Elly Jackson firmly takes control of her career and delivers a tremendously confident second album, one that repositions La Roux and has a whole lot of fun while doing so.

This entire album is in a constant state of movement, and could just be their finest moment yet.

The scenic route is where it's at--and there is plenty of that to enjoy on this illuminating record.

Idlewild have taken some time, done the latter and the result is their most accomplished album to date.

The Bible, like a lot of Lambchop albums, probably won’t be to everyone’s taste – some may find the constant electronic treatment of Wagner’s perfectly decent singing voice to be a bit grating, for example. Yet it’s the sound of a man ploughing his own furrow, and producing yet another unvarnished gem of a record.

Eugene McGuinness has created the perfect musical definition of a grower as opposed to a shower, a subtle nudge instead of a smack in the face, and the album's all the better for it.

The structure of the album is beautifully crafted, with each of the tracks like pages of a calendar that detail Croll’s life, presenting a personal diary window of sorts into his world.

There may be only five tracks, five calling points on the journey, but Lagos Paris London is a compelling travelogue and a fascinating meeting of musical minds. Sparks fly throughout its music-making, which provides genuine thrills and spills.

Open Door Policy is quite possibly the best Hold Steady album since 2008’s Stay Positive.

Hey Venus!, then, is not the type of progressing heavyweight that has marked the output of later day Super Furries. As a shorter, lighter effort, though, it is every bit as tantalising, thickly coated in SFA-brand special sauce and still worth its weight in goal.

Fans will be relieved that after such a protracted labour Strangers To Ourselves has emerged in surprisingly good shape, even if it lacks the robust conviction of Modest Mouse’s best work.

World Painted Blood may not be Reign In Blood, but it finds Slayer close to their best.

While it’s impossible to fault Cowboy Carter’s ambition, it’s sometimes a bit too sprawling for its own good. Eighty minutes is a long runtime for an album, and some tracks inevitably sag a bit, especially in the middle section.

Louder, Please is an accomplished debut album, successfully straddling genres without being beholden to them and painting a holistic picture of this exciting new artist.

The Golden Age is a bewitching and thoroughly addictive record that proves that even when they push themselves out of their comfort zone, American Music Club can still come up with a classic.

In its creation of something towering from fundamental, basic elements, it is alchemical.

They are not evidence of a group wallowing in their own experimental pretentiousness. They are the finishing touches on an already admirable piece of work.

It is, without a doubt, the work of a superstar returning from the shadows.

It’s been seven years in coming, but Nature has most definitely been worth the wait.

Henson has subtly evolved rather than reinvented his sound, and it’s resulted in one of his finest albums to date.

A startlingly honest and sprawling debut entry from Blanco, one which challenges the listener at every turn.

This time around, they’ve toned down on the drama and, despite Sheff wanting to make this album quickly, seem to have taken the time to recount the past so they can tell their stories with appropriate reverence to being young.

It can sound like a mish mosh of the obscure record collection of a New Yorker-reading, Ivy League graduate, and one who knows how to have fun just as well as he knows philosophical theory.

Recent years have seen outstanding releases by people like Claud, Chloe Moriondo and, on an even more successful level, Maggie Rogers. Jordana is firmly in this lineage, and Face The Wall is an outstanding realisation of a prime talent.

Howler, when at their best, produce simple, but infectious, dirty rock music that oozes confidence and a nonchalant swagger.

Diablo is a sonically powerful record with a clear sense of identity, and this helps to push past any shortcomings as Gurnsey remains a great producer and one to watch in the alternative electronic milieu.

The riffs are crushing rather than classic, and Andrew Drury’s vocals are full of conviction and spirit but perhaps a little one-dimensional. But for anyone with their toe already dipped in the metal bath, and in danger of selling their soul to the preeners and posers, Baptists might just be their saviour.