It’s darker in tone than its predecessor and it sounds meaner and more sarcastic in spirit. And while Steve Albini is back at the dials on production, ‘Fire’ sounds so raw it leaves you with the impression that he tackled every track individually with a power-sander.

My only qualm with The Magic Place is with its song structure. Each of the nine songs starts sparsely, weaves into an intricate texture, bulges with layered loops and then tails off.

In an age when subtlety is far from the most prized connotative currency, Isotach is a quite literal stark reminder that finesse and restraint can still bound forth on their own terms.

It’s the crafting of timeless, crest-fallen melodies infused with gripping characterisations that elevates Darnielle into the upper-crust of musical virtuosity. And that’s exactly where Heretic Pride leaves him: perched atop the pile of today’s try-hardy singer/songwriters.

The only constant is the deep, mellow drum tone that brings the band’s disparities together and creates a beautifully cohesive narrative flow.

There’s a Riot Going On is their fifteenth album and, like most of their discography, it carries itself with an unassuming (but powerful) air of quiet confidence.

The only thing is presence and the present. The modest conclusion to a modest and warm album, is that Eden might be closer than you think.

Whatever you care to call him, the man’s come up with the goods.

At times full of nervous vigour, at others letting itself fall blindly backwards into honeyed daydream, A Different Ship has a life and character all of its own.

If you’re looking for ease and comfort there’s a deluge of that available, but there are aren’t many records like The Centre Cannot Hold. Frost has achieved a thrillingly precarious balance whereby there is always the tiniest spark of light to glean amongst the relentless dirge.

Regardless of their supporting tropes, the songs prove themselves consistently memorable and enjoyable. It’s another home run for Bejar--an all-too-short taster that will leave you dreaming of Spain’s mountains and deserts, and longing for more.

It’s done brilliantly, with no frills, no ego, no sense of homage (just some damn fine influences), no fat, no bullshit, nothing bar hooks, energy and a certain air of ineffable sadness for good measure. Sometimes you need to believe a scene or movement will save your life. Other times, there’s nothing wrong being casually blown away by a record like The Soft Pack.

The zany highs--and even the not-so-zany lows--of Color conjure a fantastic parallel world, lightyears away from any other fighting contender, and still unforgettable in private lives

It is curiously and enjoyably irregular.

What K-X-P are dealing in is label-less music; complex, iron-gripping sounds delivered with towering bombast. It should be a mess. It should be unlistenable. But it’s not--it’s extraordinary.

Youth Novels is a twinkle-toed debut that dares to suggest what others can only make tediously plain, and leaves us in the rarely-enjoyed position of actually wanting more.

The Airborne Toxic Event can hold their heads high safe in the knowledge their supposedly difficult second album is a resolute triumph in the face of adversity.

So, after all this time is she still worth the time of day? Without a shadow of a doubt.

As with every Au Revoir Simone record, it's so easy to sling your headphones on and find yourself swept up in the music.

Zun Zun Egui's endlessly enjoyable second album is a bold and brilliant statement--an amorphous thing that entices and beguiles whilst simultaneously delivering heart-quickening thrills.

There is a beautiful, communal power in slow grooves like “Ya Habibti,” with its circling, mesmeric riffs and hand-clapped syncopations. “Asdikte Akal” moves a bit quicker, more of a trot than a shuffle, but also feels like a group endeavor.

In a lyrical and musical exploration of the themes of duality, Cursive have come out with a conflicted gem.

Being a Liars album, it is magnificent.

Constant Bop has an air of effortless accomplishment and fresh brilliance, which can only come from hard work and a fastidious attention to detail.

It’s another excellent Gruff Rhys album then, tied around an unusual concept but not bogged down by it.

It is wistful in tone, but it's no nostalgia trip and summer or not it's a consistently blissful and thrilling EP that bodes well for any forthcoming album.

You know a good sound when you want to take out a second mortgage to buy headphones good enough to appreciate it.

If you're not interested in music that makes you feel reflective then perhaps steer clear, otherwise this is a stark, brutally honest exploration of the human psyche that is indeed special.