It's gentle enough to be background music, lively enough to be worth listening to for the sake of it, and certainly an impressive achievement for a 21-year-old's debut.

Edgy and highly innovative for the most part, Pivot do have some so-so moments too. But overall this is good stuff; they are trying to push the boundaries of music and, as a result, they sound like nobody else.

Setting out their stall with the strength and affirmation of the birth song 'Bubbles,' seemingly inspired by the arrival of Booth's first son, James gather themselves with an impressively solid stature.

It is a glorious statement of intent from one of pop's most misunderstood characters.

The album's not for everyone, but if her sound is to your taste, then it will prove a rewarding, delectable, necessary thing: one of this year's most consistently interesting albums.

Nelly's latest offering is hopefully the beginning of the renaissance of an artist who most definitely was starting to look guilty of selling out.

This is something you're either going to like or really hate.

Overall then, Chunk Of Change is several steps short of greatness, but the debut full-length (due later this year) should be worth a listen.

Which brings us to the nub of what makes Death Magnetic such a resounding success. Death Magnetic could have dropped 15 years ago and been a logical conclusion to the "Black" album. Today, it emphatically brings Metallica full circle to an intriguing afterthought: what next?

The fact that they've managed to record an album so strong, consistent and downright impressive is proof positive that, after much promise, The Subways have come of age.

However, this album feels like it marks the beginning of a return of form, and it's great to hear his voice again on tunes that don't make you work to the point of sufferance to get any enjoyment out of.

It seems a return to first principles has done Calexico good, and returned their music to a raw emotional state.

Words are used minimally and to great effect.

Though it stands up well enough on its own The Stand Ins does feel like a follow-up, rather than something completely new and fresh and forward looking, and it is not as instantly gripping as The Stage Names, it takes longer to wind your way into your mind.

One thing this record definitely lacks is variety. With a work claiming to hold "the band's most varied songs" it's disappointing and surprising to hear so little diversity.

They are not evidence of a group wallowing in their own experimental pretentiousness. They are the finishing touches on an already admirable piece of work.

Those with a more perky, fast-paced feel like Loosen Up, the lovely We Are Young, You're The Light, Show Me Your Life and the almost singalong album closer Oh No were more successful. Fortunately, these outnumbered the slower tracks; overall Lunglight is an enjoyable release.

This feels more polished product and will no doubt have a broader appeal as a result, but it is a treasure of a thing and the more people that hear it the better.

The Family Afloat reveals itself as a record that is promising, enchanting, and imbued with a wry optimism that at times is tangible.

While the record confirms the outfit as a fully-fledged trio, the vocal numbers bring Mount forward as a decent front man with the necessary charisma, and enough variety in his voice to bring decidedly varied results.

This album is, however, a huge amount of irreverent fun, and provided you approach it with that in mind, you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of it, especially when turned up loud at a party.

Add in the highly personal genesis of its composition, easily audible in both lyrics and melodies, and the listener's satisfaction is complete.

That Lucky Old Sun is a brave but failed attempt to add a new chapter to the ongoing story of a pop legend.

Unfortunately there are too many moments where the pace flags, however, and Lavelle, while not exactly running out of ideas, falls back on the familiar ones.

This ought to keep fans going for a while, and does at least confirm that The Chemical Brothers remain at the top of their game even now, fourteen years after their inception as the Dust Brothers.

This isn't really an album to analyse in any great depth, more to nod to endlessly, ideally with a drink in hand and a clutch of friends arrayed around, in staunch defiance of our grey-skied British reality.

This being Roots Manuva there's a lyrical gem in pretty much each song - and this being Roots Manuva, a lot of them are intensely personal observations.

Neither virtuosic nor devoid of a sense of pitch, he achieves something equally important to both in terms of significance--believability.