While one half of Phase sounds complete and polished, the other sounds unfinished, and unsteady. But the songwriting quality of the better cuts and the raw talent that underpins their delivery brings a fire to the record.

Santigold is at her best when the production behind her has plenty of Caribbean-inflected bounce but throughout 99¢, she proves that she deserves more success than she gets.

This is a strong record that's all the more powerful for being so wonderfully, majestically disjointed.

The band tracked everything live (apart from the odd overdub) and have crafted an exhilarating, hedonistic modern psych album that means the album doesn't just pay homage to a lot of the great influences mentioned, but sounds just as good.

Adore Life sacrifices intensity for heart and with some exploration into the use of space and silence, it could be their perfect album. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

While sweetened by a potent handful of emphatic guitar romps, DIIV’s latest record quickly overstays its welcome, and ultimately would do well to be remembered as more than just a watered-down collection of indie rock songs.

More an album that demands repeated listens, at times creates confusion, and juts from one influence to the next. Tatum’s record collection is clearly solid, and now he can again add one of his own to it.

A band mentality may of allowed the material to work some new ground but as a solo project we’ve a dense collection all sticking to one vision. One to dip into when the storm clouds are approaching.

It’s obviously understandable to attempt to capitalise upon the success of your best-known hit but on This Is Acting, Sia loses sight of what made her such an interesting artist in the first place.

Breezy but not without substance, if Resort reveals anything about Tuff Love’s trajectory, it’s that they’ve become more contemplative over time, while refusing to forgo their shambling melodic impulses in the process.

Night Thoughts is far from easy listening, but it's further proof that Suede's renaissance shows no sign of losing momentum.

It’s heartening to hear, after all these years, that time has not diminished the intensity of those performances.

Easy on the ear yet hard on the heart, Aidan Knight has delivered something very fine indeed.

A rejig and a little more fire could have elevated this collection to something that’ll get the heart racing.

Their future is full of possibilities; thankfully they didn’t go before their time after all, as Promise Everything is their best work yet.

While each of the band's EPs were like short, sharp gut-shots, Vile Child feels diluted in comparison, and as such is a record that shows plenty of promise, but not one that will change lives.

Although largely a strong body of work, the album’s borderline moments of geniune greatness--'Hate On', 'Dark Ear' and 'Mr. Mistake', the latter of which is surely the most sonically soothing track to reference a nuclear winter--aren’t replicated with any real consistency.

In short, on Hymns there’s something close to an excellent EP in amongst some of the very worst things ever to bear the Bloc Party name.

Blessed with wisdom and a rare sense of poetry, Weem finds De Rosa revelling in glorious dis-connection from their roots.

It’s sci-fi, afro, poetry delivered with a snarl. This may not be for everyone, hell, it may only be for the brave, but if you take the ride you’ll be vastly rewarded.

Clements and Griffiths have sculpted something truly special out of their final time with their friend and, while too late for all of the numerous lists, it deserves to be held up as one of the most affecting and impressive releases of a difficult year.

Despite at times being muddled, Segall is not afraid to stand up and confront the audience, evoking the most visceral of feelings and pushing the boundaries of comfort. Divisive, but all the more brilliant for it.

‘Small And Silver’ is a welcome break around the halfway mark, when their stock in trade is replaced with unsettling bass and an off-beat production. However, it’s only a hint of a promise to explore new territories and doesn’t go far enough to vary the album.

It’s a subtle progression for the trio, the band honing their craft to produce a record that is equal parts compelling as it is isolating.

As fans of the Glaswegian producer will know only too well, the solemnity of Menzies’ work as Alex Smoke has always proved itself to be multi-faceted; transcending the sphere of electronic music to incorporate the multi-instrumentalist’s penchant for classical instruments. Fast forward to 2016 and this truth remains intact.

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.

Equally fragile and resplendent in its execution, it's the kind of album that stays with you long after its haunting close.

It’s the balance of maturity and melody that will keep you going back to this album. They’ve grown up, but then so have their fans. Let's just see where they go from here.