One of the Decemberists’ finest albums. Even at this stage of their career, where they can comfortably be described as veterans, Colin Meloy and company still have the power to enchant and inspire – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, indeed.

With the singles and two other best songs placed at the front end, how does the second half fare? In direct comparison, poorly.

Overall there’s a risk it may ultimately prove too personal and introspective a listen for some.

For those with an adventurous sensibility, it will be a pure delight.

Phase Zero might not be as rough around the edges as its predecessor, but it’s still a strange and unusual beast. It is debt to its influences at times, but also idiosyncratic and mysterious enough to stand on its own two feet.

It could so easily have been an ill-fitting coat worn loose on the shoulders of the original’s stark beauty. But these slabs of noise, where Cale picks at the wires like a scab, scarring and slashing old canvases to remake the old, add to rather than re-hash his legacy.

Clocking in at a nifty 38 minutes, Obey is a solid release, though it trails off near the end with tracks that are clearly less inspired than the others. In these sections the minimalism is stretched too far and the arrangements are too loose, but the album has great moments elsewhere.

This is an album that demands attention. An album that is experiential--at once lo-fi and richly textured--where the listener is a fly on the wall, mesmerised by minor-chord introspections that come in waves – some lap gently; others overwhelm.

When an album’s quality level ranges from intolerable to merely tolerable, it’s not a positive sign. Middling.

Real Emotional Trash fails--beautifully and melodically, yes, but it fails nonetheless.

There is nothing particularly ground breaking or original about Solar Bears, and their music can feel a little samey at times. Despite these shortcomings, Advancement is still a thoroughly enjoyable, lushly textured record that rarely fails to absorb.

Apparently, No Más is completely sample free, with every sound painstakingly worked on to make it sound like it came from an old sample. It's this kind of logic that makes No Más an oddly compelling listen, in the sense that you're never quite sure whether what you're hearing is amazing or awful.

It's an album of consistently high quality from start to finish.

First Mind is an album that can be played time and time again without ever sounding tired or laboured, and it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see it on many people’s end of year lists come December.

While the later tracks on Songwriter do start to feel slightly samey and Cash by numbers, they remain highly listenable, with impeccable performances from the band throughout. The arrangements and production merge seamlessly with the original demos, proving how intimately the key players knew Cash and his music, with the man himself in fine voice, sounding simultaneously both sonorously world weary and vibrantly fresh.

The album does not quite have the same frisson of avant weirdness that the best Sonic Youth records have, but there is more than enough quality here to once again establish the eternally youthful Thurston Moore as one of alternative rock’s most vital voices.

These are songs to throw yourself around the moshpit to – it’s the sound of a band realising their potential and loving every minute of it.

A satisfyingly down and dirty album that works up a sweat reeking of the Big Apple.

Fans of Animal Collective and Panda Bear will obviously love this album; another creative triumph for the boys from Baltimore.

Although none of the tracks on Welcome 2 America stand up to Prince at his mid-late ’80s best, there are some songs which come close.

Yet for all these noisier moments, tracks like Desperately and IWR sit at the other end of the spectrum, striking a more consonant, conciliatory tone. It’s this ability to seamlessly blend opposing sounds and balance beauty with tension that makes for such an intriguing album, and very much confirms the old adage that good things are worth waiting for.

A fine return for an artist who seems as vibrant as ever, even in his eighth decade. Newcomers who have yet to discover the genius of David Byrne are possibly better directed to the Talking Heads back catalogue but long-term fans will find this to be an invigorating and often joyous addition to his discography.

Sour Soul doesn’t quite push any boundaries, but ultimately it doesn’t really matter, because even if there was potential for it to be so much more, it still just about ticks the right boxes.

Once again, this is the sound of Wrekmeister Harmonies reporting back from the edges of existence and experience where, on this evidence, it’s both terrifying and beautiful.

It's an anarchic mix which is fun, exuberant and passionate.

In essence Superabundance falls short of being either super or abundant.

Try it once and you'll be back for more--even if you're a long term convert to the beautifully sculpted world of Apparat.

Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis (a husband and wife duo from Madison, Wisconsin, the latter formerly a member of Numbers) have toned down the noisier elements of their sound without sacrificing interest or depth to create this, the most successful of their two full lengths so far.