Those that are used to their favourite tunes packing an immediate punch may be left disappointed, but the time spent ruminating has clearly served them well.

A project that demands to be listened to in one sitting, there is an immersive quality across the tracklist that instantly strikes through. Each track is submerged in a nocturnal wash of acoustics, playful in its use of distance, textures and melody.

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.

‘Someday, Now’ is a pretty perfect progression from ‘Return.’ It’s bolder, more individual, and, dare we say, more fun. Wonky indie-pop that’s built to soundtrack these strange days we find ourselves in.

Yet for all the ideas, it’s a patient album: the deft funk of ‘Music Concrete’ takes its time, with a muttered repeated title, while ‘Space Station Mantra’ pulses and fizzes skywards, bringing things full circle with more motorik murmuring.

A contemplative, decidedly indie collection that trades sonic innovation for stillness and emotional clarity.

Confessional yet cathartic, ‘Metalhorse’ is an emotionally resonant piece of work that is vital, vivid and showcases why Billy NoMates is an undisputed ‘Tor’ de force.

This album is an entirely immersive wall of sound that deserves to be listened to time and time again.

It is what it is: a passionate, purposeful and wonderfully presented collection of combustive rock songs.

While this is by no means Let’s Eat Grandma’s masterpiece, it’s a welcome development in the journey of an endlessly fascinating band.

For the most part, all 10 tracks are jam-packed with energy, and captivatingly so.

Overall, this is undoubtedly Niall Horan’s finest and most mature album to date – and was certainly worth the wait.

In the end, ‘Work Of Art’ is fun and eye-catching, but you’re left thinking that more depth will surely come as Asake evolves into his place in the top tier of international music.

A project that feels current without sounding derivative. The fourteen tracks make for a more mature body of work – one that trades the glossy, slightly on-the-nose singles of ‘Butter’ or ‘Dynamite’ for something more layered.

Reflective, intuitive and introspective, ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ is an immensely gripping debut. With no features, Arlo holds her own across all 12 singles and sets the bar high for those who follow.

‘Cheat Codes’ is Black Thought’s most complete project to date.

JID’s latest release is a wonderful insight into the rapper’s formative years, and ultimately through the introspective manner allows for an enthralling listen.

The result is electrifying, a thrilling homage to the city of their birth. Live it will be unforgettable.

Drone Logic has peaks that dwarf its troughs, though, making Avery’s brave debut worth buying for its four best tracks alone.

An album that occasionally feels uneven but is executed with such heart, joy and vigour that it’s difficult not to love.

One of our greatest living guitarists has conjured up something truly special.

Daniel Knox is a storyteller who paints a picture with his colloquial descriptions and his deep, husky voice adds an authoritative presence in ‘Won’t You Take Me With You’.

His latest LP is an endearing collection of slow-burning, dreamy arrangements, which find the singer wistfully contemplating the shifting nature of identity.

Another sign of the creative ripples emanating from London’s jazz underground, There Is A Place features some stunning playing with an abiding awareness of the power music can hold.

‘Miracle’ delves the depths of human introspection with a tangibly cathartic gleam, imbued with an essence of that wondrous beauty that only miracles can possess.

The downside to the album is to appreciate it properly you need to play it front to back, no skipping. Whilst paying attention. This isn’t something to play in the background. You need to concentrate on it.

An excellent return.

A long time in the making, Royksöpp have birthed an engaging, expressive multimedia universe suspended in digital mystery, a sum of many components meticulously executed. ‘Profound Mysteries’ truly captures the imagination.

If it’s a stopgap between albums, so be it, but I’d wager Blue And Lonesome will stand out as more honest, more rousing and more representative of The Rolling Stones as septuagenarians than anything that might follow.

Many have already been drawn into the melancholy whirlpools of their past two albums; yet more will surely be drawn by the warmer embrace of Legrand and Scally’s latest statement, a stronger, rhythmic definition offering a hand through the ether, beckoning the listener into their fluid tapestry.

On her third album, the Irish folk singer has created a record shrouded in mysticism and mystery – that carries the listener far away from lockdown life. The star of the show is Power’s vocal.

Brighter and airier than a lot of corona art, it might also be also more enduring. It’s a collaboration that invites listeners along for a ride between a now- distant musical past and the present.

Twenty-seven years on from their formation, their ability to convey the spectrum of both emotional and political feeling through the raw power of music remains unparalleled.

Marling has transcended the nu-folk movement and carved her own magnificent identity.

Despite its originality and powerful execution of atonal techniques, it is too tonally diverse to function properly as a separate entity from its corresponding film. Do yourself a favour and go listen to it in the cinema.

While it doesn’t quite have the same urgency as ‘Based on a T.R.U. Story’ or ’T.R.U. REALigion', Pretty Girls Like Trap Music is perfectly positioned to be a 2017 favourite catering to both fans of this generation’s trap music and those that were knee deep in trap during its late ‘90s/early ‘00s inception.

The three work well as a collective: Chip provides the cut-throat and fresh bars, Adz comes with the melody and Skepta is free to experiment throughout. The beats stand up too, consonantly switching patterns and breaks and bringing the best out of each artist.

And so it brilliantly goes. ... These are classic Sparks moments, full of comedy, clever wordplay, deft explorations of all the myriad issues of the world, with arrangements that sound as current and fresh as a dew-soaked spring daisy.

Raw, real and humorous, ‘All That Glue’ is an important event delivering a conclusive overview of the duo’s achievements and successes at a time when there’s a real thirst for it.

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.

It’s a truly delightful experience that delights in its unexpected and uncompromising approach to positivity. The art work and overall feel of the compositions may speak to a chilly, typically Nordic solitude, while the music of this record is anything but. A late year treasure that shouldn't be overlooked, it is as timely as it is timeless, and as needed now as any musical work of the last year or so.

‘Young Shakespeare’ is a fascinating artifact. Before ‘Sugar Mountain’ he says he’s 25 years old. Imaging being 25 and knowing you have another album, pretty much, ready to go and teasing audiences with snippets from it? It really does boggle the mind. The album is another flawless release which sees Young digging through his live recordings and releasing albums of interest.

He sounds freer than ever. ‘The House Is Burning’ subverts expectations. ... Rashad’s music is like a sonic encyclopaedia of Southern rap reference points.

Continuing to give airtime to these softer, more playful moments could see Showalter achieve greater success in mainstream circles.

IDLES' fourth record in just as many years is their most ambitious, most introspective, and most powerful to date.

‘Bubblegum’ is the most creative, well-thought-out and simply fun project to come out of the UK alt-pop scene in quite some time. Biig Piig continues to improve, every release getting her closer and closer to the stratosphere – and even that won’t stop her rise.

A conceptual album which feels honest and authentic, ‘Drop Cherries’ showcases the best of her musical ability while being lyrically complex – it’s another strong record for Billie Marten to add to her repertoire.

No less inviting than their debut, while asserting its own identity at every corner, ‘O Monolith’ is a fine second album.

The resulting record leaves the listener feeling power alongside their anger, and brings a fresh and compelling blend of punk, rock, grime and rap together in an experimental way.

At times it feels like Martin and Kamaru aren’t just making new music, but they’re trying to invent a new musical language. This is an album to connect with, on every level. Miss at your peril.

The invisible presence of Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Diana Ross, and other goliaths of the so-called Motown sound is felt in every track here, in every scratch of the tape. Yet, Cottrill managed to completely rebuild these genres for herself, almost inventing a new one.

‘Stream of Life’ is a reflective, uplifting and intelligent album that stands out in the Maxïmo Park canon and is full of texture, soaring melodies and sagacious storytelling and lyrics.

‘Constellations for the Lonely’ is an intricate and masterful record from a band at the top of their game.

Done and dusted in 35 minutes, it’s tempting to view ‘Wuthering Heights’ as a studio palette cleanser, a means for Charli xcx to fully divest herself from the ‘Brat’ era. Yet the music itself so much more rewarding than that definition allows – at times gorgeous, at others deliberately grotesque, it offers a series of dark gothic fantasies that inhabit a transformative realm.

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is a brave and fortuitous debut album from the LA teen, capturing the hopes, fears and vulnerabilities of an entire generation. The genius in this record is its unaffected relatability.

‘Cousin’ is the perfect entry point for those who have inexplicably escaped the shadow of the Wilco’s influence to date. Showcasing all they do best it is also unique enough to stand as one of their finest moments.

Ultimately 'Saves The World' is a bold, colourful, lyric return, one that is asserting while remaining utterly honest, completely true to themselves.

The samples are cleaner, more deliberate — used to tell stories rather than simply reference them. From Sugababes and Basement Jaxx to Just Jack and Nardo Wick, the influences are varied but handpicked. That full-circle moment on ‘Stars’ is one of the mixtape’s most striking flips, a clear sign of how far she’s come.

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.

Worthy of comparison to the late career stylings of Björk, Plunkett’s vocals often steal the limelight but, make no mistake, this album is considerably more than the sum of any individual part.

One of the songwriter’s most overtly gorgeous works, it finds Panda Bear easing into new ground while maintaining his near effortless melodic touch.

The self-described “cowboy gothic” leaves the album’s listening experience in a state of assurance that SPRINTS have not crumbled under the pressure of the success of their first album.

Musgraves is gifted at letting the melodrama slip into something sensual and ‘Mexico Honey’, and its neon-lit innuendos, proves that her pen is still razor sharp. .... Her voice is as serene as ever and it rarely complicates her desire to embrace the undefined. If anything, it amplifies it through her day-glo incisiveness.

This band is having a ball, that much is plain. It’s a danceable album, upbeat in tone basically all the way through. On ‘Zero Sum’ especially, it all starts to pop off – savour the evergreen treat that is Thom Yorke being a snarky little so-and-so over a raging fucking bop. You love to see it. The slow number, ‘Tiptoe’, is absolutely gorgeous.

A mix that has 2017 in its pocket.

Charli starts and ends with hard disorienting club bangers, leaving the middle of the album space to expose her tenderness and vulnerability while still retaining her futuristic, unpredictable sound and penchant for an irresistible pop hook.

Still flaunting in the grunge realm, the overall result is tough, yet accessible, including some deeper moments.

GoldLink refuses to be one-dimensional here, offering up his dynamic and improved flow, as well as the vulnerability and edgy appeal that bubbles up throughout this project.

If Hynes had truly wanted to create an album about black identity as opposed to his own identity, he would have included the powerful ‘Sandra’s Smile’ and focused on the matter across all 17 tracks. He would have made a record dedicated to togetherness rather than individuality and it would have been equally excellent. Instead it becomes an underdeveloped aspect of what is otherwise an expertly tailored and politically-charged work of pop.

Sigur Ros’ world-building abilities haven’t been dulled by a decade of group inactivity – each moment is laden with colour, and mood.

Herring’s growling vocals prevent proceedings from becoming too gloopy or nostalgic, and make Singles a new-wave treasure.

A new listener to Everything Everything may not be fully converted, but the synth-pop twinkles coating this record freshen up their sound.

With Qualm, Helena Hauff has created the record we both wanted and needed. It’s a statement of romantic infatuation amongst an otherwise hash, twisted and raw landscape. A glance into the past and a look to the future. There is nothing apologetic about this record, and that’s what makes it so great.

A work of quite singular intensity, it leaves a lasting impact.

It is unmistakable that this album has been crafted with the consideration of Chloe Moriondo’s distinctive humour making the album an exceedingly fun listen.

An attempt to filter out the parts that truly matter, it’s a triumph, and perhaps the finest album yet in his storied career.

Not revelatory, then, but there’s enough on ‘The Theory Of Whatever’ to underline Jamie T’s status as a vital force within British music.

‘Living Human Treasure’ is a wonderfully exciting and enjoyable album. Italia 90 have and axe to grind and grind it they do.

This new album pinpoints some of Ibibio Sound Machine’s singular charms, reflecting the band’s live energy back at them. A decade on from their debut, the band remain a force to be reckoned with, a noble fixture on the landscape of British music landscape.

It’s a heady dose of spiritual funk that leans into the free expression of jazz. It’s an album that kicks hard from the off. .... Closing with the emphatic ‘Carry The Word’, you’re left feeling how defiantly modern, and devoutly unclassifiable Cymande’s music remains.

‘OSMIUM’ isn’t a fun listen at times: it is filled with harrowing textures and tones, and sounds like a score to a very unpleasant film in places, but it is also enjoyable, in its own perverse way.

Far from a filler project, ‘Find El Dorado’ stands as a fully formed artistic statement, reaffirming Weller’s place as a restlessly creative interpreter of song (yet again).

It is one of The Divine Comedy’s finest records and it draws from many of the most powerful elements of his musical instincts in support of a welcome emotional wallow.

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

‘Forever Blue’ is a confident debut, one that carries the weight of experience beyond her years.

The Murder Capital offer authenticity, honesty and truth aplenty, it has already become difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a vibrant music scene without them and there is a sense that this album is only the beginning of their compulsive journey.

This compelling and provocative record is a haunting echo of a seemingly hopeless vignette of Britain today, where slowthai offers the slightest glimmer of optimism for a potentially brighter future.

Heaven leans into the cliché. It prompts us to think seriously about what it means for music to rescue us, sincerely, from the depths.

Pop classicists with a heart of gold, Sparks are busy out-pacing the copyists, and reminding us all exactly why they remain so beloved.

A record of incredible depth, ‘Alfredo 2’ is a celebration of the art, a platform of excellence.

A juxtaposition of life’s light and dark, glittering idealism and harsh realities, ‘Hard Headed Woman’ is a gorgeous display of classic country tropes, blues instrumentation and songwriting prowess.

While it does knock out some definite singalongs, sprinkling in some fun hooks and catchy structures, there is something missing beneath the veneer of theatricality. This is an album that hints at complexity, but it is inevitably overshadowed by Urie’s one-man-show.

Minus’ new album succeeds with its M.O. In terms of artistry, it’s similar to the work of Kelly Lee Owens, blending accessible pop tendencies with techno infused experimental flair. Yet, and perhaps more importantly, Minus has said exactly what she wanted to say, in the exactly the way she wanted to say it on DÍA.

Beautifully produced and blessed with Guy Garvey in fine voice, it's a small but perfectly formed step forward.

As ever with this band, it’s sure to be an idiosyncratic but beguiling direction, although there’s no hurry with so much to pick over on this thoughtful latest outing.

The variety in the instrumentation is only met by the variety in her voice; going through registers, accents and even characters, 'Warm Chris' is an album covering the complex and enigmatic voices of a supremely singular talent.

Whilst each track delivers exactly what is to be expected from an IAK album it is a little disappointing that there seems to have been no development from the previous outing.

A bold work of evolution, ‘EVERYBODY CAN’T GO’ utilises some fantastic production – notably from Hit-Boy – to piece together a seamless record, one that hauls his sound forwards into a fresh era.