It's no stinker, more a transition, a typical third LP that just doesn't catch light enough.

Words are used minimally and to great effect.

Cold Cave are not shooting for nuance; the tracks here all beg to be the highlights, striving for anthemic bliss without any modesty.

Call it the fascinating intersection of jazz, lounge, prog and electro, if you must, but ultimately Tortoise produce music of the most valuable and enduring kind--beyond genres and labels, in a category all of its own.

Bella is a decent album, but one that is more likely to attract appreciative nods than the slap-me-on-the-patio lust that Thompson needs to raise his career to the next level.

Alexander is a thoroughly enjoyable LP, but one that comes across as ever-so-slightly lightweight.

There are hooks and tunes galore, and whether you’re looking for destructive enormity or a quaint Sunday morning soundtrack, you’ll find it in this album somewhere.

Absurdly entertaining, and quite disturbing, Ropechain will most certainly not be to the tastes of many. But it must be admired for its originality and brain-shakingly ridiculous beauty.

Though his aims of presenting this as a robust, high-concept album aren’t necessarily met, this is still wonderful pop.

Whilst undoubtedly, and commendably, experimental, very few tracks on Ufabulum hit their mark.

Here Comes The Bombs is an impossibly refreshing new direction - the sound of a man revitalised and back on form.

It won’t be for everyone and there will be those who continue to look at Pete and Carl’s relationship with utter bemusement, but their songwriting prowess has ensured that the decade-long wait between albums has been more than worth it.

While Further ironically does little to further The Chemical Brothers' sound, they have once again produced a strong and sturdy album of high quality electronic music that still leaves many of their peers sounding one dimensional and unexciting.

Nelson's voice is the shining star on this album, and that feels like the only thing that matters.

But for both ["The Heinrich Maneuver" and "Mammoth"], and indeed elsewhere, it's the way in which the elements of the track click into place with a Swiss watchmaker's precision and artistry that really hits home.

Despite the variety of styles on offer, Remiddi’s songs still have a tendency to seep into one another, and there seems to be more of an emphasis on atmosphere than melody on some tracks. However that atmosphere is well worth soaking in.

Her combination of interior logic and the immediacy of improvisation is also captivating. This is deceptive, singular and highly creative music.

Common raps with the calm contentment of a man who’s reached his destination, and it certainly sounds satisfying.

Amongst the buzzing guitars however it is possible to detect small signs of improvement and fine-tuning, whilst it also boasts a greater melodic strength than its predecessor.

For now, though, they’ve managed to rekindle their affairs and surprise a few doubters.

There are sections of this album where the excessively excessive for excessiveness’ sake draw attention away from the parts that are genuinely fantastic. Not that Prince cares what anyone thinks. He proves with this album that he will experiment and make the music he wants to make.

Like its predecessor, The Boy Who Knew Too Much is an eclectic work, lurching between exuberant pop, vaudevillian knees-ups, disco and sombre ballads. Mika would probably describe the album as 'kaleidoscopic', but it can come across as scattershot and unfocused.

It’s a pastel water coloured effort that’s like The Byrds with less shimmering jangle, The Beatles with less melodious catchiness, The Velvet Underground with less fuzz and Lou Reed drawl: but it works.

The Happiness Waltz may not be the most exciting record you’ll hear this year, but it does exactly what it says on the tin.

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

You might not be able to play Dungeonesse at a summer party from start to finish, but it can be brilliantly interspersed among other hipster-approved pop.

It’s a shame that this is an album slightly prone to dwelling on its ambience. Still, this is a promising collaboration which Denison, Hacke and Kotue will hopefully choose to reprise and develop.

Those seeking greater musical challenges will probably want to look elsewhere, but there is much here to praise and enjoy.