Despite each track standing incredibly strong on its own, it sometimes feels as though Ashworth is taking on more than the album can handle. A more decisive sound and Squeeze could be one of the best albums of the year, however, Ashworth’s indecision pulls the listener from one emotion to the next without ample time for digestion.

SOPHIE in part radiates extrinsic positivity. The instrumentals, when listened to singly, are often grim and claustrophobic; it is instead the vocal contributions of her dear friends that invoke the lively spirit of collective relief.

Ecstatic Arrow is frank in its representation of the struggles of women creators, but balances its anger with miraculous joy.

Incorporating a sense of scale and sounds that highlight the ingenuity and curiosity that sits are the heart of the trio, Horizon is a celebration of the trio’s vision and collective experiences. Wherever it takes them next, let’s hope it continues to be as enthralling as this.

Fibs is thrilling because it doesn’t adhere to the usual. A freewheeling, freethinking treat for the senses which reveals a musician at the height of her powers.

Creatures of the Late Afternoon is a significant evolution since his seminal work Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, showcasing an impressive restraint of oversaturating us with dizzying samples and flashy turntablism and instead focusing on letting the music speak for itself.

The Pace Of The Passing is an expansive and ambitious record that should delight fans of Bombay Bicycle Club but also pull in listeners not be so acquainted with his previous work.

Exploring a whole new sphere of genres, eras and musical styles, Volcano's unexpected twists and turns place Jungle at their peak of most progressive yet.

These are not songs which will not change the world, and they will probably never be a huge band--but songs as beautiful and honest as these will always be huge for some people.

Ultimately, the album repays careful and repeated attention, its varied qualities cohering effectively with a measured sense of control that, simultaneously, offers positive indications of the considerable potential for future even more diverse arrangements.

It’s in the album’s quietest moment that Dean delivers her most compelling performance yet.

Aftershock may not have come from the same dark hole that spawned those bad boys [Overkill, Ace Of Spades, 1916 and Bastards], but as a statement of intent, it’s right up there with them.

Her conceptual sounds don’t offer blatant, fist pumping anthems for movements like Occupy and Black Lives Matter, instead they seem to capture the still, quiet tension that echoes around that space between the battle lines and point to the psychological fear on both sides.

Djo yet again proves an adaptable vehicle for such madcap energy and chameleonic shifts in style, an earnest and well-finished delve into another sphere of Keery’s artistic voice.

MØ’s debut LP is an exquisite collection of synthpop, dance and gushing, heartfelt emotions.

Never content with, or intent on, being one thing for too long, Play What They Want thrives on anarchy without chaos.

EMA is talking to us in Exile in the Outer Ring, and we ought to listen.

Black Tarantula is a commentary at the preverbal level; it takes the fears we can’t articulate and sings them to us in our own voices.

Jellywish includes some of her most intimate work. As a listener, it’s as if you’re being privately serenaded during an exquisite chemical sunset.

Even though there it no overarching message here beyond the powerful insistence on only living free, Segall has delivered a record with purpose that, above all else, recognises that freedom and love reign supreme.

Though I can’t help but crave a return to the more dark and experimental avenue in the future, the execution here is indisputable, and album is a cohesive and worthwhile effort deserving of a wider audience’s attention.

The Ridge continuously strikes a fine balance between the heady grandeur of classical music and the restless creative exploration of the current indie scene, striking a similar resonant chord with music fans who either came across the album due to their interest in Arcade Fire or Mozart.

Even with their most straight-ahead record to date, GBV still show that they’re capable of surprises, and no matter how much more they release in the next [insert arbitrary period of time here], will always be worth following.

MICHELLE will always be a pop group, but the tension in this slate of songs gives a different air to the other flowery elements in the production. It’s a product of six people developing individually and collectively.

These songs are indubitably vigorous and youthful. Moreover, there’s also a fleck of Slowdive's nostalgia and urgency spattered on them, like the golden sky at sunset, whose warm-coloured canvas quickly loses its treasured vibrance to nightly darkness.

Elegantly blurring the lines between post-rock, metal and post-classical once again, As The Moon Rests is a dramatic, urgent, poetic return to form for A.A. Williams.

And I Have Been glides like a meticulous record full of cryptic, meaningful occurrences. Even if it’s unadorned, it still clicks.

There are plenty of small discoveries to be found within each of With Love‘s intricate sound trips, but there is enough mystery and intrigue injected into each textured layer to keep you wanting to find new ways to get lost.

Once again, the band finds healing and beauty in their own chaotic vortex, and once again they invite everyone listening to do the same, joining them on their most exploratory and cathartic ride yet.

Marking their rangiest and most integrated foray, Not Here Not Gone is a doom, 'gaze, and stoner speedball. There’s an existential space here we all know.

The product of constant playing and musical experimentation between tour duties, Armageddon In A Summer Dress marks the point where the nominally folkie Ward goes electric. The effect is frequently electrifying.

With tongues remaining cemented firmly in cheeks, Venom is a rip-roaring effort from Wargasm and a testament to their prowess as being “not just any metal band”.

Freakout/Release features many moments of quintessential Hot Chip fun, but explores other exciting avenues as well. What’s clearly still at the centre though is the heart and love for creativity that this band still have, and it’s a testament to their talent that through all the music they create between them they can still turn out interesting hits in new ways.

He is a true, wonderful artist that seems – on this evidence – to be on a one-man mission to take country out farther into the wilderness that its ever been. Make sure you’re along for the ride.

As cynical as it is whimsical, with their fifth album Arcade Fire have bridged the gap between actuality and aspiration.

The songs are beautifully crafted, shimmering with an alluring magic and aura, existing in their own time and space.

M:FANS is certainly a fair deal more interesting than yet another note-for-note trek down memory lane.

[A] fine album. If melancholy had a soundtrack, it would be Mint Field’s De Las Luces.

Despite moments of variance, Firepower still finds Priest as focused as ever. Although they don’t break the mould on every track, it’s important to remember that it’s a mould that they set, and Firepower fulfills as some of this year’s most prospering and ferocious heavy metal.

It feels like a fitting release for the duo who’ve been going for so long. The search for new ideas is always on, and with this one, they’ve found a winner that offers something a bit different, while not alienating.

Foxing have crafted an album that expertly balances what drew in old fans in the first place – the borderline-unhinged emotional highs of their early math sound – with fresh, indie rock that is very likely to perk up the ears of new listeners.

All things considered, there are far more winners than losers here, and that's nothing if not a pleasant surprise.

It has the angst and energy we have come to expect, but refined through a miscellany of new sounds and influences while challenging what a Black Honey record can be, shifting away from their punk and grunge roots and cementing their growing reputation.

The only possible complaint is that some cuts flow by a bit too smoothly; another dose of the urgency and turbulence "Älgen" and "NFB" wouldn't have gone amiss on this otherwise flawless record.

Shelley’s on Zenn-La is renewed proof of Coates’ gift for flexing considerable technological and musical muscle without ever becoming alienating. For all talk of its complexity and Coates’ varied background this is, simply, a generous and fascinating album that’s difficult to stay away from.

Take Control colourfully, and often cartoonishly, blazes with a refusal to accept the monotonies of everyday life.

The band have always been wonderfully, discordantly rowdy, and this genre of guitar-driven country-park encapsulates their chaos perfectly. The Georgia band fully embrace their roots on their ninth studio offering, a delightful sheen of old-school Americana coating the album.

Dyer and Sanchez’s synthesis of the familiar with the new, however, revels in a disparate identity that both challenges and lulls. While not to be crudely termed genre-defying, it would be difficult to argue that the idiosyncratic sound of Buke and Gase can be easily defined.

Ibeyi is an ambitious debut record from the twosome, and one that deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.

Amidst the unexpected twists in its production, Webster still retains a strong narrative voice throughout, her intentions unfolding with each new line.

Interestingly the relationship described in Tenderness is between Standell and a new lover, which you would expect to be a difficult topic for Blue Hawaii to collaborate on, but they are alarmingly mature in the way they support each other on this musical project.

Ratboys have been a perennially underrated indie act for the best part of a decade, a steadily excellent band on the verge of proverbial explosion. With the hooks, heart, and heaviness packed into Singin’ To An Empty Chair’s 50 mins, their time could well be now.

Doing what it says on the tin, My Soft Machine is powerfully subtle, and reasserts Parks’ ability to capture and alleviate negative emotions, while simultaneously furthering her exploration of the sound that put her on the map.

They sometimes leave an uncatered desire for more lyrical depth. In several cases, however, the electrifying music makes up for what’s unfulfilled.

Thankfully, Mutator proves that Vega was capable of moments of excellence, even without his Suicide co-pilot Martin Rev. These are great songs, and wonderful additions to Vega’s ever-expanding back catalogue.

An album this strong, delivered this late into an artist’s career, would usually be given an ugly tag like “return to form” or something equally crass. However, in Byrne’s case, it’s simply a continuation of what has been--and will hopefully continue to be--a glittering career full of highlights and continuations of form.

Oceanside Countryside provides a snapshot of Young in the middle of his 1970s winning streak, possibly the most creatively fertile run that any songwriter has ever had the good fortune to find themselves in.

Not only is Gold-Diggers Sound the most cohesive release Bridges has put out to date, it’s also the most distinctive.

It’s a worldly record in many ways, and though the core tenet is of his personal feelings, it works just as well as you what you’d probably assume the record to be about--abandoned cities.

With Soft Sound From Another Planet, Michelle Zauner has moved beyond mourning to a solace far more celestial, communicating her grief through these poignant musical prayers aimed directly at the heavens and beyond.

Combining the pop world’s two biggest current loves--forward-thinking dance music and throwback soul/funk--Jungle are ticking every box on the ‘perfect debut’ checklist, and they’re doing it with pizazz.

While thank u, next is probably her best work – and it will probably remain that way forever – Positions is Grande’s most carefree, most playful, most mature work to date.

Her introspection has not only led to her most vulnerable and earnest record but also a display of everything she has worked towards over her career.

Playful yet profound, baffling but very beautiful, sticking with Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper until it reveals its full dizzying array of riches most certainly is [worthwhile].

With Älskar, Nina Nesbitt has profoundly demonstrated her knack at penning emotive, and sonically layered numbers that range from classic-pop to piano-ballad cuts.

Hell-On is one of Case's moodiest solo records to date.

McDonald, Thompson, and Hellmrich seem more artistically and energetically in sync than ever, reveling in their opportunities and impressive talents.

The album’s OTT closer “Sweetest Devotion” doesn’t really provide the conclusion you want either. Despite that, there’s a very good record in here, propped up by a some incredible modern classics (“Hello”, “Remedy”, “When Were Young”, “Love in the Dark”).

Surrender to the Fantasy is a timely reminder that Elisa Ambrogio and Peter Nolan are a truly talented pair of musicians, making some of the best noise-rock you’re likely to find in either the US or on these shores.

Like the tightrope act of love itself, Love’s Crushing Diamond perseveres through calculated effort never to offend or betray the trust of its betrothed listener.

Her vocal dynamism translates particularly well in rock-leaning settings, where her leaping registers make their way through enthralling kicks and mean guitar riffs.

Content wise, Glow is everything you could want from a dance artist’s debut album. It’s produced well, it’s cheeky in parts, dark and suggestive in others and varied enough in regards to genre.

Space is primarily given to the meditative on The Joy Formidable’s fifth album, a dynamic achieved without sacrificing the blisteringly euphoric appeal that has ensured their longevity.

By Night, apparently named due to the smash and grab nature of late-night studio sessions, is muscular, robust and takes no prisoners. It does its noisy thing swiftly, leaving you feeling shattered and somewhat dazed afterward. A perfect representation of punk rock in 2019, then.

It's a bravura performance from all concerned; for all the album's unquestionable strengths, you may wish for a drop more of the same raw sawdust-kicking passion and bite during some of the more restrained proceedings that follow.

The band demonstrate the excitement bubbling beneath the surface of the UK rock scene, ready to pierce through its thin veil at any moment – Reeling is that moment for The Mysterines, and it’s a debut you won’t forget in a hurry.

I'd Be Lying If I Said I Didn't Care is not an easy listen. It's a cold lake on a summer's day – not immediately comforting, but if you commit to the activity, you'll be unaware of how long you've been enjoying it. The overarching feeling of optimism keeps the record above water and prevents it from falling into an unenjoyable experience.

Musically and thematically, everything about Little Fictions’ gestation has conspired to create arguably the most taut and urgent album of Elbow’s career.

Now in their third decade the song remains the same, but on The Waiting Room Tindersticks still sound so out of time that ironically their music feels neither dated nor futuristic, it just is.

It’s a bunch of great dance tracks that should preserve their live sound in its natural habitat.

By turns infuriating and intoxicating, but swaying strongly in favour of the latter, Little Sand Box ultimately suggests that maybe those promoters were in the wrong after all back in 1991.

When it’s not inclined to cast off into distension, Silent Treatment is robust, purposeful and precariously, hauntingly sublime.

Lovegaze treks further into the shadows to present a murkier, more mysterious sound, full of fog and strange potions, while still remaining rooted in substantial songwriting. The end results are often disarmingly beautiful.

It’s hard to find fault with Bashed Out; timeless and completely modern all at once, Stables might have taken a little bit of time to hit her stride with This Is The Kit but this combination of players has helped her realise a vision of sorts: it’s as lucid a record as you’ll hear all year.

This latest collection pairs Isbell’s keen ear for catchy melodies with fuller, bouncier arrangements and more optimistic subject matter. The result is a record spattered with songs capable of bridging the gap between “alt” and accessible.

Even in moving away from indie rock for the time being, Bird keeps his literary flair with him in reappropriating the songs that he is covering. That is the one aspect that makes the whole album subtly magical in its own way even if it might not break as much ground as one would have hoped for.

This message of positivity, strength and optimism is one that is weaved throughout each track on their new album Ash.

It’s a tremendous listen and a wonderful demonstration of her talents nonetheless.

As a crucial companion piece to her LPs proper, Phases achieves the rare distinction of must-have odds-and-ends album.

All Of Us Flames reveals a perhaps more humble and equanimous Furman, an empathetic artist still committed to truth-telling, still railing against the injustices of the world.

Its effort to not just be another rock record is what makes it dazzle. Love City is The Vaccines in their own world, chiselled by the sounds that have trademarked them.

You have Gibbard’s forlorn yet criticising voice, the personal yet accessible lyrics, the melodic yet clashing guitars, which all create an incredibly atmospheric record, brimming with nostalgia, defeat--and hope.

Mangy Love is a terrific, bizarre album made up of familiar parts rearranged into something new, unfamiliar, and offbeat.

The core components of their sound have remained intact, and it's only the delivery--which has naturally slowed down in pace--that has changed.

Boy From Michigan is an intense, involved listen that is bizarre and wonderfully playful even in its most traditional moments.

This is an album of hard-staring shoegaze, of richness and discomfort mixed, drawing you into a strange and beautiful otherworld, and ends up being compelling in the luminescent moonlit beauty that emerges from the introspective sound.

Some of the exhaustion on Goon is a lack of emotional range. The continued packaging and shrinking of love and misery for commercial consumption, something Jesso Jr. doesn't do cynically, but he does it so well and so often.

Zoetrope manages to ably explore both shades of contemporary electronic music; the house-tinged, ecstasy laden cracks of one school and the strokey beard experimentations of the other.