The instrumental Summer Jam also seems a bit throwaway, and being the closing track also ensures that the album ends on a bit of a damp squib rather than a flourish. Overall though, there is more than enough on Summer 08 to reconfirm Metronomy’s position as one of this country’s wittiest, most original and purely enjoyable pop acts.

On the whole his decision to try something different is a commendable and promising move and you get the feeling that it’s a direction he could continue to explore with success should he choose.

Despite the strength of this first offering, you can’t help but feel Foxygen haven’t quite reached their full potential.

Throughout his sounds have poise and power, and although the album is too long it does not often flag, for he is careful to fluctuate the colours used.

For all its merits AIM is a muddled record, and her divisiveness is sometimes counterproductive.

As two stuck-together EPs, then, perhaps the set might be taken better as a promising if flawed articulation of a vision yet to fully flower.

While it’s a hard sell to recommend something like this in the middle of summer, those brave enough to embrace the darkness will find much to enjoy.

Sigrid has delivered a suite of tracks that explore a theme without becoming tiresome, with slick songwriting and polished production to help the message hit home.

Big Wows is highly polished and lacks the intimacy and fragility that made Into Their Diamond Sun such a compelling listen. The pay-off is a more distant but fascinating record that charts their evolution as a band.

It's fun while it lasts, but it's easily forgotten once over.

Although unlikely to ever achieve anything anywhere near their most clear points of reference, they have created a decent debut that may be the springboard to considerably greater success, should Dimou not suffer from cold feet once again.

It's not quite the tour de force they seem to be capable of.

It may never be regarded as his best work, but for certain fans at certain points in their lives, it’s all they need to hear.

G I R L may not be breaking many new boundaries, but it’s guaranteed to keep Williams in ludicrously large hats for some time to come.

Given the impact of All Our Ends, that may be intentional - but it means the album is best experienced as a whole rather than in snippets. Then it can fully reveal its power.

Boys And Diamonds is a madcap trek around the postmodern musical landscape of a world on the brink of catastrophe.

It may not make the strongest impact initially, but repeated listens reveal more in the way of deep thought and renewed optimism for tomorrow.

There are enough highlights here that make this a very enjoyable, if unvaried, record.

In her quest to make her own brand of gimmick free progressive pop, Santigold has made an album that, for all its faults, intermittently works. And when it does hit the mark it does so exceedingly well.

With Images Rolling he has made an intriguing and, at times, inventive step up from his previous work.

Only the slightly lightweight nonsensical The Ram-A-Lama-Ding-Dong Song fails to land (thankfully, Zimmerman’s opening request of “does anyone have a kazoo” is met with a negative) but otherwise this will serve as a fine introduction to Zimmerman’s music.

At some points, you listen and think 'my God, this is actually better than The Strokes'.

The amount of painstaking effort that’s evident on Anything In Return suggests that he’s in this for the duration.

So the debut album is done, and it’s a good one.

Whilst it is certainly unlikely that Key To The Kuffs will do much to alter prevailing opinion towards his work, the record will serve as a worthy addition to Dumile's increasingly fascinating discography.

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.

If nothing on Everything Was Beautiful feels truly essential to anyone with the Spiritualized back catalogue, it’s also a glowing example of their aesthetic.

Ozanne has stayed true to his roots and is peddling a gloriously emotional torrent of untamed electronica, soul-pop and darkwave. It’s both uplifting and tormented, both grandiose and intimate.

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.

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.

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

Christopher comes across as so eager to please that parts of the album lack vim where it’s needed, despite the luxuriant polish that’s been spread across all 10 songs.

A thoughtful debut on which art is sorrow, sorrow is art and Eastern influences are incorporated deftly. Most of the time.

Venus In The Zinnia is an engaging duet with Welsh musician and kindred spirit H. Hawkline. A lot of the other songs may be less immediate but still have their strengths.

The double album is a difficult thing to pull off, but considering the anticipation before the release of Biffy Clyro’s sixth LP, the trio have done a fine job.

After the crossroads moment that was Present Tense, Boy King is undoubtedly a powerful statement of intent from a talented, ambitious group of musicians clearly keen to explore new and bold territory. Yet by making this call, they have also sacrificed some of the crucial nuances that made Wild Beasts stand out from their peers in the first place.

The Archer Part 3 is the work of a band fascinated by sound and the possibilities of contrasts. Here are two musicians who never seem to go for the easy, comfortable option.

At its best, Motordrome serves as a reminder of why she deserved that success, and why she still deserves attention today.

A collection of gentle, sun-kissed pop guaranteed to be easy on the ears.

Gibb continues his experimental combinations of genres and sounds while ambitiously weaving them into an album with a story about growing up, resulting in something flawed yet consistently captivating.

Lyrically the album is an intriguing cocktail of emotions, veering from insecurity and vulnerability to assertiveness and outright feminine power.

It’s often difficult to know whether these songs are rushed and off-the-cuff, or whether they are in fact meticulously planned.

Could be the soundtrack to a blissed-out tropical holiday.

Peace On Venus is arguably the band’s finest (half-)hour since Dilate.

An album that merits--and rewards--repeated listening, this is further evidence of a band not simply in it for the short haul. Certainly no one-trick ponies, it will be interesting, exciting even, to see where Abe Vigoda take their music next.

The songs often look upwards, preoccupied with celestial bodies as they speak of the moon, the sun and ultimately the stars, for which the music often pines.

It’s an album where time invested is rewarded, a cohesive collection where all constituent parts interlock in satisfying style.

Catching A Tiger has its moments of spontaneity, marking Lissie's talent for songwriting and blending genres, but also of calculated engineering, designed to make her into the Next Big Female Songwriting Sensation.

While undoubtedly a bit too long, The Time Is Now reaffirms Craig David’s standing as a fine and flexible pop songwriter with all sorts of hooks up his sleeve.

Bluefinger is, then, a simple, accessible and enjoyable album of rock and blues by a formidable artist rediscovering his scream while maintaining his cultured songwriting abilities.

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

The more ‘ambient’ tracks (entitled Hent I-VIII) are scattered throughout the album and simply consist of Tiersen tinkling around on his piano over the sound of birds chirping away. ... Yet this can’t distract from the beauty of the main piano tracks on Eusa.

The steady pace of mid-tempo tracks might deter some listeners; although there are tinges of mischief, a sudden shift in pace would certainty elevate the listen.

Locus, then, is an intriguing beast, one that enjoys experimentation but doesn’t forget to please its listener through driving rhythms, colourful sonics and powerful musical statements that might be derivative but are a sharp blow to the consciousness, especially if heard loud on headphones.

While Peace does not quite finish on the bang that would have really rounded off a great record, there is no doubt that it reflects the band at their most natural.

It is a surprisingly refreshing listen.

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

If you're in the wrong mood it can be a touch wearing by the end, but more often than not this is 21st century funk gone right.

In order to achieve the greatness within their grasp the bicycle club need to do some free-wheeling instead of all this furious peddling.

The overall feel of JackInABox is summery and light, and the album flows quickly and smoothly from song to song.

In The Thread That Keeps Us, Calexico have learned to let go a little, to let nature take over. The result is surprisingly comforting.

Over the past decade Ghostpoet has crafted his own niche, one in which dramatic instrumentation is paired with his inimitable drawl, and this record further solidifies the style that he’s known for, albeit with a few missteps along the way.

There are some bumps along the way, though, with Art Deco and Religion sounding almost too lackadaisical for their own good.... That said, when she gets the formula right, the results speak for themselves.

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.

Clocking in at under 25 minutes, Do You Wonder About Me? is just shy of feeling like a fully-fleshed project. But with bags of potential, it’s an album that makes you excited to see what self-confessed “slop pop” exponents Diet Cig choose to do next.

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

With razor sharp, expletive-ridden lyrics and tight beats aplenty, it's undoubtedly Odd Future's most accomplished album to date.

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.

Themes For Television might not be the most dynamic album, but for fans of ambient electronic music it hits the spot.

As it stands, Golden Suits is a lovely record, but one that could benefit from loosening up a little.

It is not quite playful enough or quite inventive enough to truly excel, but it is a largely fine effort from a man who anyone with an interest in UK electronic music would surely find to be well worth investigating.

A more brisk runtime and shorter tracks – as on 1981’s Lustwandel, for example – could have elevated the record to greatness, but as it is Wahre Liebe is a diverting collection that showcases Roedelius’ sonic prowess well.

With so many talented people involved, Humanz was always going to have its moments, and it is undoubtedly an engaging, intriguing and bold record. Yet when compared to Demon Days or Plastic Beach, one cannot help but feel just a little underwhelmed by the songs here.

This is a startling new direction, and while not entirely successful, it confirms Cornell as a vocalist of versatility and strength.

For those who have enjoyed Grubbs’ wide-ranging career and don’t mind taking a 45-minute detour into the mind of a clearly talented guitarist and singer (complete with painful violin), The Plain Where The Palace Stood is good enough to demonstrate how great Grubbs can be when he hits the mark.

On the title track, Steve asks, "Don't you got nothin' better to do than listen to a man from another time?" The album presents itself as a fitting answer to that question, and an appeal to anyone wanting to look into the distant delta past.

Sometimes the music is too comfortable for such strife, but there is more than enough here to satisfy. The voice still sounds great, too.

As uneven as Hey Clockface can become, there are still enough reminders of Costello’s genius scattered across the album. After all these years, his aim is still mostly true.

Compared to Big Conspiracy 3 years prior, Beautiful And Brutal Yard displays more ambition and an admirable desire to experiment, resulting in both career-defining moments and unfortunate missteps.

In general there is less percussion than previous Austra albums, which heighten the intimacy in songs like How Did You Know. The exception is the clattering set of drum fills towards the end of It’s Amazing, which disappears in a swirl of harp-like ripples. Yet HiRURiN, as with previous Austra albums, is all about the voice.

While the album's opening single, Sentimental Dishes, is far from the endgame--its jauntiness an awkward fit for the album's wider angst--there's a recognition in its pace, and the broadening ambition of the sound, that PS I Love You may be ready for more.

Yet, despite these slight missteps [Fear Machine and Delusion Pandemic], VII is a fine addition to what is already a solid musical canon.

Many of these songs are a delight to listen to; most could easily be a single.

It’s well crafted and well paced, and features more than enough discordantly catchy riffs (at least two corkers in Beat alone) to sustain the listener’s interest. But for all that, it’s an album dusted only lightly with genuine greatness.

American Stories certainly sees Rostam coming out of his comfort zone and the safety of the studio to produce a work that is both personal and political. If it sometimes feels a bit too light, there’s no denying the craftsmanship on display.

This album is a pleasing, mature release, though a little more freakout wouldn’t have gone amiss.

The movement towards synth pop is arguably a risky one, especially considering how congested that particular market is already. Yet, Cymbals show enough promise on The Age Of Fracture to suggest that they are in it for the long haul.

'Em Are I is an abandoned puppy of an album that you can't help but take to heart.

The BQE is a lushly extravagant score that merges quite easily into Sufjan's grand catalogue. All who lend an ear to his opus will look upon the titular thoroughfare with a kinder eye, even if that view does not have the benefit of reminiscence.

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.

There are still more than enough highlights on Hotspot to make the record worthwhile, and when they put their mind to it Tennant and Lowe’s wordsmithery is still as sharp as ever.

Although occasionally lacking focus (unsurprising, since large chunks were apparently improvised) it is a quietly mesmerising piece of work that breathes new life into Yorkston’s career.

There are moments of brilliance and experimentation, but these are too often outweighed by pedestrian tunes and indistinct vocals.

Despite its unprepossessing title, Not Music is put together as meticulously as any Stereolab album released during the band's 18 years of service.

Pritchard is a revelation, and someone of real songwriting talent, not just a mere lucky soul who got picked up on the streets by Presley and told that she had the looks and just needed to supply the talent. This is a pop star who knows her roots and knows where they may take her.

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.

It adds up to one of his most vital offerings since those heady days of old.

There’s the requisite lack of variety that ambient records beget, but no lack of depth in the sonic department.