Where the drums of Joli Mai were, more often than not, ready to roll one over at any given point, Cherry blossoms as a listen worth savouring as Daphni's melodious detail leads the dance.

Guided Tour is not a bad record, but it's not a particularly memorable one. It features some excellent work by a powerful band ("Mind's a Lie" is possibly the best thing they've ever committed to record), while also forcing the listener to sit through some truly bland, unoriginal filler.

Despite these four musicians' predilection towards abstraction, The Film is at its most impactful when SUMAC and Moor Mother's most obvious musical building blocks are conjoined.

Howling, for the Nightmare Shall Consume is a landmark release for long-time metal miscreants Integrity, and a brave, brutal new direction for Hellion's life project.

After 17 odd years of making solo albums, Neneh Cherry surfaces with the force of a jab rather than an uppercut. We appreciate the contact regardless.

What Whitfield lacks in originality he makes up for with a tireless push to the end zone.

The depth of Cantrell's songwriting is best appreciated the second or third time around, once you're over the sheer prettiness of her voice.

On Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, The Comet Is Coming continue their exploration of the wide wonders around us — the unknown, physical and metaphysical, light and darkness, life and death, and the connectedness and spirit laced between it all; broadening the scope, testing ideas and seeking freedom and rapture through rhythm and sound.

Childqueen demands patience and a receptive ear to pick up on the care and detail Bonet has taken in crafting every moment. She is in complete control of her artistry.

The talents of Crutchfield and Williamson cannot be underplayed, nor their deft ability to convey and intuit emotion.

Heavy Light, the remarkable new record from Meg Remy's U.S. Girls project, is a scavenger hunt for these elusive pasts — music devoted to reflection and retrospection. ... Never before have her narratives felt so personal and resonant.

PLUS is certainly a stronger example of Autechre's range than SIGN. This does come at a cost, where the cohesion of their previous album is somewhat lost on this most recent one; this is especially telling in the latter half of the album, where the programming becomes somewhat disjointed. Nevertheless, any Autechre project is worth praise solely due to the duo's consistent aural innovation.

Sit Down for Dinner proves the band is as compelling as ever, circling in and out of each other's vocals and rhythms with ease.

The juxtaposition of her soft yet strong vocals draws you into her ghostly world, both dark and thrilling. Birth of Violence is a work of art that will please old fans and draw in new listeners too.

The Dream Is Over has no pretext or pretence; the band did what they did best in 2013, and then did it a bit better here.

Underneath its few flaws, an electrifying energy shines through, even if its not as potent as it might have seemed in those halcyon 2000s days.

The takeaway from Takeoff is that good art is deliberate, enjoyable and actually takes effort. It's good to see he's capable of all these, can't wait to see what he gives us next.

The steep conceptual angle imposes a significant hurdle on casual listening, but Treanor rewards engagement with hypnotic, off-centred rhythmic cycles, and elements like the Nauman sample only represent a small portion of the runtime (Lancaster's assertions fall off before the two-minute mark).

Wildcard represents courage, strength and vulnerability as Miranda tells her story. The album is a timeless snapshot that measures a moment in this superstar's life.

Free I.H: This Is Not The One You've Been Waiting For is Illuminati Hotties defying the record industry while balancing purposefulness and playfulness at the same time.

This is razor sharp pop — fine-tuned, sincere and defiant as all hell.

For seasoned fans looking for their next fix of boundary-pushing explorations, this will likely seem a tad pedestrian, but SIGN is still an incredible piece of work, even if it's not bending the rules of music production into infinity.

The Million Masks of God goes for an emotional gut-punch, but it's a bit light on impact. Much of the power of this music comes from the mind when it ought to come from the soul.

Bring Me The Horizon have crafted an album that, while not as post-rock-influenced as hinted at, is definitely post-Bring Me The Horizon, at least as we once knew them.

While the Body are experts at playing with aural textures and layers, the decadent variety of sounds on Christs, Redeemers is next level, even for them.

This is certainly one of the best dancehall releases of the year.

Heaven Is for Quitters follows no pattern except that of disconnect, so while many of the tracks work as they are, it's far from a cohesive album.