Dirty Projectors [is] a disruption, but a pleasant one at that--it affords listeners the space to grapple with the loss of Dirty Projectors in their previous form, while dispensing enough nurturing, boundary-breaking tonic to ensure that the first run-out for the project's next chapter is shrouded in optimism rather than dissolution, unforeseen obstacles and all.

A perfectly balanced album that matches her newfound vibe as a woman ready to tell her truth. This album is a note that good things come to those who wait.

On this their second album they have created a sonic world that is heavy with atmosphere, tension and gothic drama. The anxiety of the guitars and basslines are a thread throughout ‘Never Exhale’ and yet alongwith the striking percussion it all hangs together as a most glorious whole which will envelope the listener and weave its spell.

As pure and rich as milk and honey.

Every track is excellent, ruthless, relentless.

Brash and bold, its juxtaposition of fragile synth lines and uncompromising slabs of aggression make for a compelling, if not occasionally familiar, listen.

By befriending you and almost playing good cop bad cop, the vibrant grace of ‘Ra_Light’ and the global peak of ‘Near The End’ open an organic sense of nostalgia with an alert funkiness.

A sobering state of the world address spoken with street eloquence and education, W.A.R. resumes Pharoahe's talismanic dictation above a packed battalion of guests as a failsafe spectacle.

Unapologetic, progressive and complex, it's adventurous, indulgent post jazz, brimming with spirit. Absolutely exhilarating.

A short, sharp burst of intensity, it’s like a 40-minute session on the massage table with kneading thumbs being pushed into your brain.

A work of dancefloor renewal, ‘Ambiguous Desire’ is explicit in its aims – to move your body, and move your soul.

McMorrow loyalists may bemoan the polished sheen that characterises the tracks on We Move, but there is some genuine pop-soul mastery at display here, McMorrow’s sound more wholesome without renouncing the spectral quality that characterised his earlier material.

There are a couple of tonal mis-steps, we’re looking at your ‘Esportes Casual’, and perhaps the running time could be shaved down, but overall this stands as a sweet reminder to take a step back from the madness and breathe.

In these trying times, it’d benefit from being a whole lot more confrontational.

‘IT’S BEEN AWFUL’ might be TDE’s most TDE-sounding project since ‘DAMN.’ and it’s thanks to Rashad and his team cleansing their palette to create something timeless.

A surprisingly effective 21st century take on the Seventies singer-songwriter album, with tight band performances from the likes of the Dap-Kings and sympathetic production from the king of the trumpets.

Real Estate emerged as a band renewed, the palpable unity in these performances amplifying their sense of purpose. A Springtime joy.

The sound is typically dense but never overwrought with a wide sweep of styles and textures, The Orb being past masters at moulding a huge pool of raw material into a cohesive, listenable whole.

Less one-eyed compared to, say ‘Omega: Alive’, far less experimental than the last ‘Nighttime World’, ‘Victorious’ still leaves open the interchangeable nature of where Robert Hood starts and Floorplan ends.

While never quite holding together as a set, NIN continues to admirably cover new ground while doing what they do best, namely reflecting humanity’s worst impulses.

The fact that I’m listening to this album on a gloriously balmy afternoon and am getting in the festive mood is testament to Legend’s conviction and the arrangements. However after 14 tracks, it does start to lose its way a bit.

‘Tension II’ is embedded in Kylie’s more up-front pop tendencies. That’s no bad thing – she’s the best around, after all – but it does make the project feel a little slim in places.

Pearson's mournful growl, and the brutal honesty in raking over his personal failings, makes for a majestic, in-the-dead-of-the-night confessional.

There's enough promise and originality within the current scene to merit considerable credibility.

Like most King Gizzard records, it runs out of steam in the second half, but when ‘Infest’ rips it rips as hard as some bands who have been making this music for decades. Like the modern thrash revivalists, King Gizzard combine youthful energy with enough of their own inimitable style to make this excursion into the cobwebbed world of thrash fresh and interesting.

As palate cleansers go, ‘DON’T TAP THE GLASS’ does its job: a mash-up of shrewd and slinky dancefloor capers that dials back the conceptual overload and hits the reset button.

Undeniably formulaic but just as captivatingly beautiful, solemn closer Let Me Back In is the track-stopping highlight, painstakingly building to a crescendo before the ghost voices drift out. Glorious.

Whilst the album could do without a cover of Billy Joel's ‘Just The Way You Are’, it doesn't detract from the overall feeling of warmth threading through this project.

Dominated by Satomi Matsuzaki's cute vocals, this is might be a laid-back record, but it's still one that's wonderfully challenging.

Some of the tracks cry out for a bar or two to be spat over, but when you hear that hollow synth on Teeza’s ‘Rum And Coke’, you’ll be sold on the grime renaissance.

Power drifting through the gears and with cutting-edge in hand, this is a shoe-in contender for house album of the year--clear and distinct, all the way through.

‘April’ might not be as strong as 2016’s ‘Second Love’. The songs are solid but not quite as pristine as its predecessor. However, it’s understated melodies and melancholy laced lyrics still have the power to stop you in your tracks. This feels like third love.

Duchampian yet danceable and nothing short of essential.

Some may say Atwell could have opened up further, but there’s no doubt this is an album of depth which deserves repeat listens and which will be loved by her fans as well as enjoyed by newcomers.

From the delicate orchestral arrangement of ‘Theme Parks’ to the frosty beats of ‘IRL’, the devil is in the detail on this pearl of a debut album.

‘Only You Left’ is another fine record from the Manchester-based trio. It is worth the four-year wait, showing their evolution as a group in that time, building on existing sounds and incorporating an array of different genres while still feeling familiar.

While the sonic compositions across ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ all become familiar, as though riding a common wave, it is Weiss’ storytelling that shines through.

Embracing simple yet infectious lyricism, impressive guitars and folksy harmonies, Starkey has created another unadulterated Americana album in ‘Long Long Road’, carving his name deeper into the hall of fame.

Feeling distinct from his broader catalogue, ‘Balloonerism’ equally tethers itself to other points in Mac’s work. There’s a sense of cohesion here, and a consistency of quality that highlights the intent that Mac Miller had for this project.

A peculiar but pitch perfect partnership.

Live, Little Dragon are weapons-grade ace. Now they’ve finally got an album to match.

Zaba is blessed with musical facets that will blind you with their splendour.

Much like Villagers’ previous releases, the overriding feeling is of well-crafted, thoughtfully structured songs. The intimacy created by O’Brien’s delicate voice is as ever enhanced by beautifully chosen tonal colours.

Listening to ‘No Gods No Masters’ feels like listening to Garbage again for the very first time, which is a terrifically thrilling prospect.

Everything feels so much more alive, everything so much more stark; Longstreth seems to have emerged from a year-long slumber, and there is no more sleeping in sight.

A peerless left-field masterpiece.

While ‘Leaving for Japan’ is a beautiful, delicate song with something of the Twin Peaks theme, ‘Don’t Follow Me’ and ‘Push On’ show, dal Forno is just as adept at creating drama from sparsely layered atmospherics and a forceful beat.

This fascinating collection of spirited hooks, and deeply heartfelt lyricism, cleverly blends high-tech energetic synths, quick wit, and trippy guitars into something you weren’t quite expecting. Arguably, the result is a much bolder record than his last solo debut ‘Twenty Twenty’.

Much of ‘Dreamstate’ feels shinier than its predecessors, replacing the dingy basement feel with hands-up, festival euphoria.

This latest offering is a finessed folk-rock record to bring a little taste of long summer evening drives to the glacial January gloom.

The songs are a little more distinctive, and they’re crafted a little better.

All the songs are of a similar tempo, tone, and theme. There is little to distinguish them – a bit more diversity wouldn’t have gone amiss. Saying that ‘World Of Hassle’ is pretty fun and has some killer melodies.

Everybody Down might have created a new genre: the album noir.

For all their feel-good, boppy charm, The Orielles have created a truly intelligent indie-pop album with Silver Dollar Moment.

They have created their most youthful album yet; a vibrant record which paints a picture of the near future so vivid it seems convincingly real.

‘Long White Dress’ and ‘Singles Bar’, subject matter made clear from the off, are highlights; the former is mellow and wistful, with a delightfully lilting chorus, while the latter radiates the fatigued disenchantment of somebody lacking motivation in the unfulfilled pursuit of love.

An exhilarating and ambitious collection, it should bring Field Music a deservedly larger audience at last.

A strong, self-assured debut offering, 'TOY' represents a band who are capable of channelling multiple identities without losing sight of their own.

There are times where the album is inconsistent; the beats aren't as addictive on 'Rhythm Is All You Can Dance'. The album is at its strongest when it bravely introduces seemingly incompatible music styles to each other.

This is hardly music to quicken the pulse and there’s no escaping the sense of sameyness over the album’s 40 minutes.

Despite the vast flavours Bibio is presenting throughout this record, so much of the quality production is slighted by tracing the same predictable frequencies and manoeuvres as so many servile songwriters leagues below have made prospering careers out of.

While not without fault, ultimately ‘Forever’ emerges as a tender salute to Phife Dawg. Six years on, he remains a key aspect of the rap firmament – a light that has not dimmed.

Tthe songwriting is strong without being spectacular, and John Congleton’s production offers clarity but is somewhat lacking in edge.

Even as the production’s impact dips in the midst of playtime, when the final note of ‘The Seed’ plays what’s left in one’s memory is only the good, and for that Aurora’s latest album succeeds.

For best results listen, not hear it, on headphones. The way the backing tracks float in your head is just bliss.

‘Only Slightly Empty’ may not be the full glass, but it’s proof that White Reaper aren’t done pouring yet. And I’m sitting here ready to sip on whatever they are going to pour out next.

Sonic Citadel towers over its surroundings as one of the best albums of Lightning Bolt’s career to date.

Family life and a well-earned break have given this one-time Gothfather new tricks that pure despair could never provide.

Studio gloss and sanitised drums too often leave things sounding a little safe.

It is to the group’s credit that they manage to balance the disparate influences and styles with such panache. It is one of the band’s strongest to date and one fans will come back to time and time again.

For My Crimes is a glorious album that demands to repeat listens to try and work out the hidden meanings of its songs and stories. As the nights are drawing in, pull the curtains, dim the lights and give yourself to its country gothic charm.

The songs that do aim to be bigger however, simply don't stand-up against their previous work or the mellower parts of the album.

What Peck provides on Pony is music framed in that mould, and in doing so offers a brilliant palate cleanser to the vast majority of overblown, raucous and vapid compositions that have taken over the genre over the course of the last three decades or so.

His voice is something of an acquired taste but, this minor caveat aside, The Year Of Hibernation is a genuinely unique debut.

This range of styles on New could have been distracting if not for the material’s solid foundations, spontaneous energy, and frequent naked emotions.

It would be wrong to say that this is an enjoyable album, but it is rewarding in its own way.

With ‘Land of Sleeper’ Pigx7 have managed to sharpen their uncompromising combo of Sabbath-esque riffs and experimental leanings into their most easily digestible – and perhaps best – album yet.

The songs are largely beautiful, the vocal performance is mostly impeccable and the recording generally captivating, but so was its predecessor.... not quite as good live album.

Elegant, understated, Chastity Belt is the sound of a band matured, and it’s all the better for it.

Less folksy, more funky, Kiss Each Other Clean is a rather more lively, sometimes even poppy record.

It’s inspiring, and above all else incredibly catchy.

At just ten tracks, it’s an easy listen. Of course, some of them have more repeat playability than others, but there are none that feel like filler.

‘Shadow Offering,’ is beautiful and heartwrenching, pulling on listeners’ heartstrings. The album offers a sanctuary by easing anxiety and fueling hope, acting as a sort of security blanket for these unnerving times.

And my sixteen-year-old-self waits with baited-breath, wracked with the same nervous excitement I had a decade ago except this time, there's anticipation and expectation, justification, even, for an album I've waited almost half my life for.

While the pace hardly fluctuates wildly, the constant twists and turns create an emotional collage that's stunning: expect to be left contemplative and euphoric in equal measure.

Aat only just in their twenties, they’re still wracked with as much uncertain as they self-assure; a dichotomy conveyed perfectly across Try Not to Freak Out, and something which makes the record both ballsy, and utterly irresistable.

The band's third generation began just after the turn of the century and this LP completes a trilogy of new work that is confident yet vulnerable, refined yet earthy, moody yet flippant, representing a highly commendable contribution to the current scene, suggesting they are more relevant today than ever before.

Jazz-heavy, experimental but rooted in beats, Migration plays with your emotions in a way that befits a post-break up period--and is yet another fine offering from the Ninja Tune mainstay.

This new full-length suggests that while Nedry haven't quite found their way there yet, the journey should be fascinating.

An unconventional masterpiece.

Representing the sum of all the label's split personalities--including the rousing microhouse of closer 'Good Times'--it should be listened to more as a celebratory catalogue than a seamless concept LP; a worthy precursor to next year's 'Twenty Years Of...'

It sees the Canadian doing what he does best--welding samples together obsessively, and wailing a lot over the top.

It's impossible to shake the notion that here is an album that might just prove to have longevity--to be a loved collection of stunningly written and presented pop songs.

And The Anonymous Nobody is still an impressive new installment in what has been a largely-unblemished career run.

Williams manages to retain the transportative element of his previous work while slightly neatening the edges.

With Little Dark Age, the group have perfected the balancing act between the two, and have delivered a project that should please fans on both sides.

Though it is far too early to start talking about this as one of their finest records, I have no doubt that 'Firepower' could slip through a wormhole in time to stand in the mighty presence of 'British Steel' and 'Screaming For Vengeance' and feel no shame.

It is an album that demands repeat listens, but this is fine, as with each listen we learn a little more of its secrets, but once they have been cracked Bon Voyage becomes something greater than its parts.