Opener ‘Shots Fired’ is a signal that Megan is not messing around. ... Yet it’s not long before she returns to the salacious songs that we all love Megan Thee Stallion for. ... For all the sex positivity and club-ready anthems, though, there are glimpses of that tone was first introduced with ‘Shots Fired.’

‘ALIAS’ proves that Shygirl is in full control of her artistic vision no matter the scale.

Yet another Next Flaming Lips emerges from beneath the librarian's skirts. In the 'Neon Bible' section, of course.

All of the well-worn Belle and Sebastian hallmarks are present, but what’s truly impassive is how effortless it all sounds this time around.

Hip-hop may rule the locker room, but it’s the sensitive beats that make the girls swoon.

This is about as close to a bid for mainstream acceptance as you're going to get from Bright Eyes.

As ever, Blake’s singular vision results in electrifying and innovative electronic music.

Their fourth album is a staggering masterclass in indie-pop songwriting that will make your brain melt and send firecrackers around your heart.

While it’s not quite all gold--over two CDs the listener’s resistance to slap bass and super-smooth vocals may be tested--the standard as a whole is incredibly high.

Ladyhawke’s louche synthetic pop is brazenly Bananarama, ridiculously ‘Rio’, and wonderfully Waterman, but the lack of posing – her sheer scruffiness – makes it the first credible ’80s pop record since ABC’s ‘The Lexicon Of Love’

Bright, exciting and full of effortlessly intelligent songwriting, 1, 2, Kung Fu! is an absolute joy to listen to. Wickedly fun, and made to be played on festival stages this summer, it’s short glimpse into the musical landscape of Newington’s mind--and one that we’re pretty bloody glad he shared.

Part II is an altogether more personal and laidback affair, concerned with romance and emotions.

Ultimately, what these songs leave is a feeling that, for all the album’s brilliant shine, experimenting with darker styles might not go amiss for what’s next.

What WIXIW's working process has given them instead is yet another way to find the manifold, melancholy and menacing nature of Liars.

Although Låpsley’s third album is at times understated in its pop-leaning potential, it’s a personal collection that unfolds with each listen, revealing new intricacies – lyrical, instrumental and contextual – while finding beauty and balance in the quieter moments.

The sound of a legend raging in style.

‘Serpentina’ is a welcome reintroduction to the artist and a cathartic ode to doing things your own way.

A playful record imbued with a sense of mystery and occasional glimpses of autobiography, slowly revealing itself as the cracked mirror image of ‘Róisín Machine’’s bruised optimism.

Strange Weekend's gauzy dream-pop is almost incapable of provoking anything but love.

ii is a record that unveils itself slowly, initially sounding ugly and abrasive before the melodies surge to the fore. Once you look for it, there’s beauty amidst the ugliness.

The result, the 11-track ‘A Celebration Of Endings’, is the band’s most concisely satisfying audio adventure since 2009’s ‘Only Revolutions’.

An intimate, frequently beautiful and consistently surprising record that gets better with every listen.

Hang is propelled by two principal forces--star-quality musicianship and the will to trespass beyond tradition. And, crucially, at a third of the size 
of its predecessor, it allows 
Rado and France--who wrote and produced every song--to fully focus. Rado’s keys are particularly outstanding.

Bracing brilliance channelling the spirit of Yoko Ono, Le Tigre, Aphex Twin and Alice Coltrane.

From the booming piano-tinged ‘Opener’, through to its more touching moments like ‘She’ & ‘Queens’, you’ll feel an overwhelming sense of love and light oozing out of every pore. This optimism and energy is endearing, and further proof that 2018 is proving to be a stunning year for the great dance LP.

The band’s most musically ambitious and diverse record yet.

Whereas Ryder-Jones' old band inhabited a colourful, self-contained world of soft drugs, spaghetti westerns and Scouse jabberwocky, his own sonic nook might seem smaller and more earthbound by comparison, but it's no less personal or poignant for that.

The result is a densely orchestrated record that is as solid as it is sprawling.