This is business as (un)usual for one of indie rock's greatest experimental institutions, to be sure.

With nothing to prove, no features or flashy hooks or bells and whistles, it is his most accessible album in seven years.

Making a Door Less Open feels smaller than Car Seat Headrest's best work — not only in its sonic scope but in its lyrical content, now less insular and biting. Still, Toledo's talent for stirring melodies and intelligent song writing remain firmly intact, and he makes intriguing use of this new palette.

No Age's latest is not ground-breaking, but it doesn't need to be. It's an enjoyable rock record from a pair of sonic auteurs whose instincts for DIY noise-punk are as strong as ever.

Nostalgia may still cloak OMD's early work in an impenetrable aura, but this album shows a band at the top of their game.

The album isn't perfect; it is a little too slow in spaces, a little too quiet, and sometimes it is too serious. Fussell is capable of being goofy, but even the humour here never rises above a wry chuckle.

To Live Alone in that Long Summer is an elegant, contemplative album that thankfully bears little trace of its long gestation.

The addition of synths and steady, solid backbeats, mixed in with the natural and live elements Silver Wilkinson rides on, gives the album tangibility worth grasping.

Weapon stands as Skinny Puppy's strongest work since 1992's Last Rights; it's a testament to one of the few reformed bands still striving to push, not just themselves, but an entire bygone genre forward.

Shaw's songs, in particular, sound like lost X classics. This switch in sonic templates doesn't blunt Bogart's rapscallion personality, though, which ultimately is what lies at the heart of his music.

There isn't anything innovative about their music, but every note of this album feels honest and considered.

As always, the band are at the height of their powers when at their most emotively rousing. ... But when recalling their previous efforts, there's an unshakeable feeling that they've done it before, but better — though you can't fault them for doing what so many post-rockers have done over the past 20 years.

At the core of Bottle It In, the 38-year-old husband and father of two offers his family the comforting illusion of his presence, a chance to hear his voice, and a reminder that they're with him, wherever he may be.

Fancy Some More? is a lot of fun. It leans further into the '90s/noughties than its predecessor, intensifying its jungle and D&B undercurrent while also adding some Madchesterian flavour with SEVENTEEN's mix of "Illegal."

This is a violent force of targeted creativity.

Some of the tracks, like the first few ballads, feel a tad exhausted and perhaps a little clichéd, but that's the nature of Sia's universal, inclusive pop music, and on This is Acting, she approaches it in an intriguing way and performs it with gusto.

It's tremendously long, offering remixes of old material and recapitulating many typical Vile motifs. While slyly daring in extremely subtle ways, a large portion (of an almost hour-long EP, I might remind you!) feels somewhat superfluous to his more grounded catalogue.

They may no longer be cutting edge (who is these days?), but Autechre's intricately psychedelic pieces are still chock-full of detail, intrigue, wit, intensity and poise.

DNA Feelings is unlikely to show up in any club sets. It is far too complex and unconventional. This is late-night, "visions of alchemy" stuff.

Lianne La Havas is boldly authentic and infused with passion.

While INVSN probably won't shock anyone sonically or lyrically, there is still definitely a spark of creativity and honest expression here.

The best live albums are ones that clearly distinguish themselves from their studio counterparts (Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York, for example), and this isn't that. But as a way to cap off 2022 while refocusing attention on their live show, Live at Montreaux adds to (rather than detracts from) the impression that the Smile are successfully carrying the torch for Radiohead during this period of uncertainty.

This string of downtempo songs, while soothing and catchy, will leave fans of Shovels & Rope's more upbeat fare feeling restless. A more balanced reshuffling of the track list would have solved this issue, and might have made this already excellent album a classic. But as is, Little Seeds is a fantastic LP that showcases Shovels & Rope's uncanny ability to both rock out and rest easy.

While Home lacks the consistency of previous records, it makes a strong case for Rhye as a pop star waiting in the wings, à la the Weeknd, thanks to a voice versatile enough to complement any instrumental choice. Four albums in, Rhye has finally begun to branch out, and not a moment too soon.

ACCA is showy, drama-dripped and ultimately rewarding. It demands a lot from the listener, but more music these days probably should.

This still sounds like the Âme of the past 15 years. Truthfully, without a real departure from their signature tropes, the album doesn't have too many big surprises. Above all, the album serves as a strong reminder as to why Âme and Innervisions have reached the lofty heights that they have.

Vieux Loup is an intriguing, layered record.

Volume X is a balanced record, potentially a future classic for those who are into that sort of thing.