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.