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

Girl With Basket of Fruit proves there is no one quite like Xiu Xiu, and because their musical uniqueness may rub listeners the wrong way like a piece of sandpaper against the surface of aged metal, they are better and particularly special for this reason.

Many Moons is the fussy, neat feeling we already know of him. The only real change is that we now have to look deeper and listen more closely to invoke a powerful connection between artist and listener. If the songs were more engaging, this would be easier to do. However, they all resolve to their same base parts, and thus become more forgettable than the feelings Real Estate's best songs have conjured.

Sometimes he lands on stanzas worth savoring (“All that I fear is that all that I have given you is a ship out to nowhere that wants to be out of control/but I see the light in oh so many things out here, and a lifetime so gently now sits on the stairs to my home.”) Other times, timelessness gives way to stuffiness, with lyrics that act more like riddles he doesn’t really care about solving (“When every wind is an afterlife out here, what language do you dream in when you’re drunk?”)

Minimalism is an integral part of the artistry, but with such intoxicating and candid notions, the balance reached is so perfectly aligned for this type of music, and in such an apathetic age, material like this really is a dying art; savour it.

Through 11 effortlessly sophisticated and deeply-layered torch songs, Adele's powerful vocals glide between thunderous roars and rib-cracking falsettos over large dramatic piano swells to fuzzy, warm lower-register rumblings. Ballads are bold and demanding.

There are lovely moments on this album, but often they are repeated far too many times and for far too long; it's a fatal mishandling of what could be a lithe and catchy collection of electro-pop.

As with their previous releases, Arms Around A Vision suffers slightly from lacking a style and sound distinct from its easy to spot influences, but where it also differs is that it marks the turning point where Girls Names are starting to figure out exactly what kind of band they really sound like.

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.

Listened to in isolation, Sodium can be an exhausting experience, and there are a couple of tracks, that don’t quite stick the landing. ... These issues aside, Sodium is still a record with a lot of promise, not only for the future growth of the band, but also the live experience. With any luck, this incarnation of Dasher will stick around to deliver on that.

A certain sadness does indeed pervade Margaret’s voice, but it never dominates her work. It reverberates against the beauty of her words.

All in all--strong lyrics, powerful vocal harmonies and unpredictable melodies make Choir of Echoes a fascinating, enjoyable listen.

Sex & Food gives the audience a closer look at the chaos-wrapped disco frenzy inside Ruban’s mind.

Upside Down Mountain suggests that he's starting to move into a new period of his career where he can use his wisdom to write songs that are passionate in a new, more mature way, without having to try to dredge up an old fire that doesn't quite burn as violently anymore.

TEEN has been a solid band for several years, but Love Yes has almost certainly elevated them to being a great one.

After seven manic albums attempting to prove his perfection, Kanye is seeking penance on The Life Of Pablo. Here, he delivers 18 heavenly hymns.

Though it definitely has its moments and manages to grapple with the horror of modernity there’s a split keeping this from feeling quite as cohesive as it should.

Whilst an extraordinary album from start to finish--there are moments that really stand out.

We never know what’s going to happen. Instead, we are merely left to wonder and observe.

This Is Not The End doesn’t so much land on its feet as delicately drift into its aptly morose, pop punky pose, assured without a scent of try-hard, an almost jarring naturalism.

With many other moments that dive into depression, death, addiction among other heavier topics, Injury Reserve’s debut record surpasses any and all expectations as a seamless concoction of serious topics flawlessly juxtaposed by extraterrestrial sounds, humor and righteous anger.

It's just a shame that these gems are surrounded by material that's just not as strong, or consistent as we've come to expect.

An Obelisk is not quite as statuesque as it wants to be, though it does demonstrate the band’s ethos in a tightly-wound package, and is a solid addition to a repertoire that continues to make a Titus Andronicus release unmissable.

The Long Goodbye successfully captures the atmosphere, the tears, the laughter, the unbridled joy of that last ever gig, that final blowout, like a time capsule to be preserved forever more and to keep the spirit of LCD Soundsystem alive.

It is a (relatively speaking) stripped back effort that brings Florence grounded firmly to the earth and perhaps is her greatest achievement to date.

McNany's own sensitivity on Museum of Love can, at times, feel like fastidiousness; each track is so carefully structured that the album as a whole suffers from a slight lack of flow, as if the listener is simply moving from one exhibit to the next. However, that is a small complaint on what is overall a satisfying and deeply rewarding project.

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

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