Encompassing everything from the smallest quibbles of youthful existence to the largest problems facing the world today--all delivered in a slightly cartoony, extremely bombastic and hugely enjoyable package.

Not outstaying its welcome (a common problem for samplers that peddle transcendent music which can occasionally feel like it is treading water), there is a good diversity of experiments, albeit largely backed by familiar themes.

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is an arena-ready and festival-ready record that, in true Florence and the Machine fashion, is packed to the brim with alarmingly catchy hooks and astounding vocal theatrics from its vocalist.

Fantasy Empire is the sound of a band modifying their sound rather than totally changing direction and whilst their spontaneity may have been tempered by their new ways of recording, their intensity and creativity remains very much intact.

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

Mering wrings out so much emotion from her voice that these songs burst with human vitality--and that is the main thing to take away from here.

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.

Fated draws you in, and encapsulates a range of euphoric sounds, leaving you much lighter on the other side.

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

Michael is everything one would expect from Les Sins' highly anticipated debut and more.

With Careful, they are no longer the best-kept secret among the dingier crowds, but their music, passion and on-going commitment have placed them close to a league of their own, hopefully lasting throughout the years to come.

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.

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.

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.

If you want a nocturnal classic packed to the brim with contemporary disco genius, this is the record you need to buy.

Rarely has an emcee arrived to the hip-hop scene in such a controlled and specific manner. Perico sounds better with each release, building off of his past flaws, topping whatever he had in mind only months prior.

Take this record as your starting point and move forward.

PROTO is already one-of-a-kind, but there are times when Herndon could’ve stood to push the envelope just a bit more, instead of giving lovely but somewhat slight and redundant moments like ‘Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt’ or the ‘Live Training’ interludes. But she’s in a class of her own when it comes to this sort of electronic pioneering.

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

The result is a thrilling trip into a time and a place where nothing is really quite as it seems and the glamorous mask is slipping away.

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.

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

Atomos is a very powerful work and one which could well bring modern classical music to the attention of people with only a passing interest in it, in much the same way as Philip Glass and Steve Reich have done.

Migos see no need for a limit to the fun, and invite you in with familiarity, guiding you right into the consistency that follows throughout the album.

Daughter--and Tonra in particular--have elegantly lowered their defences with Not to Disappear. Emotional literacy and gripping theatricality lie behind the wall.

All in all, Everything’s Fine lays bold claim to being one of the most unique rap albums in recent memory. It cuts through the repetitive commercialism of the modern experience with dryly comedic lyrics over a vast collection of beats influenced by decades of hip-hop, r’n’b and jazz.

Produced by Vu herself and boasting a lush and warm sound, it sets itself apart by striving to be something more ambitious and it shows in every little detail be it the sudden burst of bright brass soaring through breezy guitars on the gorgeous sway of '426' or the shimmering chords of 'Crying on the Subway'.

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.