From the monasteric vocal and Union of Knives-esque menace of ‘The Infinites’ to the shades of Hot Chip (‘Price On Your Head’) and Ladytron (‘Boy Girl’), ‘Back To Light’ is another early marker in what’s shaping up to be a stellar year for dance music.

‘Run Me Dry’ plays a la mode with a loose dembow rhythm, but, as with the rest of the album, there are plenty of others out there who’ve not only done this already but done it more engagingly.

It has to be said that, considering how Nick Hornby is credited with writing all of the lyrics here, the usual Ben Folds key words are present and there's only so much 'bastard', 'shit' and 'fucking' I can take. Despite this concern, as well as being Folds' most musically accomplished outing since going solo, it does feature the magnificent phrase, "some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know; he's got his own blog."

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.

Each song is different, and the wide-ranging scope is something we haven’t had from a collective since ‘Revenge Of The Dreamers III’ by Dreamville and J.Cole record label last summer.

Her history and significance is rooted in rebellion--but that’s easy to overlook with a record this diluted.

Drift see’s songwriters Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi reflect on a decade of relentless experimentation to produce an album that truly showcases both their versatility as musicians and the many dimensions of The Men’s musical canon.

Will Young is in fine form and, on this evidence, about 70% great.

‘All Over The Place’ swaps the focussed UK rap of his debut for something broader, balancing soulful guests and slick production in the process. While not everything here excels, it’s a bold record and cements KSI’s place as a key player in UK music.

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.

‘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.

A few moments of confusion and inconsistency, yet remains engulfing, evocative and mood setting.

A quality accompaniment and memorial.

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.

Some may have written them off already, but on the strength of their best album in a decade, I'm with them.

Stranger is at its best when it steps away from the safety of cloud rap melancholy in favour of Lean embracing his outsider identity.

There is more maturity this time around, with an easier flow, such that the songs gel better as an amalgam. It's a shame then that the songs themselves lack the commercial edge to capture any sustained attention, giving the album too much anonymity.

At times her deliberate vocal style disconnects the listener, and one hopes as Green’s career progresses, she trades in the allegories for something a bit more emotionally inclusive.

Like a lot of their back catalogue, Keep The Village Alive is an enjoyable and solid, if unadventurous rock record anchored, as always, by that tremendous voice.

It’s a welcome return from the marquee indie act, who thread moments of humour, aspiration and joy across the album’s twelve tracks. Their sound is coated in a new varnish which leaves the listener feeling as rejuvenated as the band.

Album closer ‘Joy Ride’ does exactly what it says on the tin; it’s a joyous, perfectly assembled pop track. That’s not to say that the Kickstarter-funded LP is hit after hit--the bright and brash ‘It’s Sunny’ with its oddly theatrical tropes is a cheesy misstep.

The result is a slightly odd, somewhat disjointed response, and one that serves to highlight just how daunting it is to tackle a cover from the former Genesis frontman’s catalogue.

With minimal production and few moments of experimentation, the album is flawed and doesn’t add much to Zayn’s musicality, but it indicates that he’s achieved some sort of clarity on the direction he wants to take as a solo artist.

Predictably pristine, ultimately inessential.

Plods along with an overproduced pompousness that falls somewhere between boring and annoying.

Overall, it’s a hearty welcome back to one of Britain’s best-selling singers.

Drawing on a cast of helpers, most notably Madness' Suggs and Mike Barson, the album boasts their usual eclectic mash of styles, all held together under the Audio Bullys flag.

It's a microcosm for the muddled thinking that holds Ludaversal back.