While there are some lovely sounds on Somewhere Else... but it's hard not to yearn for something more.

The template hasn't changed much, and to some extent this is no bad thing.

What we get is Britain's best proper rock band doing what they do until we're numb to what makes them special.

Its fervent technicality can leave it feeling soulless, lacking grit, bite or real emotion. It can become stifling and songs tend to blur together. But there are moments of beauty too.

Despite the self-therapy and tonal lulls, Christopher is a highly listenable affair that produces two truly outstanding moments.

These songs don't linger too long, and the album--with its 36-minute runtime--feels efficient and complete.

A Long Place To Fall might not be outlandish enough to acquire Ulrich Schnauss an entire new legion of fans, but those discovering him for the first time could find far worse places to start.

Sounding big may be a pretty good way to get a support slot with the biggest bands in the country and, in time, the world, but after a point you need more to say.

Let It All In is a tighter, more relaxed LP, full of beautifully restrained, crafted songs.

Esben and the Witch seem stuck on an autopilot where any levity is out of bounds and an abyss beckons for all the wrong reasons.

Far from falling under the weight of either expectation or ambition, {awayland} is a far more magnificent progression from Jackal than any of us could have hoped for.

Lysandre justifies its own existence by virtue of its own wide eyed wonder, its own vulnerability, and its giving sense of heart.

Their second full length album, Sunshine--which had its US release back in October--wonderfully demonstrates the finesse necessary to play noise rock.

Pantha du Prince has gone one further and created a piece of music that soothes and entices even the most impatient of modern ears.

There's nothing showy here, nothing flashy, just an understated, immaculately put together collection of happy and sad, yearning and sweet songs.

A little shallowness is fine by me, but Rocky's studied, humourless delivery is harder to swallow.

Arc is an album with which deep engagement will reward and delight in equal measure.

Although this is a far cry from the standard of their late Seventies heyday, the band have continued down their obscure path with little deviation, creating a sound which, although challenging and on occasion elitist, is there own.

As extraordinary and original as the film itself, Berberian Sound Studio is both a bona fide film score and consistent electronica album, and in the wake of Trish Keenan's tragic death carries the very real air of a requiem.

Shapeless moments aside, Sleep Games emerges as a strong enough entry point in either Pye Corner Audio's discography or the murky world of Ghost Box.

The collection and especially the new songs have the feeling of a last hurrah.

A failed experiment then, all the more painful for the potential it showed.

The (mostly) astoundingly energetic Family is further justification of this band's fast rise and an album The Cast of Cheers can be proud of.

Even the most ardent of fans may find themselves somewhat irked to be given essentially the same album, from the same band for the fourth time.

An experiment in style that is perhaps a little confusing at first; but more than makes up for it in its grace.

Minor criticisms aside, this is still a highly enjoyable record that knocks spots off most of the competition still tripping over each other's shoelaces to be the most shambolic lo-fi band in town.

Maybe some of the subtlety of the original is lost in the symphonic throb of this new arrangement but it's still a stunning, gleaming celebration of endurance and life even in the midst of bruises and hurt.

The craft and impact of Opus Alter is something to marvel at, and it will no doubt raise their obsidian star even higher in the stoner firmament.