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.