It's not the album that will define Deer Tick as a force in their own right, or McCauley as a songwriter on a par with his heroes, but The Black Dirt Sessions is the best set yet from this still-rising quintet.

Daybreaker is a great album. It'll go down as one of Architects' finest works.

Three albums in, Tunstall appears undamaged, an ordinary girl you'd want to spend time with and an honest performer it's hard to dislike.

As fascinating as it is perplexing, anything but obvious, and therefore to be applauded.

It's a soulful, self-contained delight.

At times The Light of the Sun veers towards self-indulgence, and some of its ideas are not fully followed through. On the whole, however, it is a rather lovely, emotional album that provides a beguiling snapshot of the current life of Jill Scott.

Sleepy Sun aren’t above dispelling the perceptions of over indulgence, and they may always be tarred thus, but Fever at least proves there’s a renewed clarity to go with the lozenge-smooth lethargy, even if it isn’t totally clearheaded.

This is intimacy on a purely aural level, the ultimate headphones album.

There’s a solid groove to most tracks, with no digressions to the Court of the Crimson King, or democratic opportunities for weaker members of the commune to sing.

One of the essential debuts of the year so far.

As with any festive release, the magic of A Christmas Cornucopia is best captured before the actual event itself, as come December 27 it will be as welcome as yet more turkey. But such is its quality that this collection could find itself becoming as much a part of the holiday season as arguments with loved ones, keeping receipts and watching the tree lights blur as you slowly drink yourself merry.

A significant step onwards from their acoustic debut, Acrobats finds the trio developing a taste for the electric, which adds miles to their creative horizons.

Whether as the fanfare arrival of a unique new voice or the peculiar indulgence of a future cult classic, this is an album that has to be heard to be believed.

Inside the Ships will assuredly grab hold by the second listen, if not the first.

A treasure of tremendous emotional resonance and focus from the rising country singer.

Although it’s not perfect, We Will Not Harm You is a significant advance on [his] previous efforts.

There’s no better way to shut out the din than by putting this record on.

Times New Viking are just as wilfully, wonderfully lo-fi as ever, but five albums in they've finally let the listener get that little bit closer to the heart of what they do.

It's hard to pretend this is entirely cutting-edge stuff, but the 70-year-old shows no sign of softening, his production rich without bowing to commercialism, his compositions full of unexpected twists and aggression.

Unexpectedly, these star-sailors are tripping the light, fantastically.

It's difficult to ignore that a significant amount of The Family Sign emits a passing impression that Slug plucked several emotive subjects from a hat, then challenged himself to use them as a writing framework.

It’s focused, and superbly executed, but forgoes immersive longevity for determined immediacy.

Streten proves that potential mass appeal need not come at the expense of creative flair or fresh ideas.

This is an album of surprising tenderness, of intricate (and, importantly, memorable) melodies and deep emotions, and everyman ruminations on love and life that will surely connect with long-standing fans and newcomers alike.

Rather than adhering to type, Black Mountain now have a catalogue of songs that respect and rival their influences.

This five-part suite expertly blurs boundaries between Weber's sequenced beats and the florid, cascading melodies of the carillon (played expertly by Vegar Sandholt).

Colour of the Trap, impressive an achievement as it is, is begging for diminishing returns.

Each song remains a steady, stellar journey to the next piercing solo until the noise removes itself after a surprisingly brief 50 minutes and suddenly there's a big gaping black hole where Moon Duo were. All that remains is to re-listen.