Wasted Years features another 16 blasters to add to your ‘essential punk’ playlist.

It’s both expressive and inventive while still retaining that alluring degree of mystery.

A largely entertaining but occasionally baffling listen, Enter The Slasher House sadly falls just short of Animal Collective’s best work and Panda Bear’s stunning solo projects.

My Sad Captains do have an unfortunate tendency of allowing their subtle, crafted melodies to occasionally lose focus and meander.

There’s nothing here that has not been done before, and it’s almost too polished for its own good, but she sounds more at ease with her sound than ever before.

There are some quite beautiful and pop-infused moments to be found sprinkled across the album despite the best efforts of EMA and her co-producer Leif Shackleford to keep away from the ears of the commercial fraternity.

At times, it’s the lyrics in Old Fears that firmly stand out over the music itself.

They’re honest about their intentions, and the result is something that feels genuinely effortless.

Dienel and co have surpassed any of their previous efforts, including the incredible debut Phylactery Factory, and the most recent beauty Kairos.

Cope as a whole is a valuable addition to Manchester Orchestra’s ongoing canon.

The music and the narrative are excellently executed by four top-rate professionals who’ve got your respect (and attention) by earning it.

It shows that regardless of environment, aesthetic and personnel, Holtkamp is as capable as ever of making quietly unassumingly transporting music.

The 11 tracks are in fact roughly split between the folk/country side and the jazz/cabaret side, and this makes for an album that can at times dazzle with its omnivorous verve, but which also has a tendency to become disjointed.

Whilst the songwriting skills are still being honed, Soft Friday represents a solid step for a promising duo.

It’s pleasant enough, but there are not enough killer tunes to make this a standout.

They’ve certainly aimed for the mountaintops with Himalayan and quite often they reach the summit.

Sisyphus is a compositionally superb production that adeptly mixes the members’ unique styles.

It’s the variety, vigour and conviction that makes this new record by Night Beats so impressive and engaging.

Hook-laced in all the right places, melodic, rhythmic, intelligent, addictive and slightly quirky: they don’t skimp on any of the ingredients here.

Overall, Hot Dreams doesn’t quite match up to the trio’s last record--it lacks a comparable number of top notch songs--but it still has some great moments.

S Carey’s work may not have the same iconic impact of Bon Iver but through it he has created an album which rewards repeated visits.

The guitar sounds throughout Salad Days are pristine, the lyrics sublime and the vocals... the Lennon-isms are often befuddling but they can only be applauded.

It may lack the standout hits of the band’s earlier material, but the record does at least have the direction and purpose that has previously been missing.

This is an impeccable record from an incredible songwriter.

The old master may not be as abundantly creative as he once was but there’s life in the old fart yet.

The Melodic’s busy, busy style just doesn’t work with non-dynamic mixing. And the album can hurt the ears to the point of irritation.

There’s the requisite lack of variety that ambient records beget, but no lack of depth in the sonic department.

It is at once assured and endearingly self deprecating. It has an open hearted appeal that just might make Withered Hand a household name.