s arguably too long, and some of the less memorable tracks could probably be filed away without taking too much away from the album. Yet only dEUS could end an album with Le Blues Polaire, a six minute song sung entirely in French that switches from dirty, grimy guitar rock to hypnotic drone several times.

Here, they manage to do their maturing without losing the sheer likability which saved the debut from completely drowning in a sea of ideas.

A little joy goes a long way--a long way towards one of the more carefree albums you'll enjoy this autumn.

Overall then, Chunk Of Change is several steps short of greatness, but the debut full-length (due later this year) should be worth a listen.

The commitment to developing their sound into urgent and strident rock is commendable yet the execution leaves you cold at times.

Alanis Morissette has long been a rarity among her peers, more than willing to address significant, yet unsettling subject matter. Such Pretty Forks In The Road is a case in point, with inspiring lyrical touches and affecting vocal sincerity placing it among her best albums.

Maps & Atlases have produced an album with some real bite. It's a collection of tracks that needs proper digestion in order to pick through the intricate layering and amalgam of styles that mix the band's longstanding math influences with a clear inclination towards African rhythms.

While Bass Drum Of Death is stripped back and wins many points for commitment to a certain aesthetic, it’s also a largely successful album in terms of tunes.

Feel The Sound provides, when they’re on form, a reminder of how reliable they can be at creating crowd-pleasing indie pop.

The music has a thoughtful, reflective quality in spite of its brevity. Popp claims he is not an "anti-musician", and given the lush, enveloping atmosphere of much of O, his claim seems fair. He is, however, very much anti-convention.

While this new album lacks the immediate warmth of its predecessor there's much pleasure to be had wallowing in its rich patterns.

>> is the humble, unpretentious sound of an artist pursuing a very personal and refreshingly unspectacular vision.

There's little familiarity, too little to relate to on Certified.

Playtime Is Over is miles forward from the Wiley of 'Wot U Call It' and 'Who Ate All the Pies' but it sits uneasily behind Sway's One For the Journey and Kano's The Mixtape projects

Autechre albums have been famously challenging in the past, but Quaristice is an easier way in, and impresses with its structure, its continued innovation in texture and in the way every sound remains vital, even in the course of a seventy minute album.

It’s a lot of fun, for band and listener both (not always the easiest of tricks)--a ‘concept-less concept album’ shot through with just enough self-aware humour,

Forget The Night Ahead is the reassertion of The Twilight Sad's brutal art. But reassertion can so easily slide into repetition, as is occasionally the case here.

It's a subtle collection of tracks that is surprisingly both intimate and ambitious at the same time.

The lasting sense left is of an unexplored potential which, if this is it for The Civil Wars, could be in its own messy way an appropriate swansong.

What the two have come up with next is a new member and a sort of hillbilly Pixies for children, or perhaps a grunge starter kit for Polyphonic Spree fans.

The blues boogie tunes aren’t quite up to par, but it’s still a goody bag filled with enough treats to please fans.

Wrong Creatures succeeds far more often than it fails. It’s epic, full of attitude and done with a whole heap of style.

This collection shows the old tricks have served them brilliantly so far, and The Brighter The Light works as it says it will, leaving us with a lasting high.

In short this is a album that you put on for instant and disposable thrills.

Relaxed but restless. It’s a powerful combination for a successful début--and as Miller is still in her early twenties, greater life experience can only enhance her musical vision.

Fittingly enjoyable but frustratingly retrograde effort.

Mark The Hard Earth is a solid enough album but perhaps not the masterpiece that Drever fans were expecting. The man seems incapable of recording a duff track, but there are just a few moments on this album where he seems to take the easy route.

Cornell's voice might not be as tight as it was back in 1994, but it remains a formidable instrument - and lifts this collection well above that of an average live album. It's the lack of variety that stops it from becoming truly great.

Silent Treatment is an album that is certainly bursting with ambition, but that ambition seems at this point in time to be to the detriment of the songs.

The songs are stronger than ever, and the production remains recognisably the work of Hamilton’s hand.

While there’s nothing on Electric Lines to match the heart-stopping brilliance of Gabriel or even be as sheer fun as much of The 2 Bears record was, it will satisfyingly sate anyone who feels they’ve been waiting too long for a new Hot Chip album.

It’s a conflicting record, filled with swells and dry spells, but the forecast is generally clear in all directions.

Where Newcombe continues to find inspiration from, who knows, but the music still keeps on coming. And the world is a better place for it.

If the album has flaws, it has great and unique strengths. Difficult, maybe, but captivating.

Old Friends New Friends sees the artist settle his legacy thus far and clear the way before he gets stuck into another project.

A warm, quiet and graceful listen, Watch The Fireworks is definitely reminiscent of Pollock's former creations in its beguiling melodies, beautiful harmonies, soothing vocals and soaring choruses which seemingly seep out of nowhere.

Disjointed, hyperactive, experimental, whatever. Angles is the album to beat this year.

It desperately needs some kind of visual accompaniment to, at least, add a cinematic legitimacy to the sound's sporadic mood swings. Worthwhile? Probably. But the world waits for the proper return of Bon Iver.

This is an album of varied pleasures: it doesn't grab you by the scruff of the neck but it pulls insistently at your arm until you have to take notice.

Join The Dots is a very good album, derivative maybe, but much more than the sum of its parts.

This might not be the album that sees them break through, but it is a fine body of work from a pair of musicians embracing the thing they love most.