There may come a time where repeated fine-tuning becomes progressively more difficult, but in the meantime Remember Remember have released an album that consolidates their position and shows off their abilities in impressive style.

What Gnod has done with Just Say No is to keep their statements brief and ally them to a handful of bone-crushing and thrilling sonic vistas. Sometimes a catchy slogan and a fucking huge riff is all you need.

It’s true that the steady pace of the album may turn some people off (there’s barely any percussion to be found on the entire record), but for folk fans especially, there’s a rich vein of history mined on Bonny Light Horseman that makes for rewarding listening. Some songs, after all, are just timeless.

It’s a record bursting with so much confidence and instantly likeable songs that it already sounds like a hit.

Some of the tracks, especially towards the end, don’t have quite the immediacy of the earlier songs. .... That’s a minor quibble though – at its best, The Good Kind is proof positive that The Big Moon have actually had two excellent songwriters in their ranks for some time.

It all adds up to one of Jeffrey Lewis’ finest albums – which, considering the size of his back catalogue, is some achievement.

The only issue with My First Album is that it sometimes feels a bit unfocused, and the tonal shifts the record takes can become a bit jarring.

The best moments are the shorter, punchier songs, but too often they can’t resist becoming a bit too proggy, such as on Shaunie and The Winged Boy.

the result is a formal yet brilliantly informal album from the pair.

Love You To Death is an album full of intelligent, sensitive pop songs, and at a time when the watermark for such music is pretty high anyway, it really does stand out from the crowd.

There's a distance to their music, as if they're floating away on the horizon, just out of reach. It's worth savouring them that way.

Most of the tracks here could have emerged at almost any point between the late 60s and now, but when you're confronted by the sheer bittersweet enthusiasm that van Pelt manages to squeeze into each one, it would be a little unfair to draw up a family tree.

It represents a substantial advance in sound and scope from Amidon’s earlier approaches to folk material.

Rather like that other, more famous, Conor - Oberst, of Bright Eyes fame - there's a sense of foundations being laid, in preparation for a career of real longevity. Hop on now, for this promises to be quite a ride.

Dear's tempos here are mostly slow, never rising above moderate, and the result is an anxious but exhilarating journey through the night.

Wasting Light sounds like the work of a band with something to prove, rather than the work of one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

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

Each track melds into its predecessor and its successor, creating a mesmeric experience that truly captivates the attention and inspires awe at the sheer musicality of Thurston Moore.

While there are certainly all manner of influences on KOMPROMAT, this is an album of considerable depth and intellect that rewards careful investigation, and a well timed return from a band at the top of their game.

Williams doesn’t rely on heavy-handed sloganeering, and is more than capable of a light touch, administering impressionistic yet prescient lyrics that are indicative of his beginnings as a spoken word poet.

Rudi Zygadlo proves here that he is far more than an electro producer, and has delivered a second album that frequently captivates and often mystifies.

While he's certainly earned his right to experiment with genres - really, to do whatever the hell he wants - he's never so affecting or engaging as when he's reduced to his quivering roots.

The music is uniformly simple but beautifully effective. It sounds like what it is, one man telling you stories and weaving beguiling tales of distinct and not too distant lands through a carefully intricate and delicate soft rock tapestry.

It's All True, although slightly patchy, has a generous handful of these moments of inspiration.

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.

The flipside to this slightly dark streak that permeates the album with its huge drum pulses and malfunctioning circuitry, is the gentle subtlety at work.

For all of its strengths, the album is somewhat let down by its monstrous length – 78 minutes, to be exact. That’s not to stay that Cunningham and his collaborators can’t hold the listener’s interest for the entire running time (they can), but that the whole experience can be overwhelming and a little draining.

There's no African or South American experimentation on display here, just a return to what Paul Simon does best - wonderfully wordy, literate songs wedded to some of the most lovely melodies you're likely to hear all year.

A bright, brief, crystalline work that is a more than worthy addition to one of the most consistently excellent catalogues in alternative music.

They have formed the most remarkable of pairings, crafting an album of such beauty that past reference is made redundant.

It's safe to say that Natasha Khan has once again managed to craft an album that ticks all the boxes, while also showing a maturity and evolution from her Mercury nominated sophomore album.

Many previous fans may be slightly put off by the lack of wild abandon and experimentation, but there is a newfound lucidity here that is ultimately more rewarding.

The 11 tracks are in fact roughly split between the folk/country side and the jazz/cabaret side, and this makes for an album that can at times dazzle with its omnivorous verve, but which also has a tendency to become disjointed.

May is a professional, measured and refined debut--and a near-perfect record.

It makes for a poignant, gentle album in the singer/songwriter tradition, with production that’s more elaborate than that of his former alias but not much more. The stories are genuinely endearing, the production creates an intimate feel, and with this album Ashworth has consolidated his reputation as a bedroom pop veteran.

A great deal of thought has gone into these covers, now transferred to her own private collection. That does mean not everyone will buy into some very individual takes on well-known songs, but with soul and body laid completely bare, no emotional stone is left unturned.

For deep and lasting inspiration, A Small Death is hard to beat.

It’s a heavy, lugubrious listen in places but is also the sound of an artist pursuing their art with integrity and investing themselves fully, showing that, while adversity can at times feel all encompassing, there are ways to overcome and find resolution.

It feels like a Sheff solo album in all but name, yet the change in approach has breathed new life into his work and helped him deliver an album that is both impressively bold in scope and magically intimate.

After a couple of listens it reveals itself as Goldfrapp's most subtle, affecting and rewarding album to date.

This is an album that need proffer no apologies for its dramatic, overwhelming and salutary take on darkness and light.

Not all of the tracks are wholly successful, and on occasion the vocal clarity is hidden from view. Yet that barely matters, for the fierce spirit remains. Spirituals is both old and new at the same time – drawing on the human spirit, but using cutting edge electronics to do it. Playing to Santigold’s strengths through inventive beats and melodies, it is a fine return.

While the two outer instrumentals are undeniably moving, this record is definitely Mark Lanegan's. There is no voice quite like his--and none that leaves the same impact.

This album will bewitch with the impact of a classic and sets a benchmark to progressive singer-songwriting that doesn't compromise. Moore has created a thing of wonder.

It’s different and at times more uplifting than most Parquet Courts albums, but it’s an album for the band, not for the fans.

Diamond Eyes is an impressive offering from a mainstay band whose time should have already come and gone.

Beams is an uncompromising, forceful and darkly beautiful album from a formidable musical talent.

With all the horror and terror of living in 2020 showing no signs of abating, we must turn to art for relief, to offer ourselves a steady stream of cathartic pleasures. This new Hinds album is just the thing you might be looking for, and it might offer you 30 of the most engaging minutes you’ve had in the past god knows how long.

With Getting Into Knives, The Mountain Goats provide us with a smorgasbord of robbed emotions and new, neon-backdropped friends – and we need it more now than ever.

At just over half an hour, it’s a short, sharp shock to the system which contains some of Stern’s best songs to date.

It seems a return to first principles has done Calexico good, and returned their music to a raw emotional state.

This is strained, evocative music that is able to relay deep, complex human emotions in very direct terms.

With its frequent emotional crescendos, then quiet dying away, Ma Fleur is more than a match for its predecessors, and will undoubtedly cement The Cinematic Orchestra’s reputation as intellectually sustaining performers of beautiful, emotive music.

Other Worlds is a pleasant, but modest experience and, while an effort has been made to stamp every track with distinctive hints, the end result is an interesting but arguably undemanding work.

Maserati are apparently attempting to encapsulate something much larger, the infinity of space and the endless depth of the mirror. With this album, they’ve achieved it.

It’s a clear attempt to deliver a more mature, varied work than Nothing Great About Britain, and in that it succeeds. But considering his lofty aspirations, there’s nothing here that others rappers like Dave or Akala – both blessed with greater emotional intelligence, intellectual gravitas and grasp of social and political issues – haven’t done better.

His first solo album in six years, The Work is a comfortable record, accomplished and at times even gleeful in its kitchen-sink approach to sound design.

Clear Pond Road is an album that takes time to really get under your skin, but once its there, it continues to reward, enchant, and disturb. It’s another wonderful addition to the Hersh canon.

An album that may not have the hooks of the New Pornographers’ earlier material, but one that is a welcome return from a band who deserve to be at the forefront of any Canadian indie music revival.

It's their best and most accessible work to date, while somehow not sacrificing any artistic credence.

This is something you're either going to like or really hate.

It is a unique and challenging experience, and whilst it’s not always pleasant, this is music that dismisses convention and crackles with invention.

With Apple A. G. Cook shows plenty of potential, but ultimately more consistency is needed with his songwriting if he is to really make his mark.

This is ambience in which to indulge, though occasionally the structure of the songs becomes ragged, as if a little bit too much late night medication has been taken on board. That doesn't spoil any of the songs, but it just makes them that bit weirder.

Another excellent album from a band who know how to play to their strengths.

Martyn has an incredible musical heritage and series of works in his past, and it’s a shame that The Air Between Words simply is not as interesting nor as rewarding.

here he goes from here will surely be fascinating, but in the meantime you are strongly advised to check out of all distractions for an hour and surrender to his bewitching music.

They’re unequivocally, without question, 100% no longer a promising band to watch out for. Instead they’re an essential band to love.

Silence Is Wild is heart wrenching, brutally honest and, at times, difficult to listen to. It is also forceful, confident and mature.

Deeper Well is an album to wallow in, one for those rainy days inside where you just want to sit and find comfort in music. For anybody undergoing some large life changes, this is an album that will be able to gently guide you through those times.

Opening track Last Breath is worth the price of the record alone. It provides the album’s title, all the more poetic when encountered in the grief-stricken context of the song: “I didn’t understand how beauty holds the hands of sorrow / How today can outshine tomorrow.” The production here is wonderful, with crystal clear dynamics and a real contrast between intimate and sublime.

Whilst obviously not the best album of all-time, Different Creatures adds considerable weight to the band’s growing ambitions.

It's an impressive work from a genuine legend and as a response to our current situation, leaves us with a pertinent message: in Bruce we trust.

Certainly, though, Deradoorian has demonstrated here that she is a confident, mature and distinctive artist.

Cape God has an experimental edge to it that makes it one of the most delightfully weirdest albums of the year.

Kennedy's eclecticism becomes its charm. [Jun 2021, p.86]

The first great album of a new decade is one that promises to inspire a new generation of clubbers and hedonists with the joy of some of the most perfect pop you could ever hope to hear.

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

In their second album Confidence Man provide us with the feel good music we desperately need right now, taking the weight from our shoulders and offering more than a semblance of hope in difficult times.

It’s not some big reinvention, more like an expansion. And honestly? It’s better to have it than not. It could have done with a couple more rockers, though. And some guitar solos.

There’s a serious attention to detail here, and that’s kept up for the considerable length of the album.

At first listen, it’s musically not such a close cousin of First Two Pages, but more its identical twin – the same brooding atmosphere, that bottled up tension that seems to have become Matt Berninger’s vocal trademark – yet over a few plays, it seems to slowly take a life of its own.

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.

Sun is an album that conveys the full spectrum of emotions, but at the same time it manages to never sound convoluted or patched together.

Escape From Evil feels like a case of one step forward, two steps back.

What Sremm 4 Life lacks in cohesion it makes up for in energy, the most exciting Sremmurd record since their debut.

It may not quite be the equal of records like Exile On Main Street or Let It Bleed (very few are, to be fair), but if Hackney Diamonds really is to be the final Rolling Stones album, it’s one incredible swansong.

All in all, an accomplished return, and a welcome and relatable one for these dismal times.

In Each And Every One sees Polar Bear sounding revitalised and ready to explore new musical combinations and possibilities with confidence.

There’s not an ounce of fat to be found. It might be a little lo-fi in places, but it doesn’t matter, this is the definition of an album that is all-killer-no-filler.

As it’s a debut, she’s still developing her sound, but all indications are that this is a start of a long and successful journey for Nia Archives.

Because you’re ready for The Things We Think We’re Missing. It’s yet another one of those albums you didn’t know how badly you needed.

This is a ‘supergroup’ refreshingly free of ego and filled with supremely listenable songs.

To Believe is a worthy return for The Cinematic Orchestra, developing their sound while keeping the trademark fusion between electronic and orchestral that Swinscoe and co. do so well.

With such impressive source material to play, they hardly need to embellish it.

It’s possibly an album that’s easier to admire than to enjoy, but you can’t fault his ambition.

It's an ethereal end to an album that is both exhausting and exhilarating. Sisterworld is, in musical terms, an interesting place to visit, but you'd definitely not choose to live there.

The feelings of isolation that Lanegan has channeled into his music and lyrics are beautifully served by the influences that he’s using, and the result is an album that feels both current and historical. Most importantly, it’s another absolute masterclass crammed with songs that drill their way into your head and stay there.