Some may miss the more rock-influenced days of the group's debut, but Pharrell's more recent taste rules here. It's for the better. NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES plays like an album length party, with no groove that won't make you want to get off the couch and dance.

Though there are hints of doubt and yearnful ambiguity associated with detachment and abandonment, littered throughout, Us is a project album radiating with friendship and the comfort of simply being next to someone.

Ultimately, The Spark presents a baffling listening experience. Almost every song on the album poses as an unremarkable backdrop onto which the band fiddles with elements of everything from grime to orchestral arrangements with virtually no successful results.

It's an assured album that utilises everything Katy B has going for her, from her love of clubbing to her BRIT School trained voice which is both bewitching and relatable.

Regardless of its leanings towards the descents into gloom, Go Dig My Grave retains a gorgeous edge, Susanna’s vocals are alluring as ever, on one of her most unique projects to date.

Leaving aside their Chicago/Detroit-house inspired beats and diving into gloomier topics and luscious sounds, the power of Stelmanis’ lyrics is what makes this new release stronger than its predecessor.

In her grand tradition of coining absurd descriptive phrases, Del Rey and Auerbach have christened all this "narco swing", an apt characterisation if only one assumes it's short for narcoleptic; it takes some doing to make sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll sound boring, but in her hands, the vices of hedonism scan as crushingly monotonous.

They've managed to do themselves justice, and that should be enough not only to please their existing fans, but to win a few new ones too.

I can't work out what the bloody hell he's on about half the time but there's some kind of of authenticity dripping from every verbal bark and echoey guitar jangle, every driving bassline and intelligent whack of the drums.

Despite a couple of assorted shortcomings, Crosses is a solid album. Moreno, Lopez and Doom draw from a vast palette of tones to create some legitimately interesting tunes.

It pains me to overly criticise an album that may be quite enjoyable if you were born in the '70s and have only ever looked forward for your music, but there's no avoiding this particular White Fence could have done with a second coat to better hide what's beneath.

Hinds have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with on Leave Me Alone.

On what could very well be the band’s breakthrough record, they continue to trade on the values that have won them so many fans up until now--deeply unfashionable concepts such as patience, simplicity and reliability.

Even if one may argue that stylistically there's not a massive divide in the progression between the two albums, a thin yet omnipresent veil of inquiétude covers most of Hypnophobia's tracks, turning the ensemble of the LP into an almost visual exercise of self-induced trance.

Mount remains an exceptional musical craftsman, who continues to shift and change and toy with his formula, which is proven to result in fun listens like Summer 08.

All in all, When The Night Comes is unsettlingly monitored and controlled--but that kind of discomfort makes for a pleasantly digestible experience.

It can be a little exhausting having to process so many conflicting and volatile emotions welling to the surface at once, but, like The Sunday Gift, Darker Than Blue isn't without its beauty either. Those moments can feel hard won though, especially considering all of the turmoil surrounding them.

There's nothing bold or groundbreaking about Let's Wrestle but it plays to its strengths. It's almost what you expect it to be, but not quite.

All in all, this is a solid solo debut form Coco Hames. The lyrics are superb and the compositions are clean.

Shedding Skin is a bold move for an artist so associated with a different sonic cadence, and kudos to Ejimiwe for trying to artistically reposition himself. Ultimately though, I would have liked to have heard more of an evolution rather than a complete metamorphosis from him.

It just isn't a consistent !!! album. But if it's any consolation, As If is still brimming with the ecstasy and feeling of freedom that you'd expect to be promoted by the band at this stage in their near 20-year lifespan.

Without question, Twin Peaks has nailed the mood they strove for with Down In Heaven. Sunken and Wild Onion were solid outings, but it feels as if the group has really hit their stride here with their third and best LP to date.

Everything's connected on Chiaroscuro, providing an extra jolt of energy and plentiful scope for hidden nuggets upon repeated listens than if it was just chopped up singles.

The variety of sounds and instrumentation on the record is something to be admired.

Although elements remain, the core of humanity and character drive this collection to an equally intriguing effect and leaves a far more immediate impression.

Still feels modern and reflective simultaneously along with Mazzy Star continuing to produce romantic songs fitting for long road trips or evening drinks.

Ultimately, Book of Life feels like a confident step forward for Fujita. It opens up his compositions to new sounds without sacrificing the core of what made his earlier records such an intriguing listen.

A strong component of the record is the varying light and shade between tracks, with head-bangers like 'Heavy Bells' sitting alongside reflection and soul.

There is no tweed/banjo suffocation here, and the hands-aloft brand of folk that Horse Thief have stumbled upon only strengthens the power of what are finely-honed pieces of intelligent songwriting.

More often than not, his debut is one that gives any room a light up disco floor, makes any moment a reason to escape to the Ibiza nightclub in your mind.

At its peak, Boo Boo is Toro Y Moi’s most luxurious, if not remarkably lush effort since 2011’s Underneath the Pine.

After a three year album hiatus, Rih has rendered her most profoundly authentic and effortless act of rebellion yet – she’s making the music she wants to make without a singular fuck. Anti-pop, anti-album, anti-industry, anti-expectation, anti-perfection.

Overall this is a successful first solo effort. It is similar enough to his band to take Arbouretum fans on board, and it is different enough to justify the billing under his own name. Another Side of Dave Heumann, maybe.

The Diary's strongest cuts come when Dilla is behind the board.

III will bring a needed meditation if your day was rough. All it takes is the antithesis of a pop song to snap you back into reality, but III will hold your head close while it has your attention.

Ellipsis has an air of Moving Pictures about it; an amalgamation of everything that came before it into a cohesive whole, with a couple of new bits added in. It's still Biffy, but it sounds a little new.

The album is a thrill from start to finish and is perhaps surprisingly accessible, particularly if you are aware of their previous work.

Although Stuff Like That There drags a bit, it's lovely to think that Yo La Tengo parse through their history as closely as their biggest fans do.

Few albums in the Oh Sees catalogue are as emotionally intimate as Memory Of A Cut Off Head.

Recorded without the aid of computers, its songs evoke great monsters of the '70s in its heavier moments, and '90s stoner rock in its mellower, more melodic moments. Innocence is an album that manages to balance these two styles incredibly well.

The result is a measured, wonderfully arranged, but emotionally singular album, tackling very personal feelings of doubt, pain and insecurity in a way that's easy to feel, but difficult to truly connect with.

Compactness aside, the tracks here don't give up on lyrical imagination.

While calling Fishing For Fishies stale at first may be a bit harsh, it becomes pronounced once you consider the adventurous image King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard has carved out for itself over the last five years. With this passive listening experience, rarely was I ever intrigued by the band’s songwriting.

While this sound is by no means new or challenging, it is a lasting one, ensuring that Mondanile's work is always relevant (especially when the clouds disappear).

There Existed An Addiction to Blood is shocking, insightful and unlike any other hip hop release this year, and quite possibly Clipping’s most impressive work to date.

The album works best when listened to as a whole, and this is something that Sascha Ring’s later output as Apparat has in common with itself.

A captivating and downright fun little album, but it does feel just like a little side project--some friends just having a mess around--than a proper juicy album.

Drastic Measures’ kaleidoscope of sound will undoubtedly charm you, as Sellers himself sings “she looks like a go-getter.”

With each album Snoh Aalegra shows progression. From Don’t Explain, to FEELS to this latest release, Snoh has taken parts from previous releases to create this record whilst keeping her authenticity.

At Best Cuckold is much like the autumnal vibe it tries to project in that, like autumn, you don't mind its existence but you kind of just want to go back to that excellent summer again.

Gleams and glances of Albarn’s potential are almost omnipresent, yet never really come into fruition.

Whilst not enjoying the same amount of attention or hype as her first few releases, My Wild West finds Lissie experimenting but still within the confines of her slick pop writing. It's an album made by an artist who is still top of her game.

In terms of the surface tones and textures, the tracks in question are interesting enough--pretty, even. The underlying structures that govern these tones and textures, however, don't allow for anything approaching the band's typical intensity.

Tears in the Club acts as yet another testament to Kingdom’s skill as an innovative musician; many try to fuse inspirations from numerous styles, eras and artists, but few do it quite so effortlessly.

PeteStrumentals 2 is exactly the album you'd expect it to be. Similar to the '78 Fury, we aren't chasing the latest here.

This is music full of heart and imagination and it is well worth investigating, even though some long standing fans of hers may be puzzled at first.

This album is just a few puzzle pieces shy of being great, and that’s a damn shame.

The mix of hollow percussion, melancholy synth drone and further bird sounds on ‘Crying Fountain’ add up to a conclusion that seems to aim for open-endedness, but is mostly just half-hearted. This phoning-in is concerning, but the other eight tracks are as good and as interesting as ever.

The record with a chirping synthesiser in the background that sounds like the dawn's birdsong. Tomas Barfod may not have produced a perfect album, but then when has love ever been about perfection?

This is perhaps the most simply alive Baths has yet sounded on record, retaining enough of his emotional heft, while allowing for an entirely new collage of flashy, elated songcraft. This is Baths triumphant.

Lower Dens have the right ideas for their music, but they’re not always the right ideas at the right time. This album, flawed as it may be, is still worthwhile for when the latter happens, like with the heated guitar work and wailing vocals of ‘Two-Faced Love’.

Never does this album sound more genuine than when it's low-key, because it's then that Clipping. foregoes the satire--the very lifeblood that runs through CLPPNG's veins.

Although sonically ominous, Relfection of Youth possesses a sophisticated breed of optimism which embodies itself through realism.

As a whole, Gulp’s new long player is a very pleasant experience from start to finish, and reminds you that Gruff Rhys is not the only member of SFA to have played a major part in delivering so many classics over the last near-three decades.

It may not hit the mark every time, but her adventurous, unapologetic approach to driving pop forwards to exciting new ground should be praised.

As If Apart will still add a few gems to your chilled out summer evening playlist, but it certainly leaves a little to be desired in regards to the evolution Cohen was clearly striving toward.

Whilst it's certainly performed with skill and respect for the golden era of soul music, there's a sense that it's a bit too tightly controlled.

Mulberry Violence isn’t a letdown because it doesn’t live up to expectations of what a Trevor Powers album is supposed to sound like. It’s a letdown because an immensely talented and creative spirit is struggling to let his instincts speak for themselves.

It doesn't stray very far from this template, but does just enough to suggest Genders has a few more strings to his bow.

The message behind the music is much more clichéd, and much less interesting.

This record’s three parts, separated by the gender of the narrator and little else, are muscular, repetitive, exhausting pieces of psych-math riffs that hardly let up. They make me feel like I’m stuck on an endless dancefloor, forced to nod my head into eternity.

Beach Music, which is a deceivingly simple title for an album of such depth, is the best collection yet from a young musician who has clearly honed on something truly worth noting.

Certainly their best record since 2001's Standards, here Tortoise sound revitalised--concise, playful and sharp. They may move slowly, but when they do, it is always with renewed purpose.

While there are elements to Days Gone By that still don't sit right, the album is an honest exploration of moods, and Bob Moses' unique combination of dance movement and introspective songcraft engages.

This collection of tracks could be spunked on by a Joe Satriani-type noodle, and individually each member could break free and have their moment to shine, but instead they shun solos and move as unit, maintaining collective power and defiantly sticking to their modus operandi.

Just about every song on Marble Skies is successful. The unfortunate outlier is ‘Surface to Air,’ which features Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor on lead vocals. The second track on the album, it’s a full-length number that feels like an interlude that outstayed its welcome.

While not as immediately apparent in its charm as say Cerulean Salt, it’s another fine addition to what is fast becoming a vital collection of music from one of the best songwriter’s around.

Although it brings nothing new sonically, Jellies is a magnificent example of how a déjà-vu doesn't have to be a mere repetition: it constructs instead of occupying, pays tribute instead of mimetising, carries on instead of resurrecting.

It's an album that wonderfully conjures up the cauldron of emotions that came from those first steps out into the great unknown: the dangers, the excitement, the belief that anything is possible.

This isn't a fully realised collaboration just yet, as there are a few filler tracks, but there is more than enough potential to suggest that if they get time and space to create more music together, EL VY could become more of a permanent project.

Though as a collection Moth is both fascinating and fun, demonstrative of what can be achieved when you focus on substance over style.

You might absorb a couple of hooks and riffs and edit it down to your own abridged version, but you’ll be left wanting more than Krol’s willing to provide.

Tired Of Tomorrow is a bold, expressive grandiose album that proves capital-R Realists can make something just as beautiful as capital-R Romantics.

If The English Riviera was a lovingly weaved ode to a vibrant utopia, Love Letters, its predecessor and Metronomy's fourth full-length offering, is a return to the same shores, but under much darker skies.

It will take a patient, contemplative listener to fully appreciate the picture that emerges.

Jonna Lee and Claes Björklund have created a record that they hope will stand the test of time and whilst it remains to be seen if that is the case, Blue is a beautiful, engaging record that entertains as much as it inspires.

Their sound feels a little dated, especially when you consider the amount of bands who just a few years ago were producing very similar material. Yet, they show promise and in their final song 'Call Me' show a more introspective side with Vangelis style synthesisers over reverberated guitars.

Intimate, raw and captivating; there is lasting wisdom found in In The Hollows.

None of the tracks on New Material could fit any such textbook definition of "bad". It’s stylistically inconsistent and at times bafflingly chaotic, but each track has a certain quality that defines Preoccupations as a willingly evolutionary band.

It's messy and crude, but never predictable. Nearly 20 years into his career, Copeland continues to make challenging and idiosyncratic music that defies conventional boundaries, and it's safe to say there's no chance of him toning things down anytime soon.

It's a toxic game they play throughout the 30-minute project, without ever garnering the introspection they need until things are too late.

They haven't changed their sound, more developed it. They've kept the rawness, the pop songwriting and uncompromising attitude but pushed it sonically further than many would have ever expected them to.

Shortly after the release of Swimming Through Sunlight, Brown complained that he was already bored with its songs and admitted the band hadn't considered how it would feel to be bashing out the same garage band combinations a year later (the answer: tedious, if their new material-heavy live sets were anything to go by). With Heydays, they needn't stress about falling into that trap again.

Overall, the first half of Outer Peace sparkles, but there is a disappointing limpness to the second part which suggests that the ideas ran out and two EPs of excellent material could have been produced instead of one album’s worth of work.

While there isn't anything all that distinct about their approach, none of it deters from the fact that Seratones are making some truly fun music.

It may not be as bold or as striking as TRST, but as a solid sophomore release, the band has definitely gained our trust.

The best thing you can do is let Iteration’s rain-soaked neon lights wash over and see what you feel.

While American Utopia has its missteps it is, on the whole, a joyous record that only Byrne could make. American Utopia is an album that is inquisitive not just about the world of today but of music’s power to transport and uplift us.