This album feels perfectly formed as it is though.

Sukierae is a distinctive work, and it gradually reveals itself to be enthralling.

Whilst it is true that Aphex Twin’s delicate and more minimalist side is neglected on Syro, save for the piano kiss-off of aisatsana (102), there are plenty of signs of James maturing and developing as an artist.

There are still several moments of brilliance--including the mesmerising and cinematic Bloodflow Pt II, which revisits their debut--but it is also found lacking when it comes to the overall end product. That said, it remains a worthy and accomplished follow-up from Alt-J.

Encylopedia is an album that will be either loved or hated; there is little in-between as the narrow line separating catchiness from irritation shrinks to a hair’s width.

Although it is only nine tracks long, Goat manage to get a lot in there in a tireless pursuit to keep creating.

It’s not the easiest of pop albums to listen to but its raw power makes it a dazzling triumph.

Jaws have created an album that should see them breaking away from B-Town, heading for sunnier climes and finding themselves.

It is impeccably produced and sheened, but it sounds polished to the extent of being soulless.

With this album, Worden seems intent on muscling in on the territory of innovative but hard-nosed American mavericks like St Vincent and Dirty Projectors. Ultimately though, This Is My Hand falls some way short of emulating the standards of those acts.

Yet for all the individual moments of sleek electronic beauty, Goddess as a whole often sounds frustratingly unconvincing and almost fragmented in its production.

It’s warm, delicate; a real feast for the ears.

Once the irritatingly catchy melodies have passed through a love/hate relationship though, to the point where they may start to annoy, there is sadly not enough left to warrant a long lifespan for Youth.

Whether the record would have benefited from the band focusing more on fewer tracks is debatable, but Wicked Nature is in many ways a miniature triumph for an outfit written off by many as has-beens.

Like much of his best work, it’s a slow-burner of an album: at first listen, it sounds a pretty decent radio-friendly record, but it’s only on repeated plays that the full emotional scale which Adams is displaying becomes clear.

Although this album is at times a difficult listen, you can’t help but admire Busdriver for his innovation and general wackiness.

El Pintor is sleek, minimalist and brilliantly realised, and is the band’s best work since Antics.

The Physical World is a tremendous, rollicking, riotous blast of an album.

There seems to be a number of ideas thrown together into the mix and this does result in the collection sounding a little confused towards its conclusion but there are many highlights before this point that suggests The Ramona Flowers are likely to be around for a long time.

It would appear that every step he takes is another step in the right direction; his is a remarkable talent worthy of wider recognition.

The conventional instrumentation and song forms might lead some to consider it a conservative work--but its uniquely personal dimensions suggest otherwise.

This entire album is in a constant state of movement, and could just be their finest moment yet.

They know their way around a captivating (if not subtle) hook, so whilst it sounds bigger than the sum of its parts, there are enough great songs to justify this super-stylised and fearless approach to pop.

In comparison to earlier efforts though, the new album feels like a huge step forward and the lengthier fuzzed out jams are excellent, and surely good enough to be spotted on a few more radars.

These outstanding songs, imaginatively and intuitively balanced by clever production, cohere to form a serious work reflecting on landscape, memory, regret and the pull of our roots. It more than earns its somewhat portentous title.

Primitive And Deadly, in part, represents an encapsulation of Earth’s discography, but more importantly it also sees the band moving on, entering a new phase and expanding their dimensions.

The grace is still there, but something far more engrossing has now been added to the mix.

New drummer Alexis Nunez adds a percussive edge, but much credit must go to hip-hop co-producer Inflo for this fresh lease of life.