Serious though he may intend to be, through the combination of Williamson’s Mr. Angry rants and Andrew Fearn’s tinny keyboards, Sleaford Mods do have a tendency to sound like a bit of a novelty.

Indulgently arresting stuff.

Little Fictions, in the end, though a welcome sign of elbow gently progressing with their formula, is a step forward feels too hesitant.

The Incessant has a wealth of great ideas baked into the sediment of a wholly unremarkable collection of songs but boasts enough personality to still be worth giving the benefit of your doubt.

A record that spirits the listener along at quite a pace, its already relatively concise thirty-five minutes stirring a melodic whirlwind.

'Air Con Eden' is an album that knows what it is: a story. Although it may be a surrealist story, something difficult to penetrate, it’s a delicate and genuine debut, filled with warbled and gentle soundscapes.

‘Mind Hive’ will be remembered as an album that reminds us a price tag still can’t be put on our integrity – artistic or moral.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have produced an album that dangles a carrot of the possibilities of exploration at the time of the impossible, but they are absolutely better off for doing so.

An album that leaves a profound impact in the softest manner possible, ‘A Quickening’ thrills with its pin-prick intensity, with its phantom-like layers of sound. In documenting fatherhood, Orlando Weeks has emerged as a songwriter renewed.

Some fans may be disappointed by the more subdued nature of ‘Someone New’. Yet her ability to combine woozy guitars with killer synths and endlessly catchy melodies hasn’t disappeared, only softened and matured, as the title track, the brilliant ‘Pale’, and ‘Dog’ prove.

These thirteen tracks, detailing joys and sorrows, love and loss, indicate that The Staves are as vital as ever.

Clocking in at less than quarter of an hour, the ‘Perfect’ EP is another jukebox roll through the band’s quieter and louder moments, both of which are largely on target from start to finish.

It won't appeal to those who prefer his party anthems and vibrant disco, but for those who want to see yet another side to this most prolific of musical minds, it's a voyage worth taking.

A hugely effective partnership, Curren$y’s raps – weed, women, the trappings of fame – don’t dwell on subtlety, but it’s the manner in which they are presented that affords ‘Continuance’ its depth.

Ibeyi has continued to present the bejewelled depths of their spiritual and ancestral heritage with great success; it's clear that their source is not only deeply personal but boundless too.

Whilst other songs such as ‘Turning Onto You’ don’t particularly inspire and feel somewhat under-produced, the album remains pensive, zesty and delicately crafted. This is truly an album to draw comfort from throughout winter.

An album that leaves you in a different environment than where you entered it, ‘YIAN’ will surely rank as one of 2023’s most impressive British debuts.

The record could almost be split in half as it takes a rockier tone in the first tracks, which is gradually reduced to captivating stripped back endings. A true musical journey indeed.

A gorgeous album, ‘Big Sigh’ is a winter treat for the long January nights.

It’s evident that with ‘Yummy’ that the band’s appetite for creating music remains unsated and it sees the band at their most creative and progressive, delivering an impressive and thought-provoking body of work that can easily be ranked as one of their best.

‘Everybody Needs A Hero ’continues Gartland’s signature storytelling style but pushes her artistry in new intriguing directions, one that is sure to leave fans satisfied.

Outstanding work with the sound, abundance of catchy tunes and thoughtful, memorable lines make Rest an engaging experience for any listener, guaranteed to evoke or further develop the interest for the story of the illustrious Gainsbourg family.

As attempts at storming the mainstream go, this looks like a surefire winner, but musically it feels like a lesser take on Outkast's The Love Below.

After the cheap--but definitely magical--thrills of her debut, this is a slow-burning triumph.

Aiming to pin down essential emotions in a personal way, ‘Utopian Ashes’ succeeds beyond their imaginations – a crisp, entrancing song cycle, it’s unaffected feel helps it linger long in the memory.

Although at times the sound experiments can feel too inward-looking, Howard balances the darkness and lightness of his palette with relative ease, producing a record of imaginative depth and danceable surface.

A heady, forward-thinking shoegaze distillation, ‘Bedroom’ is a vital listen, with bdrmm allowing their early promise to fully develop. Much more than a genre piece, it’s a vital delve into the power of our communal isolation.

Collector is clever, catchy and addictive, and gets better with repeat plays. You can only imagine he and Disq know exactly what they’re doing.

Flamagra reminds us just how good Flying Lotus sounds when soundtracking transcendence.

It may be a tried and tested formula but inspiration as beautifully realised as this is hard to ignore.

The Wild offers solid proof that rappers in their middle ages are far from a spent force.

‘High Risk Behaviour’ clocks in at under half an hour which is a good job considering The Chats only have one trick, but strewth they do that trick well.

This notable departure from the dancefloor not only brings fans of her previous music and live sets along for the ride, but also wholeheartedly welcomes those who might never have set foot in the club.

‘All Her Plans’ is a triumph, a record that will certainly send these Aussie rockers to soaring new heights.

While it’d be difficult to proclaim it her finest work, ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’ is certainly Wolfe’s most ambitious and careful-constructed album. Deliciously-dramatic in its nocturnal flair, it cracks open a whole new set of tantalising sonic possibilities for Wolfe’s and her collaborators’ future.

Hookworms have a huge, infectious energy, best evidenced on the wild organ grooves and ridiculously weighty drumming of ‘Radio Tokyo’, but some of the finest moments come when they adopt a more considered, less-immediate approach.

With lyrics dripping with casual poetic nuance and bold, full arrangements, Stay Gold is at once an arresting set of classic country reference points as well as a towering body of stirring, beguilingly original songs.

Free For All is a debut album from a producer continually finding new perspectives on your favourite sounds.

African Giant is a cohesive piece of work. The tracks have a subtle dancehall theme which threads through them. 19 tracks may have been too ambitious in this case but Burna Boy is an example of why African music is gaining popularity and becoming more mainstream.

Modern Nature is a significant step forward for a band dogged by being seen merely as Britpop survivors that have never really moved on. This is evidence that they truly, distinctively have.

There’s still moments of fragility that populate the record (‘Fade’), but for the most part it’s a brazen and self-assured release, and it’s all the better for it.

The album is a bold step, Spunt and Randall striving to write songs they would be psyched to listen to, and moving in a direction that will fail to disappoint fans of earlier releases 'Nouns' and 'Weirdo Rippers'. Rad.

You can't help but feel that the teasing at euphoria on Slow Knife would be a little less frustrating if the thing were allowed to crescendo further, and for some of that drumwork to be incorporated accordingly.

‘It’s Never Over’ is this band’s best TV On The Radio impression, and ‘Porno’ almost goes G-funk: a pleasant surprise. But undercooked electronics, impotent rhetoric, too-familiar crescendo-ing structures and an overall feeling that this needs further post-production attention render Reflektor an entirely substandard album.

C'mon is such a delight, simultaneously luscious in their orchestration and muted in their delivery. Beautiful.

Without getting too deep and meaningful and forgetting that Distractions is simply an album of indelible punk jams, it's also the sound of a disillusioned and discontented generation, and their collective vitriol speaks volumes for the rest of us.

Jinx isn’t really a narrative anyway, more a fine assemblage in which a slightly eldritch weirdness is balanced with pop nous. It certainly feels like Crumb are on the cusp of something here.

There is a Big League sheen to much of this record which, mercifully, at no point saps the band's wildly abandoned creativity.

At times the clash of rhyme and sonic styles is too full or disjointed, sounding like the Boys are still finding their stride and working out how to cram everything in. Plenty here though to be blasted throughout Suburbia.

‘Love Hallucination’ is further evidence she’s now one of the label’s strongest artists, and also one of the most consistent creators of the past ten years. She may have slowly left her bedroom and found her way into the club, but Jessy Lanza continues to produce intimate moments you can get lost in.

Although coming quickly off the back of their debut might give people a cause for concern, the conviction with which it’s delivered should put to bed any negative preconceptions. An absolutely vital record.

While Beast Epic doesn’t quite match the strength of those records, it still remains his most pleasing work since 2007’s ‘The Shepherd’s Dog’.

ELUCID’s rhymes themselves are equally dense and layered, yet also effortlessly impactful. .... This is ‘I Guess U Had To Be There’s most spell-binding quality; you just want to peer deeper and deeper into it, plunging head first into its many thrilling mysteries.

It’s a record that makes incisions into the staid, one that knocks over the steadfast; it’s a bold, thrilling construction, one that pushes her history to one side in order to build anew.

It's a damn fine record and manages to avoid treading exactly the same ground its older sister did.

Sonically richer but still rooted in vulnerability, ‘Cruel World’ expands Humberstone’s palette without losing what first defined her sound.

Framed by twin poles of classicism and experimentation, ‘Did you know…’ never truly succumbs to either. An often-unsettling river of song, it finds Lana Del Rey discussing uncomfortable truths, while denying the use of easy answers. What she chooses to reveal is profound, occasionally disquieting, and never dull.

A premise so potentially sprawling is over and done with after 35 minutes. As the conduit probably has his next spiritual plain and energy source in mind, it all adds to the enigma.

It’s fair to say Jordan has delivered an album worthy of its 90s indie antecedents, even surpassing some of these.

Frusciante has managed to pay ode in a way which sounds original, yet adheres to the formula... all in all making for an impressive electronic album.

Itasca’s ‘Imitation Of War’ is a wonderful record, one whose spell only reveals itself over countless enraptured listens.

The Bones Of What You Believe is an exceptionally strong debut where every track is a potential single.

Whilst sonically Fixed Ideals can vary in its impact, Lande Hekt’s lyrics tell a relatable story in a crafty way, carrying the record all the way through.

‘Belong’ has an easy-on-ear feel that is combined to a rich audio quality. But it’s more than just studio magic – Jay Som has rarely written with more confidence, rarely expressed herself with more bravery.

No, it may not necessarily have many outside their core fanbase reaching endlessly for the replay button, but its therapeutic nonetheless as the band delivers what they’ve promised ; a personable, relatable collection of tracks that strip away their blinding shine as idols, replacing it with their warm glow of humanity.

The impressive chemistry the trio displayed on their earlier work continues here.

Assume Form isn’t a radical reinvention, but more a refinement. Live strings, for example, bring an organic warmth missing in some of his formative work.

Whilst for the most part this jam-session approach results in captivating instrumentals and intriguing points of sonic experimentation, at times it can become rather muddled, confusing and drawn-out.

One of the best albums Everything But The Girl have put their name against. A rich, atmospheric song cycle, it has the emotional heft of The Blue Nile and the production nous of Massive Attack. In the end, it could only be Everything But The Girl.

For a four-piece rock band from Texas, they still remain pretty difficult to classify and almost impossible to ignore. Play loud and enjoy.

A band whose early commercial ubiquity shouldn’t obscure the continued creative vitality of their work, Maximo Park open a fresh era with some of their finest work in a decade.

Big, bold and ambitious, it’s both a welcome return and a statement of intent.

By final track ‘wasting’ the band have taken you on a long, winding journey – not all of it sticks, but the best material here ranks alongside Goat Girl’s finest work.

Manic is an imperfect collection of tracks - with high peaks of sheer genius along with the low falls - but it still manages to fill eyes with tears, hearts with love and minds with thoughts as it explores the life and times of a 25-year-old in startling, stark detail.

This is a sound of a warm, human futurism. A record that feels impressionistic and abstract, dominated more by feeling than theme. Heavy sounds deployed deftly. Sometimes it feels a little fragmented (like on the slightly off-kilter swagger of ‘We’).

A blindingly good debut.

It’s a compelling work that just takes over, in the best possible way.

For all the PJ Harvey comparisons Calvi will inevitably attract this record is more alternative cabaret than gothic melodrama -- and much better for it.

It’s a triumphant comeback.

While these are only flashes, they help make Corsicana Lemonade a progressive exercise in restraint.

His most cohesive, and delightful, to date.

As a body of music Exai lividly pulses, possessed by a half-life of disturbing magnitude.

Stuffed with bomb-ass beats and rhymes that will bang from Cali to Darlington.

It's palpable that the tracks are more at home on the stage, where you can feel the frenetic energy of the record itself, Georgia's boisterous on-stage persona coming through in abundance. On record, sometimes that energy gets lost in a noisy ether, her identity chopped and screwed into fragments.

In choosing to move down a more percussive path, the Phoenix Foundation set themselves a challenge quite different than those they had previously faced. 80-minute double albums are usually tough to follow, but they've chosen to reconnect with the spirit of the band rather than try to top 'Fandango' in a self-conscious manner, and in doing so have redefined themselves.

Albanese joins a select group of modern classical artists able to offer so very much without the need for words.

While by no means poor, this album does little to advance the reputation he has already secured, as one of the UK’s most reliable rap suppliers.

Earworm guitar licks and choir-like harmonies sprout unexpectedly from Goat Girl’s skeletal, unpredictable songs like wildflowers in landfill.

The Doom-helmed ‘Lil Mufukuz’ and Phat Kat’s ‘Bubble Up’ show the Dabrye-plus-MC chemistry at its best, but if there was ever a criticism of the previous entries in this trilogy, it was that Dabrye struggled when it came to trimming the tracklist. ... The same is unfortunately the case here too.

This record contains meticulous instrumental arrangements and clever storytelling. It is protest music without the cliché heavy rock sound and direct lyrics. Instead Maltese uses satire to place pity upon the world but mostly himself, all delivered with a wry grin and a sparkle in his eye.

Through seeking comfort in the analogue, HÆLOS are breaking rich, new ground.

A songwriter who would thrive in any setting, his work thrives due to its simple poetry and emotional impact. A love letter to another time, ‘Promenade Blue’ is also resolutely, unashamedly now.

It’s immersive and ambiguous, these tales belong to you as much as they do the person next to you on the train.

The songs have been reinterpreted and elevated by Khruangbin’s sonic retexturising and takes the listener through a technicoloured journey of Ali’s most-loved classics and B-sides from his extensive catalogue.

‘Drunk On A Flight’ strikes the perfect balance between up-beat, angsty pop and more contemplative jazz ballads. It marks a distinctive shift in Eloise’s songwriting, simultaneously maintaining the timeless charm of her early music that made her so popular, whilst constructing an ode to classic pop.

The experience of touring, which she didn’t have at the release of her debut, is clearly heard in her bolder and more open delivery. Maybe ‘The Secret of Us’ is still not her Sour or 1989, yet she is firmly committed to making one someday.

Longing and levity substantiate the expansive cosmic realms of ‘Pomegranate’, where joy and exuberance draw you deeper into her sonic world with husky vocals and shimmering instrumentals.

Sometimes, maybe, it sounds like they are trying just a little bit too hard. There’s a certain self-consciousness pervading the record. .... Having said that, Young Knives are confident enough in their own skin to know that just because a musical element may not be “needed”, we would all be much emptier without it.