Remind Me Tomorrow, then, isn’t only a return to her calling, but a grand surprise. Sharon Van Etten has finally, truly, embraced just how appealing her unique voice can be.

The result is an influx of psychedelic mania that ends up enhancing his counterpart’s festering lyrical voyages. Random references and non-sensical metaphors aside, Malibu Ken is proof that abstract hip-hop is very much alive.

Steve Gunn’s music is not showy and it doesn’t attempt to attract attention, despite the expansive and expert playing involved throughout. Like Gunn himself, The Unseen In Between is happy to wait for you to come to it, and if you happen to pass on by, then that’s your loss.

More memorable would be a complete artistic statement that’s further informed by each track. Instead, each song revels in a singular level of creativity and scattershot collaboration, driving us further away from a central theme.

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.

Nili Hadida may not attract legions of pop fans, but then, it hardly feels designed to. Hadida is clearly enjoying stretching out on her own at long last, and the album plays a bit like her testing her sea legs on a maiden voyage, finding her footing, and her independent voice, as she goes.

They continue to plough the same furrow as on their previous albums, yet with a little more urgency, consistency and richness that some of their earlier work lacked. There is a simplicity here, both in terms of lyrical content and musicality.

Come at a pace so consistently slow the album's charm begins to ache.

Tomb benefits from having a slightly cleaner sound and the results are remarkable. Tapping into the potential his past albums only hinted at, It's polished just enough that the songs boast a greater clarity but without losing any of the homespun intimacy of his previous recordings.

Overall, it’s a massive improvement on the disappointing Issa Album, with 21 Savage showing maturity whilst keeping his dark humour and persona.

As pretty as much of the album is, it can lack the immediacy to really grab the listener and pull them into a different world.

Refreshing indeed is the lack of a vindictive or grieved air, Shaddad instead largely keeping a sadly level head, pitying the person she had to grow beyond without being insulting.

There are a few isolated moments of satisfaction, like the ‘Freres Jacques’-esque guitar melody on ‘Welcome to My Planet’ and the accordion leading into the discombobulating melody on ‘Queen of Koalas,’ but there isn’t a single track that comes together as a complete idea nor is there a single moment where it sounds like Xiu Xiu and Larsen are on the same page.

Dummy Boy would be better if it was worse. 6ix9ine doesn’t show any sign of knowing how to write a complete song, let alone curate a whole album. But he’s also too unimaginative to write anything so jaw-droppingly awful that it needs to be heard to be believed.

There’s simply no encountering something as powerful, as primal, as Senyawa without scarring. This is their turf, and only they know the rules. Sujud is an experience. Be safe, everyone.

Every inflection, every word, even nearly every concept feels lifted from rap’s reigning King’s playbook. It’s a haphazard mixture of TDE’s figurehead circa Section.80, with a big heap of Good Kid and a smattering of To Pimp a Butterfly, just for good measure. ... DiCaprio 2 is a heavy helping of technicality, signifying absolutely nothing.

Your more serious fans and completists will probably find something like this a welcome addition to their collection. Despite it not offering many revelations or surprises, The Bela Session still serves a fun little snapshot of what was soon to be one of the more creative and influential 80s post-punk bands in their infancy.

A snappy, hilarious, disturbing, damnably catchy, but most importantly, complete showcase for one of the most exciting young musicians to emerge--in any genre--for some time.

Though Some Rap Songs may come across as a collection of underdeveloped vignettes of previously covered subject matter, further and deeper listening showcases an economical poet at his most striking self.

Siblings is not an easy listen, but it is a fantastically varied one. Self is at his most compelling when he is contrasting anarchic beats and chopped up vocals with more standard pop composition. It may take me another few dozen listens to fully understand the structure of Colin Self’s new album. That can only be to his credit.

Overall, this is an album with fleeting moments of joy, but these are not sustained.

A perplexingly bloated, often aimless album is both a head-scratcher and a true waste of potential.

Joseph’s songwriting is descriptive and its simplicity is one of the most fascinating aspects of her artistry. She does not only sing her dark hues, but she also wants us to listen as if we were reading pages of her diary.

This is a good collection of songs which progresses the narrative of the band and it deserves your attention, but I suspect these tracks work best in a live setting where they would be allowed to elevate above the often overly precise production on the album.

The complexity of the songs means there is plenty to enjoy upon repeat listening, although some tracks do feel under-developed. There is no denying that Walker is talented, but five albums in, we’re still waiting for the flawless masterpiece we hope he’s capable of.

Much like its cover art, Cocoon Crush can be recognized as something familiar, but you’re unlikely to be able to glean just what that is. It lies, distant and in waiting, ready to challenge you, with Objekt ever-seeking to open, both for his listeners and himself, new possibilities.

A Brief Inquiry is a record of substance that manages to both poke fun at and be a product of its time. The 1975 might be white-boys with guitars, but they're so much more than that.

The main problem with Shiny is that half of its tracklisting is dedicated to mid-tempo rockers that are only fractionally better than 'Knights of Malta.’ ... With some more time and care, ‘Silvery Sometimes’ could have been an unimpeachable addition to the Pumpkins canon. As it stands, it suffers the fate of being packaged in what will likely go down as one of the worst albums in the band’s discography.

Everything on Eden more or less works, though it’s a definite step down from Ephorize.

It's lovely to hear an album that ostensibly requires so few ingredients to paint such a rich emotional landscape.

It's equally beautiful and heartbreaking, a kind of gentle sadness pulsing through it. Anne doesn't dwell in sadness though, instead, it presents a touching and honest glimpse of some of the more unfair struggles we often face that leaves us searching for hope and, more importantly, answers, but it does so in a tasteful and dignified way.

This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet will take you to the end of the world, and back, and keeping your head nodding to a gentle groove throughout. It just might be a feat worthy of Greek myth.

It’s hard to work out whether this is an album, an EP or a playlist, and at 22 minutes long it’s difficult to feel fully satisfied and does leave you wanting more.

Queen of Golden Dogs is a bold and original statement that collides together emotions, textures and beats to gloriously dissonant effect. It’s also Vessel's best album to date.

It is like Prince meets The Allman Brothers Band, on an approximate dosage of 40–50ug of acid. ... And that makes it a certified...

The Gothenburg four-piece now release their enigmatic four track EP Lover Chanting, adding to a catalogue of playful and body-moving tracks from the past decade.

Dose Your Dreams creates a vividly realised world I love to visit. Once I press play, I feel compelled to see it through to the end. Other listeners will tackle it in chunks.

Negative Capability is sure to stand the test of time, much like its creator. Marianne Faithfull has delivered a searing late career masterstroke, as vital as any in her storied career.

He hasn’t crafted the second coming of Deltron 3030 but a contemplative and diverse delight. We can only hope Offset’s impending solo debut is just as good.

If you’re a Segall fan then these open you up to his influences, while also offering more of an insight into an artist who continues to both be reclusive and impressively prolific.

Everything about You Won’t Get What You Want is carved out of sheer insert-synonym-for-unhappiness-here, from the guitars to the drums to the vocals, but there’s more than enough nuance and versatility to earn your respect, even if it’s not something you’re typically drawn towards.

It's her sprawling vocal range and smart, sharp songwriting that holds everything together, making Premonitions a thoroughly enjoyable and dazzling collection from one of the more promising artists in recent years.

Aviary is an incredibly immersive voyage and arguably her greatest achievement. In fact, it wouldn’t be too bold to say this is an Art pop masterpiece via one of the best songwriters alive—it’s just not for everyone, and Holter is ok with that.

Darker Days is colourful and playful but Morén’s beautifully ornamented vocal builds stretch through any presumptions of an album of “Young Folks” into a reflection on our demons and counter measures.

Saturn is quite the trip, more than worthy of its stellar name.

Forever Neverland is an illustration of how modern pop should be--full of character, colourful and 14 tracks full of pop hit after hit.

The use of live and programmed beats, a dozen or so models of synthesizers and controllers, and zither gives the music proper depth and moments of beauty, as does Jahnsen's voice. But even for all of the lush and layered arrangements, what Pure-O lacks above all are the kind of nuances needed to help it stand apart from its obvious influences past and present.

It doesn't offer any real answers or solutions, nor should it have to. Instead, it offers something more valuable than other albums exploring heavily topical subjects occasionally lack: empathy. Which is something we could all use in these fraught times.

Jassbusters is an unusual album in that it’s not quite unusual enough.

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.

On Last Building Burning, Cloud Nothings provide their take on a stripped back album. Belts were loosed, fingers bled, and there was probably some howling at the moon. But in a world so interconnected, you can’t forget the primal that’s in you still trying to make sense of it all- knowing a starry sky is the back drop to honeymooners and prisoners.

For every lightning in a bottle moment of inspiration or fun, there are several misses. His sound might be lighthearted, but it can at least be memorable. (Don’t try to act like ‘Broccoli’ would’ve been as big as it was without Yachty’s help.) He has nothing to prove but not much to show either.

Dime Trap is very much alive, and having entered his elder statesmen phase with, frankly, astounding grace, T.I. looks to remain present for quite a while.

How and where Halloween ranks in his long catalog as a composer is up to Carpenter fanatics to decide, but for my money, it proves itself just to be just as consistent and wildly inventive as anything else he has done, painting with broad strokes and bringing to life its surroundings.

Sheck masterfully transcends one-hit-wonder status throughout his debut.

The only other hiccups are a couple of occasions when the synth lines get a little too rambunctious for their own good, bordering almost on comic. These blips aside, Certainty Waves is inventive, uplifting and fun, with something new to be discovered on every listen: an excellent entry into the Dodos’ discography.

It may not be perfect but it's another solid release from a project that even after all these years still has plenty of promise coming from all sides.

Love Is Magic is his most consistent and enjoyable work yet.

CHAI may be a fledgling band, but on PINK, they’re already shockingly sure of their sound and what they want to accomplish with it. It doesn’t hurt that they kick ass at it.

The circular fate of a world that is doomed to repeat itself is told on the thrashy ‘Ouroboros’ which is riddled with scuzzy feedback, but Ted Stevens’ melody manages to crack through the darkness. It’s these under-written melodies that somewhat cut the bleakness which is on offer here. That’s not to say there aren’t any moments of hope. There are.

It’s his weakest effort to date. His range of voices, from his familiar craggy baritone to a hesitant pitch-shifted falsetto (on ‘Echo’) are made to do all the heavy lifting because Dear the producer is too content with letting tracks spin their wheels and sputter to a halt.

Bottle It In does enough to keep himself and his fans happy, but it leaves waiting those of us that wish a bit more from him.

With Elephants on Acid they often sacrifice, clearly by choice, catchiness for a more avant-garde complexity. There is a fantastic set of songs awaiting murkily on Elephants on Acid, and for Cypress Hill's intended audience here--the true fans--it's sure to be a joy unearthing them.

Songs ebb and flow between different styles, motifs appear and recede like roadside landmarks glimpsed briefly and passed in a blur. The result is an album that even in its slower moments seems to be constantly pushing forward, a hazy, dreamlike soundtrack to a classic road-trip movie.

She’s channelled this tenuous bond into 10 skeletal songs, kissed them with all the warmth in her heart, and released them into the world to blossom and light up the lives of all those who'll listen.

It certainly doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s a committed, charming throwback to the early years post-millennium, when rock did one of its perennial about-faces, away from prog-y electronica and back to the days when wearing leather and ripped white or red t-shirts was actively encouraged.

Perfect Shapes is a confident step forward. It all bodes well for whatever shapes come next.

Siesta may be a celebration, but it keeps it low key. You’ll find yourself refreshed, minus the clean up. It’s a salve for a tiring year.

The depraved and descending post-punk of ‘Down in the Basement’ sets the blueprint for Viagra Boys throughout most of the album, and on some tracks it feels a bit repetitive at times. The factor that distinguishes these tracks from each other are the odd and uncouth characters being described.

Rather than being a tearjerker, C'est la Vie instead serves as something of a safeguard, a protective companion, a generous friend down paths of memory we may never have intended to traverse again, and that we'd shudder to travel alone. Phosphorescent's music is as giving and truly kind as ever.

Wanderer is a worthy listen, that keeps us chasing her, slowly, over the next ridgeline.

The missteps are few enough they do little to tarnish what the band set out to accomplish, and the stronger songs here prove Exploded View is becoming more thrilling, ambitious and confident with each release.

In general, Young Romance is a record that wears its influences plainly on its pulsating sleeves. It may not astound you, but like a pleasant day by the pool, it’s more than pleasant enough to be worth it.

Long time fans of Nadler’s work won’t be disappointed, but overall For My Crimes feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. She may sing about throwing keys, but the reality is this album won’t be taking anyone’s eye out anytime soon.

At times The Lamb can feel inscrutable, like it's keeping you just out of reach, but on the jazzy lull of closer 'See You at Home', Lala Lala finally let you in on the heartbreak. The pain's soft when they break it to you.

Our natural world may not need artistic representation, but there’s few better to reflect upon it than Tim Hecker.

Overall Another Life sounds like an illegal broadcast from an underground collective looking to inspire a revolution within those of a similar mindset. It may sound austere and unwelcoming, but if you’re on Amnesia Scanner’s wavelength then you’ll naturally tune into their determinedly experimental sound, and within it find a freedom and a groove that speaks to a different way of being.

The movement and progression of sound of >>> is a simultaneously lucid and absorbing achievement, and for this reason and many more, Beak> remains one of the very best at subverting genre conventionality.

It might not be the ideal starting place for those unfamiliar with The Field (should you be wondering, going in order is your safest bet), but it’s a worthy continuation of one of the most reliable discographies in our time.

There’s no denying how incredibly dark and ominous Rundle’s latest comes across, but as she slowly unearths hope, On Dark Horses offers a powerful reminder to take back control of your life, even when its crippling grasp clenches with fatal intent.

With Double Negative, Low maintain all fronts of their fanbase. All the elements of the bands chilling atmospheres are there.

Title aside, Collapse affirms the stability of the Aphex Twin name.

That deeply empathic acknowledgment of the darkness that chases us coupled with messages of positivity to help us keep running, keep moving forward, and stay ahead of that same darkness. More so than the volume of the guitars or drums, or the feral power of Monks’ screams, it's this that makes Heaven feel so damn heavy.

Chilly Gonzales has shown time and again that he’s a composer worthy of our attention and this is just one more instance that proves him right. Solo Piano III is Gonzales at his most traditional, but with hints of his more disarming inner ego.

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.

The album takes a few central tenets of dance music of the last couple of decades, and sends it fearlessly spiralling into a shimmering vision of the future. It is possibly something that will bemuse some, but absolutely enthral those willing to use it to spur the imagination--and that is often the sign of a truly provocative and thoughtful artwork.

The music found on Safe in the Hands of Love thrives. It's just as boundary pushing but at the same time, it offers easier access points to the complex and often messy but brilliant world of Yves Tumor.

It’s Calvi’s most complete record yet. It grasps the catchiness of her debut, and kneads in an increased sense of maturity in her delivery of topical subjects, brought together with seasoned production and her expectedly dexterous, mighty voice.

Menace Beach’s Black Rainbow Sound is one of the most accessible and thrilling noise rock albums out there at the moment, and it's not even close.

Jason Pierce and co. have earned a victory lap. Thankfully, rather than gallivanting about the record, the band are still very much engaged, crafting what can feel like a Greatest Hits of all original material.

There’s nothing wrong with harkening to ‘80s synth-pop once in a while, but it seems Wild Nothing have explored every nook and cranny of their current sound. It’s time for the incredibly talented Jack Tatum to move on to something more forward-thinking.

Sivan may indeed only be 23 and while he might not be a gay icon just yet, records like Bloom which clearly and proudly sing about same sex relationships while sounding shiny and polished in all the right places, will certainly help him get there.

Eminem was really rapping across an entire LP again (something I’d never say elsewhere: Rihanna is not missed), stans were going to like it too much, while his inflammatory remark is sure to prevent most any of the unconverted from being able to engage with the music itself.

IDLES believe that community spirit and togetherness will be what ultimately guides us closer to happiness as a whole, and in Joy As An Act Of Resistance they’ve created a monumental banner for the movement.

Magnificent, opulent, bizarre, and wholesome, Go To School is unlikely to be remembered as a hit-filled album (opposed to Do Hollywood) but as an important stepping stone in the rock'n'roll rite of passage instead, the one that unmistakably distinguishes good musicians from one-in-a-million geniuses.

Ohmme deliver on magnificently over 9 fully realised tracks that demand attention.

By making complex sounds and riffs seem simple and natural, it evokes a "you got this" feeling within that reassures you everything's going to be alright.