In both being muscular and sparkly, they have made a brilliant album that makes being in a band sound like the most fun thing in the world.

Whilst it isn't flawless, it's as accomplished as it is experimental and it seems to improve with each spin.

Taken individually, most of the songs are accomplished and engaging (though we could certainly have done without the dreary Sad Beautiful Tragic) but Speak Now was such a coherent work that Red can't help but feel modestly disappointing.

The record does admittedly sound excellent. Urgent and rippling with intensity it has a power that is let down by the lack of simply great songs. Far too many tracks follow an increasingly tired and weary rock formula.

Sundfør's combination of careful, detailed arrangement and unrepentant magic realism is visionary and enriching.

Lonely At The Top is a complex and elusive album: indulging in the sensualities of aural texture whilst retaining a depth of communicative potency.

Until Now never quite shakes the feeling of being a little gratuitous--a few euphoric gems aside, there isn't enough creative spark on the record to justify its existence, and listening to it feels about as useful as attending a Swedes gig without the live atmosphere.

TRST is a hell of a debut. It's also a reminder that as ubiquitous as they may become, there's plenty of life in the old synth yet.

With Lost Songs, Trail Of Dead certainly have their hearts in the right place; sadly, though, that's the best one can really say about this album.

For the most part, Tall Ships have delivered an album that lives up to the promise of their early EPs.

Brasstronaut don't leap between genres so much as they shuffle, but Mean Sun, at its best, is an album that quietly exhilarates.

It is personal without actually being personal.

As a whole, Glassheart is listenable, with a few ups and downs in terms of the quality of the tracks, but does tend to keep to a very steady keel of mediocrity without much deviation.

This is an album that sounds fresh despite having its roots firmly planted in the post-hardcore/pre-grunge era.

He's an outsider and the best thing about this marvellous compilation, however lush the sound and however catchy the melodies, is that it does absolutely nothing to change that.

Tobin's music is so full on, so conspicuously lacking in any sense of holding back, that the proper thing to do is just leave any preconceptions at the door and lose control.

The commitment to developing their sound into urgent and strident rock is commendable yet the execution leaves you cold at times.

There's enough humour in the words and inventiveness in the production to keep coming back to these songs, though you can only hope Wolf will sound a little less broken the next time around.

It is a straightforward and solid return from a band who sound unsure whether to stick or twist.

It may not be groundbreakingly new, but All Our Favourite Stories is one of the most entertaining albums of the year.

It is an accomplished pop album but one that struggles to make any sort of lasting impression.

It's safe to say that Natasha Khan has once again managed to craft an album that ticks all the boxes, while also showing a maturity and evolution from her Mercury nominated sophomore album.

As on most of the tracks, Wainwright sounds terrific, her voice swooping and hollering at times, and quietly understated at others. No matter the tone though, the emotion is always unmistakeable.

His debut doesn't feel like poor pastiche [of 60's-era Dylan and Donovan] but rather the joyous tribute of a teenager with the necessary chops.

Papa Roach have the tools to be a damn good rock band, but they'll never be one unless they change the bloody record.

There is still a huge amount of enjoyment to gain from Boys Noize and that overrides some of the consistency issues.

The result is an record of rare beauty, like catching a glimpse of an uncommonly beautiful sunset or a finely crafted ice sculpture.

Gallows may have been floundering during the last days of Frank Carter's time with the band but this very impressive comeback is the sound of a band reinvigorated.