The attraction of this LP is the thought that’s gone into it – every sound that you hear has been meticulously planned and recorded using, possibly, something that the Stasi might have once used.

They’ve returned with their most thought provoking, strange and sexiest record yet.

The result is something genuinely startling. Raw, and often quite deliberately unfinished, the lyrics have a bullet point bluntness to them, with Simz aspiring to a level of direct communication other MCs can only marvel at.

More than once, in fact, the album surprises with moments of rock gusto. Wilson’s trademark balladry is still in full force, but musically this is a much rawer affair than anything previous album ‘There Are No Saints’ could have foretold.

It’s true that Lianne La Havas does lull in places, and the vocals do rescue her from a tight spot on more than one occasion, but you get the sense that this is a record which you really have to live with and invest time in before you’re lucky enough to appreciate its myriad charms.

The double album structure adds texture to the record’s length, avoiding monotony. Goldie clearly still owns his sound and endows it with a unique vision on The Journey Man.

False Idols comes close to vanquishing the spectre of ‘Maxinquaye’, comprising a fleshy and nasally return to form.

Self-acceptance is a major theme of this bold album and her complicated emotions can be felt by listeners in this stand-out album from Self Esteem.

Anthems For Doomed Youth will bring more joy to the fans than the naysayers may suspect.

A peculiar but pitch perfect partnership.

Whilst this LP doesn’t break any new grounds or shatter any glass ceilings, it does bring is a beautiful blend of house, electro-pop and funk, culminating to astoundingly enjoyable heights and sparkly moments that would make even the biggest metal-music-elitist bright-eyed and giddy.

It's another touchdown for the guitar heroes, one we suggest cranking up loud and enjoying in the spring sunshine.

Double Roses takes what worked the first time round, namely Elson’s gentle vocals and passion for the pastoral and forlorn, and amplifies the whole package with greater musicianship and composition.

The strange, shimmering spirit of his songwriting and production style still pushes its way to the surface, delivering yet another record for fans to leave on repeat.

At the heart of this record overriding percussive elements claw their way to the forefront and this matched with Ditto’s smooth but commanding voice is a winning formula.

‘Hard Cold Fire’ represents a much wanted return from the band that seem more unstoppable than ever, and quite rightly so.

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.

It’s an album to get lost in and to find the pockets of light that punctuate the sublime melodies and dank instrumentation.

Daring and beautiful, ‘Civic Jams’ lays claim to a singular location within British music.

His best work since 'Black Holes In The Sand'.

First Mind is captivating, full of intricacies and influences that should see it celebrated as one of the great albums of 2014.

Hard to say when each track on this album is ridiculously strong in its own right. Much like the artist behind them.

‘In This City They Call You Love’ is an album of universal themes and tones, and one of Richard Hawley’s finest.

Arrowing down to depths that the naked ear cannot make out, Phon.O can lift you.

This is a thoughtful and sensitively crafted project showcasing an awe-inspiring collection of carefully-crafted tracks. It is a touching tribute to this special musical partnership and demonstrates their musicality, artistry, and emotive storytelling.

David takes us on a fascinating journey exploring the human condition in the most captivating and meaningful way.

Quirky but accessible, ebullient but tragic, it's their most accomplished record yet.

There’s a spirit of continuity that makes ‘Harmony Avenue’ feel like a cohesive collection rather than a joined-up sonic pathway; a sense of purpose that somehow makes these disparate sounds all work together.

‘Welcome to Bobby’s Motel’ is a superb, lovingly crafted set from a band who have clearly done their homework.

Mosquito is a much-needed return to the days of ‘Fever To Tell’ and ‘Machine’--it embraces the band’s early, reverb-heavy sound but also tips its hat to the dance feel they’ve been honing in recent years.

Although both ‘Monument’ and ‘Terrain’ were made in the space of six months, the albums are as different as night and day. If 'Terrain' is the stream of consciousness after three glasses of wine, 'Monument' is the sharp energy welcomed after a detox.

Vivid, compelling and unafraid of delving into new territory, Mogwai have found the ideal combination of progression and familiarity.

With many tipping these Birmingham indie sorts for success, a debut album as accomplished and hit-laden as this makes it hard to see the band faltering.

‘New Long Leg’ feels a world apart from the staleness of so many groups tagged with the term ‘post punk’. Indeed, as a complete aesthetic statement, the debut album from Dry Cleaning hardly merits contemporaries at all – suffocating, surreal, and exploratory, it takes chances other groups could scarcely envisage.

We’re graced with upbeat music, the antidote for the negativity that surrounds us. They speak out and speak up about the wrongs that surround them, like the patriarchal limitations placed on them ('Man In The Magazine'), but also explore the joy of the everyday ('Hallelujah').

Nestled amongst some of her most nuanced and carefully placed moments of Americana and joined by a host of backing singers and musicians from Connor Oberst to Hand Habits‘ Meg Duffy, Segarra manages to take solace in the fact that while we are victims of our formative years, there is always scope to heal.

A fantastically uniformed piece, Dark Days + Canapés boasts a rare sense of unity, the aural palette bringing together hugely disparate elements to conjure something of real impact.

It's glittering and electronic, its lyrics and title inspired by Owain Owain's dystopian science fiction novel, and its melodies underpinned with discordant notes and bric-à-brac sonic oddities--but it shares a similarly subversive edge to that record.

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.

Refusing to surrender the emotional core of his songwriting against the dazzling array of studio fireworks, this is Dijon at his strongest – an artist stretching his discipline into evocative new shapes.

With the cool-o-meter currently set at all things synthy and coldwave-y, Austra look set for big things.

Villains is the kind of album that sits at the back of class openly smoking a cigarette but still manages to ace its exams at the end of the year.

Gallagher remains an excellent interpreter of others’ lyrics, but he takes the skill further here and it results in a collection of classic songs drenched in melody, accompanied by clearly expressed, noticeable lyrics.

Can any record match up to a 20 year wait? Perhaps not, but when the dust settles fans will have one of Nas’ best rap performances, fuelled by one of the all-time great producers.

‘GOLD’ is an album that offers a homely atmosphere whilst questioning the interior of that home. It is wise in its approach – urging the need to face internal dilemmas that have been ignored for far too long.

Here, he isn’t playing a role – it’s fun, vibrant, and deeply trippy songwriting, well worthy of praise on its own lofty terms.

It’s an album embracing difference, accepting highs and lows: just what we need right now.

A straight-talking delight, ‘Gaslighter’ refuses to radically overhaul The Chicks’ sound, and that’s ultimately why it’s so successful. Retaining that fine balance between country and pop, it allows the three-piece space to be true to themselves, ably building on their storied catalogue.

The result is their lushest sounding project yet.

This isn’t a project for newcomers. ‘Springtime In New York’ – taken as a five disc whole – requires patience, and a degree of love for the core texts.

HDWGSD is so DTF it's practically humping the furniture, making it one of the most genuine works of rock 'n' roll since Elvis weaponised his pelvis.

In returning to the project that best suits his sense of adventure, James Murphy has done nothing to tarnish what has gone before. American Dream is a darker, more diverse record than its predecessors and a more human one too.

A return-to-roots record that works most successfully when it rebels against itself, Jamie T's vision of revelation isn't something to be easily shrugged off.

It all combines to create a record that asserts Horn as an incredible and innovative talent both within the folds of folk and also at the forefront of the genre.

British music fans should gaze upon King Krule with great pride. Under immense expectation, he has managed to become the product of his far-flung influences, rather than a pastiche of any.

There isn't really a dull moment on 7 Days, as the pair clearly enjoy being allowed to flex lyrically without any thought of watering down due to commercial considerations.

While the trap state of mind may be a bleak one, it makes for a stunning piece of music.

‘Jaguar II’ is a compressed listen with only 11 tracks but still packs in dimensionality and texture. It marks a new pinnacle and a denouement of an era for a once clandestine figure now dancing under the prismatic light of a disco ball.

‘BUMMER’ is a record made to be played hard and loud, heard blaring out of car windows and making cavalcades in faceless crowds.

To hear someone so comfortable in their own creative process, binding the childhood inquisitiveness that’s never left them to the artistic confidence that they’ve developed over more than three decades, is a delight and a privilege.

It’s a collection that proves Moby’s a gifted, mature songwriter.

This is a beautiful album that’s as absorbing as it is emotionally affecting.

‘On Purpose, With Purpose’ shows an artist who continues to be authentic, whilst also realising that at this stage of his career he needs to adapt his style in order to achieve greatness.

Complex, thought provoking and undeniably engaging.

This album might not carry the sub-woof weight of its predecessor but it carries the icy menace of producers at the peak of their powers. Cooler than a liquid nitrogen drip.

It's very much a 'if it ain't broke' album and, for now, that's okay.

In its length and scope, there’s a feeling here of witnessing H.E.R. in 360 – panoramic R&B that more than justifies the wait, a sumptuous, multi-faceted jewel that seems to reveal fresh colour with each play.

Nostalgic, melancholic, worrisome and finally joyful, Doom Days is a production that leaves you with optimism for a better tomorrow.

Yet beyond this wired mix of post-punk anxiety, splintered techno elements and haunting soul samples, it’s Danny Brown’s rhyming ability that ultimately sees the LP flourish.

Ever mutable, always evolving, never anything but relentlessly restless.

Transcendental, life affirming and exhilarating, ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’ is pure unadulterated sensory overload and is a strong return for the shape-shifting electronic duo.

A magical insight into the development of Rossen's creative genius.

Its relentless energy is utterly addictive.

A group at their preening, pouncing best, ‘Songs For The General Public’ offers a full 360 view of the D’Addario bros. creativity.

A U R O R A is both testing of boundaries and transcendental of beauty.

The jury's out on whether Miguel's offerings as a whole are indeed superior to Ocean's, for now he should be content that they share a space at the pinnacle of genre-defining pop music.

Molly Burch’s debut saw her emerge as one of the finest songwriters around, and the follow up only cements that.

Whilst it could be easy to turn up your nose to the fact the instrumentals may be relatively straightforward, the magic of The So So Glos truly lies in their witty lyricism.

Able to speak her truth, ‘What A Relief’ is a valuable insight into a profound creative talent, and a gorgeous listen.

Admittedly the aural range she executes on the project isn’t massive but it does prove to make a cohesive second album and what she does present shows an incredibly polished sound that doesn’t disappoint after such a monumental first album.

Come Around Sundown is the remarkable product of an ambitious supergroup expanding their horizons, and is absolutely worth persevering with.

It’s nebulousness as an LP mirrors the queer experiences that created it – it’s cerebral, constantly in flux, refusing to be defined as any one thing.

'Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top' might be the strongest album Cocker has released since his 2006 debut, but that does the dirty on ‘Beyond the Pale’ and ‘Further Complications’. This is an album made with love. Love for the culture of his adopted home, but mostly a love of music in all its forms and styles.

This is their most mysterious and rewarding album yet.

On ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’, it’s evident Eilish is conveying a musical restraint beyond her years, moulding a musical identity to her image and not the ephemeral pop game.

Go To School is a highly ambitious album and some may be wary of the concept, however, if you unpack it, there’s a touching tale within that can resonate with all.

There’s nothing nostalgic here--it’s the sound of a band reborn, rather than one reformed. And yes, it’s well worth the wait.

The record thrives because of this surface-level wokeness, Miguel continuing to occupy his own lane as a vital, progressive artist.

Now, they’ve unveiled their eighth collection of poetically punky musical works which carries their fresh momentum to expansive heights.

‘Invisible Cities’ is a beguiling album that is as rich as it’s subject matter. A Winged Victory For The Sullen designed 13 piece of music that are architecturally sound but tap in directly, and build from, their enchanting debut album.

‘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.

Listen closely and the lyrics are raw in places in terms of questioning oneself and yet grow in self-confidence and belief as the album progresses, perhaps reflecting experience. However all of this is wrapped in the most glorious music, full of spirit and vitality.

It didn’t matter where it was, this writer and many other listeners have been able to get away from their troubles, even if just for a moment, and take a moment to breathe, and listen to this beautiful album.

Refusing to be hemmed in by their influences, there’s a real streak of inventive originality to The Cords’ songwriting, aligned to an effervescent innocence that feels totally right for the genre

The project includes a host of features from some of the biggest names in the genre, who provide welcome (but somewhat unnecessary) co-signs as she herself manoeuvres with a standout level of artistry that leaves you in no doubt that she is indeed here to stay.

The end result is immensely listenable, and so goddamn fun.

It’s a smile-inducing, healing experience, one which reminds you of all the good-weird in the world, rather than the bad-weird, which so often seems to be winning in these strange, discombobulated days.

‘Excuse Me’ takes us back to the heavy, aggressive punk sound of their viral debut single, while on ‘All In My Head’ they return to the sweeter pop-punk of their debut.