Athena announces a major talent in Sudan Archives. It’s original, exhilarating and unafraid to defy genre.

Whilst it is true that Aphex Twin’s delicate and more minimalist side is neglected on Syro, save for the piano kiss-off of aisatsana (102), there are plenty of signs of James maturing and developing as an artist.

Distinguished by its wide eyed, maddeningly flamboyant mélange of ideas, these Perth psychonauts’ latest is so potent you risk getting tinnitus and/or a contact high from each monolithic twist and turn.

This is a real treat from a rapidly evolving artist and one of the year’s most purely pleasurable albums.

An album of satisfying wholeness, its range of moods power Taylor’s most successful solo outing to date. Anyone who had him pigeonholed will have to think again.

It all adds up to a very enjoyable record, one that fits in well with the current pop landscape while also working beyond it.

A rich and rewarding album from an artist who - thankfully - keeps on evolving in subtle and exciting ways.

Are You In Love? is arguably not quite as immediate as Good Advice, with some songs taking a few listens to really find their feet. It may be one for more long-term fans than one that will provide her commercial breakthrough, therefore. But anyone who devotes some time will be able to give an answer to the question that the title track poses.

Those with a more perky, fast-paced feel like Loosen Up, the lovely We Are Young, You're The Light, Show Me Your Life and the almost singalong album closer Oh No were more successful. Fortunately, these outnumbered the slower tracks; overall Lunglight is an enjoyable release.

It is a marvellous creation from a premiere talent, and deserves both your time and hard-earned money.

Not only is Head Above The Water a collection of beautiful deep-psych lullabies of the heart, it’s also a tender reminder of the importance of compassion and support when life gets tough.

Maserati are apparently attempting to encapsulate something much larger, the infinity of space and the endless depth of the mirror. With this album, they’ve achieved it.

Like the original album, most of these songs deal with the themes of love, loss, sex and power in open, frank ways that can make for – at first – a difficult, unwieldy listen. But presented here, in a more intimate setting, the songs are more accessible, and certainly more apt for repeated listens.

Overall, Invisible Life is Helado Negro’s best album yet.

Lazaretto is an album of singles--it’s also a pretty revelatory record of healing and perseverance for White--that bounds rapidly through America’s South from the ’50s-’70s. It’s another great side to White, and another feather to stick in his pretty feathery cap.

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.

Its author remains a restless creative spirit, but Paul Simon’s music feels as relevant now as it ever has done, his work reaching the very depths of the human soul.

Anchoring the album with his own painful history and never admitting defeat, Balfe has scripted a exhilarating album that contends with unimaginable loss whilst warmly celebrating persistence.

It’s an album full of joy and vibrancy – even when it threatens to become a bit too abrasive, Sanelly’s pure pop sensibility always rears it back. Full Moon is Moonchild Sanelly’s finest album to date, and is about to introduce a brand new superstar to a whole new audience.

With a natural ebb and flow, Curve Of The Earth is both a new departure for the Mystery Jets and their most consistent and rewarding album yet.

Marshall may appear more stylish, her striking face and poker straight hair gracing many more magazine covers than it used to, but the music making is clearly totally safe in her hands, and anyone predicting a creative nosedive any time soon should be in for a very long wait.

These are expressive pieces that fit together to form one overarching musical meditation, exploring the extremes of emotion experienced in a dark and treacherous world. Because of this Songs Of Silence is not for every moment in the day, but when you listen it carries great meaning, in spite of the lack of words.

Eerie, melancholy and yet strangely soothing, The Deserters is an album to treasure, whatever the season.

Wooden Arms, on the other hand, bears the sound of something far more collaborative and just that little bit more complete. Our refound love for musical vanguards should therefore also extend to Patrick Watson.

That is a mere side note, however, for Interplay is a consistently strong piece of work, as good as anything Foxx ever wrote when striking out on his own in the early 1980s.

It has little in the way of variation, even less in the way of optimism, but feels completely whole despite that lacking.

The most impressive thing about Long Way Down is how, despite being an album based on a simple, almost naïve set of concepts--being in love, falling out of love, the raw emotion of being young and not understanding the world yet--it sounds accomplished well beyond Odell’s years.

Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart is a triumphant return, an uplifting listen and a valuable addition to her magnificent catalogue.