Within the iron grip, the looseness of categorisation between dubstep, grime, trap and mutant techno means each mission has something riding on it, transferring an aftershock of grim satisfaction throughout.

If you sometimes need to reach for songs that make you smile, that deliver adrenaline or emotional balm, then you could do an awful lot worse than Everything At Once.

This is a very strong album about love, written by two people who aren’t in love.

Considering the lucid, poignant albums to come to fruition from cabin writing retreats (Bon Iver’s ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ etc.)--Standards is an album that is almost completely devoid of such clarity and space.

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.

Lemonade is Beyoncé at her most benevolent, and her most unadulterated. Treating her blackness not as an affliction but a celebratory beacon, Lemonade is a long overdue, cathartic retribution.

Distortland may not see them return to the genius pop level they had up until 2003's ‘Welcome To The Monkey House’. But it is much closer.

A tense but rewarding debut--one that fits in nicely with the Clinic canon, while also giving Sherwood a starring role.

This album works best when those ideas are allowed to flourish and persist. When the arrangements get too embellished and full, they veer too far away from what makes Carpenter’s economical gestures so enduring, relying too heavily on virtuosity for comfort.

With only a few elements, Kowton crafts expansive, diverse compositions that, while still being functional, take the idea of the dance floor in novel directions.

A magnificent aural topography of Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s inspired imagination.

Sure, it’s certainly not his best long-player, but the highlights stacked here--the truly awesome ‘The Introduction’, established heaters like ‘Fuck The Police’ (sequenced perfectly here towards the climax)--ensure The Diary is, in the end, a solid addition to the J Dilla catalogue.

PersonA sees a band stretching their creative wings and expanding their sound far beyond the fireside jammage that created them and becoming a more respectable prospect for it. The sun worshippers have added dashes of shadow and are all the more interesting for it.

Hold/Still conjures up the existential mood of floating in deep space. Lonely--but also out of this world.

As The Last Shadow Puppets, Kane and Turner have served up an exquisite offering that is melodically rich, diverse, and more complex than its predecessor, centred around a collection of undeniably terrific tunes.

Less reliant on theory or process, Love Streams is a testament to Hecker’s innate musical sense of direction.

BBF Hosted By DJ Escrow may be the most sarcastic record Blunt has put out, but there's real emotion here amidst the baby cries and union jack hover boards.

Hollowed will give you hope, then gut you. Nothing but a victory all round.

It’s a wonderful record, one to wrestle with, one that lingers at odd moments of the day and night. Allow it to seek you out.

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.

RJD2 has made a bold statement with Dame Fortune but sadly one lacking in much resonance.

Together with bassist Micayla Grace, their second album is an all-round punkier, slicker, catchier and heavier affair.

As debut offerings often go, there’s a fervent desire on Mind of Mine to stretch so far and wide that the cohesiveness of the record is lumbered as a result. The tracklist could have been refined to ten good tracks (most of which are on the bonus edition).

III is a triumph that takes pop and redefines it, and may come to be seen as a watershed moment for the group as they hit full stride.

Amen & Goodbye is undoubtedly a strong return but also one that’s just a couple of tracks short of something genuinely great.

Underworld refuse to heed their own advice, and the subtle juxtaposition of light and dark elevate Barbara from a decent listen to an enthralling one.

Full Circle might not break any new ground, but with their simple yet thought-provoking approach to songwriting, HÆLOS have crafted one of the best debut albums in 2016 thus far.

The group stated they wanted to get back to basics and make a ‘good time record’, they’ve easily succeed, but Stiff also offers a band who continue to push their influences and have gigantic amount of energy left in the tank.

What will keep you coming back to Film Festival is a profound desire to dissect further, to unpack the lyrical and instrumental proficiency to such a degree you feel so in on the joke that Mike and Paul aren’t just collaborators and flawless music makers to you, they’re friends.

Creating a whole performance rather than unrelated pieces orbiting one another, Arcology is an adventure--not something a lot of albums can lay claim to.

Commendably still opting for spontaneity after all these years, the lads have whittled down some dance-tinged jams into workable songs and the result is an LP that, while unfocused, still has plenty of drive and energy.

If imperfection is what Baauer was looking for, then he has succeeded; but that doesn’t resolve the disappointment with what could have been a brilliant album.

Fabulously varied, at times unashamedly extravagant and with a consistently joyous urgency, 2013 may be a historical document but it points to a very bright future.

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

It remains a fun and enjoyable pop record, even if its creators do seem more reluctant than ever to venture from their well established comfort zones.

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.

Chaosmosis from its title onwards is endearingly flawed, but the sense of communal enjoyment with which they are synonymous radiates from a large swathe of this material and it remains pretty addictive.

A new chapter for the band perhaps, which may lead to some great results in the future. But whittle away the highlights and you realise Grasque perhaps works better as a great EP.

This may not be their defining album, but you get the sense that in moving away from their punkier roots, La Sera’s best work may be just around the corner.

Iggy Pop is what it says on the tin and Iggy Pop is what every aspect the music revolves around.

This a confident and beautifully made record and props for a band evolving their sound as any group with real longevity tends to do. There’s not quite the cohesive drama of their first effort but there’s plenty of gems to be found here.

For the most part Know-It-All is a debut that allows the unfiltered voice of a refreshingly real, young star-in-the-making to shine through.

We get a less focused effort, with peaks and troughs in its quality. Yet the best tracks off the album are better than any of the band’s previous work. It’s just a shame that the weaker songs fall below the standard The 1975 set for themselves.

Concepts (‘Little Sis’, schmaltz aside, laments a distanced sibling), and grime-horned hammers (‘New Banger’, ‘3 Wheel Ups’ with Wiley and Giggs), put familiarly uneven album flow in a nutshell.

It might be a lot more po-faced than the insouciant antics of the recent Venetian Snares album (‘Traditional Synthesizer Music’) but it's certainly no less engaging.

It’s an essential purchase for anyone vaguely interested in music with a soulful pulse.

With its Krautrock-tinged rhythm, backwards guitar and soaring chorus, it suggests that this rested and revitalised incarnation of The Coral still has plenty to offer. Having grown tired, their enthusiasm is audibly restored.

A sprightly ten-song set which could easily stand up to anything released in the ‘80s.

All discussion of technique aside though, there can be no doubt that with Brute, Al Qadiri has invoked her own personal brand of protest in a world in which discussion over that right has become ever more charged.

It’s a confident and powerful statement, and one that underlines his complete and utter dominance of the genre at this moment.

On occasions it’s a disappointing walk through ‘hardcore by numbers’ routines peppered in clever imagery and breakneck instrumentation.

The misstep is in the execution, resulting in sound that bears little resemblance to their previous efforts. At best, Limitless is an overly ambitious re-invention. At worst, it’s a terribly misjudged collection.

They've escaped the dirge and have now come up for air--and we're all the better for it.

If Plaza doesn’t wholly satisfy from start to finish, it’s more than a mere transitional album. Call it a pathway forward that’s anything but straightforward, and is all the more beguiling because of its asymmetrical digressions.

So long as you can tolerate the musical hopscotch that a Barry Adamson album always represents, Know Where To Run is probably as good an introduction to this peripatetic musician as you're ever likely to need. Just make sure to expect the unexpected.

Ambitious, anthemic and at times, gut wrenchingly emotional, At Hope’s Ravine is a staggering piece of work.

Macklemore remains unsure of himself throughout, lacking the rapping skills and natural charisma needed to get things onto a surer footing. In the end, it’s a sadly fitting album title.

Without it being a slight on Wood’s performance, it also adds to a beneficiary mix of vocal viewpoints, aimed at tightening the Orchestra’s hold over main stages and secret, more intimate tents out back.

While Loop The Loop isn’t a retro record, neither is it futuristic; it’s not a singer-songwriter album, nor is it an electronic beats record. One thing it does qualify as though, is a hugely enjoyable debut album.

When it’s good, it’s very, very good, but for most of the time it’s really quite bland.

Throughout the record there's the vague notion that Funk is taking a swipe at the synth fetishism that's made modular systems achingly hip again in recent years. Traditional in essence it may well be, but it's done with arched eyebrows and a knowing smirk.

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

At times you wish their sound was edgier, that they'd go in the direction of their zanier peers Hot Chip and BadBadNotGood. Despite that minor criticism, their unique, funky take on pop is rarely less than fascinating.

Meet The Humans is not just his best solo release to date, but also arguably the finest album in which he has been involved full stop. Capable of moving and energising its audience in equal measure, Mason has refined his art to a remarkable extent.

A record that has moments of brilliance but by virtue of trying to be a novelty record, actually comes closer to being a rehash of their previous work.

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

Century Plaza sees all the greats of the synth-pop and original electro shown respect, if a little too closely at times--but damn, it’s some somber fun.

Again Future marshals the glittering soundscapes expertly, his tuneful flow reining in the beats while imbuing all the fragility, heartsickness and aggression that make it the most impressive instrument in rap right now.

It might not have had a huge single to push those extra sales, but it feels real, it feels soulful, and it’s a representation of Rihanna that she will hopefully still be proud of 15 years on.

Begin may be more of a reverential piece of art than a novel creation, but there is enough substance here to surmise Lion Babe’s future promise.

This is electronic music both messy and menacing. Listen if you dare.

Any trace of the identity that once set Foxes apart from other pop acts has been wiped clean. The album resembles a generic template, fashioned by several verified hit-makers, which could feature just about any old pop artist.

While one half of Phase sounds complete and polished, the other sounds unfinished, and unsteady. But the songwriting quality of the better cuts and the raw talent that underpins their delivery brings a fire to the record.

Santigold is at her best when the production behind her has plenty of Caribbean-inflected bounce but throughout 99¢, she proves that she deserves more success than she gets.

This is a strong record that's all the more powerful for being so wonderfully, majestically disjointed.

The band tracked everything live (apart from the odd overdub) and have crafted an exhilarating, hedonistic modern psych album that means the album doesn't just pay homage to a lot of the great influences mentioned, but sounds just as good.

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.

While sweetened by a potent handful of emphatic guitar romps, DIIV’s latest record quickly overstays its welcome, and ultimately would do well to be remembered as more than just a watered-down collection of indie rock songs.

More an album that demands repeated listens, at times creates confusion, and juts from one influence to the next. Tatum’s record collection is clearly solid, and now he can again add one of his own to it.

A band mentality may of allowed the material to work some new ground but as a solo project we’ve a dense collection all sticking to one vision. One to dip into when the storm clouds are approaching.

It’s obviously understandable to attempt to capitalise upon the success of your best-known hit but on This Is Acting, Sia loses sight of what made her such an interesting artist in the first place.

Breezy but not without substance, if Resort reveals anything about Tuff Love’s trajectory, it’s that they’ve become more contemplative over time, while refusing to forgo their shambling melodic impulses in the process.

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

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

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

A rejig and a little more fire could have elevated this collection to something that’ll get the heart racing.

Their future is full of possibilities; thankfully they didn’t go before their time after all, as Promise Everything is their best work yet.

While each of the band's EPs were like short, sharp gut-shots, Vile Child feels diluted in comparison, and as such is a record that shows plenty of promise, but not one that will change lives.

Although largely a strong body of work, the album’s borderline moments of geniune greatness--'Hate On', 'Dark Ear' and 'Mr. Mistake', the latter of which is surely the most sonically soothing track to reference a nuclear winter--aren’t replicated with any real consistency.

In short, on Hymns there’s something close to an excellent EP in amongst some of the very worst things ever to bear the Bloc Party name.

Blessed with wisdom and a rare sense of poetry, Weem finds De Rosa revelling in glorious dis-connection from their roots.

It’s sci-fi, afro, poetry delivered with a snarl. This may not be for everyone, hell, it may only be for the brave, but if you take the ride you’ll be vastly rewarded.

Clements and Griffiths have sculpted something truly special out of their final time with their friend and, while too late for all of the numerous lists, it deserves to be held up as one of the most affecting and impressive releases of a difficult year.

Despite at times being muddled, Segall is not afraid to stand up and confront the audience, evoking the most visceral of feelings and pushing the boundaries of comfort. Divisive, but all the more brilliant for it.

‘Small And Silver’ is a welcome break around the halfway mark, when their stock in trade is replaced with unsettling bass and an off-beat production. However, it’s only a hint of a promise to explore new territories and doesn’t go far enough to vary the album.

It’s a subtle progression for the trio, the band honing their craft to produce a record that is equal parts compelling as it is isolating.

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.

For all the ballsiness and twisted subject matters, ‘Songs For Our Mothers’ does limp along with some downtempo drone numbers that would be better if their lyrics were decipherable. .... Still, Songs For Our Mothers’ impresses for all the right reasons.