Far from being a band at a crossroads, as might have been implicated around the release of "Funf," they reaffirm themselves here as one of our unsung independent music gems.

Soberish marks the welcome return of an artist at last comfortable with her legacy and ready to celebrate it.

In each of the 21 songs there is something to draw from, an instrumental colour to enjoy or a sentiment with which to relate.

With all the ingredients for success laid bare, Sempiternal comes as the lightbulb moment--the clicking into place of every cog and spring, Bring Me The Horizon more than ready to accept the gauntlet thrown to them.

There are enough moments on here to convince that Woon is a very special talent.

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.

Crash, while not a perfect record and not entirely free from external pressures, sees the singer in a completely different space, making joyous music that flits between normativity and hall-of-mirrors-style subversion in a manner reminiscent of The Weeknd’s Dawn FM.

Euphoric, danceable and smile inducing, this strong work is one of the purest and sweetest albums in a while, and from a band at the top of their game.

FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE remains an engaging, expansive and thought-provoking album.

Chvrches are in a comfy place at the minute: their sound isn’t all that new or exciting anymore, but it’s still as enjoyable as ever, with more anthemic lyrics and shiny synths than you can shake a memory stick at.

All The Things That I Did… takes a little time to truly unfurl, but over time it opens out into a wonderful, if occasionally heartbreaking gem.

The Aussie portion of the band bring a ray of sunshine that will soundtrack your summer, but its sharp lyrics and occasional down-beat moments mean it's not sickly sweet. Expect them to grab the indie-pop baton and run with it.

There are few laughs here - but there are plenty of thrills, the hug of the band's name now delivered of a tighter chest and noticeably sharper nails in the back.

Silver Bleeds The Black Sun… is not just the next entry in their incredible evolutionary cycle, it genuinely feels like the culmination of what the band have been trying to do for over a decade.

Some may say it doesn't move Depeche Mode forward a great deal; I say I don't give a damn, it's a real treat and I'll have some more, please.

Very occasionally there is an element of mediocrity and you do feel that they could easily raise themselves to the next level, but for now this is another delicious helping of Apple Pie. Tuck in.

The Orb and Lee "Scratch" Perry recording in Berlin could have been a disaster but this is anything but.

The record she has delivered to kickstart a new decade is a career defining release, and from a pop star who is firmly back on top of her game.

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.

Concise, even at 17 tracks, it’s a superb trolley-dash through Lawrence’s obsessions, both of the moment--listed among these in the sleevenotes are the twisted synthpop of SOPHIE, Japanese girl-group Perfume and “Side 1 only” of Dollar’s 1979 debut--and longstanding.

All Eternals Deck sees The Mountain Goats deliver their most assured sound and Darnielle his most profound poetry.

The debut is by no means a hit-packed record, pop is firmly on the backburner here and thrillingly it's precisely this lack of obvious choruses and instead the bizarre little instrumental interludes, spooky stripped down ballads which build and build and attacking grooves that will have you coming back time and time again to it.

It's far from self-indulgent; their song choices and clever arrangements make Rant a real, if unexpected, delight.

If this is the type of work Kaytranada can produce with no lyrical contributors, then this reviewer would happily have three more albums in this format.

Bleak memories are retold here, and at times you really have to stick with Bayley with a sympathetic ear as the album extends to 16 tracks, including childhood interludes. But it’s delivered in an exuberant manner and, despite some very profound lyrics, songs such as singles Heat Waves and Your Love (Déjà Vu) would have had kids dancing at the festivals in the summer sunshine.

None of this could be called pushing boundaries, but each production is a striking piece of craftsmanship.

Some people may find the intensity a bit too much, and it’s fair to say that this is an album that you can only listen to if you’re in a particular mood. Yet the beauty to be found in Henson’s bleakness is undeniable, and in Kindly Now he’s created what could well stand as one of the best albums of 2016.

All in all, Sequel To The Prequel is a consistent and accomplished return from Babyshambles.