Though undoubtedly a handsome package, the experience of Lease of Life as a whole feels somewhat insubstantial; its impact is elusive while any real staying power is negligible at best.

Mercurial moods aside, it's a beautifully produced record and almost addictive with the allure of its sublime tones, percussive arrangements that draw you in and an attractive coil of guitar phrasings.

As a project that's substantially left-field in good kid m.A.A.d city's wake, To Pimp A Butterfly will almost inevitably receive more acclaim from critics than fans. Kendrick clearly wasn't focused on retaining the considerably large audience he attracted with its predecessor, and the album's stronger for that. Proving that he'll keep us guessing for years to come, Kendrick has truly solidified his place in rap history with this album.

Although standalone each song is catchy and refreshingly danceable, they don't add up towards a comprehensive album experience. There is little variation from the funk-punk, and slower tracks like 'Flee!' feel weaker to their more nervy counterparts.

Carrie & Lowell is just the latest in a long line of unimpeachable achievements.

For anyone willing to stick around long enough to listen, they are richly and endlessly rewarding.

Sometimes challenging, other times comforting, Inventions encourage you to step inside the imagination portal and dream.

Even at five tracks, Heterocetera is a strong, visceral electronic record that maintains its ambition and intensity from beginning to end.

Tthe record is a continuation of Pile as voice for a bizarre following that it simultaneously evokes and has, apparently, tangibly brought together.

James and Roddick clearly have their sights set on mainstream success, but are instead in danger of sounding like one of the many pretenders that their first album spawned, rather than smart, subtly innovative band they once were.

He never carves out a distinctive sound for himself, opting instead to show off the breadth of his musical abilities--it's impressive, yes, but noncommittal.

His debut album experiments with intense sincerity and captivating subtleties in the lyrics and melodies respectively.

There is precious little personality to be found on this dry, pedestrian record, which comes across as a selection of yawn-worthy Adele-rejects rather than a cohesive body of work from a singular artist.

Barnes has had a habit of throwing dozens of these complex noises and genres my way within the context of a single song. The newest, Aureate Gloom, has collected these idiosyncrasies in the best way since Fauna's atom bomb performances.

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.

Late Night Tales is a beautifully constructed, cohesive compilation of tracks which proves the ascension of Jon Hopkins to the highest level was no fluke.

It's hard to imagine a record more slick and fun than Tuxedo arriving any time soon.

Ultimately though, Messier Objects feels like a collector's curio.

It's not a terrible record, but given the weight of expectation and the creativity we've seen from them before, this just feels like a step backwards.

Clocking in at just over twelve minutes, Sunne is a jarringly short EP in a genre that has always been characterised by these expansive and immersive albums.

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.

While it may not be the most unique or innovative record, Waxing Romantic is certainly sincere.

Over the course of these five tracks, the assembled musicians bring their own roots music to the mix, and end up with something that is slightly different to anything they have done before.

There may be variances in sound on a track-by-track basis, but individual songs lack any real dynamic shifts and as a result this makes Transfixiation a fairly gruelling listen.

This is a fraught and definite collection of the uttermost importance. For the first time in their career, the end of the album doesn't feel like the extinction of Dodos, but instead an invigoration.

For better or worse, Gliss Riffer is the most characteristically 'Dan Deacon' record that Dan Deacon has yet released.

For those fans of the Sea and Cake who are intrigued to hear their main songwriter develop some different ideas, this album is worth investigating. On the other hand, if you've never heard of Sam Prekop before, yet you are keen to hear some edgy and creative music made with modular synths, then this is definitely worth a listen.

Ward proves that there's still room for him to make his mark on the genre--producing an album that feels fresh and bright. Not a bad way to start the year.

When it's as gloriously complex, grandiose and naturally magnificent as what he's presented on Sauna and the couplet of albums that preceded it, you can entirely empathise.

These improvised pieces are intricate and certainly stand up to repeated listens, and the album makes a good companion piece to Bishop's previous, rather fine, acoustic recordings.

The bag is mixed, and the lyrics often seem a bit familiar, but Sundfør's shadowy contributions to an often-tired genre are undoubtedly unique.

Sonically, this is the most Drake Drake's ever been, with the signature sound he's been dancing around ever since 2009's So Far Gone (released exactly 6 years prior) finally being cemented in wall-to-wall.

It's consistent, thrilling and boasts high replay value.

This music has an antique heart and, instead of having lots of modern crap plastered on top of it, it has been lovingly restored.

Darren Hayman has undoubtedly done a good thing here, and so it seems a shame that the musical result sounds so uninspiring.

It's disappointing in some ways that quite a chunk of the record feels like offcuts; of precisely what, we can only wonder.

Although it is by no means a bad record, it just represents the first time that he has lost the emotional power that has previously made him so much more than just a man with a guitar.

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.

The EP serves as a solid little collection of Segall recent and new.

Dying may appear to have a ominous bleakness about it on the surface, but it soon becomes clear that this is an urgent, cathartic and downright exciting listen.

There's no doubting their technical ability, but it counts for little this time around; the hooks that seemed to be the cornerstone of their songwriting last time out are missing in action on this occasion.

Six Organs of Admittance has rightly earned a reputation for innovation, but with Hexadic, Chasny risks straying too far from the realm of palatable sound.

Country Music is undoubtedly a taxing album. It was a challenge to record, and as a result it is a challenge to listen to.

The reverby haze that now surrounds Title Fight mostly works to their favor, but perhaps they could benefit from bringing some sharper elements out of the mix, or some new dishes to the shoegaze table.

As far as debuts go, Boxed In practically oozes potential. Bayston is a master craftsman, and Boxed In is dangerously close to harnessing his full potential.

At the end of the day, an outtakes record only appeals to super-fans and aficionados. Cowboy Worship is an interesting look at the evolution of Amen Dunes, but it doesn't add much to their oeuvre.

10 Futures takes Aqualung from the depths of forgotten, one-hit-wonder music territory and brings him back to the surface.

Despite some trite moments, there are compelling sections spread throughout the album... it's just a matter of finding them.

If the next two albums are going to document Miller's rise from rock bottom I'm intrigued as to how he's going to do that when there's a great deal of what seems to be optimism already about. That's exciting and it all comes from how good and honest Mansion Songs is.

Honeybear is rich with sarcasm, flagrant in some places and barely discernable in others. It is impossible to take seriously, but too damn compelling to be dismissed.

As a result of this restraint, his latest record is a more challenging proposition, forcing the listener to question the vintage of everything they are hearing, and blurring the lines between all of the various pictures he chucks together.

There are certainly enough signs to suggest that Twerps can join the pantheon of great Australian janglers, and there is no doubting that they have talent and energy to burn.

Great art takes pain and turns it into something that can help us heal. Vulnicura does exactly that.

Man It Feels Like Space Again is an astonishing confident record. Even though the textural palettes are familiar, especially to those who have been lapping up the psychedelic soup of Tame Impala, Pond and their Perth based contemporaries, the songwriting craftsmanship and vibe of every track varies from the last.

Taken in isolation each track holds up extremely well, but as a complete piece of work it sometimes seems to rely on a few too many repeated motifs.

Shake Shook Shaken rocks with an infectious confidence as they brim with a determination to survive.

This is an exhaustive, but not exhausting collection. It will be fascinating to hear what surprises lie ahead on Volume 2.

Shackles' Gift was born in Maritius, yet constructed in London, it's as indebted to the past as it is to the present and it's to the band's credit that they understand that completely.

They effortlessly shift between the twinkling and sparse to the thundering and assertive. The Planet continues their crusade of love from their debut album.

Everything Else Matters is an inventive, often genuinely exciting blend of noise and pop sensibilities not really heard since the early days of Lush.

It is a shame, as when this album shines, with tracks like 'Kid Corner' and even 'Ruination', it seems like Archive could have really been onto something here, but have just missed the mark.

Overall, On Your Own Love Again is a mesmerising, bewitching listen.

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is scored through with the group's idiosyncracies--there's certainly no loss of identity here--but what there is, as well, is maturity, ambition and variety, all of which conspire to form the basis of a very fine indie rock record--and there's no strings attached to that qualification.

Soul Power is emotionally tangible and downright soulful and in his own way Harding has fittingly paid homage to the words sung by the old guards of soul, who united and continue to unite so many.

Greenwood gets the concoction right: all of the above culminate in a strong, memorable debut that leaves the listener aching for more.

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

By having more passion, more energy, more imagination than most of the field combined. By making an album that's weird and wild and I suspect unlike anything else that'll be released this year.

No Cities To Love finds the trio facing inwards, rocking out in a tight space, writing short and punchy punk songs and just generally enjoying bouncing off each other once more.

Noveller has created a pretty, stretched, tasteful, insubstantial record.

Not one second of How To Die in the North feels over-worked or incongruous.

Club Meds is deliberately dense and cluttered and at times confusing. The fact that it manages to be beautiful and intriguing at the same time is quite a feat.

Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper is not the private masterpiece that Person Pitch turned out to be, but it might be the final triumphant salute to an unforgettable chapter in Lennox's career.

Nine albums in Belle & Sebastian may have just achieved what many once thought impossible--they've reinvented themselves and perhaps in doing so, released one of the most important records of their career.

Vocally, Black Messiah is sparse, but sonically, it is accomplished and fulfilled. Every sound, every instrument, every lyric and harmony is in the place it needs to be.

Islands is truly singular work, emotionally affecting, funky, infectious and philosophical.

Through Girlpool's seven tracks, the band grow into their make-up as a two-piece with aplomb, complementing each other with both voice and instruments.

The album features far too many flabby hip-hop/pop and pop songs.

Quite possibly rushed so the house number could match the year, J. Cole's latest album is a damn good attempt, but it just isn't the real deal.

They haven't reinvented Christmas music and made it respectable, but it's infinitely more palatable than anything else you're going to hear for the next month.

Power is richly produced, up-beat in the pop mould at times, and tugging away at something deeper at others.

[A] lovingly crafted, adventurous soundtrack that easily stands on its own merits.

[An] electronic gem.

Unlike so many reissues of late, the out-takes and demos on Painful genuinely do give an insight into how the record was made, how the band honed their sound and what direction they were headed.

A Better Tomorrow doesn't quite hit the heights of The W, but it's a considerable improvement on 2007's 8 Diagrams, making it a stellar body of work for a group celebrating their twentieth anniversary.

It's a wholesome piece of work that just keeps on giving.

Kinsella's intelligent reinterpretations of the works of his contemporaries seem like they might represent a nice point of entry for those ready to delve into his work as Owen.

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.

Take this record as your starting point and move forward.

This latest effort isn't comparable with the visceral exoticness that Jimmy Page began to find on Physical Graffiti, but a more focused and staunchly unified project, designed to push the conventions of improvisational rock music and provide Rhyton's competent credentials with actual substance.

A whole album of bare arrangements might have been too much to take, but The Fact Facer applies variety and imagination throughout, which doesn't dilute the melancholy, yet ensures that the album doesn't become an overbearing listen.

Black Moth are a young band who are improving fast and although they've got a lot of catching up to do with some of their contemporaries, the potential is there and Condemned To Hope is one of the better heavy British records of 2014.

We are left at its end feeling reflective, yet somewhat lost as to how these feelings we just experienced could ever be rediscovered. It's something that only the power of music can create, and Bing & Ruth do it with style, elegance and tact.

A record rich in fruits to reap, the result of unbridled enthusiasm, masterful craft and, yes, a long gaze sunwards.

Whilst making a discernible attempt to liven up their song-craft, 2:54 has definitely returned as a stronger, more endearing band. Sometimes the experiments don't work.

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.

Both the fact that this effectively represents a collaborative effort and also that there's three different singers across the album's twelve tracks are probably reasons behind the fact that it feels like a pretty diffuse collection of songs; the only real unifying characteristic to Hold It In's songs are their punishing level of loudness.

Rhythm is a collection of great ideas, improperly organised and occasionally poorly executed.

Content Nausea doesn’t feel like a landmark release for the band, more of a palette of ideas and experience mixed together with some undeniably great songs.