If you are looking for a deliciously dark soundtrack of horror and funk, then ‘Danse Macabre’ should be on your Halloween playlist. The big question is – is ‘Danse Macabre’ for life or just for Halloween? Either way, for the majority of Duran Duran’s sixteenth studio album, in true Halloween style, it will be love at first bite!

Taking listeners on a trippy journey through a landscape of organic musical complexity, there are also Beastie Boys vocal nods similar to those found in ‘Sadie Sorceress‘ from last year’s ‘Omnium Gatherum‘ release. Combining techno, disco, electronic and rap, this makes for a truly special combination.

The project does retain a level of focus and direction, despite the chameleon-like nature of Crosses, making for a thoroughly enjoyable and dynamic listening experience.

‘LAHAI’ is an astral soul coda that whilst intimately rendered, doubles as a pledge for connection and interrelatedness. We needed this.

Everywhere ‘the rest’ feels less collaborative than ‘the record,’ and more about celebrating the three of them as friends.

The songs are well written with glorious instrumentation. Hansard is the owner of, well, a decent pair of pipes and whether he’s singing, crooning, bellowing or whispering you feel the emotion in this voice. The downside to the album is, well, we’ve heard it all before. There isn’t anything new here.

‘Hackney Diamonds’ is probably the Rolling Stones’ best album in two decades. .... Equally, while his status as a lizard-like, hip-shaking frontman of immortal prowess remains intact, Jagger’s lyricism – so often underrated – delivers a few clunkers here. The highs, though, are what fans are tuning in for.

Blink remain true to form, even throwing in a few sub-1 minute swearword screamers, but with the band back together and continuing to go through life, it seems their form is grounded in something firmer.

A glittering project that underlines Offset’s status as one of American rap’s MVPs, ‘SET IT OFF’ doubles as an emotional mirror, as a form of autobiography. All that glitters isn’t gold – and very often the finest moments on this album are its most humble.

‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’, Creeper have created something that simultaneously pays homage to the bands that came before, and which is totally cutting-edge in the modern rock landscape.

An uplifting album with a distant and ever present sadness culminates on a high note, and then right before you know it, you’ll start it all over again.

Expectations for CMAT’s second album were sky-high, but she’s managed to reach new musical heights with ease and style. ‘Crazymad, For Me’ is another smash hit from a showstopper vocalist that really puts the fun back in pop music.

A stunning work of self-analysis, it’s Jamila Woods’ finest record yet – high praise in itself – one of the most absorbing, illuminating records you’re going to discover this year.

‘Javelin’ is an outstanding record, technically brilliant, and emotionally bewitching.

An infectious offering, ‘Out And About’ shines a light on the band’s unified creativity.

On first listen, this isn’t his certified rap classic but it does signal a turning point. Now, if only Drake could could distill the best parts of his repertoire into a coherent whole.

With ‘Layover’, V’s intentions were clear. He obviously had a distinct sound that he wanted to stick to, his vision clear inhabiting by his sense of self. The influence of jazz and R&B is evident and the execution is slick.

It’s a more grounded and less airbrushed exploration of identity than we might be used to from Hannah Diamond, but one that counteracts an era increasingly obsessed with the perfect image and the false promise of forever.

A solid return, there’s a lot to recommend here – for those familiar with Slow Pulp’s influences, or otherwise. Engaging songwriting with a real punch, we’re already looking forward to catching them live.

Frequently unclassifiable, and never dull, ‘Again’ is a stop-sign on his perpetual onward journey.

A distinctive, nigh-on unique listen, ‘Isn’t It Now?’ is a fine experimental broth for Autumn listens.

Most of ‘Halo’ was sculpted on the road, a moment of pause and introspection that affords Bakar space to surge forwards creatively.

Although vibrant and adventurous, the end result is too overcrowded on ‘Silver’ – some trimming, and there’s a classic here.

Her balladry is simple, sparse, unfeigned and unpretentious, and her torch songs smoulder like burning embers.

She questions, she purges, she excavates and embraces the thorny contradictions of her life. Smith continues to shirk commercial viability, stripping away sheen and artifice, presenting herself as dimensional; flawed, bruised, exposed, at times disbelieving, but ultimately worthy of love.

‘Cousin’ is the perfect entry point for those who have inexplicably escaped the shadow of the Wilco’s influence to date. Showcasing all they do best it is also unique enough to stand as one of their finest moments.

On ‘Sorry I’m Late’, Mae Muller shows that it takes time to perfect and craft a great pop album and that’s what she has done here. Every track could be, and probably should be, a single.

A celebration of what makes Teenage Fanclub great, it’s a finely balanced LP of under-stated charms. ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ they say – except, perhaps, for Teenage Fanclub.