The good news is that one of the most consistently entertaining pop-rock bands of the 1990s is back together. The bad news is that the album they've released to mark their comeback isn't quite a classic.

His improved state of mind, and the superior production on some of the tracks, does bring the music on occasion perilously close to the RnB blandness to which this is presumably supposed to provide an alternative.

There are no excursions into dubstep, no guest rappers and no raunchiness, just good clean wholesome party (as in jelly and ice-cream) fun.

At least five of these songs [out of twelve] should've remained on the cutting room floor.

Surrender your mind, body and soul to the Goat and one of the year's best albums so far.

As has been noted before, bands such as We Are the Ocean currently exist in a crowded market. Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow should give them a firm foothold in it.

Battle Born is a belter, an album made for bedrooms, stadiums and old-school denim jacket patches alike.

Still, despite some odd uses of language on them, tracks like Shut-In Tourist and Everything's Gonna Be Undone will undoubtedly keep fans of this enduring band more than happy.

But heavy as the rhythms are, Mala's deftness of touch means the Cuban contributions are never entirely overwhelmed, and when he pulls more elements into the mix the results are often stunning.

Beside Putrifiers II's guitar-fuelled thrills are a number of moments that find Thee Oh See's catching their winklepinkers on the pavement as they attempt to side step into more experimental, psychedelic territory.

[I Bet On Sky] is arguably the equal of their 80s heyday.

An unexpected but endearing valentine to the 1940s and 50s.

In terms of conceptual realisation, Liquid Swords is a blueprint for the perfect Wu record.

Staff Benda Bilili sing songs of strife and redemption. Yet when the mixture of French and various Congolese languages breaks into sing-along "la la la"s on Ne Me Quitte Pas it becomes as pure a life-affirming rush as the best pop music in any language.

Though all are blessed with a wry and dusty charm that's hard to dislike, too many are rolled out in a way that seems more to do with autopilot than passion. Narrow Way and Duquesne Whistle mighty be jaunty toe-tappers but they're also examples of the lightweight fluff that blows around the album.

This debut is all creepy, crawly kinds of fun, and we already want more.

Byrne and Clark have managed to not only meet but exceed expectations, and created one of the year's smartest albums in doing so.

Elysium could be Pet Shop Boys' warmest, wisest album yet.

The accessible groove of Flower and party-time refrain of ...Candyhands make for just two more standout moments on this terrific album that appears to achieve the impossible: making a breakup sound like just the most fun you could possibly have.

There is no doubt in this mind that Narrows have created one of the hardcore albums of 2012. There is a strange kind of beauty in unbridled monstrosity, and Painted is a stunning behemoth of an album.

She doesn't seek to graft herself onto these songs; instead, and with considerable skill, she draws out from them new layers of wit, tenderness and melancholia.

With a signature sound established at the first time of asking, The xx's challenge was to both expand their palette and satisfy the demands of a huge audience. And through refinement rather than reinvention, they've succeeded in singular style.

Lekman has always had a neat turn of phrase, whether barbed, droll or plainly silly. Again, there's [sic] plenty of them here.

This is music with a pure heart, a clean conscience and the snap of a steel-spring trap.

Algiers is a refined, consistent and beautifully textured set of songs.

Caminiti seems fully aware of the perils and pitfalls of the nu-new age, thwarting any such comparisons by rousing his near-ambient flows with radiant beams of six-string sustain.

Antibalas is musical democracy in action, and an inspiring example of a band practicing what they preach.

A little bit of cheese is a small price to pay for an album this likeable, accomplished and charmingly unfussed about being cool.

A record fizzing with ideas, tight melodies and loveable sass.

Hugely impressive debut LP from the Liverpool trio.

In short, this is an impressive debut album that attests to the originality and expressiveness of its author.

It works to the strengths of each, allowing Negro and Barwick their own spaces to shine while sculpting an overall, engrossing ambience around the pair.

The pace is slow, the mood is solemn verging on the sepulchral.

The Soul Sessions Vol 2 is Stone's most focused and rewarding album since Vol 1.

Submit fully to Centipede Hz and it will infect you, quite deliciously, for the foreseeable.

If the novelty had already worn off by the time of their second album in 2005, this comeback effort tests the patience beyond breaking point.

Ultimately, there are only two stars [Doom and Jneiro Jarel] that matter on this terrific album.

Ultimately though, this one is a step up, its maker beginning to lean towards representing the sentiments of the men he stands for, developing a voice currently missing in RnB.

If there is nothing here as instantly transfixing as some of her past work, Sun comes alive on closer listening, revealing myriad depths and unexpected vocal turns.

Four may be 2012's most exciting guitar album.

Overall, The Orbserver… is lots of fun for late-period Perry fans, and will appeal to Orbologists, too.

Sometimes the production is too slick, but Morissette avoids blandness because she's so idiosyncratic.

It's an impressive feat, and a genuine reminder for those bemoaning pop's current state that challenges can still be made as long as you never stop asking questions.

There isn't a bad pop song here, and the balance between whimsy, sensitivity and boisterous fun is expertly weighted.

[The Midsummer Station is] a brave and bold addition to what is increasingly looking like a catalogue to relish.

Excessive interludes drag the runtime and make the project feel a bit unfocused--but these missteps don't subtract too much from the overall premise.

This set is a welcome throwback to simpler, gentler times.

They sometimes feel as second-hand as The Black Crowes, but The Heavy's capacity for rabble-rousing is a potent strength, which in music – if not always politics – isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Dear's fifth album sees the songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, producer, DJ and all-round clever dick making a bigger, more accessible sound.

There's nothing "next" about Ware: she's here, now, and superb.

God Forgives' best moments... are fine examples of how big-budget rap can skilfully avoid crass clichés, and even convey no little emotion.

The album's long-term problem is will it have any meaning or relevance once the election is done and dusted? Well no, probably not in thematic terms; but the scathing humour of Going to Tampa is timeless and the thunderous Guantanamo, the sort of song Springsteen must wish he'd written, will remain a classic whoever's in the Oval Office.

Appreciating this album does admittedly require time and effort, which occasionally isn't repaid... But once you've settled into it, Yeasayer's Fragrant World is a wonderful place to explore.

[Blue Moon] could be classified as a highly advanced form of lounge music.

Despite Testament's commendable attempt to spice their sound with something a little different, one can't help feeling that Dark Roots of Earth is one track short of achieving overall excellence.

It's a vast, revealing monument to the genius of Ray Davies and one of the greatest British bands of all time.

Just Tell Me presents 17 cover versions of differing quality which don't gel as a cohesive listen, but it's not without standout interpretations.

Like many a "supergroup" before them, this one doesn't quite meet the expectations that their combined reputations create.

Francis is a trick-free troubadour and for all The Remedy's rather monotone approach, there may not be a more personal album in 2012.

Musically, it's both moody and approachable.

The lyrics aren't the only thing holding EFUNK back: Soul Clap's chugging pace drags on the heels of their most anthemic numbers.

His carefree attitude skips through the different styles and beats here with a sense of fun and adventure.

This might not be the most forward-thinking LP you'll hear this year. But the emotion and honesty on display are qualities that will never go out of style.

A cipher for good songs rather than the reasons those songs are good she may be, but there are few that do it better.

Loma Vista is a fine album of songs of love, longing and celebration that would sound at its best when cruising along a B road in a soft-top, or stumbled across while wandering around a free festival while a bit tipsy.

Apart from the odd soulful moment and some clever production, there is nothing here that sets them apart from their obvious influences.

It's tastefully done, and possesses many hidden textures and contours; the more you get of it, the more you like it.

Strange, hypnotic and utterly transcendental.... Om's teachings have always been less about finding a goal than the overwhelming richness of the journey, and, with Advaitic Songs that journey is more glorious and all-consuming than ever before.

Purity Ring have pulled off the feat of producing one of the year's most arresting debuts – a Grimm Tales for the 2010s, shrouded in the illusory threads of contemporary club music – while sounding like no-one else but themselves.

With The Killer, Shed hasn't reinvented the wheel, but he has captivated us with his sonic mottle, daubed onto the classic edifice of techno's irresistible structures.

This is grown-up, frequently gorgeous music that epitomises the very best in neo-soul.

While Major plays up to the strengths of its predecessor, it also showcases vocal development and keeps the familiar listener guessing.

Whatever expectations a solo album by a saxophonist conjures up, Saltash Bells is likely to belie them.

Another Country is an album that radiates warmth. Not just the warmth of southern seas and skies, but the human warmth that beams directly out of Ms. Wilson's heaving heart.

Sadier pulls this off 11 more times, crafting music that makes politics sound like the sexiest thing in the world.

This is a glorious summation of Blur's career, placing them firmly amongst the very best bands of all time.

Lyrically deep and musically adventurous, Michaelson has it all.

An impressive and varied second album, but one underpinned by noticeable troubles.

This greatest hits comp (selected by BalkanBeats' DJ Robert Soko) showcases their party tunes such as the breakneck signature romp through Hava Naguila and the blistering flugelhorn ska of Khelipe E Cheasa... as well as their successful ventures further afield.

What remains is a solid collection of pop-soul renderings through which Ocean tries to find himself.

There's nothing vague or routine about this elegant, charming and quietly profound record.

With its hurtling, remorselessly breakneck pace this isn't an album you listen to as such; rather, you grapple with it.

An hour in the company of Tom Paley and his revue is an hour well spent.

Whether or not Never is a record you'll want to revisit that often is a moot point, but its ability to hit like a spring-mounted boxing glove to your peripheral vision is hardly in doubt.

It is, as you'd expect, expertly played – but there's a vividness to Look Around the Corner that reaches some way beyond mere chops. It's an exceptional collaboration that proves there's life in the old soul yet.

Pop Tune finds the Japanese three-piece in fine form, exhibiting a wide-eyed freshness all the more remarkable when you consider that they have been a going concern since 1981.

A very successful collection which commendably fuses a series of contemporary "dance" music structures into an easily accessible whole.

Here, he exorcises the turmoil with a focused set of sustained brilliance.

The so-called purity of the sweet-voiced piano and violin are continually subverted by carefully applied extraneous sounds.

Dazzling.

This nearly flawless collection is simply the next step in the Baroness saga, and it's a beautiful one.

The criticisms are minor--a couple of tracks slide back into familiar Americana, but even then there's no sense of the band coasting.

Despite these weaker moments of Is Your Love Big Enough?, it's La Havas' gorgeous voice and gifted string fingers that'll make the biggest impressions. This might not be a home run straight out of the gate, but it's an extremely promising first swing of the bat.

Ahmed has pulled together a supporting cast with sufficient cutting edge that it comparatively endangers the razorblade impact of his original compositions.

Confess is an easy record to listen to and love.

Spirit Fiction is jazz the way it's supposed to be: cool, chaotic, and unassuming. It's good music for the sake of good music.

An impressive document of a band in full Krautrock-psychedelia-horrorprog flow.

Cohen is clearly making the music he wants in the way he wants, but Milk Maid are releasing it into a world containing countless similar items old and new. [That have been influenced by 90's American lo-fi]. This needn't necessarily matter, but for many might mean the difference between a diverting record and an essential one.