E s t a r a is a step above genre-bending; this is genre-carving.

While not as rewarding on multiple listens as anything the Collective has ever produced, Enter the Slasher House is the ideal detour between now and the band's next record.

Through the static and fuzz comes a clarity of sorts, that truth is oftentimes going to be something both comforting and discomforting; it's why The Future's Void serves as the perfect modern day soundtrack.

With a lazy pace and slightly detached vocals from Standish, these eight tracks seem to sway like strips of bleached cloth hanging in a light breeze.

The Toronto, ON four-piece deliver their structurally intricate tunes with unhinged ferocity, the raw arrangements never deviating from the outfit's basic live setup of bass, pummelling drums and twin distorted guitars.

It works because of its twitchy pop sensibilities, which gaze longingly back at the '80s, and while that isn't a bad thing, it's still a hard record to get attached to.

Righteous indignation has long fuelled OFF!, but Wasted Years is the band at their darkest and most venomous.

He might have the Midas touch when it comes to genre, but when it comes to his last word, Terje is wise enough to say it in his first language.

Heavily favouring material from his first three albums, but picking carefully from his less well-known post-'70s work, this double album provides a broad and engaging overview of Browne at his best.

Like any good folk record, The Nocturne Diaries explores timely social and political issues, with songs about troubled youth and abuse survivors, but these pieces lack the raw immediacy that makes politically-tinged folk music work.

With the majority of the tracks being in-and-around the two minute mark, Sage The Gemini presses the gas pedal too quickly before capturing your attention lyrically or sonically.

Inner Fire further cements the Souljazz Orchestra in a class of their own on the world music circuit.

Overall, Holtkamp's constant push into uncharted territory on Motion – Connected Works is highly respectable and a new step forward for him, but its length and fatiguing, aggressive timbre hold it back from being his most pleasurable release to date.

There are no false steps here in this forest of dreams.

On Salad Days it becomes a lot clearer. He's honed his skills to write wonderfully weird, often gentle pop songs.

Here and Nowhere Else is another heavy, catchy-as-hell Cloud Nothings record.

He really can write a song, and the fact that it never wears out its welcome makes his music damn enjoyable.

Forcefield strips down the Tokyo formula to its most basic components of guitar riffing, a strong sense of melody and a brilliant ear for unforgettable hooks, which has birthed some of their finest work yet.

There are no interludes or breaks, a consistency that is both the band's greatest strength and only weakness.

With Sun Choir, this Edinburgh trio found a way to pull a thousand (almost literally) voices together to create a singular vision.

With impressive growth, and while still operating within the genre's tight confines, Carnifex put the final nail in deathcore's coffin, giving it an appropriate sendoff.

With its singalong choruses and eminent likeability, New Gods is the kind of album that will only add to his reputation as being one of Scotland's finest.

The rest is more than art for art's sake, and a pleasure for the ADD listener in all of us.

As with their previous six albums, Liars find a way to both innovate and deliver a brand-loyal effort with (dis)ease.

Seer is certainly another step towards greatness for Golden Retriever.

Out Among the Stars is, at least contextually, a reminder that sometimes things got in Johnny Cash's way, but there are very few forces on Earth that could stifle his voice and conviction when he set his mind to getting a song across.

It's rare to find an album this coherent and firm in quality. But best of all, a good half of the record will give you plenty of inspiration to channel Herring's sweet dance moves.

Teeth Dreams arrives to colossal expectations, but weathers them fine and showcases a band returning to form.