With Struggler Genesis Owusu has followed through on his potential, and hopefully won’t be getting the boot from listeners anytime soon.

It adds another fine collection of songs to her already impressive catalogue, songs whose inwardly-focused subject matter renders the music more restrained than the punky pop of career highlight Cyrk.

While the songs aren't particularly complex and won't be to the taste of anyone after something challenging, the band impress with how easy they make straightforward songwriting look.

It’s not a pretty world to live in all the time, but for a while the twilight tones are the perfect place to rest a broken or bruised heart, or just take some comfort from Marissa Nadler’s exquisite craft.

Simple Minds, then, are in extremely rude health. Where once their lyrics spoke of international politics and far-off destinations, now they deal with matters closer to home in a refreshingly direct manner. More power to their maturing elbows.

Lizzobangers is a triumphant album by an extraordinary artist and woman, whose girl-empowering lyricism and social consciousness puts her at the top of the underground and alternative hip-hop community.

Wilderness Of Mirrors provides satisfying proof that there is still plenty of value, purpose and life left at the margins.

They inch ever closer to the boundaries of the mainstream with this simmering assortment.

Love could only have been made by someone who knew this music inside out, who has nurtured, cherished and polished it since the day it was composed, who saw its potential in an era when pushing rock'n'roll past it boundaries was a new art form.

A gorgeously warm, fuzzy album by a man wise--and sad--beyond his tender years.

Not all the singing is charged in this light but the moments of unabashed, emotional melodies are akin to that of the endearing two-piece garage rockers, Japandroids - and in a world of indifference, it's a refreshing change.

The wilderness and going off the map might seem like a frightening concept, but after a little exploration, there’s beauty to be found everywhere.

Everybody’s Heart Is Broken Now resolutely clings to the idea that faded memories can be given vibrant colour through song and that music preserves inner tempests and dreamed oases in amber--and for the most part it succeeds as evidence of that.

The combination of strict process and softer emotion makes for a fascinating album. The Hill, The Light, The Ghost is clearly the result of years of tender loving care, and its ink appears to be only just drying thanks to the instinctive, organic approach.

It’s a thrill to listen to their experiments, their tinkering with sounds and ideas.

Third albums can be tricky, but for Fogarty, this is a challenge he grasps with both hands, coming up with an all-encompassing record that explores many musical possibilities.

They know their way around a captivating (if not subtle) hook, so whilst it sounds bigger than the sum of its parts, there are enough great songs to justify this super-stylised and fearless approach to pop.

This seventh album blows all those preconceptions out the water, leaving a record that is finally pure distilled Avril that will connect with long time fans and the Gen Z kids who recognise her iconic status.

There's an urgency and excitement to a number of these songs that elevate them beyond being pretty and delicate pop nuggets.

There are moments here that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Mould’s considerable back catalogue – and while Here We Go Crazy won’t, in all probability, gain Mould any new fans, there’s plenty to satisfy anyone who’s come under his considerable spell over the last few decades.

Mazes are forging a distinct path from their peers and their second record offers rich rewards for like minds who wish to join them.

Shadow Of The Sun marks another triumph for the rapidly becoming essential Moon Duo, or Moon Trio as they should now be known.

Popular Songs may not quite scale the same heights as those found on "I Am Not Afraid Of You..." or "I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One." It is, however, another really good album by Yo La Tengo.

We Built A Fire is an unassuming, quietly smouldering flash of brilliance to carry us from the deadened depths of whitest winter into the slanted and enchanted light of a spring well spent.

Whether the second volume expands on this achievement is unlikely, but Thile now must be considered--along with Bela Fleck--as one of the contemporary masters of the mandolin, exercising his powers across multiple genres.

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.

Harry’s House is a heavyweight pop release that feels understated and lightweight. It threatens to give everything about Styles away and strip back his starkest emotions, but leaves it still ever so slightly cloaked in mystery. We’re closer than ever before to truly understanding Styles the person, but he still keeps us ever so slightly at arm’s length. Styles, the artist, the pop auteur, though is far more clear.

Prisoner is an album that must have been tough for Adams to write and record, but ends up sounding like one of the great break-up albums of recent times.

It's an adventurous, seductive and plush exploration of the depths of progressive and popular metal.

It is, more importantly, a fine record of a dynamic live performance by a hugely influential band who transcended their punk origins.

It is delicately shaded and tells us more of her hopes, dreams, fears and feelings than any interview ever could. It is this direct communication with her listeners, coupled with the strongest of loyalties to her underground heritage, that makes her music as strong as it is.

It is because of this collaborative rejuvenation that Monsters Of Folk is a worthwhile endeavour, a stirring album and an outfit that is as nourishing for its constituent members as they are for it.

There have been some excellent debut albums out this year already, and Love In Arms stands comparison with them.

There may be no one track that could be a crossover commercial hit for the Wolter siblings, but this is an album full of signs of longterm progress. This is the sound of a band in it for the long haul, and by the sounds of it, it’s going to be quite the journey for them.

Stark yet still overtly dramatic, it's an astonishing showcase of confessional songwriting.

Three Dimensions Deep is a winner, as diverse production allows for a collection of tunes that are never boring.

Chatma never feels like any kind of compromise, and the presence of Tinariwen singer Wonou Walet Sidati adds a new dimension to the music, one that sometimes threatens to overpower Ousmane Ag Mossa’s less imposing vocal presence.

Of course their music is heavily in thrall to the 1960s, but they wear their influences with an easy-fitting indifference, like a comfortable jacket.

Crystal Fairy is a solid and impressive album from start to finish.

A definite case of still waters running deep, Nerissimo is a quiet work of craft by two musicians entirely happy to follow their own instincts. Like Spinal Tap.

Alanis Morissette has long been a rarity among her peers, more than willing to address significant, yet unsettling subject matter. Such Pretty Forks In The Road is a case in point, with inspiring lyrical touches and affecting vocal sincerity placing it among her best albums.

The Hospot may be a fictional place, but Warmduscher have created the kind of soundtrack that makes it feel like the kind of place we’d all want to hang out in.

This is a quiet triumph that is remarkably captivating and doesn’t need any up-to-the-minute technological tools to improve it further.

Like many of James’s records both as a solo artist and in My Morning Jacket, Uniform Distortion occasionally suffers dips in quality control and consequently the truly great album you feel he’s capable of is once again frustratingly elusive. But it’s still an absolute blast.

The fact that it’s not doing anything particularly new doesn’t really matter because it’s hitting all the right notes and pushing all the right buttons. Most of all, just like their debut, it’s a lot fun.

Oh My Sexy Lord is not an easy album to break down. It’s really designed to be consumed in one awesome lump, an electro-odyssey that unsettles and delights in equal measure.

What really makes Gliss Riffer stand out in Dan Deacon’s discography though is the feeling that you’re being allowed in to his own personal, private world.

The album does not quite have the same frisson of avant weirdness that the best Sonic Youth records have, but there is more than enough quality here to once again establish the eternally youthful Thurston Moore as one of alternative rock’s most vital voices.

Love 2 is a triumph, effectively representing a now veteran act capable of returning to its roots yet managing still to produce novel results.

Every track is quite full of life and holds no lack of energy that characterizes good, classic British rock ‘n’ roll.

Elly Jackson firmly takes control of her career and delivers a tremendously confident second album, one that repositions La Roux and has a whole lot of fun while doing so.

This entire album is in a constant state of movement, and could just be their finest moment yet.

The scenic route is where it's at--and there is plenty of that to enjoy on this illuminating record.

Idlewild have taken some time, done the latter and the result is their most accomplished album to date.

The Bible, like a lot of Lambchop albums, probably won’t be to everyone’s taste – some may find the constant electronic treatment of Wagner’s perfectly decent singing voice to be a bit grating, for example. Yet it’s the sound of a man ploughing his own furrow, and producing yet another unvarnished gem of a record.

Eugene McGuinness has created the perfect musical definition of a grower as opposed to a shower, a subtle nudge instead of a smack in the face, and the album's all the better for it.

The structure of the album is beautifully crafted, with each of the tracks like pages of a calendar that detail Croll’s life, presenting a personal diary window of sorts into his world.

There may be only five tracks, five calling points on the journey, but Lagos Paris London is a compelling travelogue and a fascinating meeting of musical minds. Sparks fly throughout its music-making, which provides genuine thrills and spills.

Open Door Policy is quite possibly the best Hold Steady album since 2008’s Stay Positive.

Hey Venus!, then, is not the type of progressing heavyweight that has marked the output of later day Super Furries. As a shorter, lighter effort, though, it is every bit as tantalising, thickly coated in SFA-brand special sauce and still worth its weight in goal.

Fans will be relieved that after such a protracted labour Strangers To Ourselves has emerged in surprisingly good shape, even if it lacks the robust conviction of Modest Mouse’s best work.

World Painted Blood may not be Reign In Blood, but it finds Slayer close to their best.

While it’s impossible to fault Cowboy Carter’s ambition, it’s sometimes a bit too sprawling for its own good. Eighty minutes is a long runtime for an album, and some tracks inevitably sag a bit, especially in the middle section.

Louder, Please is an accomplished debut album, successfully straddling genres without being beholden to them and painting a holistic picture of this exciting new artist.

The Golden Age is a bewitching and thoroughly addictive record that proves that even when they push themselves out of their comfort zone, American Music Club can still come up with a classic.

In its creation of something towering from fundamental, basic elements, it is alchemical.

They are not evidence of a group wallowing in their own experimental pretentiousness. They are the finishing touches on an already admirable piece of work.

It is, without a doubt, the work of a superstar returning from the shadows.

It’s been seven years in coming, but Nature has most definitely been worth the wait.

Henson has subtly evolved rather than reinvented his sound, and it’s resulted in one of his finest albums to date.

A startlingly honest and sprawling debut entry from Blanco, one which challenges the listener at every turn.

This time around, they’ve toned down on the drama and, despite Sheff wanting to make this album quickly, seem to have taken the time to recount the past so they can tell their stories with appropriate reverence to being young.

It can sound like a mish mosh of the obscure record collection of a New Yorker-reading, Ivy League graduate, and one who knows how to have fun just as well as he knows philosophical theory.

Recent years have seen outstanding releases by people like Claud, Chloe Moriondo and, on an even more successful level, Maggie Rogers. Jordana is firmly in this lineage, and Face The Wall is an outstanding realisation of a prime talent.

Howler, when at their best, produce simple, but infectious, dirty rock music that oozes confidence and a nonchalant swagger.

Diablo is a sonically powerful record with a clear sense of identity, and this helps to push past any shortcomings as Gurnsey remains a great producer and one to watch in the alternative electronic milieu.

The riffs are crushing rather than classic, and Andrew Drury’s vocals are full of conviction and spirit but perhaps a little one-dimensional. But for anyone with their toe already dipped in the metal bath, and in danger of selling their soul to the preeners and posers, Baptists might just be their saviour.

There may be no real surprises on People Who Aren’t There Anymore, but that hardly matters. They may no longer possess the surprise factor that delighted David Letterman so much, but Future Islands remain as affecting and impassioned as ever.

The Divine Comedy's most spontaneous record in ages.

At times it's hilarious, especially the song openings, which evoke poodle-rock heroes in mock affection, but the tracks then go somewhere inconceivably cool, twisting, shimmering and generally rocking in drool-worthy style.

As musically un-diverse as it may be, how cynical and jaded you would have to be to take against it. Tennis’ music is not intended to push at vanguards, but to make you happy.

It occasionally threatens to become a bit overwhelming and topple in on itself. Most of the time though, Murdoch and company keep things steadily focused, and the result is another accomplished record from one of this country’s most consistent bands.

Yes, it’s a mess but somehow a thoroughly glorious and jubilant mess. In other words, it’s a perfect encapsulation of everything that Man It Feels Like Space Again is.

With Jóhannsson's surety of touch, Fordlândia becomes a wonderfully intense piece of work.

Many of the songs here will certainly rank among Vanderslice's best work, and the album as a whole deserves repeated listens, if only to parse out the seemingly infinite layers of nuance.

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.

Certainly, some people will find Aventine a bit hard to take – at first listen, it sounds so pleasant it just washes over, and it’s only on repeated plays that its dark mysteries reveal itself.

It’s beautiful in its own manner, and thankfully avoids the one-sound pitfall into which ambient music may fall.

It may last just 32 minutes, but You & I Are Earth never feels rushed or slight. There’s a kind of glow to many of its tracks and it’s that glow which gives this record its own power. .... The best album of Anna B Savage’s career to date.

An album filled with singles that should be instant hits.

The Other Side Of Make-Believe is a dependably great album from a dependably great band.

In Ghost Colours finds the band brimming with confidence, delivering their catchy choruses and synthesizer hooks with a conviction that's difficult to resist, staying true throughout to a groove that fits in with early house music.

A hugely impressive return from Drenge, who have once again produced a collection of songs that will leave you feeling dirty but, more importantly, completely satisfied.

While they might not be better than ever, they’re at least what they once were and what they’ve always been in the collective memory: instrumental virtuosos and sophisticated songsmiths, all the while finding a way to make it look easy.

Fridmann's production has given the band a whole new environment in which to play, and they've had their fun whilst making great, powerful music in the process.

This new project is hardly a bandwagon-shaped whim. Instead, Fool's Gold, the album, has been made with genuine passion and a desire to pay homage to something its creators clearly love.

Primitive And Deadly, in part, represents an encapsulation of Earth’s discography, but more importantly it also sees the band moving on, entering a new phase and expanding their dimensions.