Returning as a duo obviously suits them, as this may be the band’s best album to date. Viva Hinds, indeed.

This is a record that has finally seen the light of day after a bitter dispute between the band and their label. That something so beautiful and politically charged can emerge from the embers of conflict can only be a positive thing.

Confessions Of A Romance Novelist showcases The Anchoress as an artist of bold intent and kaleidoscopic ability. It is hard to believe there will be many more interesting, or better, debut albums in 2016.

The productions themselves are brilliant, to the extent that a track with a seemingly unsexy title of Statistical Modelling turns out to be a weapons grade banger. And therein lies the album’s brilliance, a set of contrary statements and expectations that are equally thrilling and alarming.

With material as good as this, we can bear to do without Pixies for a while yet.

The music drifts effortlessly between bright effervescence and dreamy, eerie moods.

While this may not be his finest solo moment (that honour still belongs to his debut, "Rockin' The Suburbs"), if you want some intelligent, moving and addictive pop songs, you can't go far wrong with Mr Folds.

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.

There’s a fresh energy and swagger about the Jarmans now, helped in no small way by producer Ric Ocasek.

Baldwin is probably destined to remain a cult concern, but this is beautifully crafted chamber pop that deserves to find a wider audience.

Fans of Joan Wasser's previous releases Real Life and To Survive will find plenty to fall in love with on this third album.

At times, it is a little overwhelming over the 17 tracks, but there are plenty of beautiful moments here, the sort of moments which continue to propel BOC well ahead of many of their IDM contemporaries.

It’s a rich, rewarding record, which should see Laura Burhenn and The Mynabirds progress to the next level of established American songwriters.

If you're a fan of Burnett's sound or just plain curious you'll find this a welcome project that does exactly what it sets out to do.

An epic album, one that is occasionally repetitive but never less than one eye on the future, one eye on the road and the third eye gazing in awe at the heavens.

An album of gorgeous, lush songs.

Souls Alike is what Bonnie Raitt does best - superb bluesy rock, with Raitt on top form, both vocals-wise and on her beloved slide guitar.

It’s an album that needs to be immersed in fully, and played loud, preferably on headphones to appreciate its many depths. Some may also find the relentless discordance a bit too intense to fully concentrate on. But for those unafraid to dive in, Mandy, Indiana’s second album is an exhilarating, almighty jab to the senses.

Consistently melodic, it’s packed full of hooks and almost suspiciously on-trend.

So, an unexpected turn from our commentator on urban squalor with this dreamlike, abstract paean to Mother Nature and the great outdoors.

By now, you know what you’re getting with Tunng – this may be an album with few surprises, but it’s one that seems to greet you like an old friend.

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

Fans of grunge, hard rock, and various types of metal will find a lot to like about these songs. Ladyfinger (ne) blend elements carefully and in such a way as to avoid kitsch.

He’s lived it long and hard, and with this album Bradley continues to lay out all the goodness and badness of life and love, with soul to spare.

Falling Down a Mountain: enough classic Tindersticks to keep die-hard fans more than happy; and enough new stuff to everyone else think twice about relegating them to the cabaret circuit.

Slow Club have always reinvented themselves with each album, and this is another example of the talent of one of this country’s best kept musical secrets.

So the album sees Interpol trying some new things, leaning on some preconceptions and loosening some of the ties which have previously bound. And it makes Marauder an extremely rewarding listen.

For a debut album, this is remarkable stuff and hints at even better things to come.

Gelb has produced his most focused work in ages.

To describe it as the best Strokes-related work since 2003’s Room On Fire might be damning it with faint praise: better to say simply that this is one of the year’s most easily-overlooked gems.

His major label debut good kid m.A.A.d city solidifies his burgeoning reputation and stands out as a landmark contemporary hip-hop album.

When you hear the body of work in these sessions, and witness at first hand the musical creativity and bond between them, it only leaves you wanting to hear more.

They appear to have hit the ground running, and have kickstarted their year delivering a cocksure record which welcomes repeated listens.

The Power Of Rocks is a deceptively calm affair, so feel free to roll up your jeans and wade in. Just brace yourself for how crisp and punchy you might find it initially, because it takes a while to get acclimatised. But once you are, you’ll want to dive down to its murkiest depths.

10 Futures may sound like a collection of individual tracks on the surface, but the more you listen the more it all begins to make sense.

Overall though, it’s the sense of place that gives Earthstar Mountain its considerable charm. Some may find the pace a bit too languid at times, but if you want to be transported to the Catskills Mountains for a time, this is the perfect soundtrack to do so to.

The past is somehow devoured, processed and regurgitated to form a completely refreshing and new substance; this is heavenly stuff that marks a departure from the modern sound.

If you relish a challenge, and like music to brace you as much as entertain you, then this should fit the bill. Like no-one else very much, but very much herself, it is one woman's raw, open and compelling testament.

Heartland is nothing new and in no way groundbreaking. But no-one else combines such intricate classical styling and technology to such pop-savvy effect.

In this age of bonus tracks and seemingly endless ‘deluxe’ versions, at just 40 minutes and 10 songs long, it never overstays its welcome. If this new, compact, less overblown Machine shows what Florence Welch is capable of, may it run for another 10 years.

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.

Early fans may mourn the lack of edge that this major label debut may have smoothed out, but everyone else best get their “Lizzo 2020” signs on the lawn.

I Disagree is surreal, genre bending, heavy, light, childish and mature all at once.

High Road appears to have bridged the gap between then and now with flair. Although we heart Kesha the party girl, we love the heart and soul she always pours into her music. A nonchalant and welcome return.

Me is a brilliantly confident album that fulfills--and builds upon--Rodriguez’s early promise. Recommended.

Isn’t It Now may well be a typical Animal Collective album, but it’s full of creativity and invention that not many bands could pull off after 25 years of recording together.

It’s immensely, moreishly listenable. Gillespie and Beth work well as narrators and protagonists. She spritely and unbowed; he simultaneously vengeful and regretful.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is a slender, fat-free affair, all Gallic swerve and subtle swagger. This may well be the album to broaden their fan-base wider then the fashionable glitterati.

Cold Cave are not shooting for nuance; the tracks here all beg to be the highlights, striving for anthemic bliss without any modesty.

There are new tricks in these old dogs yet.

With this record Teebs continues his reputation for immersive, sophisticated instrumentals.

Yet for all these noisier moments, tracks like Desperately and IWR sit at the other end of the spectrum, striking a more consonant, conciliatory tone. It’s this ability to seamlessly blend opposing sounds and balance beauty with tension that makes for such an intriguing album, and very much confirms the old adage that good things are worth waiting for.

Song Of Co-Aklan is unlikely to win any fresh converts to Cathal Coughlan, despite it being more commercial than a lot of his output. For those who have fallen under Coughlan’s spell though, there are plenty of new treasures to discover in a fine summation of one of music’s true maverick characters.

DFA are back on track with this chilled, intriguing record. As a compedium of two previous records, this is a sign of where Harte was.

She’s been able to defy expectations time and time again due to a combination of good taste, charm and a deceptively versatile voice, and Tension has its fair share of all three.

2013 is one of those records you get something new from with every listen.

Four square club rhythms are jettisoned in favour of a series of weirdly compelling sound collages, in which percussion and electronics combine together in natural and seemingly effortless improvisations.

This album ought to further Bibio's reputation as a talented producer, capable of bending his music to fit several styles at once without making it sound forced, which is quite an achievement.

Gravenhurst's most solid and unsettling work to date.

Move On With The Year is an album that manages to be both intensely personal and also universally relatable.

Smoking In Heaven is a great achievement, to be enjoyed again and again.

This vibrant, audacious collection of pop bangers signposts the way.

These songs are stamped full of her personality and they mark a major evolution as a songwriter. As the final chords of the heartrending Comfort ring out, it’s impossible not to think that yet another major Antipodean talent has put a new marker down.

Setting out their stall with the strength and affirmation of the birth song 'Bubbles,' seemingly inspired by the arrival of Booth's first son, James gather themselves with an impressively solid stature.

While this new album lacks the immediate warmth of its predecessor there's much pleasure to be had wallowing in its rich patterns.

Alex G’s skill is in tackling difficult subjects and squeezing them into the most wonderful kernels of pop, and once again, he’s succeeded here.

Against all the odds though - can the self-pity of a millionaire rock star ever be listenable? - it's still a compelling record.

Admittedly there are sometimes a few too many overwrought guitar solos--moments where Eitzel and Butler may have been better off toning things down--but overall this is a surprising new partnership that works very well indeed.

Whether this is Shearwater’s finest album is debatable; some fans may still miss the more rustic, hushed and unpolished vibe of 2006’s Palo Santo. Undoubtedly, though, it’s a record of confidence and passion, fronted by a man with plenty to say.

Bubblegum is unlikely to see Clinic rocket to mainstream notoriety all of a sudden, but they'll continue to be one of indie's best known secrets.

Ghostory, rather than resting on the laurels of the band's successful sound up to this point, adds a harder edge to the rhythm and consciously moves on a step.

Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time is a rich and literate album, which inspires conversation and debate.

Sleepy Sun have managed to come up with an album that is beautifully entrancing, and doesn't encourage the listener to go to sleep before the mid point.

What Now is sometimes not an easy listen, but it’s certainly a thrilling and restless journey. Looking at how Howard has evolved from her early days with Alabama Shakes, a more appropriate title for this collection could have been What Next – as whatever does come next is likely to be intriguing.

A thoroughly engaging addition to Willner’s already enviable discography.

The adoption of low energy, skeletal electronic instrumentation serves to shine a light on her often brittle and vocoder cloaked vocals. A sensation of emotional fatigue circles above proceedings, as the music elicits the haunting effect that this ongoing lack of human intimacy is having on all of our psyches.

Lost Domain acts as both a lovely tribute to Wheeler’s father, and further confirmation of his talent as a songwriter.

Traumazine is a success in its own right, solidifying her position amongst rap’s big stars of the 2020s.

Americana is consistently melodic and witty, even if its mellowness sometimes verges on the sedate so that you fancy a burst of garage-guitar power chords from “baby brother” Dave to fire things up a bit. It’s an impressive comeback.

Houck’s sixth full-length album takes the mournful country-rock seemingly perfected on Here’s To Taking Things Easy and runs with it, creating his most realised record yet.

In a decade dominated by rappers who obsess about their cars, clothes and women, it's nice to be reminded that MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock are still out there, keeping it fun despite all the haters.

It takes you on something of a journey, veering from country to garage rock to something almost literally out-of-this-world.

If you're willing to put the effort in, then you will be rewarded with an achingly beautiful and immersive album.

The result is a real evolution for Tunng, producing their most consistent and fully rounded album yet.

Since Gelb started working mainly as a solo artist, these collaborations have arguably been his strongest, most convincing works. His collaborators have provided challenging but appropriate accompaniments for his florid musings.

Cafe Carlyle is the perfect venue for Vega, a small, bohemian and glamorous venue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and this fitting tribute to New York praising its riches, uncovering its faults and exploring its tragedy is as beguiling and incredible as Vega herself.

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.

Emotion succeeds on its own terms, arguably remaining truer to the spirit of the era, not to mention Jepsen’s stated aim of taking the time to craft an album rather than rushing to cash in on a YouTube sensation.

Prism gives The Orb a youthful complexion, its heady brew of musical ambience, songwriting substance and sample-based humour bringing a hefty dose of positivity. Strongly recommended.

A fun, varied and defiantly old-school record which is pure Coldcut.

The Long Goodbye is a fiery yet thoughtful and nuanced record, with artistry and political consciousness on a level above most British rap.

Rarely straying into alien territory, the Dunedin quintet remains as restless and decorous as ever on Scatterbrain, proving that even the unsteadiest of minds can achieve greatness again and again.

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.

Life After Defo is both complex and accessible, intricate and immediate.

The music and the narrative are excellently executed by four top-rate professionals who’ve got your respect (and attention) by earning it.

If its purpose is to celebrate the traditional Irish music that The Chieftains have played for half a century, note their influence and even open them up to new audiences, it does exactly that.

As an example of Boris at their best, it’s hard to top, but this is an album that finds the band in particularly rude health. Noise never sounded so good.

With My Ghosts Go Ghost they show real creative verve and re-affirm their position within the scene.