Life After Defo is both complex and accessible, intricate and immediate.

The Life Of A Showgirl isn’t a particularly bad album, but given Swift’s immense back catalogue, too much of it sounds like an artist on autopilot and in need of a rest.

An unfettered sonic experiment from a commercially unconcerned duo, Clay Class, whilst often pushing itself successfully into unexplored melodic territory, feels unfinished, difficult and hesitant.

Like a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon causes a hurricane on the other side of the world, Breton’s attention to detail has made the all-encompassing tone of War Room Stories differ vastly.

There's a breathtaking array of bleeps, quirks, bits and bobs popping up to keep the boogie busy and the mind attentive.

It’s fun, but accomplished too, and shows how Hesketh has taken her knocks, used them and come back bolder, brighter and better.

It is a straightforward and solid return from a band who sound unsure whether to stick or twist.

The band still have the knack with a melody, and there's always room for a winning formula melding atmospherics with a good tune, but somehow the addictive charm of the highlights of "Citrus" such as 'Thursday' and 'New Years' just aren't present on Hush, and you're left feeling underwhelmed.

In Without Your Love he shows that he’s evolved from sinister experimentalist to a creator of powerful and highly original songs.

The barefaced Daft Punk-like sampling culture is really ephemeral, now that DJ Food has upped the calibre of practical electronica and aesthetic trip-hop.

There are few laughs here - but there are plenty of thrills, the hug of the band's name now delivered of a tighter chest and noticeably sharper nails in the back.

There are mixed results as some tracks on Something Else feel like the band are going through the motions, while others flow with more energy.

In the right London bar, on the right night, bands like this can change your life… but for everything else, there’s much more joy to be had in the originals.

There are certainly some nice tunes here though it's doubtful if Underground buskers will be swapping them for the likes of Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger in their Christmas run-up repertoire.

The formula is executed well, while the production and songwriting keep the Australian four-piece ahead of any imitators. ... Yes, new music is good to have and good to experience, but when the tunes become interchangeable that notion starts to feel hollow.

It's sustainable, technically sound, and part of a much bigger feast that happened a couple years ago.

It may not quite have the immediate irresistibility and wide-eyed innocence of its predecessor but it successfully builds on and expands the sounds previously established.

Although a tad overlong and samey after 15 tracks, occasionally drifting into wine bar background music territory, there are some immediate standouts on Room Under The Stairs.

Although Storytellers' qualities imbue it with sufficient class to shine forth from the background (in much the same way as Air's Virgin Suicides score, perhaps), its gentility and decorum are so consistent that this is an LP that needs to be sought out.

There is also a notably darker, murkier imperative at the heart of Original Colours and the results are sometimes a little introverted.

Write off Jaguar Love at your peril; this is one of the best albums of the year so far.

This Is… Icona Pop is a worthwhile listen because it doesn’t dumb down. It’s not trying to enlighten, either.

It may well be Múm’s most balanced, enjoyable record yet.

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.

Musically it’s a subdued affair, but there are echoes of the dancefloor euphoria mixed with relentless paranoia drifting in and out throughout the song’s duration, conjuring up images of the long walk home from an unsuccessful night clubbing.

$O$ is mostly forgettable, not working as either a comedy piece or as actual, you know, music

Hysterical marks a significant return to form and fortune for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

The overall impression [is] that Alarms In The Heart is overall an opportunity missed.