Devour is the first Pharmakon album which was recorded live in the studio, and there is a sense of organic creation to it which is pivotal to the ideas layered within. The warmth of the production separates this album from her previous three, perhaps even suggesting a sense of hope for humanity in the face of overwhelming odds which are stacked against us.

Throughout the album we’ve been bathed in guitars and subtle synths, giving the music a hazy immaterial feeling, as if we truly are embedded within the shifting thoughts an overly-active mind.

It’s short, powerful, and set to turn your insides out.

The shiny production helps to carve a gigantic wad out of what is already a pretty full live sound, with crunchy guitars and some impressively Animal-esque drumming from Ivan Luketina-Johnston.

Flashes of sudden genius seem to make up for the spotty manner in which P2 is delivered in, an album that, although hype-worthy and buzzy, fails to make a truly lasting impression. However, if East can bring his same passion along for when he's finally ready to offer his debut proper, we hopefully have something to look forward to.

SVIIB is an utterly beautiful piece of work that is all about finding joy and hope in even the darkest of times. Supported by bold synth pop tunes in their own right, it's a record that you're unlikely to forget.

God’s Favorite Customer isn’t a bad album, yet it still feels like the weak link in the grand scheme of things. Fans of his previous work will still get a lot out of Misty's latest, but despite its subject matter, this album feels a little safe and inconsequential.

The sound palette of If Anything has been refined and expanded without compromising the band's explosive might.

Garbus' sound is still a little too vague, still in need of some real streamlining; the promise remains blindingly obvious, but the execution, for my money at least, is still missing.

It just sounds like a bunch of young men looking to blow off steam, and that is what makes it such an enjoyable romp.

Needless to say, despite its seemingly slight 29-minute length, High packs in more than enough ideas, hooks and moments of pure emotion that it will not wear out anytime soon.

While it undoubtedly packs in a humongous swath of influences and touchstones from today’s pop culture, the overall piece created is completely unique, unreplicable and ultimately undescribable.

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.

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.

There is no denying that Loom is a beautifully fragile album.

It’s a hurricane of pop-punk fury with as much ferocity as anything the band recorded 25+ years ago.

On Party her songs are minimalistic, but they carry an emotional weight to which no one is able to stay indifferent.

If you're encountering The Mountain Goats for the first time, perhaps this isn't the ideal place to begin.

Stubborn Persistent Illusions, is excellent in a different way. Gone are the rustic looking, red wine-tasting moments of their 00s output. This is music for nature.

All in all, HiiDE presents a diverse enough collection so as to be difficult to describe in the brief, simple terms of this review. Nonetheless, it represents a cohesive, intriguing debut album that foreshadows a tantalizing, unpredictable future for BABii. We'd all be wise to stay tuned.

There is a wide-eyed optimism pulsing through the heart of it which, twinned with Jens’ lovelorn, quirky poetry, is a sincere, open-hearted invitation. The least it deserves is the same uncynical embrace from the listener.

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.

Rather than fall in love with this record from the get-go it needs a little airing and breathing time to get to grips with the finer notes, but it's sure to keep you coming back.

No one has told the tale of Kurt Vile except Kurt Vile, and there is a diversity of expression on b'lieve I'm goin down.

Nektyr is a tough record to like. Fans of Cocteau Twins may be better placed than I to pierce the veil and properly appreciate the wonders within. For me, trying to pull away the mud and heavily-baked conceit left me exhausted.

Black Belt Eagle Scout has crafted an album to play any naysayer: At the Party with My Brown Friends will make a fan out of anyone.

Although she’s got a considerable back catalogue behind her, and she’s not exactly reinventing herself here, this feels like a new beginning for Caroline Polachek – and it’s an unmitigated delight and success.

Ceremony may have easily conquered the sophomore slump, but The Miraculous is the moment where von Hausswolff truly arrives as an artist.

The Body gracefully don't try to solve the zeitgeist of human suffering one way or the other, but they surely have retained their expert status at describing its pitfalls.

The Peace and Truce of Future of the Left is a dark and dynamic listen that's relentless in both its content and its approach, which makes it really quite gripping.

Everything’s for Sale will find an audience. Its gilded despair only leaves a greater impression with each listen. If there’s an album for the sad Instagrammer, posing in a beam of perfect light, copyrighted smile, only to heave a sigh, this is it.

Peasant is a pretty staggering departure from the massed ranks of 2017’s batch of albums. It is a restorative, headstrong burst of inspiration from an artist with the courage to execute his vision without compromise. If ever an album deserved to rise above the fray, it is this one.

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is the very definition of a slow burner. It lacks a track as instantly iconic as ‘Doug Stamper’ off Dark Comedy, but it reveals its layers and details gradually.

Gang Signs & Prayer is as insightful as it is extravagant, gracious as it is haughty, and divine as it is gritty, which is both a blessing and a curse depending on whether or not you were looking for more gang signs than prayer.

Life isn't exactly a concept album about becoming a parent, but it's clear just how much the experience has changed Friel, as it captures all of the excitement of first time discoveries and all of the possibilities that lie ahead, which in turn makes the music feel like his most innovative and playful yet.

A scary, fucked up kind of beauty. Consider Lavender a salve. Or, at least, an honest, genuine listen.

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.

This collection would've been much better off as a coherent release if it came on just one disc. Two discs and thirty-one tracks really is a bit testing and the songs eventually feel like they've overstayed their welcome.

One of the most sincere sonic statements of the year.

Future Islands have crafted the best ten of their career.

Qualm is her inauguration. Its agitated kineticism and flagrant oddness, blossoming from Hauff’s intrinsic charisma and craft, is exhilarating. It is techno gorgeously streamlined; straddling the fucking weird and the primally gratifying, as present in the grimiest tunnel raves as in soundtracking the imminent robot revolution.

Somehow these combined imperfections result in several absolutely perfect moments that will keep How To Socialise & Make Friends on rotation for a good while to come.

Unwrapping the record reveals a collection of tightly packed delights; exceptional songs that grandstand the artist's lyrical prowess, outstanding musicianship and incredibly flexible voice, readily guided by Herbert (Bjork, Michachu, Roisin Murphy) in the producer's chair.

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

What sets Ty Segall apart from Slaughterhouse--and most of his albums--is the well-measured balance between the heavy Ty and the more melodious Ty. He moves back and forth throughout, but easily maintains unison under his idiosyncratic character; and the album is crafted to ebb and flow.

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.

With more than enough flagrant energy to satiate the average punk, The Murder Capital—still—is most affecting through its delicate and understatedly sad musings on life and death. In fact, the rest of the record sees the band tap into poetic introversion that is both broad enough to latch onto, yet intimate enough to impress your own experiences and fears.

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.

At Weddings doesn't allow itself to wallow. If anything, it's Tomberlin sharing with us her own form of catharsis, a collection of intimate and powerful songs that sift through life's more disappointing and challenging moments to find the beauty we sometimes overlook.

The Waiting Room is Tindersticks on ravishing form. For die-hards and newcomers alike, it's hard not to be drawn in by the lush facade it creates.

As an album, it hangs together beautifully, avoiding the pitfalls of many concept records with its warm, honest approach.

Whether the waves will have died down enough for him to return to other topics on the next Mount Eerie album is yet to be heard. But, if he does make another album in honour of his deceased wife, he’s proven here that he still has enough love and poetry in him to make it a deeply resonant and worthwhile listen.

Jay Som is truly at home on Anak Ko, and it shows. It may not pack a wallop, but it's always welcoming, and, sometimes, that's just what we need.

The songwriting is on point and the production subtly augments without obfuscating or distracting.

Their vocal frustrations make perfect fodder for their post-punk blasts, and in combination they add up to some of the most invigorating music currently being created, making Wide Awake! a valuable and vital call to arms.

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.

Heartleap works superbly as a collection of songs, and can only serve to extend and preserve her legacy.

When the walls seem to be crumbling, she dodges them with vocal acrobatics and surging production. As we look forward to a happier time, less insufferable, NAO shares a bit of bliss in her coming-out party as one of R&B’s most promising young dominants.

While Midnight is, overall, a somewhat flawed record, it still shows impressive growth for Chura. Like Messes, it doesn’t settle into the oft-tread indie rock rut of bland, cliché emotionality, while the songwriting is clearly leagues ahead of her debut.

While at times the overall production and heavy effects can take away from the impact, Good at Falling is ultimately a work of emotions. The album perfectly represents what people go through while trying to hold on to relationships, knowing they should let go.

This is still dense music, yes, but crucially it never alienates over its epic 68 minutes: you can drop in on this record at any point and still find a good time. As such, I Was Real feels like the band’s most thorough examination of itself yet--and is all the more satisfying as a result.

Exiled is urgent and breathless from a band who need to be heard.

She not only tells a story, she takes it a step further, peeling back the façade and interacting with the truths that haunt us all in those late night hours. And it is that bravery that truly propels Tourist in This Town.

With this captivating sequel, The Body & Full of Hell have given us something striking that could only have been realized with each other.

Whether he's taking himself to task, tossing shots in every direction (see: ‘Bam’), or simply reminiscing as on the glorious glide of ‘Marcy Me’, he sounds perfectly at home. ... 4:44 presents a renewed Jay-Z.

Hourglass Pond is an off-balance album. If you played the album to someone who didn’t know Tare had a new album, it would be very unclear where it belongs in his discography.

Joan Shelley remains a largely satisfying record with some moments of true magic, despite not ostentatiously breaking any new ground.

This brand of tell-all genreless rock may seem impenetrable at first, but a few listens is all it takes before you’ll be hooked by Richard Dawson’s paranoia, honesty and poetry.

When Piñata's 61 minutes is up it instantly feels like you've heard it 61 times. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's more of a realisation that you knew what was coming and you enjoyed it

Vagabon is clearly searching, and she's managed to create something of a shelter for all of us within her new work. It's difficult to listen to Vagabon and not feel at home.

They balance catchy pop melodies with the sneer of a 20 something who still cherishes their old Black Flag and Talking Heads t-shirts. You catch something new each time you listen to this album.

I’ve listened to Other People’s Lives more than ten times and I honestly couldn’t say definitively what I think. It’s very good. It’s very familiar. If this is what they can do on a debut, who knows where they can go?

The Undivided Five is slow, meandering and intelligent. ... A Winged Victory for the Sullen produce breath-taking works of sumptuous beauty which will no doubt bore the shit out of those who are not equipped with the patience, cultural competence and time to delve into the work properly. That sounds wildly elitist but so be it.

This is Shearwater taking a leap out of their usual rustic world and it's a world in which they could thrive in the future. If they don't come back here again, Jet Plane and Oxbow presents a wonderful snapshot.

Familiars is bleak and dreary, potentially at the cost of dragging in certain spots. However, those willing to spend enough time wrapped in its moody embrace will be rewarded with a quite beautiful experience.

The quality of dialogue on display is--though well-intentioned--kitsch and sustained by hollow jingoisms. The result is something benevolent, musically interesting and occasionally provocative, but rather too one-dimensional thematically to overcome its slightness.

Overall Slowdive is a strong return for this now-much-loved band. They’ve delivered on all the levels that fans would have desired: beauty, atmosphere, emotion and grandiosity.

Compton exists now as a reminder to the current oversaturated pit of modern rap that legends aren't born overnight and there will never be another Dr. Dre. Hip-hop's first billionaire hasn't forgotten where he comes from so let's not forget what he's done to get here.

It's a thoroughly considered record, demonstrating that Rodriguez's personal and artistic growth are far from mutually exclusive.

The chamber ensemble expanded the possibilities for them immensely, but it’s unnecessarily timid at times. Overall, though, Rotations is a successful venture from a duo who have carved a niche but refuse to just whittle mindlessly.

While Parquet Courts show here that they can tackle lost love brilliantly, some of the more interesting lyrics come from those where they portray the less tangible mental issues that are rife in modern society.

Even when the album isn't serving up infectious bass riffs and glistening guitar chords, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure offers beautifully constructed songs that, even in the darkest moments, offer a glimmer of hope.

It's the conflict between tension and resolve, the contrast between beauty and ugliness, and the overall uncertainty that makes this such an interesting and enthralling experience, and also one of Porter's most startling and accomplished releases yet.

Heartless is a triumphant metal album, and is yet another entry on the list of arguments for Pallbearer being among the few bands in the genre’s peak echelon today. With Heartless, Pallbearer has laid down the gauntlet for the entire metal genre to even contend for its album of the year.

However she managed it, whatever we will take from it as it settles, delving further past its placid surface into its cavernous mystery will surely remain one of the year's earliest true pleasures.

Rocket hits enough of the right spots; there are a few really great songs, there are some tremendous arrangements, and it showcases Alex’s versatility and creativity, demonstrating once again that he is full of ideas and unafraid to try them out.

Easy Pain is absolutely colossal.

We’re left with many songs that could have used some voices, or ones where the voices dominate proceedings, taking the focus away from the creators.

Painted Ruins is the result, a natural, unhindered expression, an album made for the audience they already have.

The gamble pays off because it's frankly an astonishing achievement for Vynehall and one that solidifies him as one of the more exciting and inventive artists currently making music.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith looks at life and sees the endless possibility. It’s a sweet thought, and a compelling journey.

With Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend expand and re-contextualise their own creative universe, offer more questions than answers, take new risks, and open up new possibilities for their artistic future. In the process of doing so, they add at least a handful of brilliant tracks to their discography.

There is evolution on The Future and the Past and a real sense that Prass has done what she set out to do: make an album that, like the work of Marvin Gaye, gets people thinking and resolving to take action, all the while shaking their hips to the undeniable groove.

Ventura feels more like a collection of songs than a fleshed-out album, but the runtime is much slimmer than Oxnard and its highs are quite a bit higher.

While not everything here measures up to the album's highlights, this is still an enjoyable and mostly solid effort that doesn't stray too far from what Mould has done best over the last few decades.

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.

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.