These 11 songs display the underrated skills of a multi-faceted musician taking a series of bold and brave steps forward – fortunately, they pay off in droves.

It’s a record that’s brimming with potential but which still has tonnes of room leftover for further improvement, which is exactly what the first entry in any band’s budding discography should be like.

For now, these gossamer modernists have created something understated and endearingly elegant.

What it lacks in ambition, it more than makes up for in songwriting.

Something that immediately grabs you about this record is the production, which easily elevates it above its more naive sounding predecessor; the sound of new label Wichita making good on their investment.

Lyrically, it is an album with contemporary themes, but sonically, for much of the record, it remains rooted in a style that is essentially nostalgic.

[Seeds is] not up there with its makers’ very best releases, but a welcome indication that they still absolutely mean business.

The innate desire of musical exploration of both artists is clear for all to see on Lux Prima; a complex but ultimately rewarding listen.

Far from dumbed down and more importantly, rap with a much-needed happy-go-lucky makeover.

While there’s comfort in these smooth and soulful blues-rock tunes, The Black Keys could really do with a touch more grit and raucous charm to stand it out amongst their discography. Either way, a solid effort regardless.

Overall, ‘International’ looks back at the confidence the band has in creating bright catchy pop songs, whilst maintaining that whilst the band may no longer continue, the legacy that they have created remains bright and international.

Carrier isn't necessarily a victory for versatility or enigma variations, more the sound of Sully helping himself to bass culture's wide open buffet.

With titles like ‘Carpathian Darkness’ and ‘Weeping Ghost,’ this latest set is a must-listen for both fans of ‘The Fog’ and those who love their instrumental music dripping with malice and danger.

As a whole, Savage Times is a chaotic, yet interesting album.

All of this means that, in spite of the anguished self-interrogation that went into its making, this still sounds exactly how a Toro y Moi album should sound. However, Boo Boo feels like what we might call a coming-of-age album.

Trans-Love Energies is a master-class of pulsating euphoric electronica from one of the dance fraternity's true pioneers.

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.

The result is a brilliant and warped collection of sinister lullabies and dreamlike ballads in which Funk’s gravelly timbre jars against Pollock’s dreamy vocals in a beautifully nightmare-infused collision.

The travelling folk shows of Michel Cleis and Die Vögel, healing dancefloors and faiths while handing out daisy chains, head the electronic curiosities helping join the dots of a compilation that poses as much might as it does magic.

For all the gruff exteriors and black-clad poses, if metalheads agree on one thing, it’s this: a touch of theatricality—especially when served with fireworks and a scream—always hits the spot.

Moving further than ever from the sound of those initial solo albums, he seems to constantly reach out to new definitions. It doesn’t always land, but it’s incredibly brave; it also needs more than a few listens to truly absorb, and accept – on first listen, this writer couldn’t understand it at all.

A more than worthy gesture from a distinctive, engrossing voice.

Wizard Bloody Wizard proves that the music Black Sabbath birthed can still hit hard without much in the way of embellishment nearly fifty years later.

Nubiyan Twist’s latest project offers this joyful escape. ‘Freedom Fables’ is a blissful mix of latin, soul, jazz and highlife – a fusion of musical styles that provides a timely reminder for us all to unify.

Fun, lean, and concise, ‘The Human Fear’ finds Franz Ferdinand looking to the future without any need to panic.

With their modest personas and its subtle production, it could be easy to disregard dvsn’s third record as more of the same, but repeat listens reveal a warm and unpretentious record, from an act confidently starting to evolve.

The Sun seems to have come out over The Album Leaf’s glacial landscape with some songs here edging towards a kind of elegant, and very pretty, pop.

‘Late Developers’ is a fine piece of pop whimsy, delivered with self-deprecating panache.

Between the caustic riffs and searing lyrics there’s some damned beauty in Parquet Courts.

Goon is not perfect, but it's the imperfections and the straight honesty that bleeds through it that make it so appealing.

Not so much Teenage Fanclub as 'Loveless'-era MBV meets classic Cure at their poppiest.

Any aspect of their music that might have felt lightweight before, at least off the stage, has been eradicated.

‘SMILE! :D’ is a personal album with nostalgic sounds and is more chaotic than cohesive, which seems intentional in order to reflect Porter’s ranging emotions. This cathartic album is some of his best work yet.

While stepping away from the intimate vulnerability of ‘Snow Angel’, Rapp embraces a bolder pop-star persona, showcasing her Broadway-trained vocals with confident flair.

As the songs start to slow in the second half of the album, the focus starts to wander. The songs aren’t bad, The Drums have put out a lot worse, they just drop the thrilling momentum of the earlier half.

Despite being the result of creative restlessness, After The Disco never really takes us anywhere new. By playing it safe, however, Mercer and Burton have also made it pretty difficult for fans to feel disappointed by it.

This is an album of genuine intent, full of poignant reflections on romance, hope, fear, the past, the present, and the future. It’s got heart. And that’s enough for starters.

Joy is like a rickety wooden rollercoaster--there are a few nice inclines with some mildly disappointing drops between some pulsating flats, and you end up getting off slightly begrudgingly.

If you don't like vocal dance music, if you're going off funky or you don't like a bloke playing live behind a faux-Polynesian tribal mask then avoid. Otherwise SBTRKT will delight the droves of bass fanatics that want something a little more sophisticated.

For first-time listeners the distinctly compilation nature of the record could prove disorientating and less rewarding a listen than any of Olsen’s singular, more complete albums. But that’s generally the case in any rarities album. For fans of Olsen's work this is a treasure trove of lesser known recordings that capture the artist in a period in which her sound was ever-evolving and progressing.

This is a musician who has simply absorbed a broad set of musical styles through a massively eclectic listening palette, and who sees no issue in crunching that together in one tidy little album. Embrace the chaos. You'll feel better for it.

The balance between a distilled identity and a streaming-era leviathan is difficult to find. ‘LYFESTYLE’ is a huge in scope, but that can mean it becomes repetitive – in particular, the record’s mid-arc falls flat, with songs like ‘ON 1’ feeling as though they’ve been constructed to fulfil aesthetic obligation. That said, Yeat clearly isn’t making music for critics. ‘LYFESTYLE’ is for the fans.

Rarely does it feel extraneous. Instead, it’s quite homogeneous, with certain timbres popping up again and again, underpinned by George Barnett’s commanding drumwork. This single-mindedness coincides with the group becoming a duo again.

There’s plenty to commend it, but with such high expectations, it’s perhaps inevitable that this album could never live up to them.

Every entertaining diversion the band tries their hand at is balanced out by a nondescript jingle-jangler.

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

At first listen the slower pace may not appeal to everybody, and that’s fine, but at a time where everything seems so unsettled, it works great as a listenable stress ball.

Enjoyable, but some’ll always believe in it more than others.

Johnny Foreigner are, thankfully, still showing no desire to slow down.

‘KOMPROMAT’ is an album that cements I LIKE TRAINS once more not only as a force to be reckoned with but as a band who are able to deliver a delicate critique on society.

Though it may not be their most daring record to date, it’s certainly one where they’ve taken most risks, and their blend of indie-rock and electro-pop certainly pays off.

Sure, the combination of digital bleepage and raaawk! is nothing new, but few electronic bands have rocked quite so hard as these guys do.

‘Purple Noon’ shows Greene finding some musical maturity. While the album might not be as strong as his previous releases, we’re starting to see the real Greene which far more rewarding.

This second studio effort from FINNEAS is less experimental than the 2021 debut ‘Optimist’, but has more of a direction, even if said direction becomes a little formulaic toward the latter half of the record.

The second album from this mysterious French/Finnish indie-folk duo is every bit as eclectic and unexpected as the first.

While New View is not especially novel, it still has some fine songs at its core.

Continually criss-crossing over itself, ‘I GOT ISSUES’ remains terrifically entertaining. ... Perhaps uneven, the record’s 14 track span provides room for growth.

There is more than enough emotional sensitivity available between the duo without resorting to being just like everyone else, and for that reason (amongst many others) this fragile, coming-of-age album should be celebrated.

Even if there are occasional flirtations with bland daytime soul sludge, Mr. Strickland Banks is a welcome addition to Ben Drew's beguiling set of alter-egos.

One of the quirkiest albums to arrive in the alt-indie sphere for a while, ‘Unlearning’ will definitely surprise you.

Easy on the ear yet hard on the heart, Aidan Knight has delivered something very fine indeed.

Adore Life sacrifices intensity for heart and with some exploration into the use of space and silence, it could be their perfect album. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

A sound accompaniment to a decadent dance party, ‘Hot Slick’ is a move in the best possible direction for PINS.

While that constant jollity could become irritating, it manages instead to be endearing.

With 'B FLAT A,' the group has taken another step towards solidifying their wholly distinctive sound. A tar-black marriage of poetry, politics, and powerful rhythm. With each release growing in confidence, we look forward to seeing what they give us next.

Empress is that rare breed of album that is entertaining and says something worth saying. Once you get past the tight production and bass blips, what you are left with is a way to live your life.

As fans of the Glaswegian producer will know only too well, the solemnity of Menzies’ work as Alex Smoke has always proved itself to be multi-faceted; transcending the sphere of electronic music to incorporate the multi-instrumentalist’s penchant for classical instruments. Fast forward to 2016 and this truth remains intact.

It’s heartening to hear, after all these years, that time has not diminished the intensity of those performances.

Marr’s vocals are indistinctive, although his song-writing abilities are clear. What does stand out is how fine a guitarist he has become.

In the end, its sheer creativity and daring means that ‘SWAG’ (just about) justifies its breadth. 21-tracks of frequent daring, this Justin Bieber’s testimony, for better or worse.

Delicacies proves that this aging duo still have the fire in the belly of their hard drive.

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

‘Slugs of Love’ manages to evade repetition and monotony despite their stripped-back demeanour – resulting in a record residing in sensual sophistication and ease.

‘Love Chant’ takes time to sink in, but it grows on the listener with every return.

Dedication will raise more questions than provide answers. Exactly the 'out of the palm' manoeuvre Zomby wants you to eat from.

Please Be Mine will go down as a hugely self-assured debut offering from one of indie’s most promising new acts.

Night Thoughts is far from easy listening, but it's further proof that Suede's renaissance shows no sign of losing momentum.

Everyone will have their own favourites. It’s just a blessing that picking one will prove so difficult.

Delivering what her fans would expect, it seems as though Flo Milli has found her feet and handed over a selection of fun-filled and ultrafeminine tracks before the summer comes to an end.

The diverging styles can at times be overbearing but there is a sense of freshness and bold shifts that is hard not to appreciate and it will be interesting to see how their style evolves.

What works on Woman truly does with aplomb, but it arguably stands as the group’s least unique effort, and with some of that old punk snarl now removed perhaps they’ve lost some of that addictive danger.

Paired down to their essence, this distilled Efterklang is premium strength stuff.

By the time the more politically minded triptych of ‘Don’t Get Captured’, ‘Thieves!’ and ‘2100’ roll round you’ve almost forgotten just what El and Mike are capable of when they drag their eyes away from their own navels. Thankfully there’s enough gold at hand to excuse Run The Jewels for getting a little bit carried away with their own runaway success.

At best, it serves as a reminder that Wiley is one of the best to ever do it, but it often feels unfocussed, and uneven.

This is a joyous, unique and tender album.

The Canadian boy-girl duo's debut is a whirl of delicate dream pop.

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.

The Diving Board is an adult affair, but impressive enough to explore, and reinforces Elton’s continuing creative renaissance.

Punchy, peppy, and undeniably positive, ‘Keep On Smiling’ is an exuberant and life-affirming ambitious album that demonstrates that if in doubt, you have to choose happiness.

‘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.

It’s difficult to judge the real comedic value of The Foregone Conclusion when so much of David Brent hilarity is in physical (not so) subtleties. But when you take it for what it is: an in-joke taken out of its context and out of its comfort zone, it feels pretty triumphant.

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.

The witty words about awkward relationships come straight from Art Brut but 'Fixin' The Charts' is also a response to classic American pop songs, with modern sequels to Motown, Dylan and, er, Kanye. The downside is that the songs are so melodic they make it sound like Argos is doing karaoke.

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.

For all of E’s melancholy brooding, ‘Earth to Dora’ still has a tender and vintage vibe. Although E seems to have adopted the role of a hapless romantic that is unlucky in love, this record is still strangely upbeat.

Undeniably there's little here that will surprise fans, but there is certainly plenty to be enchanted by.

Whatever your feelings around the words, and they are certainly a little clunky at times, this is a musically rich collection that is partly a logical step on from the rattle of 2011’s beautiful ‘Let England Shake’ and also as melodic a rock record as Harvey has released in some time.

Beady Eye are at the beginning of their own musical adventure - DG,SS, though hardly full of surprises, is a compelling way to start.