In short; ‘Rack’ is everything you could want from a new The Jesus Lizard record, with some extra musical chops and lyrical smarts thrown in. This great band might be growing old, but they’ve not lost a speck of their singular crazed brilliance.

M.I.A. stands alone in her own world of pop firing out her mercurial messages, which are as complex as they are captivating. MAYA is a towering work that makes a mockery of rivals and genres.

It’s a statement of intent from Billy Nomates, unbalancing sonic scales and weaving this into a force to be reckoned with.

Whilst the initial surprise felt on the original ‘Saturation’ may have subsided, the erratic excitement and experimentation on that album has been executed more confidently on each subsequent chapter. The LA group are everything progressive rap music should be; forward thinking, energetic and perhaps most importantly, exciting.

This is an album to get lost in. Rosenstock is one of the most important songwriters working, in any genre, at the moment. You’ll love exploring ‘HELLMODE’ like Craig in his creek.

10 tracks of soul-bearing introspection swathed in layers of rich reverb, icy chill and ephemeral echoes of 30 years of synth pop.

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

The duo have created something extraordinary here - something that definitely needs to be heard.

‘Javelin’ is an outstanding record, technically brilliant, and emotionally bewitching.

An outstanding effort rivalling his brilliant work with The Lemon Twigs.

The group feel more at home with the methodology of early prog or post-punk, with a sense of the abstract rippling beneath those crystalline waves of perfect sound. Shine on, you diamonds.

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.

On ‘Ignore Grief’ they’ve done it again as the album is the most powerful and uncompromising album they’ve ever released. It’s also one of their most playable. This is down to the dense music. Every time you listen you hear something new that gives the song a different context. This is the mark of a, and I use this word properly, class.

It's a masterpiece.

ELUCID’s rhymes themselves are equally dense and layered, yet also effortlessly impactful. .... This is ‘I Guess U Had To Be There’s most spell-binding quality; you just want to peer deeper and deeper into it, plunging head first into its many thrilling mysteries.

A grand, cinematic record, it seems to burst past the edges of the widescreen limitations it utilises. Terrific space rock that feels utterly untethered from its sources, ‘Everything Was Beautiful’ easily ranks amongst Spiritualized’s finest achievements.

The friction between these two worlds is rife throughout the album, creating moments of explosive hyper pop euphoria (Bites on My Neck) and complete emotional vulnerability and devastation (Friendly Machine).

Tom Misch’s vocals return towards later in the project for stunning standout ‘Last 100’. The piano chords brighten the mood whilst a raspy yet soft vocal line glides down, with quick-fire guitar peppered throughout, while album closer ‘Storm Before The Calm’ rounds off the mood with bittersweet nostalgia.

‘Cry Sugar’ may take the cake for dance record of the year; that lighting-in-a-bottle moment we’ve all been waiting for.

A nerve-jangling experience, it could well rank as their masterpiece.

It isn't just the narratives that feel more mature however, the entire composition does. Something which stems from its two individual halves.

Through their ability to find beauty in adversity, Maribou State have created an album that stands as a beacon of resilience and artistry. ‘Hallucinating Love’ is a powerful contender for Album of the Year – a body of work that radiates a perspective on life we too often overlook.

DAMN. does at times feel contradictory and the ideas he’s transmitting at times don’t feel fully formed, but this is where its genius lies. Kendrick offers a true snapshot of the eternal debates that we host inside our heads, and there is immense bravery and artistry in his depiction.

It’s a surefooted, brilliant second album of any era, by any reckoning.

Overall, Modern Vampires Of The City conveys one hell of a sense of permanence from a band that once seemed ephemeral and frivolous.

‘MONTERO’ excels the marketing spin by delivering one of 2021’s most daring, riveting, and honest pop statement.

Mason is going from strength to strength, and new album Above the Light is quite possibly the most grandiose thing he has released to date.

A thoroughly worthwhile listen for ambient fans that value a narrative.