In the streaming age many records are front-loaded to cater to short attention spans, so Tranquilizer deserves kudos for placing two of its most interesting tracks at the end.

Let's Get Out Of This Country delivers ten perfect pop tunes.

There’s some filler – If You Only Knew and Window come across as a bit anonymous compared to the more ferocious tracks such as the title track or the almost feral-sounding Spit Shine. Yet, for the most part, Your Favorite Toy sounds like a band with a renewed sense of purpose, and one that is ready to use the pain of the last few years as an inspiration.

Nothing groundbreaking there, you might think, but it is all done with a down to earth approach that is at once appealing.

Whilst it might not always be a pleasurable listen, there's something visceral and exciting about this music.

As it’s a debut, she’s still developing her sound, but all indications are that this is a start of a long and successful journey for Nia Archives.

If you ignore the obvious filler and give it time to wash over, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under is an enjoyable set of songs that will linger long in the memory.

There’s no big anthem like Landed, and sometimes you do yearn to hear Folds properly hammering his piano like in his early solo days or during his time with Ben Folds Five.

The end result is highly accomplished, viscerally honest and at times hypnotically beautiful, even if it ultimately doesn’t quite live up to its creator’s ambition.

This is undoubtedly Greenwood’s work, and he writes with ever-growing assurance and colour, broadening the orchestral palette. It’s just a shame this album as a whole could not be arranged in a more satisfying way.

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

The decision to segregate different moods and styles into these contrasting releases was a risky one, but it pays off in that both records remain interesting for their duration. Princess Nokia is for the most part a great rapper, but can sometimes lapse into an artless earnestness, as this enjoyable but patchy diptych demonstrates.

Euphoric Heartbreak is a more accomplished, interesting piece of work; a brutal but exhilarating listen. Yet without the hype that surrounded its predecessor, and with a distinct change of tact, it might struggle to find its natural home.

Weird and wonderful in roughly equal measure.

The Queens treading water is still better than watching so many others horribly drowning.

Whilst it’s good to see another side to the band, it’s the sheer spiky pleasure of their more direct moments that stand out.

For those people who still think Lily Allen is the epitome of nepotistic celebrity culture, her second album won't change many minds. For the rest of us, It's Not Me It's You cements her position as one of this country's most interesting pop stars and proves that she's not some one-hit wonder.

The album is not necessarily vintage Garbage, but it confirms the band still have their best qualities intact – no-nonsense music and a vocalist on great form.

Like [Beck's] Morning Phase, even Supernova’s failures prove an interesting listen, and when LaMontagne hits his stride, it’s an album that contains some of his best material in years.

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.

Reservations regarding vocals and mannered performances aside, this is an impressive second outing that cements Ulrika Spacek’s position as one of Britain’s most intriguing, painterly guitar bands.

I Told You I Was Freaky is a smart, funny, musically vast album, giving everyone's favorite kiwis a chance to broaden the canvas of their twitchy, awkward, displaced brand of comedy.

Sol Invictus is not a bad return, but it’s not the greatest thing Faith No More has ever done.

Charli is not the perfect pop album, nor is it a fully developed manifesto for where pop could go, but it is a collection of enjoyable, interesting tracks that don’t sound completely alien, but also don’t sound like anyone involved is selling out.

Overall, Postcards finds Manic Street Preachers at the top of their game, even 22 years after their first single. It's not for everyone--though pop radio will undoubtedly spin several of these tracks hourly for the foreseeable future--but longtime Manics fans will likely find plenty to love in this polished, grandiose "last attempt at mass communication" from an enigmatic rock 'n' roll institution.

They may not define the zeitgeist as they did 20 years ago, but God Games proves they can still hit those old heights more often than not.

Black Hole Superette also has some surprisingly pretty instrumentation, such as the shimmering synth leads that open Checkers and the descending chord sequence of Black Plums, subtly embellished by harmonies as the track progresses. It’s elements like this, along with Aesop’s wordplay, which make a lengthy album consistently engaging.

This is a confident debut by a band that can only keep on improving.