While things may start to sag towards the end as the wind in King Gizzard’s new sails dips low, Paper Maché Dream Balloon is undoubtedly one of their more confident statements yet.

While these tracks are testament to how well the LA trio can build an astronomical sense of atmosphere, they can create icy harshness with equal brilliance.

Whatever the contributing factors to Bubblegum and 'Bulldozer', it's clear this is Devine brimming with confidence and energy--and to remarkable effect.

The result is a beautiful album that offers out tantalising strands, begging to be put together. It may be an impossible task, but it’s one to revel in nonetheless.

When it works, it really works.

It’s thrilling stuff but most importantly, with him [Sergio Pizzorno] solely steering the ship, it’s the most authentic this band have sounded in a long time - once again, it feels like they’re capable of going anywhere they want.

On ‘Utopian Ashes’, Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth breathe new life into an old formula, and surface triumphant.

That there’s nothing particularly ‘new’ about Morning Phase is by no means a fault: this is acoustic Beck, and it’s acoustic Beck at his most sublime.

This is an album designed to move people, and Payola manages to do so in so very many ways.

‘Blue Banisters’ presents a collection of sun-kissed moments and hazy memories, free from judgement and firmly rooted in place.

Perhaps most impressively, is the record’s consistent hooks.

Eclectic almost to an extreme, Baio combines reckless abandon with infectious introspection to create something entirely, captivatingly new.

‘CONFLICT DLC’ is not a reinvention - more a purification of the brutal beauty of the HEALTH live show.

Goat are making true, sludged up psychedelia that seems to come from a new, specially cultivated brain-lobe.

Hyperactive electro-punk that effortlessly marries visceral fun with often experimental chaos, ‘Theft World’ sees its creators take some audacious swings and land an endless barrage of colourful, unique and exhilarating blows.

Titanic Rising presents an immensely elegant journey to a different place and time; in equal parts beautifully delicate and powerful.

Listening to ‘Cave World’ is akin to dipping your whole body in murky, warm sea water - you feel blinded and a little bit disgusted, but overall excited to explore your new surroundings.

What’s unique about Pinegrove is how they compress uncertainty, doubt and fear without being overbearing.

This is Against Me! shifting the topic but retaining all the glory: biting lyricism, punk fury and rock prowess wrapped up in an infectious and perfectly imperfect package.

Joyce Manor are more than comfortable with their own sound now--they’re effortlessly confident with it, and Never Hungover Again is a stark reminder of just how much fun you can actually have without alcohol pumping through your veins.

Without any voices swimming around the noise, the record does lack the variety that came before. Instead, this is a stubborn embracing of all the weird things that make up this unique trio.

The last couple of Dinosaur Jr. records in particular have been praised from all angles for their consistency, but J Mascis is continuing to fire out hidden gems under his own name, too.

Indian instrumentation adds a new tool to Damon’s sonic arsenal. In the wrong hands, the results could be gimmicky but here the Gorillaz formula never waivers. .... The decision to mine the Eastern take on death - a much more optimistic alternative to our Western one - frequently yields joyful results.

Lanterns on the Lake are making rock music that, in terms of how vital it feels in 2015, is virtually without equal. Beings just about confirms that.

An album that’s unlikely to make too much of a dent on the band’s epic career this far, ‘Your Favourite Toy’ is a lot of fun all the same.

‘Life’s A Beach’’s lasting impact is its confrontation of depression and self-doubt: this is a record that will make you feel deeply as well as provide a soundtrack for your first post-lockdown festival.

Ihe duo’s latest project is a barrage of positivity with a collection of upbeat anthems perfect for a sun-soaked summer of love.

There’s something inherently welcoming in the short, sharp, and lyrically open songs, as Laura looks both inwards and outwards at her identity, her chosen music, and her vices. Each track unfolds with an ease only reserved for somebody with so much skin in the game.

The puffier-chested side of his persona is still perfectly enjoyable, but when he packs away his bluster for the second half of the record, he creates something truly memorable.

Time away hasn’t dulled No Age’s musical sword--they’re sharper and brighter than ever.

Just like a big night out, or indeed its afters, the record is dizzying but flies by too fast and leaves you wanting just a tiny bit more to savour.

Soothing to the extreme, but still with enough variation not to lose attention, he’s on to a winner.

This is by no means a ripping up of the rule book for Jade, but from this side-step where she’s going next could be anyone’s guess.

The album is an obvious step-up right from the start.

Now, the scuzz and rough edges of their younger selves is swapped out for the fizz and crackle of these vital reworkings, which take in some of their most varied sounds to date; in amongst the usual post-punk vigour are hints of shoegaze, psychedelia and - on the standout ‘Major Amberson’ - melodic pop.

It’s a sleek collection of pop gems that will live long in the memory.

Another compelling chapter in Enumclaw’s story so far.

Paying homage to songwriting ancestors, there’s an unmistakable Americana twist across much of the record that on occasion even turns to Nashville-tinged country. Yet Bought To Rot is pulled together by consistently bestowing valuable life lessons.

With fourth album Reflektor, their past is documented in vivid detail, delivered with such urgency and bombast it's difficult to look ahead. But look ahead they do, arriving with their fullest and most ambitious record to date.

‘Peaches!’ feels like a welcome return home for The Black Keys, a recapturing of sorts of their early energy.

Every song has multiple hooks, catching your brain and pulling your toes up and down to the rhythm.

The Lounge Society clearly have more in their influence pool than just one slipstream, and it’s when they embrace the full flood that they shine.

Daniel’s latest project is easily his most mature work. It might also be his best.

His third album is an engrossing, deeply atmospheric trip, helmed by seven-minute monster ‘A Boat To An Island On The Wall’, that serves as a repositioning as well as a new highlight.

In a year that’s seen the heavyweights of the industry fannying about with abstract release plans and bickering over streaming services, Shamir has swept through and delivered a record that schools every one of them in the art of purest pop.

This is a collection of tracks that see the potent, unafraid icon that is Carter return to the forefront of British punk and he’s using it as an opportunity to really say something.

These deranged components act as one, swinging into motion in one fatal blow. That it comes out sounding seamless is another thing altogether.

Musically you always know where you stand--the sound of a Death Grips record is unmistakable--powerful, aggressive and confrontational. Which leads us on to Bottomless Pit--very much more of the same, while pushing their sound forward.

There’s nothing particularly new here from Fred bar minor switches into previously unexplored electronic styles, but it still boasts some of his best tracks yet.

There is a surety to ‘Permanent Damage’, however, in the sheer force of lyricism at play. With soulful, silk-like vocals, Joesef weaves this narrative, deftly dealing the blows of this world in absolute destruction, before showing that ultimately, some marks never fade and that’s OK.

Baird has produced a record that you know deserves to be heard, yet want to keep all to yourself.

At once fragile and boisterous, screaming and wailing, kicking at walls then curled up against them, Annabel Dream Reader is far more accomplished than a debut should be.

Whatever your view on their schtick, the songs will win you over in the end.

They may be using Morbid Stuff to face their demons head on, but there’s a sense of reckless abandon to the whole thing that makes it entirely freeing.

But by going through it all, by exposing all the pain, he’s created something beautiful and vital.

Fleshed out with a full band, tracks like newest single ‘In Your Car’ sound dramatic, full-bodied, but still in possession of the emotional intricacies that made us enjoy Big Deal in the first place.

It’s when they come together on closer ‘Ketchum, ID’, an ode to the state of Idaho and the detachment of constant touring, that boygenius really comes into its own and sees the project become more than the sum of its parts.

For the most part though, this is a party for one, best enjoyed curled up with few distractions in the twilight hours. Sit, contemplate, and be absorbed into Aldous Harding’s spellbinding realm.

Pure X have emerged from a dark abyss into beatific splendour.

Contradictory, complex, and worthy of endless re-listens, Angel Olsen has crafted her most compelling record to date.

Experimental, psychedelic, mad, and oddly, very listenable pop music.

While the inspirations are obvious, ‘Ricochet’ isn’t simply a cobbled together pastiche; those inspirations are greater than the sum of their parts, and often complemented by big string arrangements for a lush and expansive soundscape.

Instead of sewing the seed for a brighter future, TV on the Radio leap ahead with a renewed sense of being.

For every radio-ready chorus, there’s a fascinating tangent, and plenty of pointers towards Marmozets being the most important rock band we have.

A genius--and yes, perhaps a little bit crazy--with an attention to detail like no other, no matter what might slip from his grasp ($53 million for one, if recent statements are to be believed), Kanye West is in full control of every atom of The Life Of Pablo.

Wavves have created their most varied collection so far.

Falling somewhere between Poliça with an Americana tinge and a less naff Fiona Apple, the likes of ‘Inner Lover’ and ‘This Time’ are cerebral cornerstones that hold up a record characterised by evident catharsis. One for when you’re feeling reflective.

Having been better recognised as a key member of Wild Flag and Ex Hex in recent years, Mary Timony’s singular ability as a guitarist and songwriter had been forgotten somewhat; ‘Untame The Tiger’ serves as a stirring reminder of it.

Across the record, Thrice conjure an atmospheric beauty but maintain a connection to the dirt beneath their feet.

Unflinchingly honest, Wet don’t specialise in happy endings, but they’re always telling a good story.

Endearing and relatable without ever lapsing into total fondue, Faye Webster knows exactly how to roll with life’s punches, how to find the humour in a vulnerable moment. She knows she’s funny, but we think she’s pretty smart.

For all its adventures into the weird and wonderful, You’re Welcome retains the hallmarks of Wavves at their most recognisable and best.

The Underside Of Power is heavy going, but completely, necessarily so.

Why Make Sense? is a stripped back affair, an album of emotionally intelligent, lithe, pared back R&B.

Dave’s voice holds up well throughout, showing vulnerability. It makes for an exciting, experimental, laid back 11 tracks, and we can only hope this isn’t the last solo work from him.

There's enough variances in the sound, with the tracklisting set up in such as way that you notice the changes in style, to make sure you pay attention to every minute.

Rife with feelings of ephemeral isolation and deep personal anxieties, they have realised a new wave of modern storytelling, forging ‘The Line Is A Curve’ as an answer to an open call for honesty.

‘For Those That Wish to Exist’ is both furious in spirit and epic in scope. A sprawling fifteen-track opus that runs just shy of an hour, it tackles the weighty issues of the day head on.

For Nils Frahm, this record is nothing new: on his terms it is not extraordinary. But for mere mortals, All Melody is a bracing cacophony of the possibilities of minute sonic experimentation.

What’s most impressive is in how Cole’s story peaks towards the end. Instead of dragging you down or being overbearing, Is The Is Are’s tale finds stark truths when it closes.

25 25 sounds as great in a bedroom as it would do in any sweaty nightclub, and for that reason, it’s a triumph.

Like a pop phoenix rising from 2011’s ashes, ‘Let Her Burn’ is Rebecca Black showing us just what she’s capable of.

This is an album that bulldozes through irony in service of sincere, meaningful eccentricity.


For all their goth rock exterior, My Mind Makes Noises is ultimately a pop record with substance at its core.

‘Perfect Picture’ is the pinnacle of today’s hyperpop yet steers away from its once abrasive nature towards a well-rounded, rebooted version: one where all that Hannah is and can be is indeed made picture perfect.

One of the consistently brilliant musicians working today hasn't let us down yet.

Coupling a dexterity honed over countless live shows with a wry sense of humour, with Down In Heaven the band find their own slice of paradise, primed and ready for anyone else who wants it too.

Written throughout their teenage years, they deliver an unfiltered journey of self-discovery.

It’s clear from the album that Tate McRae’s arsenal of jagged pop weapons is extensive, and can be expertly wielded when she wants.

A dazzlingly-polished record that sonically does justice to the boisterous energy of these clever subversions of the kind of melodic indie rock you’d normally associate with Pavement or Built to Spill.

To call untitled unmastered a follow-up would be unfair, but what it reveals is that rap’s most innovative has a lot more left in his locker.

An ambitious project, King Gizzard succeed into enticing you into fully absorbing yourself into their wild, bizarre universe.

Slowness doesn’t surrender its wonders easily. But when it does, and there’s no guarantee it will for everyone on every listen, it can be perfect.

hat this soundtrack does most though is demonstrate the versatility of the duo, proving there is far more to Summer Camp than just sunshine and lollipops.

A real insight into Nicky Palermo’s mind, ‘A Short History of Decay’ is one of Nothing’s most inward-looking releases to date.

If you’re new to Trail of Dead, this might be a good place to begin your investigations, and if you’ve lost track of them since their critical and commercial peak, then ‘Sound Of The Silk’ and IX as a whole is as good a way as you’ll find to rediscover this consistently fantastic band.

Raw and uncompromising, yet always harbouring a degree of melody, it’s the product of ten years of learning, and succeeds in deftly balancing subtle nuance with a sense of uncompromising aggression.

If there’s evidence of musical progression, meanwhile, it comes via an apparently new-found fixation Neil has with modular synths; he deploys them tastefully here, perhaps to most striking effect on ‘Chained to a Cloud’. In general, though, ‘everything is alive’ very much gives off the sense that the slower gestations lead to the richest rewards.