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

Dirt City stands little hope of entertaining the masses (again). But its maker has outdone himself, presenting variety with commendable cohesion and experimenting where others might've chased trends for overdue commercial returns.

It's a pure, you're-only-as-old-as-you-feel joy to hear British hip hop's most original and inspiring voice hitting his peak as he approaches his 40th year.

As morose meditations on the miseries of fame go, it comes across like a rap version of Woody Allen's Stardust Memories or Deconstructing Harry.

Although Mind Bokeh can be expected to be a wilfully eclectic pick'n'mix affair, what he's actually going to pull out the bag can still surprise.

In The Music Scene, Blockhead has made both pretty melancholic tracks and straight-up thump-the-desk bangers bedfellows, and for that the new decade should be eternally thankful.

In lesser hands, such 'fusion' elements could have fallen flat, but Aurelio's obvious talent, and Duran's sterling musical arrangements, instead yield an impressive album that simply sounds better which each new listening.

Indeed, everything sounds so good from a purely musical perspective that the record perhaps doesn’t showcase its lyricists as well as it could.

As ever, whatever the material, Wilson's smooth but husky-toned vocals are highly distinctive, especially when combined with a delivery that savours every word while remaining loose and languid.

Write About Love is a cracking pop album and a fine addition to a great band's already impressive catalogue.

A mighty voice of formidably expressive multitudes, here given room to roam, and to roar.

Callahan has gifted us perhaps his most subversive set to date: an album less about apocalypse and ruin than it is upheaval of the positive variety, and one of the most contented and rewarding of his career.

Through its songs he conveys truths about this country in a way that few other English songwriters, if any, are able to do.

This is a typically odd, zany album, but that's precisely what makes it so good -- because Wolf Parade's twisted, crazy, surreal world becomes yours, and it feels both absolutely normal and absolutely right.

Mathambo leaps about on a hotplate of styles, rarely dwelling on a groove for long. Move with him, though, because it's worth the breakneck effort.

Her songwriting is not greatly altered: tunes most often travel at an energetic tempo, with melodies shining through the thickly applied reverb and helping the likes of Know Me to soar. The presentation, however, recalls the Cocteau Twins during the album's most abstract moments.

n the fourth decade of his career, Foxx has released an album which easily equals the high points of his rich back catalogue.

Scott's permanent air of wonder, and respectful, well-crafted arrangements, allow him to get away with even the most fanciful of tales.

The surprise excellence of the songs and the music makes this the long-overdue fourth great Magazine album.

It's perhaps too subtle and intricate for a marketplace accustomed to being bashed about the bonce by rave-fuelled RnB – but if your palate fancies some tuneful sweetness, Youth will melt in your mouth.

Their music is full of joy, of sensuousness and sensuality, of acid wit and ambitious creativity.

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

Latin, the band's third album, is something of a side-step from its predecessors, Holy Fuck (2004) and LP (2007). It's less brawny and statelier, perhaps in part due to its producers Paul Epworth (Florence, The Rapture) and Dave Sardy (Black Mountain, LCD). But it might well be the closest the band has got to sounding as visceral and as rich on record as they do live.

The British producer’s fifth full-length is a worthy successor to his celebrated 2010 set Black Sands.

A genuine great leap forward, Defamation is a cracker.

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.

Despite the anthems being on a tight leash, repeated listens reveal this to be one of their best albums.

Rock like rock shouldn't be: a rock that your parents wouldn't just love, given a chance, but one that they'd ask you to play again, louder. It ain't right, obviously. But it rocks brilliantly.