Exploring further realms--both musically and lyrically--with familiar hands, heads and hearts, this is an album, and a band, ready to give survival a go.

A welcome return.

Nothing quite matches 'This Is What It Feels Like', but that alone is enough to give genuine reason to BANKS' mighty cause.

Purposefully lo-fi, it would be easy to dismiss as self-indulgent nostalgia, yet its quirky charms and understated directness more often than not outweigh its faults.

It’s a rewarding experience and probably one of the closest, most intimate listens an artist will offer this year.

Uninspiring, unexciting, largely forgettable--this is nothing more than Kings of Leon by numbers.

MGMT haven't necessarily re-discovered their mojo, but re-imagined it, and in doing so, may well have given us one of the best albums of the year.

As twelve equally matched moments of varied tone but consistent brilliance, it's nothing short of exactly what was expected--the start of something even bigger.

Nature Noir' is very much Crystal Stilts sticking to their well-trodden formula, conforming as they are, essentially, to their own trademark sounds. But it's also the sound of a band retaining the best of their identity: sharp melodies, steady drum fills and discordant synth still all underpin Brad's sleepy, monotonic vocals.

A refreshingly enjoyable album.

While there are certainly no grand overarching themes designed to tie the whole album together, the collection has a coherent unity both musically and lyrically which more conceptually defined and led works would struggle to match.

Love or loathe their destructive attitude towards convention, Coming Apart is an exciting, if extremely strange album.

Sometimes gloriously messy, sometimes just simply glorious, it is probably the most fun you'll have all year rhyming with harpists.

It's almost as if the songs were constructed by way of algorithm.

All in all, Summer Camp have offered up a wholly enjoyable second effort, possessing of a homespun charm that bears more similarities to those early Myspace demos than predecessor 'Welcome To Condale'.

As a debut, Melbourne is about as honest an expression as it comes.

London Grammar have created an album of graceful sophistication.

This is music that desires to be clutched to youthful hearts and fill sun-bleached fields or golden coastlines; a hunger to delight that is so insatiable it’s rather tough to question.

Snapshot is more derivative than what is is supposed to be an alternative to.

The arrangements here are certainly accomplished, but it's still that voice which makes the whole thing glow.

Consistent it may not be, but during its finest moments Nobody Knows is unequivocal proof that Beal's artistry is more than capable of surpassing his legend.

In the grand scheme of things, Sequel To The Prequel is a definite step in a positive direction.

Simple, catchy, and ruthlessly energetic, it’s an irresistible mix, and refreshing to hear a band oozing with such raw passion.

This is an album then of irresistible forward momentum; brutal and gentle, alien and human.

There’s a consistent sense of déjà vu that accompanies every melody, a pleasant sense of cosy familiarity, but also a like-ability running throughout.

A punch drunk brawler with a heart, it's the pay off to a perfect evolution.

It is among The Dodos’ best work--Carrier is a fitting eulogy.

The fact that Vernon’s voice is so distinctive means it’s difficult to distinguish this from his Bon Iver work yet there’s more than enough shimmering beauty here to get excited about.