Singers aside, we have those subtle harmonies drenching every song, sparkles of synth, strings and flute, and those sunrise drums lifting everything. It’s utterly gorgeous and the best bits of Midlake still shine through.

Myriad magical traditions and exemplary musicianship are boiled up in a big vat, like a transcendental potion.

A gorgeous, triumphant return.

Although a rather formidable theme, NNAMDÏ delivers his most succinct and capital P pop album yet.

‘Guitar’ is easily one of Mac DeMarco’s most humane, and emotive records.

My Morning Jacket should be celebrated as a band that tirelessly deliver value for money--there's enough in here to keep you listening for months on end, and loving every minute of it.

Pony isn’t perfect, but more importantly it is never boring. Even in the slight missteps, there is something to be admired. ... It is easily one of the most interesting and exciting pop records of the year.

He's [Comet Gain's David Feck] in untouchable form here.

It's charming in every way, but still rooted in the pop folk that brought Beth to us in the first place.

It’s an evocative rush of a listen - if Watson insists on making yet more music outside of his day job, we’re glad it’s as fun as this.

A brilliant debut that positions her as one of the brightest young songwriters operating in this age of internet bred pop stars.

Fortunately, these successes do not overwhelm 1000 Forms Of Fear, with tracks such as ‘Big Girls Cry’ and ‘Fire Meet Gasoline’ more than matching the output of her past clients in terms of captivating, powerful pop.

For Smith, though, she doesn’t need loud dynamics in order to submerge the listener; and for much of her latest record the command of her machines is such that the mind is easily able to wander, and forget that they’re there at all.

The lyrical framework in which he operates is fairly supple and improvisatory, though there are some surprisingly tender lines here and there. Structures and voicings are stripped back but viscid synths and odd, glitchy effects whir in the background.

A pleasant, occasionally saccharine listen.

The band’s expertly realized fusion of organic and electronic instruments remains, bolstered by their extensive tour diary that’s also seen them open for Underworld.

His lyrics are blunt yet honest, taking personal demons and harnessing them to stadium-ready anthems like ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Angel Wings’, all the while avoiding self-parody.

Thunder Follows the Light is an album that if you take on face value is full of delicate vocals and dreamy melodies, but if you start to dig a bit below its ethereal surface you find something that is incredibly rewarding on repeat listens. This is when the album starts to come into its own and slowly starts to take over your life.

The best moments remain the songs where the band moves as a unit, conjuring a sense of hope and elation, rather than falling back on tired, shouty punk cliches.

‘Who Made The Sunshine?’ feels like a fresh slate for the Buffalo artist. Drawing on the weight of his experience to carve out fresh opportunity, it’s a record that – only at moments, mind you – contains some of his best work.

The hype for his newest album, 'The Off-Season', reached astronomical heights. Fortunately for fans, they did not have to wait long, and the North Carolina rapper did not disappoint.

‘COMING HOME’ competently portrays love as part Afrodisiac, part pulse-racing chase, part languorous and lived-in sensation. ‘COMING HOME’ is also tangential to the live spectacle, and that’s okay.

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

Unfortunately, the resultant package is very cleverly constructed and yet maddeningly dull.

Phoenix has been four years in the making, waiting in the wings to see the light. And now that it’s finally here, Phoenix is definitely worth checking out.

A young super-group who are growing at a fast pace, their third album is glorious, ambitious and fulfilling, and it can take the band to new places and...loving spaces.

We’d be looking at an even better record had it allowed the space required for her often unrecognised jaw-on-the-floor vocals, but as a whole Melanie C has drawn from a whirlwind year to make a jubilant album that understands where she is right now.

For all its colour and intensity, there’s breadth here, too.