If this were the debut album of a new group it would be celebrated as a fantastic example of the visceral and cerebral pleasures of a singularly oppressive style of psychedelic metal. As with all of Jarmusch’s projects, it’s an acquired taste, but a powerful one.

Badbea, then, is a spirited and triumphant addition to the discography. It puts a smile on the listener’s face, will make their feet twitch and will on occasion bring an affectionate tear to the eye.

Totems Flare is his best album to date, sparkling with man made brilliance but sounding natural and organic at the same time.

There is absolutely no doubting that Pastoral is a phenomenal piece of work. It’s a brilliantly informed artistic statement and a state of the nation address that cuts right through. It must also be said that it is a quite challenging and difficult listen.

What is provided here [is] superb playing and a peerless collective spirit, along with a clear and nuanced production that is never intrusive.

Disjointed maybe, obtuse certainly, but listening to this album is continuously rewarding, new images, new storylines, and new moments of disbelief at Darnielle's lyricism on every listen.

It all adds up to another quietly life-improving collection of humble, euphonic Americana, a set of delicately realised musical tapestries that beguile and enchant.

The Red Album brings forward everything they do best, with hooks aplenty, emotive and funny lyrics, all washed down with the odd frisson of self doubt. It's a potent mix, and keeps them a step ahead once again.

A remarkably assured and instinctive piece of work, one that speaks of good times on the dancefloor while not being afraid to throw in more poignant and affecting emotions, all wrapped up in clothing that falls nicely on an ambient blend of disco and house.

As the subtle, off-tonic final note puts to bed the album closer The Empty Nest, and with every aspect of the record exceeding expectations, Two Dancers makes a strong case to be named album of the year.

Mike Skinner seems to have produced a funny, sad, emotional, honest album to rank up there with his very finest work, making us fall in love with him all over again, just as he leaves us.

Heavy Heavy is a short, sharp blast of energy that never outstays its welcome. ... The year may be only one month old, but the first truly great album of 2023 has arrived.

Above all, though, there’s McAlmont’s voice, which has lost none of its sexiness and agility in the years since he arrived on the scene in his partnership with Bernard Butler. ... While all of the musical elements may have a strong element of reminiscence about them, the lyrics are bang up-to-date, and not always as cheerful as the sound-world suggests.

Greenwood has recorded an eerie yet stunning score, and if Anderson's production is just as aspiring then filmgoers are in for a real treat for the senses.

A deep, meaningful and purposefully intimate rock ‘n’ roll record. But what sets this apart from the other LN&POTR albums is that is doesn’t borrow from the past so much as showcase their own strain of cosmic heartland rock.

It's an album that deserves the limelight, regardless of how it got there.

Yard Act’s influences never overwhelm their own personality. ... It may be early to start taking notes on the Album Of The Year, but the smart money says The Overload will be there or thereabouts.

Past Life Martyred Saints is an album that leaves a mark.

A monstrously grandiose, ridiculously gargantuan and stunningly inventive work from start to end.

The constant barrage of guitar noise and distorted vocals can become exhausting, but those who stick with it will soon find themselves falling for one of the most compelling, magnetic albums of the year.

Taken as a whole, Deep England is a remarkable, memorable thing. Disquieting and disorientating for sure, yet offering plenty of strange, macabre pleasure.

This is a quietly ambitious and exciting installment in the history of a band who may be happy (or possibly even destined) to remain under the radar but deserve something far, far greater.

This album certainly is a rush, and it’s also the best Japanese Breakfast album to date.

Wasting Light sounds like the work of a band with something to prove, rather than the work of one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

Interplay is a consistently fine piece of work, and even though it is a shade too long it has a strong claim to being Ride’s best album since they reformed. Given the quality of the music since that second coming, we can go all out and say they are one of the finest guitar bands in the country right now.

While Wolfe’s incredible vocals are the main draw, her long term collaborator Ben Chisholm deserves significant recognition too. Not only does his fuzzed-to-fuck bass make these songs feel genuinely threatening, his manipulation of sound and creation of washes and collages provides unsettling backgrounds for Wolfe to weave her magic over. Without him, the oppressive atmospherics of the album wouldn’t be nearly as effective.

Here she is doing what she does best--weaving the sounds and statements of the people she's writing about into the song itself.

The Seldom Seen Kid keeps the band on this upward trajectory.