Despite their heavy reliance on the past, in Somewhere Else there are more hits than misses.

It is a subtle work that may not blow you away but provides lovely succour if you care to wallow in a soulfully translucent daze.

Mazes are forging a distinct path from their peers and their second record offers rich rewards for like minds who wish to join them.

Somerset may be a little detached and introverted, but Waves Of Fury certainly are not and on this evidence, they can stand proudly with the county’s finest exports.

The album just sounds like the same guitar riffs recycled, with the distortion merging them all into one.

While Atoms For Peace inevitably doesn’t display that unique chemistry which is evident in spades when Mssrs Selway, Greenwood et al join the party, it remains an intriguing, if at times uneasy listen.

In ramping up their scope--a laudable and understandable idea really for a second LP--Widowspeak instead often lose sight of their strengths, too often not seeing the wood for the trees. Indeed, it’s when they’re seemingly less sure of where they are that Almanac excels.

As a homage to all the good things about ’60s easy listening this ticks all the boxes even if it feels too much like a re-hash of times gone by.

This is a solid, enjoyable solo debut that’s certainly worth investigation if you’re a long-term Marr watcher.

A truly excellent rock record.

As enjoyable as it all is though, it’s hard to escape the lingering feeling that Lidell is best when balancing his desire to mine the rich seam of electronic music’s past with a more innovative perspective.

Be Your Own King, is above all things, a fun record.

It’s an intriguing mixture of pure punk, post punk, and first-wave emo--think Fugazi or Rites Of Spring--though the moments of deliberate discordance are as frequent as the buried melodic gems.

Odeon may lack two of the qualities that were so evident and satisfying on albums like Suzuki and No Hassle, namely their smooth consistency and unbroken flow.

Evolution Theory is an album that has a base level thrill to its highlights but it is an ephemeral thrill that is fleeting on record, and there’s the sense that these songs will work best in the live environment where Modestep will excel.

Arguably one of Dutch Uncles’ greatest strengths is that their music never sits still and is devilishly difficult to categorise, thanks to the intricate tapestry of expertly woven threads painstakingly constructed on each song so adroitly that it all fits together perfectly, without any single element being allowed to monopolise the listener’s attention.

Fuelled by more than a decade of experience, Conduit sees Funeral For A Friend unleash an excitingly fresh attitude resulting in a record that could so easily be mistaken for an LP released by a band over a decade their junior.

It’s all intelligently arranged, but also in thrall to the energy and swing of jazz tradition--there is plenty of rhythm and blues during the improvising.

Their blend of the parochial and multi-cultural with a hint of dark mystery combines to promising effect here.

Overall, while II is a success, it’s just not quite the great record it should have been.

Musically it’s a subdued affair, but there are echoes of the dancefloor euphoria mixed with relentless paranoia drifting in and out throughout the song’s duration, conjuring up images of the long walk home from an unsuccessful night clubbing.

For all its flaws, it remains a tremendously fun record. But artistically speaking, it’s woefully weak.

Homosapien at its best creates a refreshing sense of vitality in a genre often defined by its synthetic nature.

Push The Sky Away demonstrates that even in his 30th year, nobody delivers a lyric quite like Nick Cave.

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

Like many victims of the cut-throat mainstream pop game it wants to join, Heartthrob falls down more often than not because the songs capture the immaturity of its target audience a little too well.

Whilst How I Knew Her is lacking a little in inventiveness at times, and some of its oddities will rub up people the wrong way but there are still plenty of great moments scattered throughout to make it worth your attention.

The album is certainly imaginative, if not entirely coherent, and this is perhaps what makes the band a unique presence.