Hamish Hawk’s best album to date, a big, bold lesson in taking risks and letting the mask drop when things threaten to get too arch. It’s the sort of record that already sounds timeless.

Ultimately, Champion is the sound of a band fully focused and completely in control of what makes them special.

It all adds up to another reliably excellent state of the nation from Heaton – there may be no real surprises on The Mighty Several, but it confirms his national treasure status, whether he likes it or not.

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.

Overall though, it’s the sense of place that gives Earthstar Mountain its considerable charm. Some may find the pace a bit too languid at times, but if you want to be transported to the Catskills Mountains for a time, this is the perfect soundtrack to do so to.

WIXIW is a wonder of an album of endless layers and contrasts to get caught up and lost in.

The downbeat tone may put some people off, and with the average track lasting a good five or six minutes, it’s true that some degree of patience may be required to get the most out of Yawn. For those willing to invest that patience though, the rewards are vast: Yawn demonstrates just how well Ryder-Jones is evolving as a songwriter.

It’s messy in places, beautiful in others, and constantly in motion – Microtonic is the first step towards greatness on the band’s own terms.

It may last just 32 minutes, but You & I Are Earth never feels rushed or slight. There’s a kind of glow to many of its tracks and it’s that glow which gives this record its own power. .... The best album of Anna B Savage’s career to date.

Whether it be the sunny jangle of No Exit or the pop sensibilities of the likes of Stars Around Your Heart or Walking Away From Love, there’s enough here to demonstrate that this is Mason’s finest record of his solo career to date.

With -io she has made a work that is both devastatingly personal and beautifully generous. Around the time of Reaching For Indigo’s release, she described that record as her magnum opus and no doubt it will remain a high water mark in a remarkable career. But -io is likely to sit by its side, in cosmic grandeur.

The shifting contours of Stetson’s music make for unpredictable and challenging but frequently awe-inspiring terrain.

Laura Veirs makes an excellent case for herself as one of the most under-recognised singer-songwriters working today and the album's summery soul lingers long after first listen.

Hadreas is a staggeringly talented songwriter, with Put Your Back N 2 It showcasing an array of songs as deceptively simple as they are jaw-droppingly powerful.

Although this isn't a flawless album, it will undoubtedly be a huge hit and keep many people company through the long hot summer months ahead.

The days of Silent All These Years or songs about Cornflake Girls are long gone – but Ocean To Ocean is a moving, poignant and inspiring document of a journey most of us have had to take over the past 18 months.

Music this sparse, this abandoned and this beautiful... you can never have too much of it.

A solid album, one which, given time to explore its layers and textures, justifies investigations tenfold.

There isn't a duff track to be seen, and you get the feeling the whole thing's been meticulously planned and orchestrated, with a mindset of giving us a record to cherish, something to put on when the chips are down, and that rare thing, one that will almost certainly be loved in equal measure many years down the line.

These songs are her most heartfelt to date, reaching into the depths of her character. The influence of Björk is occasionally audible, but so are inflections from as far afield as Enya and composer Karl Jenkins. Yet Aurora is very much herself, one of the most exciting female singers around – and The Gods We Can’t Touch adds another set of strings to her generously filled bow.

Here is a songwriter effortlessly recounting his joys of youth and getting lost, and in the process finding himself through a set of subtle musical gems.

The Magic Whip succeeds splendidly in coming across as a comeback album that hasn’t been overthought, flashing a nonchalant dare to any prospective Oasis reunion project.

It is good to have The Coral back, and while Distance Inbetween may not find them consistently hitting the songwriting heights it does consistently impress with the quality of its musical delivery and the authenticity of James Skelly’s vocals.

Their debut album is a riotous cacophony of perfectly sculpted indie boisterousness.

If you've any common sense, plot a listen soon.

Major Arcana is certainly not a perfect debut and does have some flaws, but it succeeds in establishing Speedy Ortiz as a band with promise and scope to build on.

It is, more importantly, a fine record of a dynamic live performance by a hugely influential band who transcended their punk origins.

All in all, this is a more mature, deeper developed sound for the band and will help us warm the cold depths of winter through toe-tapping riffs and clever lyrics.