It's quite good.

Some of the live tracks on here are a little scratchy sounding but re-worked versions of ‘Great Expectations’ and ‘The Queen Of Lower Chelsea’ quieten any simmering cynicism about the point of this record.

While forward movement isn't a prerequisite of greatness, Unearth have moved sideways with only partial success.

Despite its more slippery moments, Underworld finds Tonight Alive honing in on and owning their identity again; and given the bigger picture, taking a huge step in the right direction.

It does mean that their eponymous third release for Thrill Jockey can be rather prosaically boiled down to: if you like whooshy spacerock, you’ll like this.

Eschewing their hard-edged, rockier side, the Pennsylvania five-piece have cultivated 40-plus minutes of intense but dreamy atmosphere on Light We Made.

A solid if not spectacular release from the king of wail.

This is the sound of a band re-discovering the aggression that made them so great in the first place, and applying it ably to their new template.

If there's criticism, it's that Nightmare still falls back on cliches, building with aggressive force to then rely on a safe melodic chorus. However, there's enough of a change to see A7X lash out beyond their core sound, making Nightmare their greatest achievement to date.

At times the results are exhilarating, as on the superb ‘Moth Into Flame’ and doomy death-march of ‘Confusion’--written from the perspective of a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder--but there’s a smattering of filler, too. Too many tracks outstay their welcome by a matter of minutes.

The Hammer Horror synths still jar at times and there are few surprises for long-time fans, but aside from that this is, like its self-titled predecessor, an impressive effort.

Though it doesn’t boast the bounce, style or solid gold hooks that we’ve come to expect from this lot, it’s the raw honesty found on There’s Nothing With Me that exhibits a level of songwriting and maturity that’s slowly pushing them ahead of their peers.

While achingly sincere rock bands aren’t hard to come by these days, Fatherson have more than enough melodic nous to get listeners invested.

It's not to say Time For Annihilation isn't very good, just if you like Pink and other commercial rock, you're going to love this.

Their sound, now more than ever, is a paradox: despite the Cure-ish grey waves of guitar and Spencer Krug's morose vocal tics, Wolf Parade can't conceal the fact that being in a band is clearly terrific fun for them.

Lyrics largely consist of nostalgic references, in-jokes and arch observations, but with a bummed-out charm that invites rather than excludes. If you’ve played the classics to death and want a fresh fix, this is among the best of the new breed’s offerings.

This is a brilliant collaboration between two of the most inventive musicians of recent times.

Replete with ramshackle tales of bar brawls (‘I Had A Hat’) and barely scraping by (‘Sandlot’), this ninth album feels warm and familiar--but there’s more beneath the surface.

A sterling second outing shot through with the admirable spirit of never tapping out.

It's hard to fathom how Bardo Pond have made their life-in-a-lava-lamp jams for the best part of 20 years with--we're assuming--their marbles still intact, but here they are, bubbling away with no sign of letting the quality dip.

Is ninth record ‘Everything Will Be Alright In The End’ in the same league as 1994’s Blue Album or its follow up ‘Pinkerton’? Not quite, but it gives it a good go.

Relentless Reckless Forever, the band's seventh album, is more of the same but faster and stronger.

The downside is they’ve lost a little of their trademark lo-fi fuzz, but singer Mariel Loveland’s lyrics stand out as more succinct and immediate this time around.

It lasts about two days, though, and even though the likes of 'Four Score And Seven' and 'To Old Friends And New' hum with energy and shoutalong choruses a little restraint would've worked wonders. An above-average Titus record is worth a dozen imitators, though.

Packed with ragged, neurotic and enjoyably volatile punk rock, Parachutes picks up the baton from 2014’s ‘.STOMACHACHES.’ and runs it into new territory.

Provided you don't have an unreasonable dislike of melody, you'll enjoy the majority of tracks on this album. Even if that does make you feel a bit dirty.

In fact, with its consistently gorgeous delivery, Pulse is actually most reminiscent of French electronica pioneers Air. Go figure.

All Time Low's songs are more up-scale and better put-together on this record, and that takes some serious work.