Even though Frahm shines on Oddments of the Gamble though his exquisite use of the Rhodes, the real stars of this record come through the application of percussion, as performed by Gmeiner and Andrea Belfi.

There are a lot of underwhelming moments that come in tracks that don’t quite find the perfect marriage between conflicting styles. But Red Earth and Pouring Fire is an admirably ambitious album and presents Bear’s Den as a far more diverse, capable band that many would have previously thought.

There’s a richness to IV which was not present on their last record, and it revolutionises their appeal.

Ultimately, their third record doesn't show MSTRKRFT to be master craftsmen.

32 Levels sees Clams Casino step up a level and make a hugely positive and lasting impression.

It’s not derivative, it’s devotional.

Standing alone, this a warming set of tastefully executed covers. But see the album in its context and you’ll find its beauty--a record of music repairing a once strained relationship.

There is far more variety on Hit Reset than you suspect the casual ear is going to give it credit for. The biggest talking point on Hit Reset, though, is that it finds Hanna on the lyrical form of her life--and that’s saying something.

This sound suits TTNG, and always had really, but it feels all the more comfortable and at home with Dissapointment Island, and jokes aside, proves the title really is a misnomer.

Dream World is fine, but save for one or two tracks there's little on it that couldn't be called dispensible.

On Autodrama the Kaplans stick with one sound. But it’s a confident one, strutting RnB that oozes beach house cool.

It’s sludge but impeccably clean; and it’s all frighteningly good.

Whilst there aren’t as many obvious hits on this record as 2009’s chart-bothering Only Revolutions, Ellipsis is an album that will undoubtedly keep Biffy Clyro right at the top of British rock’s hierarchy.

Take Her Up to Monto continues Murphy’s reemergence as one of the most interesting and chameleonic electro artists of the moment.

As both a candid portrait of introspection and an exciting step forward with his musical talent, Michael Kiwanuka's Love and Hate beautifully captures the artistic power of vulnerability.

As with the best pop albums, it sounds like a greatest hits record. The songs flow into each other seamlessly as well as standing on their two own feet, which is an astonishing achievement.

It’s The Avalanches’ efforts that make this album, although the deeper forays into hip-hop on "Because I’m Me", "The Noisy Eater" and even the poorly-received comeback "Frankie Sinatra"--much stronger in context--lend a nice variety and harder edge.

The record doesn’t fully commit to a new direction, so its primary audience will still be Avett diehards, but it’s a fun listen for the summer and a testament to the brothers’ enduring success as one of the savvier folk groups out there.

Yoncalla isn’t earth-shattering--everything sort of blends together, as is often the way with most dream pop records. But what does it matter when it’s the sort of album that makes you feel good.

This is also her most musically subtle and lyrically direct album to date.

Collaborating with vocalists such as Hannah Peel, Blaine Harrison of The Mystery Jets, Euros Childs and Jane Weaver, the musical styles glide from genre to genre with impressive ease. The approach would have resulted in a patchy album in most other people’s hands, but The Soft Bounce makes such eclecticism sound like a natural thing.

Earth finds Neil Young in his element expressing the collective concerns of the modern age, a fitting coda for an artist whose name has become a byword for transition and re-invention.

While it might lack the chaotic charm of Nights Out, or the lush, well-rounded sound of The English Riviera, it makes up for that by simply being fun.

No one idea ever outstays its welcome and there’s no denying the passion behind Hynes’ work and the fascinating insights that come with these 17 tracks. It’s an album that feels haphazard but one that is luckily more hit than miss, and an album that ultimately needs to be experienced.

You don’t have to be a fan of punk music or emo to be a fan of The Hotelier, you simply have to appreciate genuine, earnest emotion.

Though The Mountain Will Fall cannot be considered a failure by any means, it does continue the trend of his recent work being left firmly in the shadow of his past.

Too often there’s simply a lack of focus to the songs on this album, which would have benefitted from keeping things a lot more simple and in line with The Strokes’ indie rulebook.

Jambinai are at their most moving when reduce their ire and create more drawn out, ambient compositions.

Disjointed it may seem, but the pervading sense of chaos and feel good factor tie each track on Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic together perfectly, coming to a frothy, tumultuous head on closing cut "Amazing Supermarkets". Arguably the record’s highlight, it’s almost seven minutes of anarchic garage pop, mirroring in miniature the album it concludes effortlessly.

Tempered with meditative calm, space and restraint are the dutiful catalysts of each blissful rupture and devastating pay-off.

An album that retains much of the vitality and vigour of the band’s previous releases, but where those albums were coloured by a fresh-faced excitement and in the invincibility of youth, No Grace is the sound of band who’ve discovered that life is fleeting, so they’re taking it for what it’s got.

The Magic proves surreal until the very end, just as promised.

There are so many different genres, instruments, sounds and ideas at play here that at times its too much to digest.

Gojira have turned their grief into triumph. It will ensure they don’t remain on the fringes of metal’s elite for much longer.

Let’s Eat Grandma have made one of the most intoxicating, inventive and original records of the year.

“Grecian Summer” seems like a Hanging Gardens off-cut, all bouncy beats and twinkling synths, whilst “Faraway Reach” is a blissed-out, breezy tune with just the right amount of funk. These moments are, however, disappointingly few and far between.

Big Deal's third album is pleasantly dreamlike and fuzzy, but lacking focus.

Rather than making a sharp left turn on Basses Loaded, the band instead pays homage to their long, curious history by plugging in with some longtime cohorts, making an unholy ruckus, and once again not giving a damn about what we think of it.

There are some gambles that don’t entirely pay off, like the 808 drums on “Sentence”, but Weaves mostly holds to its own internal logic, so it’s up to you about whether you’re going to buy in. Overall, it’s an enjoyable outing with a band clearly brimming with talent and a physical need to get their ideas out to the world.

Praise Ipepac Recordings for allowing these two visionaries to continue to challenge the purpose and the manner of music.

It is the sound of a band reaching into new musical territory. Eyeland is flawed but unquestionably rewarding and, at times, outrageously impressive.

Fearless is releasing the best material of his career.

Equal amounts tender and wild, Mitski places power in vulnerability. Validating every topsy turvy emotion, Puberty 2 is a soundtrack of self-awareness and self-acceptance at its most real.

case/lang/veirs is an understated triumph, and a stunning addition to all three songwriters' discographies.

Twentyears does exactly what a compilation needs to; it shows how Air are arguably one of the last great singles bands, but by delving beyond the hits we are presented with an abbreviated version of a back catalogue of panache and flair. Always engaging, always different, but always Air.

Sumac are an original voice in metal, and we certainly need more of that. However, as they currently stand, they're merely good. Really, the only thing stopping them from greatness is a lack of self-editing.

A Youthful Dream sounds too much like the result of a punk group attempting to break out of the strictures of their genre without knowing exactly where else to turn.

Fall Forever’s bare-bones approach is perfectly pretty, but never vital; perhaps, sometimes, more is more.

While Strange Little Birds might not be Garbage’s most immediate release, lyrically it’s certainly their bravest and 20 years into their career, it feels like they’ve entered a new era.

Disposable lyrics and an overly polished sound doesn’t necessarily mean that this is a bad album, though--it’s not, although it is likely to get lost in the midst of this year’s more thought-provoking and risk-taking albums.

If you're expecting a record which really takes off, Patience probably isn't it, but its downtempo, late night charms aren't hard to find (especially if you chuck it on headphones).

With so much powerful percussion on display, it takes a few listens before you finally settle down and appreciate the more intimate and painstakingly-beautiful arrangements that fall in between Stranger to Stranger’s colossal thunderclaps.

Making an instrumental concept record is no easy feat, but Tourist’s U manages to take you through his emotional journey in a nuanced way that showcases his song crafting talent.

Wild Things does get it right in parts, especially when the approach is that of slightly anxious pop.

Turning it up to eleven, PUP’s second album is a tongue-in-cheek rampage through everything that matters. The dream might not be what they thought it would be, but when they’re capable of a record as unrelenting as this one, then it’s certainly not over.

A wonderful, accomplished return.

By the culmination of these nine songs, it’s hard to not be left with the impression that Bloom Forever is an album that Thomas Cohen really needed to make, and make public.

Mourn is clearly a band developing at a rapid pace while continuing to play with an ability, set of musical touchpoints and a belly full of fire that belies their youth.

With just one track over four minutes and only ten cuts overall, Light Upon the Lake is the kind of record you could easily find yourself blazing through three or four times in a row without even realizing.

Making experimental music is certainly a noble calling. Sneaking the adventurous spirit of improvisation into a relatively conventional song-based record such as Eyes On The Lines, however: that's truly radical.

Lanza's second album is brief, bright and sophisticated, and while it doesn't push any boundaries or cross borders/genres as much or as often as a fan might hope, it does deliver on the sonic and melodic promise of her debut and offer that chance of a wider audience that has been promised since her first appearance.

Whatever the nuances of the arrangement, it is one that both sides would be wise to return to.

Love You To Death is a really, really good pop record.

Although his impressions of Sinatra give an insight into the music of his formative years and remind of the beauty and genius of that era, they are unlikely to appeal very far beyond hardcore Dylan fans.

Beth Orton has fluidly transformed her trip-hop+singer/songwriter roots into a fresh, original sound, which will surely resonate with both her longtime fans and new listeners alike, while providing a rich foundation for Orton to build upon during her third creative decade of casting intoxicating musical spells over us all.

Ash & Ice ultimately represents the contemporary tension of two talented artists finding their way back from the brink by leaning on each other as well as their music.

House in the Tall Grass is a sonically pure endeavor, but its beauty does not withstand scrutiny. Though it aspires to soundtrack, music by which to have interesting experiences, it amounts to mere mood music; ambience and suggestions of potential, but little else.

While so much EDM sounds the same right now, his tracks are thankfully hard to pigeonhole--as they weave industrial, deep house, dubstep, minimal and hip hop influences into a cohesive whole that’s both danceable and perfect for sofa listening too.

That’s just what this album’s got. A heart. Mathmatical, mechanical parts that once evoked landscapes, snowscapes, a view frozen in time now evoke emotions and memories. Fleshy stuff, any mistakes made with a smile. It’s that searched for human touch, something no mere tin man could create.

This is ain't your average country record.

Executed with conviction and instilled with its spirited concept, Good Luck and Do Your Best is an excitingly off-beat take on a feel-good album. This is Gold Panda’s most accomplished and adventurous work yet.

Summer of ’13 is an album that takes itself with a pinch of salt, experimenting with good humor and having a lot of fun in the process.

Richard Ashcroft’s fifth solo effort ultimately feels like an unruly mess--there are lots of ideas here, but none that feel truly developed.

With this effort Shauf successfully portrays the complicated smogarsbord that is youth by capturing in its crudest form at a party, with its hedonism and heartbreak, and in doing so propels himself miles ahead of his singer-songwriter peers who have tried to do the same.

Heidecker has been releasing music for the past eight years in various forms, but it’s a blast to see him strike out on his own and create an album that is sharp, insightful, and often hysterical.

Mutual Benefit occasionally build to moments of wonderful melancholy, before coming back down and resetting their expectations. It’s a charming sense of reality, but ultimately the music drifts in the middle lane too much to be truly mesmerising.

As a whole, it’s just a shame that on Means, FEWS’ originality seems far between.

Day Of The Dead certainly makes a compelling case in favour of the Grateful Dead's merits as musicians and songwriters as opposed to uncommonly successful marketers of an alternative lifestyle.

Chance is still just 23 years old, but Coloring Book is a staggeringly mature record, and while it isn’t on par with Acid Rap in terms of unforgettable lyricism, it also has a different mission.

Overall, Cut and Paste is a fine collection of Oscar’s old lemons made into lemonade--it’s refreshing pop music, but with a floppy fringe and a tote bag.

Toledo’s 13th album as Car Seat Headrest, captures inherent self-loathing and turns it into something to be proud of.

The album is a heavy 17 tracks that last over 70 minutes, meaning it’s a long and intense listen, but deliberately so--loneliness is a long and intense feeling.

He’s still figuring out the transition out of his remix artist phase, but enough works on his debut to show that there’s hope for the future.

Strangers feels and sounds like a breakthrough album, a set of linked short stories set to music. Having built a head of steam with her previous six records, album number seven sounds like Nadler’s waiting game is at an end.

Modern Baseball have found strength giving a voice to their disillusionment. With the daring demonstrated here, they'll be singing their spirits sounds for a long time to come.

Whilst no-one wishes further misfortune on NOTHING, Tired of Tomorrow proves they've learnt how to make the most of it and turn it into something dark, but beautiful. Its title suggests despondency, but its content should certainly leave them hopeful.

There is undoubtedly more beauty in Ullages, but darkness always seems to linger in the background.

The most impressive thing about Introducing Karl Blau is how easily it could find itself slotted in the second-hand racks between Charlie Rich or Glen Campbell.

Whether or not grime loses its threat in the near future, Konnichiwa will still stand tall as a hard-hitting soundtrack to unfulfilling life in cruel Britain that's achieved by giving a microphone to voices that otherwise wouldn't have been heard.

The formula might not be a new one, and ultimately Seratones are unlikely to change the world, but they will make your day.

With their third album, Twin Peaks have become not just one of the most exciting young bands in the Chicago music scene, but in the entire rock landscape.

Embodying that impervious inner spirit that Kafka called the Indestructible, where the possibility of perfect happiness exists in spite of everything else, its calm resignation defines what A Moon Shaped Pool strives for. In honing that potential from start to finish, Radiohead have excavated their most accomplished album in at least 15 years.

Overall, Paradise is another thrilling entry into White Lung’s catalogue that proves the band still has plenty of exciting new ground to crush beneath their heel.

Throughout Hopelessness, Anohni reveals multiple layers to the stories within her songs, and that the deeper you dig beyond the headlines and easily digestible sound bites, the more pain and deception you are likely to find.

Views, like Take Care and Nothing Was the Same before it, is brilliant in places and thoroughly bloated in others.

Hoorn’s sultry vocals; swirling, gossamer textures; and grand orchestral arrangements tirelessly interact with the record’s musculature to develop and bring to life the exquisite and anthemic anatomy of Spiritual Songs For Lovers To Sing.

The collection instead represents more of an expansion on their current sound and scope, and finds a band still willing to take risks 40 years into an exalted career--still not caring what we think of it, but daring us to follow them where they lead before the Wire factory goes quiet once again.

It’s an emotional record first and an ambient record second, and one that will resonate even with those who typically aren’t fans of the niche genre.