Not quite buoyant but still enthusiastic, Via should encourage listeners to start paying attention.

The liberated, enlivened music on You Have Already Gone To The Other World proves they are still one of the genre’s indispensable players.

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.

Into Forever is not the first record to attempt to contemporize the generations-old kosmische sound, but it’s certainly amongst the finest in recent memory.=

Vek finishes the album by challenging whoever will listen. It’s a challenge worth taking on.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows is a lovely album, and a big step forward from Albarn’s previous solo effort, Everyday Robots.

Sleep Well Beast is as sad a record as The National have ever made, and yet it also feels like their most hopeful.

Pig Lib Part Two? Maybe so, but there are enough subtle evolutions here to keep any SM follower listening intently until the cows come home.

If John Grant never feels the need to write his memoirs, it’ll be because they’ve been played out for us over the course of these three brutally frank, flawed but ultimately human albums. Never less than enjoyable, the next chapter is bound to be worth the wait.

If you loved Tindersticks then you will adore this.

The Academy Award is a rather too languid ballad that seems to slow down the flow of the album, and closing track Slow Don’t Kill Me Now makes for a weirdly unremarkable and flat end to the record. Overall though, it’s a joy to hear the band sound inspired again, and it’s good to see that, after all these years, Franz Ferdinand are still a force to be reckoned with.

JT has again done a fine job here. The 20/20 Experience shows the pop album isn’t dead.

In parts, it’s just as absorbing as anything they’ve released.

At only nine tracks long, Everything Is New never outstays its welcome, and is the perfect riposte for anyone who had previously dismissed Penate as a scenester who'd got lucky.

Bing & Ruth have always provided poignant and moving listening experiences, but Species takes a different turn, and fully reaps the benefits.

While her 10th album doesn’t make instant classic status like 1989, and Evermore and Folklore remain her masterpieces, it is still an understated, beguiling look into the mind of one of the biggest pop stars of our age.

In Ponytail, that long-ago art project seems to have spawned the real thing – a band with an imprint and sound all of its own, with much of joy to share around.

There are some mis-steps--California English employs Auto-Tune about two years too late--but overall this is a fine follow-up to their successful debut.

It’s a wonderful and slightly surreal pop album, fascinating for its charming concept, yes, but also pretty damn enjoyable.

W is the work of a restlessly experimental yet surprisingly accessible maverick at the top of her game, and may well herald the breakthrough to a wider audience that its creator richly deserves.

Hooded Fang reference stalwart genres of old Americana without ever falling into parody--Gravez feels nostalgic but never dated.

Cancer For Cure is a dependably bold, powerful statement, perhaps not quite as masterful as its predecessors, but still overflowing with ideas and innovation.

Whilst there are still examples of the kind of dexterous acoustic guitar playing now closely associated with Walker’s music, there is also a greater sense of space and time here, enabling Walker to place greater emphasis on his lyrics.

While 2013’s effort saw some incredible peaks, Vile’s new album has managed to forge a more consistent collection of songs built around simplicity and a shrugged shoulder approach to lyrics.

Joan Of All isn’t an immediate album, and it’s probably not one to reach for a sugary pick-me-up either. Yet if you dedicate enough time to it, what emerges is a work of rare depth, craftsmanship and beauty.

While there may not be as many instant hooks as in her earlier days, there’s a case to be made that Creature Of Habit may well be Courtney Barnett’s best album since her debut.

Pop music needed saving and in Lily Allen we've found just the woman to do it.

Last Summer pulls off the impressive feat of being luxuriantly listenable while retaining Friedberger's avant-garde roots.