And They Turned... is at times confusing, frightening, and strangely beautiful.

There are enough little twists, turns and embellishments on their trademark sound to ensure they’re still sounding fresh. Continue As A Guest is another reliable chapter in one of Canada’s most consistent bands.

This all feels like authentic Little Dragon, the album they have been threatening to make for years.

Those who appreciate what she does well can recognise that in her own understated way, Thorn belongs in the pantheon of the truly great British female singers, and this is another worthy addition to a back catalogue of consistently high quality.

It’s a warm, comforting hug of a record, a friend to reassure you that things are all okay, even when it feels like it’s all falling apart. The type of soundtrack we all need in times like this.

It is a modern pop record to be cherished.

There’s depth here, but it’s the introspective kind; this is the sound of untold wonder.

Hutchison may seem down on himself on this record, but the music is full of creative energy.

So far 2009 belongs to La Roux, the rest are just playing catch-up.

Watch the Throne feels all too fractured from the tension of two rappers (and two egos) at the top of their game, trying to get along.

Joan Wasser has shown herself to be an assured torch singer and original artist. To Survive is a challenge at times, but ultimately rewarding.

Needless to say, Yours, Dreamily can occasionally represent a more challenging listen than other Auerbach-contributed music. Occasionally though, these guys soar.

Broadcast have produced arguably their finest moment.

While not completely successful in showcasing in her transition into pure pop, 1989 is a great listen for those refuse to believe both the hype and the haters.

While it's admirable that they're supporting indie label Bright Antenna, their songs run like sold-out singles with all the real hooks replaced with lesser ones. The annoying screaming that Lopez completely misuses comes off manufactured and whiny.

It sounds a hefty record to contend with, but it's actually an easy listen; her voice, while pouty and oozing sex, lures the listener in with the promise of fascinating, wide-eyed stories.

This series of albums has strongly suggested that Lowe is able to make the music he wishes to make, without any pressure of expectation or commercial improvement. Sometimes the old ones are the best.

There's no pretentions, no concepts, just an exploration of music and Zammuto is starting to write the book of the future once again.

Brasstronaut don't leap between genres so much as they shuffle, but Mean Sun, at its best, is an album that quietly exhilarates.

If Moves shows anything it is that maturity coupled with the cold UK winter months have their compensations.

Overall, however, when listening to Personal Appeal--a tremendously satisfying listen nonetheless--you wonder what a Moore record might sound like if he took some time to plan or tweak his musical ideas.

They’re experimental while making for a cohesive whole, exemplary of a band which has been slowly but clearly refining its sound for 15 years, all to the benefit of listeners who prefer to listen with the lights off.

A stunningly gorgeous-sounding album which should see the three talented sisters move up to a whole new level.

There’s a darkness that runs through this album, but it’s almost always offset by something positive.

Dead Cross is basically a straight up adventure into Hardcore. The result is an album that clocks in at under 30 minutes and doesn’t just sound dead cross, at times it’s positively furious.

Taking field recordings from various locations, Tiersen has created an album that works on a number of levels, and listening to ALL completely devoid of context is a rewarding listen.

There are far more high points than low, all of which indicates that Pixx’s third album could well be something very special.

It’s a well-produced record, even if Ufabulum is a better example of the new style put to good use.

The album comes to a far too sudden close with a rendition of the old Warner Brothers standard As Time Goes By, Aphek distractedly strumming her unplugged instrument as the tracks air of optimistic wartime reverie prevails. Giving a cheeky wink to those who’ve found themselves silently swept up in her thrall, she leaves everyone hoping that’s not all, folks.

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

As it is, Hozier’s third album is a album that is simply a bit too sprawling. It’s certainly great in parts, and that voice never fails to impress, but it becomes a bit too bloated to listen to in full over time.

For fans of "St Elsewhere" and general mash-ups of styles, The Odd Couple will contain a few splendid tracks, a few decent offerings, and a few duds.

Make no mistake; there is a lot more quality to come from this source.

Thorn's voice will always be a thing of undimmed charm and emotion, but the gulf between the music styles on display here, which flick from 70's disco, piano ballads and electro-pop seem like trying to keep a foot in both camps of the simpler days of her youth, and the ‘hip' dance crowd.

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.

Holy Fire is the sound of a band utterly on form and completely on top of their game.

When the Arctic Monkeys’ career comes to be reappraised, this album could be seen as an outlier, or the start of their next phase. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but sometimes, dividing an audience is exactly what you need to do.

It sags in places, but this isn’t such a crime when the album also contains highlights like Electricity, Horses, Modafinil Blues and Bunny’s Dream, which are highly recommended for any electronic music fan.

It’s utterly bonkers, but there’s so much raw talent there, once they’ve learnt to rein in their excesses The Lemon Twigs could go on to produce something truly special in the future.

The ultimate result of that process remains to be seen, but in the meantime, it has left us with a beautifully rendered, intimately personal collection of very fine songs indeed.

All told it's a slightly patchy album, but one which is nonetheless saved by a couple of pop gems.

It’s a real skill to make what is essentially pop music that also manages to combine depth in lyrics and cheerful tunes, and on this album Frankie Cosmos absolutely excel.

Carpeth is traditional enough to please the Cropready massive, but also quite experimental too. Those new to the genre might be better served by checking out something more palatable, but for those with a taste for something more outlandish Carpeth certainly delivers.

Blood Rushing is a beautifully lilting, melodious album.

Not quite buoyant but still enthusiastic, Via should encourage listeners to start paying attention.

For those unwilling to ride his digital wave of collapse and partial reconstruction, Farmer's mythological re-enactments will seem essential.

Jehnny Beth and Johnny Hostile have crafted a great record, which is more than capable of carrying the Savages legacy on its shoulders.

Whilst it’s a brave attempt to explore new lands outside their comfort zone, it’s one that isn’t quite as rewarding and rich as Patrick Watson would have hoped.

Whether he has been re-invigorated by love, his new band or just from old-fashioned growing up, Mark Everett and Eels re-define themselves here with exhilarating success, putting all associations with misery out of mind with a compelling finality.

Elton and Russell, having come together for The Union, have made an album that delivers as a confident enmeshing of their talents

Only occasionally does the album threaten to go awry. ... This is smart, literate pop music that can tug at the heart as well as make you dance.

Lyrically it is rich pickings for those that savour the words so often masked by either sheer noise or mumbled vocals, as O’Brien proves how he has developed into a rather impressive poet.

There are possibilities of ideas, tunes and textures yearning to communicate here, but the paper-thin construction doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. Yet ultimately, experimenting with instrumentation and the pair’s (albeit limited) vocals do occasionally make for a pleasant, if not completely engaging, listen.

Give Oh Ohio time--there's more than enough here to breath life back into a resurgent band.

While the rest of the album doesn’t quite live up to the expectation set by its opening salvo, the longest journeys start with a single step. And as the first step in the next chapter of Wolves In The Throne Room’s story, Thrice Woven moves decidedly in the right direction.

Ultimately, if a Flaming Lips didn't include a high degree of experimentation, you'd be disappointed. Yet when they keep things simple, such as the closing piano led Goin' On, the results are magnificent.

21 really is one of the great 'break-up' albums, and the first truly impressive record of 2011. Here is a timely reminder that British soul hasn't lost its mojo.

While it is ever-so-slightly patchy, it would be unkind to suggest that Wild Peace is anything other than an impressive debut.

Lidell has been through a lot in his personal life since the last album, and it seems that has prompted a rethink on his music - a turn in direction back to the less predictable, more incendiary writing of Multiply and his days with Supercollider. It suits him to be back in that place.

Whilst this emotional look back [fourth track Sandlot] might suggest they’ve got one foot in the grave, there’s plenty of fight left yet. In the past, this would have taken the form of furious punk, but this time around the Dropkicks have expanded their sound out into something far grander than anything they’ve attempted before.

Sonic landscapes shift around behind Deschanel across the length of the album; as tunes introduce elements of pure indie pop, old timey slide-guitar country, rattling tin-ally piano, and light rock, the singer keeps her cool and holds everything together throughout the course of Volume One.

Spokes have certainly left a little room for improvement. It must be a good omen though, to produce something good and suggest at something great.

While there's no arguments with the quality of the craft on display, over the course of a 12 track album, you may find yourself nodding off sometimes. Yet there's still a warm glow to this album, and anyone who's missed the sound of Knopfler expertly working the fretboard, will find much to love on it.

Hugely enjoyable and wonderfully disposable pop for the listener, who will turn round and return for more, no question. An auspicious debut.

If you like your music with the psychedelic layers of The Field and subtle atmospherics of Joy Orbison, Blondes have so much to give.

Though it’s only a brief listen, Back In Black finds Cypress Hill refreshed and re-energised.

While Atoms For Peace inevitably doesn’t display that unique chemistry which is evident in spades when Mssrs Selway, Greenwood et al join the party, it remains an intriguing, if at times uneasy listen.

This is red wine music, no doubt about it, but red wine music for the discerning indie intelligentsia, perfect for a long night where the only ambition you've got left is to sink so far into the floor cushions that you'll never get up again.

His debut album (a previous finished collection was never released) skates dangerously close to self indulgent pastiche yet contains some immaculately played gems that possess the definitive crackle of old school analogue tape sessions.

An immaculately told doomed love story with such an evocative quality that you can almost smell the rain on the logs, The High Country is an album in which to immerse yourself.

The Big Sleep have presented a collection of often excellent songs of real substance, making for an album that warrants, for the most part, unmitigated attention; preferably through some decent speakers.

Overall this disc is a well-made breeze of strong songs and great playing, but the moments of fence-sitting hold it back.

With a bit more definition, a bit more purpose and just a bit more consistency you wonder if it could have been great.

Overall The Return is a vital addition to both the budding career of Kamaal Williams, and to modern jazz as a whole.

It is a hodgepodge of tracks, seemingly made with little thought to how they will all sound in sequence, and because of this it doesn’t have much more consistency than an eclectic music collection on shuffle. Which is a shame, because there are good ideas here.

UR Fun is one of those albums which will delight their fans, and probably not make too much of an impression outside the fanbase. What this album shows is that Barnes and his band are still capable of providing a soundtrack to the best party you’ll never be invited to.

This album sounds brighter than its predecessor, more refined, sharply focused and coherent.

There’s much to enjoy on True Romance, although it’s probably best sampled in small doses as it doesn’t hang together that successfully over the course of an album.

They've come a million miles from their earlier recordings.

Endlessly listenable and beautifully performed, Algiers is another fine entry into this dependably excellent band's catalogue.

Throughout the Boys do their best to beckon in some Mediterranean temperatures, and because of their easy going nature and reluctance to force things, they comfortably succeed, creating some blissful but effortlessly funky music for sultry summer listening.

It's an album that deserves the limelight, regardless of how it got there.

Move In Spectrums is a very good record but it’s not a great one. The reason for this is quite simple: the album is lacking the one absolute killer track that would elevate the album to a higher status.

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

The album may not carry the sort of dance-fused electro-pop magnificence they’ve made before, but moving away from the more ‘expected’ type of pop song you think of when Erasure crops up in conversation seems to have worked wonders.

This being Roots Manuva there's a lyrical gem in pretty much each song - and this being Roots Manuva, a lot of them are intensely personal observations.

All in all, Seer is an amazing addition to the impeccable Thrill Jockey canon, even if Alexander Tucker still sits atop his glittering throne at the apex of Thrill Jockey’s recorded output, unchallenged by great but not life-changing records like this.

Ten tracks which are probably the distillation of what Japandroids are all about. It’s a noisy yet tuneful swansong, full of fierce guitar chords, pummelling drums and songs about seedy downtown bars and hard-partying women.

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.

Despite its promising start, the album sags in the middle with Harcourt indulging, not for the first time, his love of Tom Waits.

Their loud, rough and tumble early efforts on Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday have combined nicely here with a sense of southern rock and pop rock from the past few albums to produce another gem for an amazingly consistent band with plenty of room left to grow.

the samples-led, organic electronica here may produce intriguing textures--and Phillips' background as a soundtrack composer is never in doubt--but it is hard work to find anything approaching coherence here.

Where an artist as eclectic and unpredictable as this might go next is anybody’s guess, but on the basis of this quietly spectacular album, it’s likely that listeners will be more than happy to follow him into the unknown.

nge. Lesser bands may have gone off the rails, but Courtney and company have responded by making the best album of their career to date.

It's bigger, brighter and braver than what went before, and should elevate Florence even higher, with her Machine shoulder to shoulder.

Transit Transit is a very idea-focused album, with each track a structure whose foundation lies in a very specific sound.

It's an accomplished release which, while throwing the occasional nod to other artists of the same genre (M83, Saint Etienne), nonetheless maintains a sense of uniqueness and identity that remains prevalent throughout its duration.

Gira’s ability to look at the world and show us how terrifying it is continues to reap rewards. It might not throughout be what we’ve come to expect from Swans, but it is decidedly relevant.