Red Kite is bound to be a hushed, understated, and at times rather lovely soundtrack for the (hopefully) balmy summer days ahead.

Whenever Carpenter sings, the music seems to adopt different qualities--more reflective and melancholy perhaps – but not in an introverted way. Her tone is also brighter and more outward reaching. It is this further meeting of worlds--unforced and compelling--that makes Motorcade Amnesiacs such a successful work.

A thoughtful debut on which art is sorrow, sorrow is art and Eastern influences are incorporated deftly. Most of the time.

Collaborations may not work for everyone (hi Metallica, rest in peace Lou Reed), but this is one that certainly does.

Apocalypse, Girl is the thrilling sound of an artist expressing herself without the slightest hint of self-censorship. It’s one of the year’s most individual and original albums.

It’s unlikely that this album will achieve legendary status but there are more than enough signs here to suggest something massive might be around the corner.

Listening to this album is rather like a lucid experience that you never want to wake up from--and it is Sankey and Warmsley’s most impressive record to date.

In summary, Drones is utterly bonkers and silly. And yet, it’s for the most part enjoyable.

From the poorly thought out lyrics to the day-glo “punk” cover and the calls to revolution that ring hollower with every listen, this is an album that flatters to deceive.

Fatima’s Hand is another evolution for McPhee’s singular playing style, and a characteristically immersive, absorbing experience.

There are some spine-tingling moments here.

There’s a darkness that runs through this album, but it’s almost always offset by something positive.

There is a sense, though, that the nuances and detail of The Shakes need careful unpicking. It might be a return to dance music, but it’s far from disposable.

There’s little going on beneath the skin here and it’s an unfortunate if sadly inevitable fact that other significantly more talented musicians from Iceland will never attain Of Monsters And Men’s levels of popularity.

This might be blues, it might be doom, but the return of Goatsnake can be nothing other than a good thing.

The High Country shows many sides of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Most of those sides are easily palatable and enjoyable, with the odd mis-step here and there preventing it from being a must-buy.

A frustrating album whose unremitting melancholy frequently feels like an endurance test.

This album provides ample proof that Ash’s embers still fizzle away and look likely so to do for some time yet.

It’s been seven years in coming, but Nature has most definitely been worth the wait.

What 85% Proof is, above all, is comfortable, with all the pros and cons that entails.

It doesn’t always maintain the consistency that makes a truly great album, but it makes you feel good and puts a smile on your face. Just as the cover promised.

Whilst this is an album that will draw comparisons to the band that made her name, it is a fine, if long overdue, solo effort.

Girlpool’s debut may not be without fault, but that is ultimately what makes it such a charming little record.

On How Big How Blue How Beautiful, Welch refines a successful formula in a way that plays to her strengths without it being too familiar.

The music is consistently either thrilling, evocative or moving.

It may not be the most ambitious of albums and Snoop Dogg possibly spends more time singing than actually rapping, but the end result will ensure that he remains as relevant as ever.

Pledge is also somewhat uninspired, as MES sets his sights on crowdsourcing and the band scampers around aimlessly. These moments aside, Sub-Lingual Tablet is this incarnation of The Fall’s most impressive addition to the band’s canon.

Multi-Love is more than just a brilliantly designed sonic facade--its excoriation of modern psycho-sexual mores is impossible to resist, so too its musical detail and understanding.