Those who appreciate what she does well can recognise that in her own understated way, Thorn belongs in the pantheon of the truly great British female singers, and this is another worthy addition to a back catalogue of consistently high quality.

When you're at Rihanna's level you can afford the best songwriters and producers in the business and sonically the album is generally far ahead of her peers. Yet if Sia's Diamonds is a sultry triumph, its character and uniqueness highlights the ultimately hollow pleasures of much around it.

Emily, Jessica and Camilla have put a new spin on an old formula by reducing their sound to its simplest form--and for the most part it is a success.

Don't be put off by these four tracks being hard work, because the other six are fantastic and consign Broderick as the lo-fi bedroom auteur to his past.

18 Months neatly packs Calvin's hits from the last year and a half into a solid playlist.

Whilst it's unlikely to win over many new fans, it will certainly keep those who have been with the band so far content.

With the third in his Essex trilogy Darren Hayman has surpassed himself, creating an album that is intelligent, heartfelt, and musically stunning.

'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! rewards immersive, though somewhat uncritical, listening: a glorious hymn to the visceral and transformative power of sound.

Perhaps not a headphone masterpiece, but a generous slice of frank and thought-provoking tracks regardless.

As a concept Top 10 Hits… is frequently confusing, often brilliant and at times downright awful. Ultimately, it adds up to a very intriguing album by a band that is quite impossible to pin down.

An album of the year contender.

It is also a daunting record--when is an hour and a quarter of ambience not?--but a thoroughly rewarding one.

You'd have to say that III is a good Crystal Castles album. But given that II was a great Crystal Castles album, the trend isn't going the way that you'd hope.

At The Down-Turned Jagged Rim Of The Sky is a startling album full of nuance, menace and wonder.

King Animal would have been better had it foregone the regal pretensions and just stuck to being a feral beast. There was clearly the makings of a decent album here, but somewhere along the line it's all gone wrong.

Despite the band's relapse into '90s Grunge, Sirens vaunts the odd track that testifies to the band's invetiveness.

It's a wallflower of an album, pretty, nice, but lacking the inspiration needed to lift it beyond the mundane.

While the album does weigh heavily on its dark themes--possibly too much so at times--The Avett Brothers have never sounded better than they do on The Carpenter.

For a man who was once so adept at innovation and seeking new creative paths much of Rave Age is a disappointment, the sound of a man content of tread over old ground.

Smalhans is simply another disappointing album from a producer who once seemed poised to become one of the more significant of his generation.

This then is an album that doesn't quite work, being as it is constantly in a state of conflict.

Their debut self-titled LP is one that is puzzling, slightly strange, sometimes irresistible and a bit frustrating.

Where Do You Start is, in addition to being a superb showcase of these musicians' technical flair and expressive confidence, a typically thoughtful, informed and intuitive statement.

In stepping outside of her recent comfort zones Kylie sounds so relaxed and liberated that it's difficult to escape the sense of untapped potential.

This is a solid record from a talented producer who is well worth keeping an eye on.

With only one true standout track, a handful of fillers, and little innovation or progress, it reeks of diminishing returns from start to finish.

They are a group that exist solely to make abstruse, dark and head spinning noise. As such, Zeros accomplishes its goals very well.

At its best, Psychedelic Pill is an invigorating, ramshackle, heavy beast. At its worst, it's enjoyably daft.