Yesterday Was Forever provides plenty of evidence that she can still hit top form when she wants to.

Musically, Tundra’s invention is everywhere. Paint Can employs ultra high-speed chord changes and sudden tempo lurches, Golden Doldrum is an inside-out and back to front bit of burbling robot pop, and recent single Alarms is O Superman turned banger, with rhythms crossing rhythms.

There’s nothing new or surprising here, but that doesn’t matter. The Nothing They Need is an album that works best when it simply washes over you.

Splitting I Don’t Care Pt 1 and I Don’t Care Pt 2 into two separate tracks makes sense; one is jerky and aloof, the other stumbling and awkward, and they make nice companion pieces. But putting the two tracks either side of the aimless piano noodling of Hank’s Theme is a mis-step. That said, there are some excellent songs here, like the bristling, melodic Viper Fish, the frenetic Cracker Drool and the brash Country Sleaze.

Throughout Your Queen Is A Reptile, thundering drum solos and rapid tempos are tempered by Caribbean beats and carefully constrained composition. The result is an highly listenable album with an audibly beating heart, which deserves to be played so loudly that the neighbours complain.

Combat Sports is their shortest album yet, with none of its 11 tracks straying over four minutes, all in bursts of compact energy. Each song has a short guitar solo, while riffs and hooks abound, in stories of combative love and sex couched in Young’s characteristically wry lyrics.

There’s not one dud track on it, and each listen unveils something new to hear. Most pleasingly though, in these dark times, is that it’s a whole heap of fun. 2018 may be only a few months old, but we may have its album of the year already.

No Mercy In This Land sits somewhere between the the classic blues records of BB King and the mellow folk tunes of bands like Angus and Julia Stone. Whether you are a die-hard blues fan or just after a narrative driven and emotive album, No Mercy In This Land has something to offer.

Gwenno is doing important work here, and for those willing to open their minds and step into the mythical land of Le Kov will find that they may not want to leave.

At just eight tracks long and with a half-hour running time, I Want To Start A Garden is more an introduction to Haley Heynderickx than a fully formed declaration. It’s enough to make you very excited about what’s yet to come, though--this particular garden is ready to bloom into some very special greenery.

Ultimately it proves itself to be Essaie Pas’ most purposeful and satisfying release yet.

Now Only occasionally treads a fine line between soul bearing catharsis and a vividness so acute it feels disconcertingly intrusive.

It’s a vivacious, impactful beginning which appeals both to the heart and the body. Yet, there’s also plenty of evidence of skilful management of sounds, elements being introduced and withdrawn at the opportune moment.

Although it will sound perfect in the arenas of the land this summer, for those of us who were blown away by early tracks like Budapest and Cassy O, there’s a lot on this follow-up that plays a bit too safe.

In Boarding House Reach White gives himself a free hand, and the result is a more experimental and surprising work.

The follow-up does just what Human Ceremony did, but more so. And better.

World Beyond ends up worth a listen if you happen to be someone who likes ’80s synthpop and classical music in equal measure. Whether there’s much here for anyone else is moot.

This is a startling debut that pulls off the trick of sounding utterly disposable and simultaneously full of substance.

Overall Dear Annie is pleasant, with other highlights including Mon Amour, Pink Lemonade (mostly for its gorgeously woozy production) and Egyptian Luvr, but it could have benefitted from losing some filler and gaining just a little more dynamism from Rejjie himself.

The album is at its best when it explores glam influences: the campness and flamboyance nicely mirror the theatrical nature of The Decemberists’ established repertoire. But they would do well to learn that sticking some synthesiser parts behind a guitar band doesn’t automatically make them New Order.

Sure there are obvious bands they can be liked to--The Band, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding--but its pace and passion make it a record to enjoy for itself, rather than its influences.

It’s thoughtful, intelligent and considered music that’s not afraid of having a sense of humour.

There’s A Riot Going On takes longer to reveal its treasures, but ends up being an enduring and rewarding listen, their best since 2009’s Popular Songs.

American Utopia is epic, it’s sprawling, it’s filled with everything but the kitchen sink, but most of all, it’s filled with promise.

The real highlights are the two tracks with lyrics, Roll Back with Lil Silva and the suitably nocturnal Half-Light (Night Version) with Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl. These songs play to Fitzgerald’s strengths. By contrast, the rest of the album feels like watching a stage with no performers on it. A well-lit stage, as Fitzgerald can create a mood well, but still fundamentally a hollow experience.

A Work Of Heart [is] the positive, life affirming work of art its creator clearly wants it to be. On it Ty feels like an older, wiser brother who doesn’t preach--but who also has your back at all times.

With this record Young Fathers have managed a perfect synthesis between what they are saying and how they choose to present that sonically. Yes, this is a highly political and experimental record, but it is also a brilliant pop album.

It may not be an easy listening experience at times, but Violence is ultimately an album that deserves your patience.

With this widescreen delivery Moby has made an album at once more profound and more substantial than anything we have heard from him in a long time, and certainly more personally meaningful than Play.

It is the best and most meaningful music Tracey Thorn has made in a long time.



A Productive Cough is not a bad album, but it’s not Titus Andronicus’ greatest moment. Part of the problem comes from the high expectations set by the band’s previous work, and to some degree the drawn out jam sections that occasionally go on just a little too long.

The whole album is awash with reminders of not just how good The Breeders were, but how good The Breeders still are.

What follows maintains both the high standard and the mixture of shades and textures.

Her engaging lyrics remain her true strength. But in her quest to perfect this mission statement, the urgent spark present in her debut has dimmed just a little.

Dead Magic is a brilliant artistic statement, Anna von Hausswolff’s best self-definition to date.

Concise, even at 17 tracks, it’s a superb trolley-dash through Lawrence’s obsessions, both of the moment--listed among these in the sleevenotes are the twisted synthpop of SOPHIE, Japanese girl-group Perfume and “Side 1 only” of Dollar’s 1979 debut--and longstanding.

This Is Eggland takes no prisoners in its sonic bombast, and does not suffer fools gladly. Taking elements from krautrock in the oscillations of Silver Apples together with the slash and fury of riot grrlers Bikini Kill, the resulting dish is mashed up in a throwaway aesthetic.

This is the most consistent album to date by a band whose flashes of brilliance hitherto seemed often dissolved in their encumbering desire to set down a surfeit of ideas on each record. Here, their creative energies are reconciled just as the salt doll is reconciled with the sea.

Even with the missteps, there is plenty to love about The Wombats’ fourth effort.

There’s a nagging feeling that they may still be a bit too obtuse for commercial success. The rest of us can just enjoy one of the early musical highlights of 2018.

Whilst there are a host of influences and references at work, Astor’s delivery and way with a lyric mean that he’s bending those influences to his will.

[Cursed is] a rare misstep in an assured record that brings out the best of both collaborators.

Musically it ranges from coruscating to eerie, from ominous to plangent and sees the quartet operating at the height of their powers. It’s a hard-hitting, ambitious album that only serves to further consolidate the reputations of all involved.

Whereas his debut self-titled album was a perfectly serviceable slice of alt-country, it wasn’t really distinctive enough to stand ahead of the pack. That’s all changed with Make Way For Love which, at times, contains some of the heartbreakingly beautiful songs you’ll hear all year.

There are plenty of power-punk melodies to ensure What A Time To Be Alive isn’t condemned to an early shelf life, even if to put it amongst their best work would be a stretch too far.

Some people will bemoan the lack of a real crossover hit (there’s certainly no The Noisy Days Are Over contained on Open Here) but it’s one of those rare albums that you just know you’ll keep coming back to, time and time again.

The tunes are back, the harmonies are still weirdly endearing, and the album hangs together really well as a whole. As a single piece of work it is a fine achievement, a rival to Oracular Spectacular in its personal and political observations.

Overall, A Humdrum Star is GoGo Penguin’s most cohesive, pleasing record to date.

A wonderful album, undoubtedly a career best and an exemplary case study in how to respond artistically to a life-changing event.

Go Dig My Grave might not hit the heights of some of her earlier albums, and is certainly a more uneven collection, but it shows Susanna to still be fascinated by the power of sad songs and in possession of a distinctive, singular ability of re-presenting them.

The Academy Award is a rather too languid ballad that seems to slow down the flow of the album, and closing track Slow Don’t Kill Me Now makes for a weirdly unremarkable and flat end to the record. Overall though, it’s a joy to hear the band sound inspired again, and it’s good to see that, after all these years, Franz Ferdinand are still a force to be reckoned with.

Ultimately the album is three or four songs too long, but Man Of The Woods is rarely less than entertaining. Too slick to be a genuine man of ‘rough’, Timberlake nevertheless continues to lead the way in his field, even if he does so without consistently reaching the greatness he so clearly strives for.

Microshift finds Hookworms drawing a line under their history and taking their first step on a new adventure. They’ve not put a foot wrong yet.

Transangelic Exodus is a beautiful, dark, twisted, painful and yet hopeful tale.

I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life doesn’t quite hit the immense heights of her first two albums, but this is still Merrill Garbus doing her own thing--which is something that’s always worth paying attention to.

Nothing groundbreaking there, you might think, but it is all done with a down to earth approach that is at once appealing.

So far so good--and if anything it gets better.

Pissing Stars is by no means an easy listen but, if time is invested, amongst the heaviness and foreboding, rewards can be found. The world may be a bleak, troubling place at times, but Menuck continues to find salvation through his music.

While Damned Devotion is not the Police Woman at her most arresting, it is nevertheless a solid showing from a performer who always has plenty to say.

For now, though, they’ve managed to rekindle their affairs and surprise a few doubters.

Wrong Creatures succeeds far more often than it fails. It’s epic, full of attitude and done with a whole heap of style.

Oh, inverted world, you’re not as much as fun or as interesting as we hoped.

The opening half sees him attempt something a little different with mixed results, the second half seems him return to more familiar ground with only moderate success.

While undoubtedly a bit too long, The Time Is Now reaffirms Craig David’s standing as a fine and flexible pop songwriter with all sorts of hooks up his sleeve.

If the point of a debut album is to capture a moment, to provide a snapshot of a new, hungry band bursting at the seams with hope and abandon, then this must already be one of the debut albums of the year.

Those who have followed Warp and Nightmares On Wax since their inception will be reassured that all is well in both camps. If anything Shape The Future is one of George Evelyn’s finest achievments, and is all the more affecting for its refusal to be dimmed, keeping a zen-like stance in the face of adversity.

In The Thread That Keeps Us, Calexico have learned to let go a little, to let nature take over. The result is surprisingly comforting.

At just 34 minutes, Could It Be Different? rarely takes a breath, propelling us forward, dancing and laughing, towards whatever comes next.

It’s easy to appreciate and admire, but difficult to enjoy.

This is just another good First Aid Kit album, one that suggests their peak hasn’t yet been reached.

As Getting Back Up rides out the album on the back of some more glorious brass melodies, it proves that not many make pop music that leaps off the page so high and vividly as The Go! Team.

Heading back in the direction of their louder MBV influenced roots, married with their clear confidence in producing dreampop, could be the way to go to produce something more unique. Because when the noise comes, it comes in spades--and it’s simply irresistible.

Songs Of Praise distils the best features of classic British alternative music into a vital band passionate to enervate, communicate and entertain.

It may have taken some time to arrive but Two Trains is a strong personal statement that should find wider appreciation.

If you’re willing to give it your full attention, this is a frequently stunning record. It may often be difficult, but like most hard work, Utopia reaps its own rewards.

The result is an eclectic mix of psychedelia, electronica, dance beats and space jazz as well as rock which moves along the scale from The Beatles towards erstwhile collaborators The Chemical Brothers. The tempo is upped, while Gallagher’s vocals are in a higher register than usual and the guitars are much further back in a musical mix that is highly textured.

There are some songs, such as Deadly Valentine, that just seem to fall a bit flat, and considering that’s there’s only 10 tracks, it seems to be an oddly lengthy record. Yet, like most of Gainsbourg’s work, it oozes class and, at times, it becomes startlingly beautiful.

His 11th solo studio album Low in High School is a mixed bag of brilliance and dross. There are some genuinely interesting new explorations while other tracks are deeply disappointing. Disconcertingly uneven, yes, but not safely predictable.

For all its flaws--it’s overlong, and sometimes seems too keen to be meta and self-referencing--it’s full of energy and often makes for an exhilarating listen. It may not quite measure up to the heights of 1989, but whether she’s Old Taylor or New Taylor, there’s enough here to demonstrate why she’s still one of pop’s brightest pop stars.

This is a joyous artistic rebirth, its creator shaking her tail feathers, pushing her own boundaries and immersed in emotion and whim brought out from within.

Esmerine has once again created an album full of depth, wonder and flights of fancy.

Comfortably surpassing Poison Season, ken is hugely listenable throughout, and with so many ‘80s touchpoints in evidence, it often sounds like it could actually have been made at that time. Which, despite the uneducated blindly condemning the decade due to its considerable amount of cheese and big hair, is no bad thing.

These might not be the original performances, but the reworking of them has made them a little brighter and most importantly, they’ve lost none of their original power.

The problem with Colors is that where once he innovated, Beck now seems to be imitating the slew of fizzing faceless pop clogging the airwaves buried under a mesh of corporate production.

This is a diverse collection of quality melancholia by two intuitive veterans with nothing to prove except their ability to create music to invest your soul into.

Pacific Daydreams certainly doesn’t achieve the grandiose aims from the aforementioned inspiring proverb. That said, thankfully it is still a solid record which should satisfy fans.

Second album Open features a significant amount of fine-tuning and finessing and as a result sees them operating at a markedly higher level.

In the face of this conflict, the only other option is to face up to the now, with all the problems and issues that go with it, and the album is at its best when it does just that.

Gallagher is never going to win awards for originality, but he has definitely progressed musically with this solo debut.

Half-Light is a good introduction to the solo sound of Rostam Batmanglij. It’s likely to remain more of a cult interest than establish Rostam as a star in his own right, but even when it becomes a bit unfocused it’s clear that Batmanglij remains a major talent.

There’s much to admire about Savage, but it’s definitely one that you have to be in a particular mood to enjoy.

MASSEDUCTION is nothing less than an absolutely towering achievement.

While Wonderful Wonderful certainly isn’t The Killers’ best record--or even their second best--it is a welcome return to form after some time in the wilderness.

It’s fair to say that there is not a piece of music in the GY!BE canon that sounds anything like as optimistic as the compositions here.

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile are brave to make something so gentle, natural and unguarded. They’ve managed to strive for an ideal informed by a real sense of pragmatism, and in the process, they’ve made one of the warmest, good-hearted records of the year.

By and large though, this challenging, multi-layered record requires complete and sustained immersion to properly appreciate its full range of ideas and textures.

There are no low points in this relentless record. At times it is beastly, baring its teeth. At others, it’s divinely angelic, St Purple Green and Sky Musings being prime examples.

It’s a credit to Hurts for stepping outside their comfort zone and aiming high, but the end product feels as though it was rather a struggle. Possibly to gain more exposure, they’ve made what they hope is a radio friendly record, but which all but obliterates that which won them fans in the first place.