There are moments of schmaltz, but these Little Green Cars exude a lorry-load of charm.

Like a lot of compilation albums, C-ORE struggles with coherence, but still makes for a tantalising selection box and entry point to the DMG project.

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

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

Taylor’s brilliantly bonkers pop odyssey certainly lives up to its title and ultimately, is an impressive, if uneven addition to his already stellar discography.

The result is a joyous and soulful collection of summery pop songs and urgent sun-drenched ditties that grow with you over time.

It’s an imperfect album that still manages to shine with catchy singles and gratifying deep cuts, even if never quite reaches the height of its predecessor, ‘OK Human’.

The album perhaps sags a little in towards the later stages--weighed down by the claustrophobic washes of sound. But as a whole, it compliments the rest of their back catalogue well.

An album of huge promise rather than an instant classic - 2:54's time will come.

It might not cut as hard and sharp as Van Etten, but her careful lullabies ooze with enough steady sadness that when the light finally does break through, typically via bubbling layers of instrumentation doused in near shoegaze-ready echo, the result really is akin to soaring above the pines.

Solid if unspectacular then, yet you’ll find that, much like when in high school, it’s always worth checking out the Art Department.

t’s open season on genres here. There’s the puerile punk of ‘Hollywood’ (“makes me wanna puke”), and the misguided balladry of ‘What’s With You Lately’. But they’re the only real bum notes. This experimental streak finds better pay off on ‘Hymn (Remix)’, crammed with juddering synths, and the delicious 80s pop of ‘Can’t Cool Me Down’. Sometimes, they veer almost to the middle of the road, radio-friendly hit ‘Martin’, warmed up with muted brass and intricate looping.

An album of summer anthems this is not, then, and its collision of sorrow-tinged dreaminess and ethereal symphonies ensure it’s not just good wallowing material, but good material full stop.

For every Beyoncé, there’s a Michelle Williams. For every Harry Styles, there’s a Niall Horan. There’s no doubt this is a good record but only time will tell which side of the road JADE will land on.

This LP has a distinct retro feel to it, with elements of blues, psychedelia and an earthiness that results in the band's best album of the year so far.

This is an album that if you don’t engage with straight away, give it some time and try again. I’m not sure how often I’ll play ‘Through Other Reflections’ going forward but there is something wonderful going on under the surface that is captivating.

This record can be the perfect soundtrack to slacking in the sun or it can be deconstructed, stripped of its intricacies and analysed in great depth, allowing for new discoveries even on the 20th listen--and it’s this diversity that proves why Splashh are not a drop in the ocean.

It’s just irresistible and should proudly sit alongside the successes of their Bella Union labelmates.

Freed from self-imposed musical constraints, ‘Field Music (Measure)’ is big, bold and beautiful.

‘Fast Idol’ sets out what it aims to do. It’s one of those albums that leaves you mulling over the lyrics, itching to find some kind of meaning but feeling ever more distant from finding it with every attempt.

Black Rainbow Sound is an album that shows a band in flux. The songs sounds bigger and more articulated. Menace Beach are using a larger musical palate and it mostly works.

Lapalux has a great touch, but a bit of attention on the parts of the project that feel slightly off could bring out all the fantastic in this record.

Fusing fragility with fierceness, ‘Polari’ is a confident debut offering from Olly and is an expressive and euphoric collection of floor-filling, punchy tracks that oozes confidence, colour and charm.

The best thing about the album, and there are a lot of good things to it, is just how simple it is. Nothing feels overthought, calculated, or insincere. The songs come across like gentle gusts of warming wind when you are out late without a coat.

It’s gripping, and we suspect the follow-up will be truly special.

It’s a slow burner - a passable Twin Peaks album that could, with time, become a great Twin Peaks album, but as of now, we haven’t quite gotten there yet.

Never straying too far to their admired soundscape but enough so to still be refreshing. ‘IWH2BMX’, ‘Get It Til I’m Gone’, ‘Nocturnal’ ooze confidence.

Indulgently arresting stuff.

The album showcases Veirs’ warm vocals, deft guitar picking and country-inflected songwriting. It’s not all so stripped down as to be dull, however, and songs like the title track are intricately woven tapestries of strings, woodwind and cooing backing vocals.

While not overly original, this album more than compensates for compositional complacency with its energetic delivery.

HOLY FVCK serves as brilliant proof of Lovato’s hard rock capabilities. Lovato suits hard rock, those vocals absolutely gorgeous when paired with a sturdy burst of heavy soundscapes. While Lovato can knock out a summer-ready banger, it’s equally as thrilling to see them lurking in the shadows.

I Don’t Run advances Hinds’ endearing charm and esprit de corps, which in turn makes this another totally enjoyable listen.

There is a definite whiny, punky recklessness to Any Port In A Storm, a feeling of intentional roughness and rawness mixed with genuine musical chops and strained emotional frankness.

This might not be as an essential album, but it’s one that definitely requires your respect and an hour of your life.

Although weaker tracks are covered up by pristine studio trickery, No Blues is consistently infectious and edges the band closer to mainstream territory.

Playful yet packed with feeling, ‘For Free’ suggests that this is one music legend whose story is far from complete.

It is an intriguing new chapter in the Villagers story that will reward listeners who spend some real time unwrapping it properly.

With both music and curation straying into increasingly beguiling territories The Lost Tapes is as delightful as it is overwhelming.

An artist who scarcely slows, Andy Bell offers a fine blend of psych-pop, folk finger-picking, and home made electronics, all within the familiar confines of his shoegaze day job. More, please.

More tightly structured and confident than 2011’s ‘Crazy Clown Time in terms of narrative, there’s further clarity in the unmistakable voice, which though heavily filtered feels much closer to his own.

The result is utterly stunning.

While it has fewer standout moments than Squeeze and self-titled debut SASAMI, there are still moments of beauty.

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.

Call The Comet doesn’t quite reach the heights it sets out to, as the execution on some tracks falls flat despite some interesting ideas. That being said, there are enough moments throughout the record to remind you that the Marr magic is alive and well.

Half of contains all the crackling, happy-sad flavour of Gold Panda’s past discography, but with harsher textures than before--it’s disorientating and inquisitive, physically uprooting you from your comfort zone.

There is some measure of repetition throughout the album, with that constant beat keeping you on the move. But Twin Atlantic have produced an album of unashamed anthems and it doesn’t disappoint.

Occasionally it feels like it veers too suddenly from braggadocio to piety, and it’s questionable whether Stormzy has a sufficiently versatile delivery (he’s no Durrty Goodz) to support this. But by casting his net so wide, the MC is unlikely to disappoint his diverse audience.

If this is the last we hear from Woman’s Hour then it underlines their formidable creativity; a moving, touching return, Ephyra is the sound of re-constructed glories.

Musically scattergun, with vintage rock ‘n’ roll rubbing shoulders with post-rock sounds, there’s much to admire about this bold artistic statement.

Rationale is a project which highlights Fazakerley’s vocal and songwriting dexterity, and is delivered with an impressive style and confidence.

A quirky best-of entertaining the inner child with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and psychedelic funky pop.

Clark's biggest triumph is in managing to splice his previous influences together in a cohesive and pleasing manner.

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.

Although littered with incandescent beams of hyper-melody--extending a hand to the youth of 2013’s ‘Days Are Gone’, Something To Tell You is patient and moves at its own, night-unending pace, where Californian sister act Este, Danielle, and Alana surf some kind of strange paradise between love and loss.

The 29-year-old’s skilful complexity as a musician and producer has undoubtedly progressed along with his self-development.

Many may still see Vynehall as a specialist in euphoric house, but this album has a richness and depth that transcends the dancefloor.

A solid debut, then, and one most likely coming to a festival stage near you this summer. Buckle up and be satisfied.

Over the course of the album, the grandiosity gets wearying, and Jamie Sutherland occasionally sounds like Vic Reeves in full club singer mode. But, at its best, Let Me Come Home is a thing of troubled beauty.

There’s gorgeous, candid song-craft at work, ‘C’est La Vie 2’ urging that “they say that love is easy if you let it be”. That self-reflection runs like a golden thread, particularly on the woozy ‘These Rocks.’

A rallying cry for alt-pop insurgency, at its over-sharing best ‘WEIRD!’ firmly places YUNGBLUD as a dazzling Catherine wheel of Top 40 deviancy.

It’s a potentially fulsome harvest E.M.M.A. has planted.

While some of the more Top 40-driven tracks risk getting lost in the mammoth-like production value of his imaginative, left-field hyper pop tracks, the sum of the album is beautiful, intended to be enjoyed by both faithful Flume stans and new listeners drawn to the beauty of a cacophonous, glitched-out style popularised by super-producers like SOPHIE, Danny Harle, and more.

Though compact, Crawl Space draws the focus in on Tei Shi’s compelling and sultry vocals like never before and includes more elements of guitar.

Despite having occasionally moments of deflation, ‘Loving In Stereo’ is more refined than past work. Loaded with retrospective jams and summery hits alike, the record leaves their growth open to further exploration.

If 'Fleet Foxes' was an unbroken hike up from the foothills into the peaks of the Appalachians, 'Crack-Up' is more like the winding train ride home.

That the ‘World’s Most Successful Virtual Band’ sounds like something you’ve probably seen on the YouTube sidebar is apt. Otherwise, it seems to be business as usual on another jubilant and solidly varied Gorillaz album.

Witch Fever is a band with overwhelming promise. Even in ‘FEVEREATEN’s less cohesive moments, they show their potential to grow into their sound and harness every remnant of emotion.

A comforting return rather than anything revolutionary, it is nevertheless a welcome addition to his formidable catalogue.

It doesn’t always succeed, at times feeling too shallow for it to be as impactful as Mendes intended it to be. But when it succeeds, there’s no flaw to be picked out and for that it’s worth a listen.

It may showcase a cleaner sound, both in lyrical content and production, but its value for money at eighteen tracks comes at the cost of coherence.

‘Utopia’ has its limitations. The retro/out-of-time musical architecture feels a bit familiar, although magical closer ‘Hireth’ is a singular highlight. Nonetheless, there’s heady magic to be found herein, if a touch less so than on its creator’s truly otherworldly previous works.

Conversations is an impressive album, in many ways a unique one in this current landscape--though you sense that the best may be yet to come.

Although ‘Present Tense’ leans on the cumulative distance between its collaborators as its primary subject matter, it generates a distinct vacuity within the record.

ZAYN is a pop icon who sought retreat, and this record finds the UK-born singer finally re-engaging with the concept of being a main character once more. Yet it’s also highly subtle – the understated songwriting, the hushed, after-hours sonics give him space to lose himself.

Dan Deacon’s return into the solo world has resulted in an exuberant fifth album that leaves us craving for more of his newly honed skills. The fascinating contrast between his acoustic and electronic backdrop leads us towards an elusive higher power, while some of his lyrics bring us back down to earth.

Heartfelt and compelling, with Jones nurturing every last drop of creative sweat, Until Spring is a romantically epic album, lovingly pieced together by a compelling band.

While producer Paul Epworth’s contribution is accomplished, adding a dynamism that maintains our attention throughout, the record seems to lack an underlying theme. Bay has been a bit too clever for his own good, and on Electric Light fails to latch onto a identity that makes him truly unique.

Whether in love, experience or pain. This album supplies much-needed evidence for those experiencing heartache that their tale is not solitary, but there’s no right answer, and there’s comfort in that.

Psychedelic rock in its original form, the album is unlikely to win the duo many new fans, but as a testament to enjoying life, it’s unrivalled.

While not entirely successful, this set’s spontaneity is its greatest strength.

The Altar is more textured and artful than ‘Goddess’, BANKS growing into her role as a writer, upholding the sensual melancholia that characterised her debut. Yet, it still feels as if BANKS is fine-tuning her sound.

The Irish act’s short, sharp songs are frenetic and faithfully redolent of the staunch ’60s UK R&B boom that bore The Yardbirds and the Stones.

Largely The Anchoress’ arrival on the scene is a textured and lovingly crafted treat, bursts of melody, backing vocals and tweaked samples making for a lush soundscape.

The second album by the Melbourne five-piece is a riot, in the party sense of the word.

The endless experimentation can grate but ‘Fight Softly’ is a bold attempt to further stretch pop music.

Yuck is a satisfyingly catchy re-enactment of what would happen if J.Mascis, Kim Gordon and James Iha had formed an early Pavement tribute band.

Armed with some equally intriguing sleeve notes, This Ain't Chicago is more than just a collection; it's a journey.

‘Is 4 Lovers’ is both a worthy addition to the collection and a reminder of what the band has gained over the years since they were just two kids from Toronto blowing everyone’s minds by not hiring a guitarist.

The melodies are subtle, avoiding reaching out to over-commerciality in pursuit of reward. That may be the downfall of course, which would be a travesty, as this is an intellectual and brave progression.

The album shows The Cult taking their musicality, sonic tricks and experience to a new place, still retaining their identity, and this can only be a good thing.

[The album] adds - for the most part - a more expansive dimension to their sound.

It’s this tight-rope walking of pop-maturity, moment-capturing awareness and beauty-in-simplicity attitude that has aided in Seinfeld’s rise to the top of the dance music ladder, and has helped him shape a record that showcases exactly where he is sitting in terms of sonic aesthetic right now.

While some moments may be a little theatrical, the astounding musicianship and production pulls it back, from the thick woodiness of clarinet and raucous cupped trumpet to the unbelievable percussion and strings.

It’s an unabashed pop record that anyone should be proud to play at full volume.

‘Stardust’ is more fun than it is masterful.

It's easy listening, while thankfully having nothing whatsoever to do with the much-maligned genre of the same name--and the sort of fascinatingly layered album that appears demanding and austere from the outset but is in fact home to a set of beautifully realised songs.

These are mostly decent songs but the lyrical landscape feels wearily well-trodden and it’s hard not to just want a bit more from an artist with the freedom to risk anything.

You’re left wondering what impact ‘AUSTIN’ will have on his fans, and on Post Malone’s future work. Is this a one-off deviation, a resetting of the dials? Or will these acoustic templates become his bedrock? Whatever the future holds, this is an album that dares to buck trends, and at its best can be genuinely moving.