With its innate sun-necked nature and social atmosphere, despite its throbbing introspection, Stay Gold is perfectly poised to knock you for six this summer.

The Fresh & Onlys’ most cohesive record yet, House Of Spirits doesn’t break any new ground or take any unexpected detours, but rather solidifies their position as the foremost new-wave revivalists around. Read more at http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/fresh-onlys-house-spirits#cdqLV5AbrbDVF9DB.99

Buzz’s riffing and attack give the songs enough personality to sound individual and prevent the album becoming an analogous mess.

Lazaretto is an album of singles--it’s also a pretty revelatory record of healing and perseverance for White--that bounds rapidly through America’s South from the ’50s-’70s. It’s another great side to White, and another feather to stick in his pretty feathery cap.

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

What’s most impressive about Black Hours is how Leithauser can bounce from one style to another without disrupting the flow of the album.

The majority of Heartstrings is the stirring return to form that much of us had hoped for each time Howling Bells released a new record.

Strange Friend is a tight, concise and incredibly satisfying listen with the right mixture of familiarity and progression. Read more at http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/phantom-band-strange-friend#XfgsSdbaV2H9zOTz.99

As usual there’s a lot of depth here and over time, more and more will be revealed. Glass Boys might not be as expansive as its predecessor, but it is no less impressive.

There’s no pretense, no illusion. This is two best buds having a rollicking good time.

Fortunately, all these madcap tangents pay off amazingly, and we’re left with a sublime, varied LP that’s a perfect accompaniment to the impending sun-pecked skies.

The folk elements lend Sylvan Esso a calm, and a daytime splendour, but Sanborn’s dance-oriented production, especially on the more electronic tracks, are set to be perfect 2am jams. This LP is the complete package.

While what Clean Bandit are doing is incredibly interesting, it’s probably premature to say that they’re harbingers of musical enlightenment. They may, however, be the heralds of super-duper/boogietacular parties across the summer.

They managed to produce a collection of songs perfect for the summer months [in second album, Cave Rave]. The same could be said of Spreading Rumours, which is another album that could just as easily provide the soundtrack to Summer 2014.

Some will find A Letter Home something of a gimmick and it’s hard to see it being anything other than a peripheral addition to his substantial catalogue.

Overall, Galore has some fantastic moments, but remains a thoroughly uneven release with some serious thematic flaws that Thumpers will hopefully iron out by their sophomore album.

A passable release that’s half what you’d want and half what you’d rather forget from a Guided By Voices album.

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

All in all though, Meteorites is a decent, if hardly vital, album from one of this country’s true national treasures.

It’s universally accessible, and it’s the kind of pop that has the potential to dominate the charts and win over hearts during festival slots.

It has little in the way of variation, even less in the way of optimism, but feels completely whole despite that lacking.

The Moon Rang Like A Bell is a triple-jump forwards for Hundred Waters.

There’s more than enough contained within to confirm Butler’s genius at resurrecting the early spirit of house music. This will be the soundtrack to many a party over the summer months.

Do It Again isn’t as downright amazing as it could have been, but there are far more pros than cons.

Ultimately, Haines has once again succeeded in producing a surreal, engaging and magnificently wry collection of songs that provide a satisfying conclusion to his concept trilogy.

The Sunshine Underground has managed to take the band’s signature big hooks and beats and transform them into something bigger and more relevant, Orton’s contribution a key aspect.

What King Of The Mountains manages to achieve isn’t particularly new but there’s a fair amount of admirable craft going on that doesn’t come across as too robotic or synthetic. But it feels too safe, and lacks cohesion and structure.

Lion City is a strong, viscerally stirring album and a true highlight of intercultural awareness in the contemporary music climate.

The record is a captivating and challenging insight into the mindset of an intelligent artist who is pushing himself further than ever before, taking his music in new and fascinating directions.

Ghost Stories is overall a confessional and, as such, you definitely won’t find many anthems a la Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall or Viva La Vida. But you do get a short and sweet nine-track exorcism of demons and one crushed dude who knows how to pen some beautiful, infectious ballads.

There is a epic scale to many of these tracks, and there is also an underlying and undeniable sense of violence. Yet curiously Aurora is also one of Frost’s most accessible and positive sounding records, and one of his most metallic and industrial efforts to date.

Surely satisfying to an unknown (but tiny) demographic, this record is instantly likeable, but it’s also just as immediately forgettable.

Where Newcombe continues to find inspiration from, who knows, but the music still keeps on coming. And the world is a better place for it.

There are new tricks in these old dogs yet.

It is, perhaps, a measure of Wrangler’s combined abilities that they’re able to coax their formula into subtly-defined shapes and guises without LA Spark descending into repetitious indulgence.

It is certainly worth investing raw, unprocessed time in exploring.

Tempest’s lyrical dexterity and writing skills are phenomenal, no matter which way you look, and though some will be put off by the exposé offered here, others will be enamoured.

Yes, Heaton’s Rolls Royce analogy is a good and accurate one. The engine purrs again.

It’s become a rather saturated market and, with the ability to craft stunningly effective vocal harmonies and melodies still intact from their early guise, Hegarty’s music is so much more.

This could be the biggest revelation of the lot. It simply does not get any better than Love.

While Wild Crush is by no means perfect, it does feel like a fresh start for the band and there is a clear sense of direction from start to finish.

First Mind is an album that can be played time and time again without ever sounding tired or laboured, and it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see it on many people’s end of year lists come December.

Those seeking a new fix of good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll from the ‘70s need look no further, as Howlin Rain provide an ample return of sorts to that era.

This is an album that requires immersion; many of the themes and motifs are barely there and need the blanks to be filled in. It is a sonic adventure, scary, exciting and otherworldly.

Into Forever is not the first record to attempt to contemporize the generations-old kosmische sound, but it’s certainly amongst the finest in recent memory.=

While Nabuma Rubberband may not be the commercial breakthrough that some may have expected, it’s still a largely enjoyable record and, together with fellow Swede Lyyke Li‘s new album, proves once again that nobody does swooningly melancholic pop quite like the Scandanavians.

This is an album to be enjoyed whilst snuggled up in the arms of the love of your life.

Whelm is a confident and well-defined musical statement that shows Douglas Dare has taken little time to hit the standard we’ve come to expect from Erased Tapes.

Here, Gira shows that the Swans resurgence isn’t a fluke. Not even close.

This is another step along that path of evolution destined to appear on end of year best album lists, and (ducks from those crazed blues-starved fans of old) it’s quite possibly The Black Keys’ own best ever long player.

Like [Beck's] Morning Phase, even Supernova’s failures prove an interesting listen, and when LaMontagne hits his stride, it’s an album that contains some of his best material in years.

Without boundaries but with form, experimental and noisy but always totally listenable, III is one hell of a record. Psychedelic, maybe. Fantastic, most definitely.

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

There is still much to admire and enjoy, not least Al Qadiri’s pursuit of an individual, politicised, socially-conscious path that never lacks ambition or self-confidence.

There’s still an overriding humour behind everything bis do, making data Panik an intensely enjoyable album.

Despite its serious flaws, it is nice to see Eno making this kind of music again since his relative absence in the noughties, and for Hyde it is a hopeful stepping-stone to a productive, engaging solo career.

At times, there seems to be almost too much to process in Nikki Nack, and it’s true that this is certainly an album that repays multiple listens and complete immersion. That immersion will pay dividends, for Merrill Garbus has produced yet another deftly thrilling listen.

The nine songs gathered on her third record beautifully convey heartache, loss and desolation. It’s not just in the songwriting--although, that is, of course, wonderful. It’s also in the production.

Luminous, all told, is a sure-fire summer soundtrack from a band who are far more cerebral than they’d have you believe.

Ultimately, there are some really strong pop moments on here, but they’re overshadowed by inane, inert, insignificant drama-queening of the highest degree.

All in all, this is a long overdue return from one of Britain’s most underrated performers, who has matured gracefully from the life-affirming exuberance of his teens into a more reflective but no less compelling voice. Read more at http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/roddy-frame-seven-dials#mgY2PWI5W0BoSmam.99

This is a vital album for anyone interested in how musical traditions are disseminated, absorbed and reinvented.

This then, is a solid album of phenomenally crafted songs.

It’s a wonderful and slightly surreal pop album, fascinating for its charming concept, yes, but also pretty damn enjoyable.

Keeping the intensity and power of their previous work, but much more agile and versatile in its approach, The People In Your Neighbourhood feels comfortably like Led Bib’s best work to date.

There’s little else to nitpick about this latest collection; just like artificial sweeteners, it’s a simple but dangerous addiction.

Sky Swimming is an album of many twists and turns, but the effectiveness of these flourishes varies wildly.

There’s nothing as immediate as Ixtapa or Tamacun here, but there’s plenty of well rounded paeans nonetheless, and you’re sure to find something to adore if you’re a fan of guitar music, Latin music or heavy metal.

Get Back is a really great record, and one that goes some way to cementing McBean’s name amongst the legendary lifers that he’s trying (successfully) to emulate.

Its experimentation is narrow, its mode virtually constant, yet given time there are shades, hues and tones to discover.

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

In many respects, Green’s music feels like it belongs to an era much earlier than the 21st century. Yet in a modern industry that can often seem to be dominated by formulaic performers, Liz Green remains highly relevant as that rare exception. A true original.

Shriek is a powerful reminder of how refreshing and affecting bands can be if they have the confidence, self-awareness and ambition to look beyond their usual horizons.

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

The album hits more often than it misses. Longstanding fans will either love or loathe the more prominently electronic direction, but it’s clear that Embrace have succeeded in keeping up with the times while continuing to sound like the same band.

While it’s accessible, it’s never flat-out commercial pop thankfully--but it’s certainly the sound of a band recharged and ready to recapture what made them so special in the first place.

Astonishingly, rather than the sound of desperate barrel scraping (although surely the cupboard is now totally bare), these songs document a band that constantly sought to engage and push the boundaries of music.

Diploid Love doesn’t suck, but neither is it revolutionary.

To Kill A King here seem ultimately still to be wrestling with the problem of how to make several different ideas gel together. They are at their best when it feels as if they’re playing just to you and no one else; maybe a bit of scaling down would do them a lot of good.

Things start to become a bit samey three quarters of the way through the album.

If you’re new to Pixies, try this one first, then let the magic of their previous records blow your mind. If you’re already in love with their best work, a dalliance with Indie Cindy can’t hurt.

While not a reinvention, Joyland does an excellent job of sharpening and streamlining Trust’s sound into something even better than that displayed on the debut.

It’ll take some time to get to grips with, and requires input--this isn’t a passive album--but you reap what you sow, and if you take enough time with Everyday Robots, you’ll be rewarded with a dazzling LP that’ll lodge itself in your mind from now until your last breath.

Surely nothing tastes as delicious as this music feels.

While Amphetamine Ballads is as exciting as any debut record in recent times, it’s also a reminder that the British ability to conjure depth from a sparsely coloured palette is as strong as ever.

This is a dreamier affair, lighter than air music that floats along like a wispy breeze; unfortunately, last year’s effort seems to have set a standard which has clearly proven difficult to recreate.

This works as both a confident and assured introduction as well as an ideal record for the long, hot days ahead.

Ewan Pearson (who’s also produced Thorn’s recent solo works) adds a lovely, warm sheen to many of the songs, giving a classy final touch to an album that has more hidden depths than its MOR surface may suggest.

Though this is a flawed collection, The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett still partially succeeds in getting the message across perfectly in an accessible and honest manner.

The entire album takes a couple of listens to fully digest – the immediacy of Minimum Rock N Roll entirely depends on your level of excitement about this peculiar type of post-punk.

Horse Thief will inevitably hit the jackpot, and Fear In Bliss is a mighty step in that direction.

This might not be the album that sees them break through, but it is a fine body of work from a pair of musicians embracing the thing they love most.

Dulli is a man still capable of the best in sweat-soaked R&B flavoured rock ‘n’ roll, but he now has a range of subtler, more graceful maneuvers too.

Caustic Love is the sound of Nutini finally finding his groove and producing a record that lives up to his talent.

When it works, The Skull Defekts are an unstoppable force, but every so often, they get a little aimless.

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.

Malachai have made some good listening choice even if this has not translated into a wholly successful listening experience.

Psychic 9-5 Club is a rare, gentle masterpiece, and to paraphrase Kurt Cobain, this album definitely won’t let you forget your ex-girlfriend.