Hyperdrama is a well thought through album, bringing a real shot of adrenalin in its outer sections. The suspicion may be that Justice have applied just a bit too much studio gloss to the end product, but that should see it work brilliantly in the live environment. One thing is for certain – Justice are more than happy to take the French dance music mantle and run with it. Two decades in, their beats are as strong as ever.

From beginning to end Circular Sounds feels familiar. And with only one track (just) over four minutes, Stoltz holds true to pop convention in length as well as arrangements.

Overall, it’s hard not to admire a band who, a generation on from their heyday, continue to craft their undemanding but eminently listenable songs with passion and charm.

Optical Delusion is messy, and it certainly doesn’t display the focus of the Hartnoll brothers’ career highlights, but you’re never more than five minutes away from a musically inspired moment.

Vicious Creatures is a sometimes uneven, but never less than intriguing, listen, and kicks off Lauren Mayberry’s solo career in impressive fashion.

While they may not be the finished article just yet, there is enough promise here to suggest an exciting future ahead.

Long-term Rilo Kiley fans may take their time to warm to Under The Blacklight.... This sees them develop their sound and mature with it.

Adventures... is an accomplished album, one which makes the most out of not over-complicating things.

At times, he runs out of ideas, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that he is clearly going somewhere--even if that might be more often than not the past.

Whilst it hardly breaks new ground, either generally or for Barlow as an artist, Brace The Wave offers further evidence of Barlow’s core talents.

Yes is a super-concentrated hit of everything there is to enjoy about the Pet Shop Boys: danceable yet everyday pop, with irony behind the warmth and warmth behind the irony. One of their best.

Concrete And Glass is a fine piece of architecture, typically classy and emotive while providing some very necessary warmth and light for the January darkness. We may well pine for something new from Air, but in their absence this will do very nicely indeed.

Together is certainly far-reaching in its ambitions, and it often seems close to collapsing under the combined weight of all its collaborators, but it never falters, despite its dangerous dance. The New Pornographers have taken a risk in fussing with their sound, but in large part it's paid off beautifully.

Given it's gestation, it's fairly amazing that Baby 81 wasn't stillborn. To find it's kicking with such vigor is little short of remarkable.

There’s a truly startling album lurking somewhere within Moore, but she’ll need to start taking a few more risks for that to be unleashed.

Ultimately, Rain is slightly too smooth to count as a complete success.

For all its flaws--it’s overlong, and sometimes seems too keen to be meta and self-referencing--it’s full of energy and often makes for an exhilarating listen. It may not quite measure up to the heights of 1989, but whether she’s Old Taylor or New Taylor, there’s enough here to demonstrate why she’s still one of pop’s brightest pop stars.

Arm's Way is a masterful and intricate offering progressing from their debut to create a new vision mixing a banquet of sounds and tempos to create an accomplished peace of musical craftsmanship.

The album is brief, almost EP length, and doesn’t end nearly as well as it begins, but Spell My Name still features some great tunes and is proof that Toni Braxton’s smooth alto can grace a trap instrumental just as well as a Darkchild production or a slow jam.

Sadness may remain her true love, but when she flirts with other emotions, the effect can still be magical.

They provide a helpful and--mostly--enjoyable overview of the scope of Ashworth's work.

In less skilled, less ambitious hands, this record could have been derivative and hackneyed. Instead it is an unqualified triumph for a young band who, with a little luck, should go on to achieve widespread acclaim in years to come.

An epic album, one that is occasionally repetitive but never less than one eye on the future, one eye on the road and the third eye gazing in awe at the heavens.

Breach is a fine return, but will most likely be seen as a transitional album in years to come.

Unfortunately, Acoustic Dust suffers from the age old problem that acoustic albums generally face--lack of variation.

Like Britney herself, Glory is a fascinating if flawed listen--while she remains very much a singles artist, this is her most successful record in a while, and still contains glimpses of why she remains so compelling, 18 years into her career.

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.

Some people may find the pace of Bow To Love a bit too pedestrian, but most of the time, Campbell’s music feels like a soothing balm for a troubled world.