If you’re looking for a 3am club techno sound, then this record probably isn’t for you; its delicacy makes rather for an introspective experience.

With 'The Return', Sampa The Great expertly dismantles the notion of genre, proving that, when it comes to art, what really matters is content, not labels.

A thrilling, needle-to-the-red experience, ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ never sits in one place.

‘STARFACE’ has the confidence of an artist with far more renown like (dare I say!) Bowie or Prince. There isn’t much filler here, as each song leaps into 4D with a psychedelic, soulful soundscape that’ll take you to space.

Closing with the beatific ‘Ablaze’ – with sonic shades of John Martyn’s crepuscular ‘Small Hours’ – ‘Casade’ made lack the breathless ambition of Floating Points’ orchestral manoeuvres, but that’s not its purpose. A resetting of the dials, it transplants the producer from symphony hall to sweaty club, and that alone makes it truly vital.

A song cycle that touches on identity, loss, and the path through it all, it’s one marked by maturity and a growing awareness of the potency of her own talents.

Lykke Li seems to have made it work for her.

As Herbie Hancock so rightly put it, “jazz is about being in the moment” and jazz weaves through Nubya Garcia’s ‘Odyssey’. So, press play and sit back – close your eyes and soak it in.

Ethel Cain is the most important artist in the world right now, and finally she has the album to prove it.

Tiny Ruins’ effortlessly stunning lyricism and creative cohesiveness mean that ‘Ceremony’ does in fact hit the mark from start to finish.

This is a record that chafes at the furthest out fringes of guitar lexicon; respectful of her influences while seeking out individualistic plains, ‘Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark’ is something to set your compass by.

Kehlani can still be thorny and tempestuous but they’ve also never been more holistic and soulful than on ‘Blue Water Road’.

The vocals on the album are flawless, particularly for tracks such as ‘White Rooms And People’. ‘Outside’, is perhaps the quaintest offering on the album, but is immediately followed up by ‘Be My Guest’, an industrial offering that sends listeners into a frantic dervish.

The sound of a band resurgent, ‘Night Network’ will have you falling in love with The Cribs all over again. Tapping into their core sounds and core values, it finds the band emerging from their legal troubles triumphant, relishing the vitality of being able to make music together, in the same room, at the same time.

‘Laurel Hell’ is a big album that demands to be known, full of indie-pop wonders and most of her most moving ballads yet.

Together, this project might rank as a career high, a work of breathless yet intoxicatingly accessible complexity.

A beautiful recording but an occasional listen.

A world away from his genial role on Saturday Night Television, it’s a 12 strong song cycle that finds Tom Jones doing exactly as he pleases. It’s an extraordinary balancing act, another vital page in this remarkable ongoing chapter.

While no single track quite matches Four Tet's 'Love Cry', it's as good overall as his contemporary's recent 'There Is Love In You'.

It’s a slight, undemanding effort, and there’s charm to be found if you’re willing to meet the band halfway.

The album’s potential top-shelf contenders form a tight three-way tie between ‘Mike Tyson Blow to the Face’, ‘Chains & Whips’ with Kendrick Lamar, and ‘F.I.C.O.’ alongside Stove God Cooks. Clever use of a cappella negative space and boom-bap-style drums (‘M.T.B.T.T.F.’), lyrical density (‘Chains & Whips’) and boots-on-the-ground storytelling (‘F.I.C.O.’) make this trilogy stand as not only as some of Clipse’s strongest material, but also as some of Pharrell’s finest production in years.

‘Excuse Me’ takes us back to the heavy, aggressive punk sound of their viral debut single, while on ‘All In My Head’ they return to the sweeter pop-punk of their debut.

‘Same Kind of Lonely’ holds moments reminiscent of ‘Witness’ and his self-titled debut, while ‘Show and Tell’ stands playful in its sonic clarity. ‘Heavy On My Mind’ peels back the layers of Booker’s internalised truths, before rounding out on ‘Hope For The Night Time’, a ballad-esque piece that gives a final push into his dreamscape.

It’s this ability to navigate the humour among heartbreak, that makes Lime Garden so endearing to listen to.

‘Good Lies’ displays the strength of brotherhood, solidifying their position within the scene by cherishing childhood’s sweetness.

2009 has seen the emergence and critical success of other techno-pop bands, including The xx and Fever Ray, and Pantha du Prince plays into exactly this sort of intelligent, thoughtful, and in many ways uplifting music.

‘A Written Testimony’ is a biblical album for biblical times, with enough human flaws to make it imperfect.

Fitzpatrick latterly allows breathing space by lessening the intensity to a measly 85% or so; the beats keep rolling to a ubiquitous clatter of hi-hats until you’re flintstoning your dancing shoes and moving Zombie-like to the less than subliminal command of Session Restore’s ‘Speak Out’.