With 'Talkie Walkie', Air are headed back where they came from. That they do this without actually retracing their own footprints and have produced an album with its own delicate but distinct hallmarks is a measure of their talent.

A smart, exuberant and very real record, whose reach has nothing to do with "authenticity".

Its charms sink their teeth in fast and deep.

Cowboy Junkies have made a 'growing older' record - there's a greater preoccupation with loss and death, reflected in a heavier, darker musical cast.

Marking not so much a revival as a triumphant rising from the ashes, “The Antidote” is a surprisingly potent and clear vision of musical intent.

Essentially, it's "Lovers" part two.

You simply have to marvel at the talents of a man who is surely amongst the most gifted and fascinating musicians of modern times, even if "The Avalanche" does feel like a vaguer retread of the absolute bravura seen on its big brother.

Essentially, 'It's A Wonderful Life', is an equally brilliant and perhaps more cohesive album, mixing an arcane guitar, string and keyboard based atmospheric tilt, with more fast-action, barrelling moments.

This minor masterpiece of an album is nothing less than a precision exercise in deconstructed songwriting.

If Hvarf is a mixed bag of treats and curios, then Heim represents something rather more thrilling: the future (perhaps).

Skim the surface and you'll find ten slabs of icily slick electro-pop, spend a little time and you'll uncover an altogether darker core; either way Unicorn delivers in whichever form you're looking for.

This is what she does, really: talk clever, talk dirty, talk funny and, with Timbaland's dedicated assistance, annually expand the possibilities of what pop music can sound like.

Well, it's not 'Low Life' or 'Technique' but there's at least seven welcome additions to the New Order canon and in the thrilling 'Crystal' and poignant 'Run Wild', a brace of bona fide classics.

"Howl" burns with just as much commitment and fervour [as the previous two albums]; it simply burns slower.

The need for rock'n'roll bands to declare war on clichés has been evident for ages. But who'd have thought a band in tight jeans and sunglasses would wind up leading the charge?

The monotony that blighted 1997's 'Wu-Tang Forever' and the sluggish complacency of some of the Clan's myriad solo projects in the past three years is notably absent. There's a born-again urgency here, with the RZA reclaiming control of the mixing desk from his disciples and trying out a few new tricks to spike the usual routine of cinematic string stabs and virtuoso raps.

Stick with it, and about four spins in, the album reveals itself.

With its refined beats, immaculate arrangements and intelligent melodies, Spirit confirms both Lewis's international ambitions and the likelihood that she'll pull them off.

A cohesive and satisfying listen crammed with generous melodies.

“Meltdown” is a sturdy, well-written and (perpetually adolescent lyrics aside) mature addition to Ash’s enduring and near-essential canon – ample reward for ten years’ loyal support.

Harping on in their own innocuous, oblivious manner, like the shy cousin of Squarepusher the four music makers have succeeded in creating a selfishly inviting album of great beauty and delicacy.

This second album from rappers Will.I.Am, Apl.D.Ap and Taboo is served with a hefty helping of soul sensibility and there are pinches of jazz and calypso thrown in for good measure.

There is as much to be embraced in this as in any of the Gorillaz material. If not more.

It’s all rather marvellous.

Ultimately though, the credit for the triumph of Yes is Tennant & Lowe's. While Xenomania bring a confidence and focus, the big choruses and nagging melodies are present throughout.

If it was 1985, they'd be the biggest band on the planet.

Not quite what we might have hoped for from such historically important innovators. But not quite as bad as it appears, either.

The Dallas native has created a womb of an album. It's a warm, soft, retreat from the outside world. Reading between the lines, this means no hits.... [but] reading the printed lyrics shows what a wonderful poet she is.