The less is more production suits her, and for a first time we get a real and lasting glimpse of Stefani herself.

Iradelphic is certainly Clark's most accessible record and it is arguably his best.

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.

Ultimately, it’s disappointing that after Pop Tune, Shonen Knife seem to be on autopilot, creating songs that could have appeared on any one of their previous records.

Much of, if not all of What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? suffers from a complete lack of intelligence, candidness or originality: elements that help make guitar-based music interesting.

There's more emphasis on guitars, and they appear to have ingested a whole load of pharmaceuticals, but at heart they're a great pop band, and their ability to write a heart-rending tune certainly hasn't been hampered.

Dark Hearts is a mixed bag: it has many well-crafted moments and some stellar production choices, and there aren’t any outright bad songs; the likelihood is that some of the less obviously pop moments have the potential to grow over time.

Wiley may be a little further along the grime road than when he started with It's Not Me It's You, but he continues to keep the genre travelling at an impressively quick speed.

An album of searching grace and innocence, this is the voice of ancient souls portrayed through the medium of a true indie heroine.

As it stands though, Barking is a mostly-solid album let down by a couple of weak links.

It's a different animal than its predecessor, but Watch Me Dance is a fine second outing from a promising young producer.

What we have is a confusing, confused and self-indulgent record that frequently sags under its own ambition, with the fleeting moments of beauty offering a chastening reminder that sometimes it’s better to simply stick to what you’re good at..99

The tracks don’t excite particularly: it’s all rather pedestrian, with the album occasionally struggling to hold attention. This is a shame, because the album’s closer and standout track, The Stars, shows they can manage it.

No one really shakes things up. Still, there are numerous moments of real beauty here.

Varshons is an admirable stopgap that proves that there is life in the old dog yet.

The lasting impression remains one of an unruly middle child, difficult to love, but unmistakably bearing choice hallmarks of its older siblings.

It’s an island of emotion on an album that overall sounds curiously unaffected by the tumultuous events of the last few years.

As a homage to all the good things about ’60s easy listening this ticks all the boxes even if it feels too much like a re-hash of times gone by.

Essentially this is an album about escapism, whether it's from a city (as in Tonight's The Kind Of Night) or the place in life that these characters find themselves.

A Hundred Million Suns isn't a bad album - in fact, in parts, it's rather good. It's just that to find those good parts, you have to wade through acres of very average filler.

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

It is a subtle work that may not blow you away but provides lovely succour if you care to wallow in a soulfully translucent daze.

This record is essentially a minor curiosity, akin to the publication of the band members' childhood drawings--occasionally interesting within context but unsatisfactory and fruitless in itself.

Rihanna's latest collection Loud is another sure fire assault on the charts and airwaves. It highlights exactly the best and worst of today's pop aesthetic.

Even the moments when Harcourt just falls short are infinitely more interesting than most people's failures.

Sounds drift in and out of the mix, but rarely in such a way that they have much of a lasting impact.

Though The Way is unlikely to attract many new fans, those who contributed to the project to make the album should be pretty happy with the results.

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.

There’s a spirit of collaboration that is largely new, a genuine and warm-hearted celebration of past members’ contributions and a celebration of the rowdy, uplifting storm cooked up by the 18-strong modern incarnation of the group.

There’s a nagging sense of the need to develop things further and mesh the mechanics with the human to create a beast that is more than the sum of its parts.

Impressively, then, Nathan Fake has shown he is very much more than a one trick pony, with a bold second album statement that gets more impressive with every listen. We should watch his every move closely.

Even for all its collaborations, bringing in Mary J Blige and R Kelly, the desperate skirting around for identity leaves this album feeling underwhelming.

Minor criticisms aside, however, Outer South is an enjoyable, relaxed album that contains some of Oberst's best work.

The influences are obvious, but where WRM succeed is in breathing new life into a tired template, adding attitude and intent on top of an effortlessly stylish base.

On record it's just a little flat because it's all about energy and despite occasional flourishes, the songs are a bit underwhelming.

It would be nice to see The Broken Family Band attempting something other than the boringly retrograde rock on display in Please And Thank You.

It's these flashes, however, that highlight the shortcomings of some of the other tracks on ((un)), leaving plenty of room for improvement for that difficult second album.

V.V. Brown is a prodigious talent who deserves to have a hit record, even if it's just to reward all the hard work that has clearly gone into this debut.

Miraculously, the whole thing hangs together perfectly, each song complementing the last and what should be a mess of disparate influences, becomes a cohesive whole.

Amongst the other songs of Spring Tides it only serves to pull you further under the hypnotic spell of Jeniferever.

Morrissey's non-album material has traditionally been impeccable, but Swords is not complete in terms of extra material from the past decade. Nevertheless, taken only as a somehwat arbitrary collection of songs, Swords still excels.

This is a collection of solid, excellently-produced and sporadically brilliant alternative songs, and nothing more.

Overall, this is a fine debut album that does exactly what it says on the tin. While they won't win any points for innovation, Two Door Cinema Club are going to find their way into a lot of people's hearts during 2010.

Shadow Temple is a very interesting album. But it's also very demanding. It's as if you need a doctorate in Brooklyn Hipster Music Studies to fully appreciate the band's ingenuity. Several tracks amble on interminably, and often they're so dramatic as to add up to a collection of music that feels more like a film score than an album.

What elevates this album beyond the simply cerebral is the simultaneous pop sensibility that pervades through it.

Paddywhack is probably too unassuming and restrained to make any impression on the wider public. That's a shame, for if you can be bothered to seek it out, there are some genuinely gorgeous moments that sound like nothing else out there right now.

Hawk flits between moods with such frequency as to both delight and confound an audience split between enjoyment of his variety and desperation for Hawk to repeat the feat of the LP's finest moments.

An evocative album of considerable depth that beautifully completes the triangle.

There is something beautifully moving and enchanting about NZCA/LINES' music, and his debut album is a wonderfully assured and measured collection of forward thinking electronic pop.

The Pines ably achieves what it sets out to do, but somehow you're left pining for that little bit more.

There is still a huge amount of enjoyment to gain from Boys Noize and that overrides some of the consistency issues.

The album is certainly imaginative, if not entirely coherent, and this is perhaps what makes the band a unique presence.

It’s a strong start to the record, which becomes even stronger when Wandering Eye is taken into consideration.

In sum, A DFA artist such as Gus doesn’t have to be dancey to be catchy, but he has to offer something to which one can willingly return. In that aspect, Gus succeeds a few times, but he still has a way to go.

The album, then, is a bit of a mixed bag but does enough to deliver on its mission statement.

None The Wiser is a highly enjoyable, infectious piece of upbeat indie rock that will surely see the band scale new heights.

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.

Occasionally there are moments of insignificance amongst the rocking gems and although these fall short of the band’s best tracks here, the contrast is another element that will likely add longevity to the album as a whole.

Darlings is a record that feels simultaneously cerebral and carnal--and things don’t get much sexier than that.

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

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.

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.

It’s a glorious anthology of affective, brutally precise top notch electronic pop.

Spector readily admit they haven’t created a classic with Moth Boys, and are only aiming to create a ‘good’ album. And that’s exactly what they’ve achieved; it’s a step up from Enjoy It While It Lasts but it hints at so much more to come.

The whole album is a new frontier for Necro Deathmort, and it’s one worth exploring with them.

Unfortunately, overall the record is unable to match the consistency of its predecessor. That the trio started work on Friends without a label is certainly telling, as the overriding impression is one of a band in transition.

It’s possibly not the massively successful step forward that it probably thinks it is, but there’s enough promise shining through to make Menace Beach well worth keeping an eye on.

Fans of Tindersticks’ soundtrack albums such as Nenette et Boni may enjoy sailing in these peaceful waters, but those who still return to those two landmark mid-1990s albums will long for Staples’ darker, more unsettling side, which is all too absent on this thoughtful but somewhat lacklustre outing.

Maybe it’s the heartache documented in these songs, but there’s an oddly listless quality to some of the album. ... However, some of the charm of those early songs is replicated.

It means that while O’Donnell’s work is hopeful and evocative, and will undoubtedly calm the troubled mind – a very big plus in the current climate – it may also leave its audience wanting more by its end.

Heartbreaker Please, like much of Thompson’s output, is unshowy yet quietly effective. ... The album can sound a little too cosy, where you’re often yearning for something a bit more raw and less polished. Yet if you’re looking for some timeless, classic-sounding pop, then Thompson does a very good job.

The delights of Home Again is that Hayman sings about emotions that are easy to identify with but sometimes hard to articulate.

Epworth packs some interesting sonic tricks into this record, particularly the chaotic crescendo of interlude The Eternal Now, but overall Voyager doesn’t have the memorability or consistency to justify stepping into the limelight when semi-anonymity has served him so well.

It quickly becomes apparent that it very much deserves to be conidered equally alongside the rest of the Calexico discography and not seen as a novelty or one-off.

There was always a risk that Heart Tax may feel a bit stitched together. Fortunately, the opposite is the case – this is an album to dive into and luxuriate in.

Over the course of a full album, Potter’s vocals sometimes veer towards being a bit too mannered, and it’s true that some of the arrangements can feel a bit one-note at times. Yet, considering this is a debut album from an artist best known for a totally different medium, Pink Bikini is an often extraordinary change of direction for Sally Potter.

Swag is a perfectly decent record, albeit one that lacks lyrical flair, emotional depth or any sense of responsibility.

This is the sound of a band truly enjoying themselves in the studio, confident enough in their abilities to freely collaborate with other big names.

The Prodigy are doing a lot of shoving, but little in the way of solving the problem they’ve identified. If they want to be considered as important as The Sex Pistols, they’ll have to do rather better than this.

Musically, it's all mid-tempo indie-by-numbers, shimmery enough to accompany an scene of upbeat emotion in Dawson's Creek; yet sufficiently credible, as indie so often is, to provide the soundtrack to a montage of trailers in an advert for a new Film 4 season.

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

By switching voices and languages, and throwing in string quartets alongside swooning electronica, he pushes different versions of reality, and while on the whole it slips into background noise, there are moments when Excerpts packs a punch. And there's plenty to capture a more vivid and patient imagination.

In succeeding for much of Human, Brandy makes a committed and surprisingly emotive return.

Dreams Come True was never going to reach the near untouchable height of his canon, but you'd be hard pressed to map out a better first attempt to break free from that diamond-encrusted leash.

If a classic pop album is something that defines the moment, is rammed with ideas and necessarily crammed with singles, then Lady Sov's cracked it first time out.

With Other Lives, there’s always something interesting and exciting going on in their songs.

Mostly, it's gorgeous stuff.

This is a collection of instrumentals that, when fully peeled back, reveal beauty within, and are fit to grace many a chill out collection. It's just a shame that they stop frustratingly short of revealing more personality, which vocals would have achieved.

Expecting consistency from an album like this is a mug’s game. There are good tracks here, about 35 minutes’ worth.

It could never be accused of lacking honesty, commitment or power--some achievement given the songs were not all for her--but at times you long for Sia just to take a step back, to bring a little bit of that Zero 7 calm back into the equation.

There is undeniable passion and love infused throughout these songs and, if they tick all the right boxes, they do it magnificently.

With five singles sitting and waiting, Aphrodite is the record she needed.

There is nothing here that is dramatically different to what he offered on his debut solo album, but the end result is charming and beautifully comforting nonetheless.

Too much of Memphis sounds like a pale copy of a much more impressive band, and Magic Kids really need to find their own, less cloying, voice if they're going to produce something worthwhile.

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.

This is a bruising, effective set, whatever the year may be, and one that really could only have come from one place.

It's practically a soundtrack for pool parties, clubs, and makeshift living room dance sessions. The album knows exactly what it wants to do, and accomplishes it with grace.

Ultimately this is not the artistic disaster it could have been, for despite some uncertainties it is clear Peter Gabriel has plenty of original thoughts to add to these songs.