There might be more anger, darkness and politics on this album but Giants Of All Sizes shows they are still fundamentally one of the best bands around at offering consolation and comfort when the surrounding turbulence threatens to get too much.

Her music is always so distinctly hers, and she remains one of the most distinctive and thrilling voices we have.

Melodically, too, To Be Still is both more sophisticated, more confident, and, above all, more convincing (if encountered in a less than fan-like frame of mind, the previous album could appear more than a little monotonous).

Behold, here arrives the first "star" from a productive lo-fi music scene. That's because she's the first out of the bunch of heavily-blogged artists to display her personality, to prove to the world that she's got something to say. And boy has she said it.

More restless than Solan Goose, Sule Skerry is always on the move, constantly changing but all the more exciting and compelling for it.

There is little doubt they will be soundtrack composers in the years to come, but this is their bread and butter, and makes for an extremely impressive addition to an already formidable canon.

While the album is unmistakably Hecker’s vision, it’s the listener’s experience.

It is an album by a band at the very peak of their powers--one that will make you want to throw your hands up and surrender to its magnificent beauty.

It combines such a variety of disparate styles that it really should not work, but Yeah Yeah Yeahs manage to tie everything together seamlessly into what is possibly their most assured and unique record to date.

Out Of Nothing is a wonderfully affecting album that is the band's best to date.

Absolutely essential listening.

For a debut album it's brilliantly realised and contains not an inch of flab across its 11 songs. Debut album of the year? It's beyond doubt.

The album does not disappoint; on the contrary, it’s unbelievably good. Sporting sharp vocals, compelling riffs and potent lyrics, this is a stellar release.

An album almost bursting with ideas and one that, given the time, you’ll want to live with for months to come. The best album from Darkside to date.

Beck proves once again here that he’s a tremendously versatile artist, capable of excelling throughout the musical spectrum.

Yes is a super-concentrated hit of everything there is to enjoy about the Pet Shop Boys: danceable yet everyday pop, with irony behind the warmth and warmth behind the irony. One of their best.

Whilst the debut got tongues wagging, the follow up is sure to get hearts pounding--a superb collection of tracks that points to a band that knows where it’s going.

What this record does, yet again, is show that Danger Mouse has bulletproof, unassailable taste in music and collaborators. Karen is exactly the right fit for these songs, and she is absolutely the star of the set, thanks in no small part to the incredible production. This isn’t the best record that either of these mercurial artists have made, but it’s undoubtedly the finest collaboration you’ll hear this year. Guaranteed.

It is perhaps the most immediate and musically diverse album they’ve recorded.

El Mirador is up there with their strongest albums, certainly rivalling the likes of 2003’s acclaimed Feast Of Wire as possibly their best.

Nothing ever feels glued or grafted on for some empty featured artist action; Halo, Beck and the samples collage together into the voyage as a whole, and combined with the ever-dazzling visuals that have rightly earned them their place in live music history as one of the most spectacular attractions on the circuit, it’s a testament to their never-ending quest of excellence.

Although the year may only be a matter of a couple of weeks old, You Are The Morning is already one of 2025’s best albums.

Whichever stylistic avenue is being explored she successfully sculpts and shapes her music in a way that gives it a soft and organic feel.

As its title suggests, Accelerando provides plenty of speed and also a very real adrenaline rush.

ChangesNowBowie has absolutely no right to be as good as it is, especially with the daring song selection and languid arrangements. But much like the Bowie at Glastonbury 2000 collection, ChangesNowBowie is proof (if any were needed) that when he was committed to a project – and having fun – David Bowie was the greatest musical artist that Earth has ever seen.

All in, Overgrown is a triumph. It is evidence of James Blake forging his own singular musical path, free from hype and expectation, and blossoming into both a producer of real compositional skill and a songwriter of great depth.

There's no reason why this can't nestle snugly alongside Norah Jones in record collections around the world, and it certainly deserves to.

Moondust For My Diamond makes a great late night listen – and at the same time offers plenty of evidence that Hayden Thorpe is growing apace. He has without doubt made one of the albums of the year.