If you love synth-pop's romantic attachment to a grand, bleak, European aesthetic, then this is the Best Of for you.

Despite an all-pervading gloom that dominates tonally, and pacing that rarely gets the pulse racing, this is certainly the best Raveonettes record since 2007's keyboards-dominated left-turn LP, Lust Lust Lust..

For the flagrant pop thrill-seeker--judging by this incredible, irrepressible, ecstatic, brilliant record--neither will they ever disappoint. Don't believe the anti-hype: pop album of the year, by at least a dozen choruses.

Smith Westerns are that rare treat: an intelligent indie band with a love of a good tune and a good time.

A rewarding indie-pop set that's as warm and comforting as a hot water bottle at the end of a bed.

The band struggles to dredge up any sort of sparkle, no matter how finely-forged the hook.

Hyro Da Hero has created a fresh and interesting blend of music and clever wordplay which broaches topics of prejudice and respecting the world we live in with notable humour and intelligence.

Far from didactic or preachy, it's a lesson in the pure power of music.

It's just one eye-opening surge of splendour, like the first gasp of a newborn baby taking in the world for the very first time. The difference with this album: that sense of wonder never fades.

It sounds like all involved had fun putting this one together, and the listening experience is a pretty fun one too.

This is an album that's best aired on headphones, at critical volume.

At just 28 minutes long, Cat's Eyes certainly doesn't outstay its welcome. Hopefully this is the start of a very glimmeringly troubled yet wonderfully disturbed relationship. Amazing.

A long time coming it may have been, but Some Cold Rock Stuf is a disc worth spending plenty of time with after waiting more than a while for.

Whether Mazes are a band that to stand the test of time remains to be seen, but this is an enjoyable, exciting and mostly excellent snapshot of their lives as they are right now; and you can't help but want to join them as the days grow longer and the nights lighter.

Thanks largely to the instrumental work, there's a satisfying amount of entertainment value on this release--even if major revelations are not forthcoming.

It opens the door to tantalising, exciting possibilities, but it's also fragmented, distracted and indulgent.

She's shining bright and crying out to be taken on as Britain's new favourite pop star – and if this album is anything to go by, it looks like the stage is set.

The type of punch Metronomy now pack is differently varied, and instead of relying on catchy melodies, its excitement and originality is now more broadly sourced.

Although less varied and dynamic than Rated R, Queens of the Stone Age simply crackles with energy. At its best, it's just as electrifying, even if it doesn't maintain the dizzying momentum which rolled its follow-up to instant glory.

Hollywood Undead are content to deliver cliches--more out of a lack of imagination than cynical opportunism, but it still smacks of both. That's why to seasoned ears or any genre fan requiring more than more of the same, they're very, very boring.

Ultimately this sounds like a side project, which can only be so disappointing when that's precisely what it is.

Ben Chasny's solo venture continues to tackle folk as if the 1970s never ended.

Nine Types of Light finds the band firmly in the grip of a middle age that doesn't particularly suit them. So to put it in the popular parlance, it's a Dull Record for Times that are Anything But.

Bluegrass superstar's new album is a fine addition to her impressive catalogue.

This is a vivid selection of songs underscored by a bittersweet poetry.

Hope is their third studio album and touted as their step up. In truth, it comes on in leaps and bounds as much as it trips and stumbles along the way.

It's a harrowing but beautiful end to an immense, intense album.

It may only be a stopgap before the official follow-up to Jewellery, but like all the best mixtapes, it's a telling insight into its creator's unconventional mind.