Fading Frontier draws a new line in the sand, and it could be the beginning of a more direct and big-thinking Deerhunter.

An album that has no shortage of huge highs.

It starts with a slow drip and builds to a raging flood. It’s irresistible and so eloquently convincing that despite their claims of failure, Protomartyr are unstoppable.

With Sore Dilly Dally prove themselves as a hungry, relentless band ready to make a lasting mark.

Though the duo sometimes return to the comparative safety of moping synthetic orchestras, and soul-reflecting mirrors lying conveniently on the Camberwell Road pavement, for the most part, there’s a new sense of fun to Hurts.

This record was defined by never being in the same place at once--each song was recorded in a different location--but there’s a glue holding everything together.

Shopping want to be moody and want to be fun; they want to be taken completely seriously and want you to laugh with them. Though the album switches between states of feeling, it rarely drops beneath being anything less than brilliant.

Nothing on this record is secure, but its transitions are hauntingly beautiful. It will not be for those who crave immediacy. Some tracks are far from an easy listen, but it was never meant to be.

Grant has a fascinating combination of wisdom, world-weary cynicism and righteous anger; it never grates.

Accordingly, In Dream is an uneven affair; fabulously ambitious in places, and weirdly subdued in others.

Contagious and sarcastic, in-your-face and self-aware yet ultimately all about cutting loose, Wavves have offered up an album that proves themselves as leaders in the punk pack.

Despite the foreboding darkness within their offerings, there are still glimpses of light that shimmer within.

As coherent and arresting as everything is, it is true that some of the hooks are not particularly immediate. A few of the tracks seem to steam ahead but never really find an end destination, with any hooks getting lost in the mists of fuzz.

More than one kitchen sink has been proudly gafer-taped to their musical fun bus; every idea--however half-formed--integrated with complete confidence. Delivered with the swagger of someone who’s just half-inched Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat, it works spectacularly.

Holding Hands With Jamie remains an untamed beast that’ll pave the way for Girl Band’s unstoppable ascent. There remains a nagging feeling, however, that this deadly work could’ve forced an apocalypse if delivered with more conviction.

While he continues to be less elusive, his music continues to thrive from his stark directness.

Lewd, bulshy, and gaudier than a kitsch ornaments warehouse with a sprung glitter pipe, Rub is a return to form, and hideously brilliant, garish good fun.

Powers throws just enough of his own inquisitive character to find his finest moment. He does it time and time again on this record.

Not only safe, Music Complete serves to dilute New Order’s output.

Julia Holter always stood out as a left-field crafter of melody; this album establishes her as a unique lyric voice, too.

Too often, Disclosure find themselves playing it safe.

More confident in their own musical skins, it all adds together to make Every Open Eye a second album even better than the first.

By refusing to change the song structure or tempo in any way, Deez has created an album that is stuck in a memory that grows more rose-tinted by the day.

She’s created a world of her own, and on this latest record she sinks deep into its clutches.

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.

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

For all its unwieldy eccentricity, Good Sad Happy Bad is still fascinating.

The album’s title suggests fight and energy but much of this album feels too polite and too pedestrian.