Whilst Star Treatment might funnel a lot of influences into its carefully woven songs, it is still a fiercely idiosyncratic work.

The simplicity of the music here makes it a perfect entry-point for ambient fans who got into the genre through Max Richter‘s Sleep playlist. But it also makes it a perfect moving-on moment in the band’s career.

Weller has found an ideal blend of experience and a quest for more that provides for an optimistic album for an English summer.

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.

When all is said and done, Ask That God is the Empire Of The Sun album you would want to hear at this point. It is Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele finding their familiar chemistry, doing what they do best, and providing sun kissed pop that we can sing and dance to, pure escapism when we need it most.

Sogolo is the sound of a band still developing and exploring, and that they’re still making such vital and interesting music at this point can only be saluted.

Circa Waves do what they do very well. And ultimately both volumes of Death & Love do a decent job at documenting an undoubtably traumatic time in Circa Waves’ lives.

From bow to stern The Chicks take us on a musical boat ride, with infectious top lines you’ll be humming long after the album has ended – just make sure you don’t leave your tights.

With Wild Mountain Nation they present a raucous and varied constellation of souvenirs, rough-hewn but lush, crackling with a weird and lucid energy.

Whereas his debut self-titled album was a perfectly serviceable slice of alt-country, it wasn’t really distinctive enough to stand ahead of the pack. That’s all changed with Make Way For Love which, at times, contains some of the heartbreakingly beautiful songs you’ll hear all year.

A record which is dense, musically adventurous and arguably one of the more important albums to be released this year. It’s also a record that proves that there’s more to the trio than tabloid outrage and overblown headlines.

This is easily the most satisfying and rewarding set of songs that Cox has written in any of his projects and it'll be a tough ask to top it.

Whether this is Shearwater’s finest album is debatable; some fans may still miss the more rustic, hushed and unpolished vibe of 2006’s Palo Santo. Undoubtedly, though, it’s a record of confidence and passion, fronted by a man with plenty to say.

It’s a towering achievement, building on what has come before while expanding it in astonishing ways. This is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year.

Whether stark and menacing, grief-laden or simply plain daft, Lodestar is a triumph of storytelling and sound.

Japan would go on to at least one better album than Quiet Life, but they would never again capture the same kind of nervous youthful energy they display here. An essential album from an essential band.

Poignant, lush and beautifully played, this is another predictably wonderful record from The Antlers.

This is a record that has finally seen the light of day after a bitter dispute between the band and their label. That something so beautiful and politically charged can emerge from the embers of conflict can only be a positive thing.

This is an album comfortably on a par with the work of most of the younger artists they’ve influenced; compelling proof that the original shoegazers have stood the test of time remarkably well.

A neat album of only 10 tracks. We find her in life-admin mode, clearing out any dispensable trash that she no longer has time or the inclination for. ... Sublime.

Field Report’s debut maintains a wondrous sense of ambiguity while still creating an unbelievable urgency.

Unfollow The Rules – the album title was inspired by a phrase used by Wainwright’s daughter – is worth the wait, and across the 12 songs here, we experience some of the finest moments of his career to date.

A truly excellent rock record.

Julianna Barwick is crafting gorgeously effecting sounds in a way that nobody has quite heard before, far beyond the snickering Enya comparisons or the reductive ties to Eno's ambience, this isn't music for thinking or studying, this is just music for living.

This is a taut, epic and well-rounded piece, dripping in atmosphere.

For the inexperienced deterred by Fela's 30 minute jams, Seun Kuti offers a more digestible approach to the afrobeat form, without sacrificing any of the clarity and energy of the original brand. For the already initiated, it's a crisper, more modern approach--unlikely to offer much that is truly new or unexpected, but insanely inspiring nonetheless.

Wilderness Of Mirrors provides satisfying proof that there is still plenty of value, purpose and life left at the margins.

Me is a brilliantly confident album that fulfills--and builds upon--Rodriguez’s early promise. Recommended.