With this album, Worden seems intent on muscling in on the territory of innovative but hard-nosed American mavericks like St Vincent and Dirty Projectors. Ultimately though, This Is My Hand falls some way short of emulating the standards of those acts.

Fears Trending is the musical equivalent of a cross-country run on a cold, wet winter’s day: challenging, occasionally a bit of a trudge but, ultimately, rewarding.

A guilty pleasure for some perhaps, yet one well worth indulging.

Aforger is one of 2016’s most impressive albums and will most likely be seen as key in years to come when looking at Douglas Dare’s development as an artist.

There is a strong sense of enjoyment in the nooks and crannies of these tracks.

Even though Falco, Haliechuk and their Hairpins cohorts appear to be cramming in influences from almost everywhere (acid house, new wave, funk, punk, psychedelia and more), the whole album is incredibly coherent, lucid, and most importantly it’s the of thing that might just define a summer spent outside. Assuming that’s ever going to be possible this year.

Vocals on The Vacant Lots’ albums are always an acquired taste, much like those of Newcombe’s in fact, yet this trait never seemed to hold back bands like Kraftwerk. It might prevent them from reaching heights that otherwise could be achieved with synthy brilliance such as this. ... So look past the vocals and enjoy.

It’s astonishing how much ground gets covered on Good Luck, Seeker. Sure, not every track is likely to resonate with every listener, but that’s all part of the charm: it’s a remarkable achievement that sits near, if not at, the top of the band’s entire catalogue.

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.

At times, it seems to make more sense as a collection of EPs, as it sometimes doesn’t hang together as an album as coherently as it may do. Yet there’s still much to enjoy on this mammoth collection, and on tracks like Don’t Touch That Dial and Complete Me, Django Django have produced some of their best work to date.

Although she’s not quite there just yet, with a more stringent editor, and a producer who could get the best out of her (Max Martin would seem a lip-smacking prospect), Maisie Peters is undoubtedly on her way to producing a truly great pop album.

Peaking Lights' music is slow to reveal itself and unfolds gracefully, at its own pace.

Nothing here quite matches the excitement of Feel It Break highlights The Beat And The Pulse and Lose It (although Home, Forgive Me, Painful Like and Annie (Oh Muse You) all come close). But this doesn’t stop Olympia being a sizeable step up from its predecessor and a fine album in its own right.

[A] glorious album, that is full of both gravity and levity, wisdom and beauty, and that is, most of all, infused with the honesty and humanity that make of it such a triumph.

te. For the most part Strangers succeeds because of its strangeness, but when that strangeness slips, the album as a whole does too.

Man Made suffers from too much material, not enough editorial oversight, and not nearly enough inspired composition.

Anyone looking for another 'Hurricane' will be disappointed--but, for sheer eclecticism, the record hits a number of highs.

If LL was aiming to re-establish himself as a living legend in the rap scene, THE FORCE accomplishes this in spades as he sounds as fired up as ever. All he needs is a bit more polish.

Perhaps it's fair to say that sometimes it all sounds a little too comfortable for, erm, comfort (the line "growing old, it's hard to be an angry young man" is pretty telling).

It demonstrates his considerable talent as a producer, for he has crafted a cutting edge album that is extremely engaging and enjoyable.

The Hawk Is Howling is a record that shows Mogwai's lips to be sealed, but speaks volumes about their depth and ingenuity.

Loops, beats and synths unite to create a beautiful and serene experience on Ambitions, one worth returning to again and again for fans of instrumental electronica.

Who knows what direction they may go in the future but it would have to be very special indeed to top this hugely impressive comeback.

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.

It’s the album that New Order fans have been dreaming of for years and it will no doubt be cherished. Even better, you don’t leave this album thinking it’s a good way to go out. For the first time in decades, you leave thinking: what a way to start.

Fanfarlo should still be around for a while; you only hope they can make more of an impression in the future.

It sounds odd for a genre like this, but Tunnel Blanket might be best approached with a shut-down brain, ignoring the tired qualms of originality, and just let the atmosphere envelop.

Soberish marks the welcome return of an artist at last comfortable with her legacy and ready to celebrate it.

No weirder-than-thou fragments and rejected material here, though: this is a seven-track collection that holds a general, accessible appeal for fans of all things sunfried and fuzzed-out.

In many ways The Sunset Violent feels like the completion of a journey: Mount Kimbie have become a very different act with a sound palette that isn’t beholden to any one genre, and on track after track they prove themselves to be masters of their own style.

As ever with Robbie Williams, there are moments of pop brilliance, and moments where it all falls a bit flat. But, as his first ‘proper’ album in almost a decade, it’s a pretty good re-introduction to one of pop music’s more creative individuals.

Refreshingly free of pretensions and convolutions it's full of well-written songs with melody and fun at its big heart.

There’s a distinct absence of envelope-pushing on Until In Excess… – but frankly, when the result is this beautiful, who can really bring themselves to care?

Overdriven, overblown and utterly exciting, it might be nothing new, but it’s a thunderous reminder as to why rock is so enduring.

Taken as a whole, Animal Joy maintains the quality of Shearwater's earlier outings without quite taking things to the next level they're eminently capable of achieving.

With Body Talk Pt 1 she's ready to finally take her place at pop's top table of greats. For once, the sequel can't some soon enough.

At just eight tracks, it may not be the longest of their albums, but it’s certainly one of their most accessible.

No alarms, no surprises (unless you count a few surprising moves into bossa nova), but it does make for a lovely listen.

This is an album packed with promise but which tails off somewhat at the close.

This is possibly not an album for those wanting immediate hooks and satisfaction, but it's a remarkable achievement and more proof - if any were needed - that Albarn is one of the most innovative and talented songwriters of his generation.

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.

There isn’t a weak track on show. It makes Plowing Into The Field Of Love a truly impressive piece of work.

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.

In spite of his reputation as a collaborator, Parks remains the very definition of a musical auteur.

It may not be a barrel of laughs, but My Favourite Faded Fantasy proves that nobody does hushed introspection as well as Damien Rice.

At times, you may yearn for a bit more colour and energy, but if you wish to take a 38 minute relaxing break from the hectic rush of the world, Silence could be just the record you’re looking for.

There are catchy and effective tracks here, though also a niggling sense that she has turned her considerable talents towards sounding more like everybody else.

Even at 54 minutes, Los Angeles never seems to run out of steam, and there more than enough excellent moments to hope that a second volume may be in the offering. Although hopefully with a less cumbersome band name next time around.

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

It’s done in quite a straightforward and simplistic way, which Mould has acknowledged himself. Nevertheless, it’s very effective and poignant.

Maximum Balloon is by no means a perfect album, but there are some fantastic performances to be found (Karen O, Ambrosia Parsley's sultry Pink Bricks). It's a shame that Sitek never steps up to the mic, but when you've got friends like these it doesn't really matter.

What could just be another run through a well-worn genre becomes an album that is worth a place in any serious library.

This album provides ample proof that Ash’s embers still fizzle away and look likely so to do for some time yet.

The recorded experience of the band is entirely different to that of seeing them live of course, but these last two albums are perhaps about as close to the bone shaking, mind expanding, air shifting onslaught as has yet been committed to tape. Somehow, Pyroclasts is more stripped back than Life Metal, but that merely adds to its live and immediate feel.

The Loon will stand up as one of the best albums of the year, and Tapes 'n Tapes as a jewel in the American music crown.

The Republic may not be an album that will make headlines but it shows a musician immersed in his art achieving a real consistency and equilibrium of sound.

The Demise Of Planet X feels like the most refined statement Sleaford Mods have made so far. Its production is tighter, its ideas clearer, and its impact sharper – it’s an album that gleams technically while documenting a world that very clearly does not.

The songs themselves range from the good (the surprisingly energetic I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, throwback ballad But Daddy I Love Him, the extra textures of the Florence + The Machine duet, Florida!!!) to the somewhat samey but still enjoyable (So Long, London; the title track; Fresh Out the Slammer), to the unnecessary retreads (Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, The Alchemy), to the truly rotten (Down Bad – which can’t manage to disguise its hollowness with truly beautiful textures, and I Can Fix Him).

This is purely primal, instinctive rock and as derivative as it may be, it still sounds awash with originality.

So, very strange but oddly compelling--rather like Mr Haines himself.

Birding is a well-crafted album that draws you into a world you’re more than happy to get lost in. That this is deary’s debut is genuinely impressive; few bands arrive with such a clear aesthetic and sense of control.

It's a journey through the West Country trio's brand of infectious bluesy garage rock and evocative of a head on collision between The Kills and the Arcade Fire.

The strutting No Consequences and the triumphant closing number of Mon Amour end the album on a high, and surely ensure Superbloom’s status as one of the albums of the year.

No Mythologies To Follow is a solid record, one that features a slightly older and more thoughtful MØ. It should make any fan of pop music look forward to what’s to come next from this gifted artist.

A quintessential collection of the kind of subtle contrasts and ambiguity that makes her such a fascinating songwriter.

Newcomers to Justice will find A Cross the Universe only an occasionally endorphin-boosting experience, with most of the rest of the record a polished, if soulless recording of a group nearing the height of its powers.

Although it is only nine tracks long, Goat manage to get a lot in there in a tireless pursuit to keep creating.

At just eight tracks long, EyEye never outstays its welcome, although its relentlessly downbeat nature may put some people off. While the absence of a big pop banger is a shame – Li is so good at them – her restless nature and willingness to experiment is to be admired.

After the divisively funky Evil Urges and Z before it (which quizzically drew comparisons to Radiohead, of all bands), Circuital feels somehow both grounded in the soil that spawned it and operatic in scope.

You'll find more wit and invention on a solitary track by Ethan Kath and Alice Glass than you will on this depressingly retro and lumpen homage to a scene that wasn't even all that back in the day.

Lady From Shanghai is not an enjoyable record--it’s not meant to be--nor is it by far Pere Ubu’s finest or most original musically. Yet it deserves applause for what it attempts to achieve, which is largely successful.

Something cleansing, refreshing and captivating, much like a dip in the sea. Once again, they’ve managed it here.

Long and short, it’s hit and miss.

The production of this album in so short a time is nothing short of miraculous, and listening to it is an experience to savour.

A great comeback from an artist who's been away for far too long.

In 1000 Forms Of Fear, we have what is probably Sia’s finest body of work.

The results are often fascinating. Matmos clearly revel in exploring and manipulating sound, however unlikely the source, and there’s a variety here.

Ghost On Ghost is a relaxed, unburdened work that should please most fans and generally be viewed positively elsewhere.

Come Down With Me marries synth-prog stuff with guitar-driven indie rock in a way that comes across as equally smart and approachable. The achieved effect is something to behold.

Strangely mesmerising and addictive, this album will have you in its hold if given the chance.

To date, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have blended buzzing Stooges punk, thick Queens Of The Stone Age riffs and winking alternative rock into something resembling Arctic Monkeys circa Humbug, as seen through a funhouse mirror. All of these sounds are here on End Of Suffering, and more besides.

While Homecoming could hardly be described as a massively commercial record, it’s certainly Du Blonde’s most accessible album to date, and the short running time means that it never outstays its welcome.

Not everything they attempt comes off--The End Is Beautiful is a harmless and cloying ballad and Through comes across as Jimmy Eat World by numbers--but for the most part Integrity Blues is an intriguing and varied entry into the band’s back catalogue.

Lyrically, gone is the amusing petulance, and in its place are tales that tug on the heart strings by creating patchwork mind pictures with words. And when Los Campesinos! hit that sweet spot, the results are stunning.

Beat Pyramid crosses genres, sticks pins in everything it sees and manages to reference hip-hop, punk, new-wave, dubstep and everything in between. For that alone, These New Puritans should be applauded.

Queen Of Golden Dogs is Vessel at their most direct and bold, and the result is often overwhelming, sometimes confusing, and always fascinating.

Faith In The Future may lack the life-affirming joie de vivre that The Hold Steady can invoke at their best, but if we’re to hear no more from them, there’s enough here to reaffirm faith in Finn’s future at least.

There is a lot of depth to be found in If You Asked For A Picture, and at times it is hidden behind the fairly pedestrian “indie” approach. Yet given time, it’s an album that gradually unfurls and draws you in, even if a little extra punch and bite would not have gone amiss.

For now, Shelter is a phenomenal start along a new path.

As long as you don't mind working for your alt rock fixes, however, Farm is certainly worth the effort.

The King Blues are much better when they're angry and making music to riot to.

Despite such misgivings [that the album runs out of steam and falls into pastiche territory] it's a decent enough record that deserves a follow-up.

Just as he did on Home, he presides over the germination of initially simple ideas that wind in to loops, generating forward movement against a wide screen backdrop.

Schneider TM invites the listener to project their own meanings and sense on these intrusive sounds made beautiful.

Once again, they have come up with a lovingly crafted tribute to the idiosyncrasies of England’s summer sport, and those who approach it as a bit of harmless fun will be humming these songs with a smile on their face at least until the final ball of the Ashes series is bowled.

De Facto takes all that was good about Lorelle Meets The Obsolete and makes it even better. The groovier undercarriage suits their sound, as do the enhanced keyboards, and the substance of their music is hugely impressive.

Euphoric, danceable and smile inducing, this strong work is one of the purest and sweetest albums in a while, and from a band at the top of their game.

It’s considerably better than it has any right to be, made up of a surprisingly satisfying mix of bright modern pop, standard club bangers and Billie Eilish-esque miserablism.