It would be easier if this album were bad, which it isn’t: it’s a competent, often fairly enjoyable set of performances. But as neither good Springsteen nor good popular soul, it’s likely to fade out of most listeners’ memories long before the final track drifts off into nothingness.

Wig Out at Jagbags is pretty much everything we could have hoped for from Stephen Malkmus at this point in his career.

He has cultivated an allure and a presence by, paradoxically, remaining extremely quiet for long-periods of time. He has survived through the quality of his creative vision. Product streamlines this vision into a singular "product" that although is not an essential purchase, is still essential listening.

There’s no doubt about it. Through their brand of R&B, funk and soul, they nod to legends like Stevie Wonder, Parliament-Funkadelic, and others, while putting their own infectious, modern twist on it.

The Gossip may currently be no more, but with Ditto's solo album, we have a replacement that fills the void.

It’s an overwhelmingly dark album.

Impending apocalypse aside, Infinite Summer still proves itself to be a record of substance.

Sellers has the distinct tics of a (significantly but not entirely) self-taught musician but also flexible stylistic impulses that keep Primitives at arm’s length from rigid genre tags.

Selling is an album that to me felt like branches of electronics, constantly moving and evolving, but also as nine trailing individual works that are steady and individual.

It lacks some of the first record’s energy and virtuosity. However, Two remains a joyous listen considering how little chance there was of it even existing a few years ago.

whilst there’s nothing that can quite hold a candle to ‘Things you can do’ on ’3030′, Event II is a consistent, original record.

Whereas the sound of Skying suffered at times due to a muggy recording, Luminous is given a full pop sheen, an approach that’s resulted in a much wider sound.

He nails some sassy jazzy tunes mixed with poetic melancholia. There are still some lines that sound initially amusing in their absurdity.

Burnished with all the hallmarks that have moulded the band into such a robust songwriting entity, As Long As You Are is a portrait of Herring and co at the top of their game - a collection of taught electro-pop numbers graced with poetic flair.

There are a few tracks that are decent rather than great, and the 36-minute runtime leaves it feeling a little too brief. That being said, it’s always a good thing to leave your audience wanting more, and Baby Keem certainly does that.

Very often Hippo Lite feels like wandering into Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley’s tossed off living room recording session. However, the pair have taught us the valuable lesson that weirdness needn’t be conjured under pretense from far out places while the mundanity of real life can prove far more potent.

If You’re Dreaming is quintessentially Anna Burch; a unique artist whose music bridges gaps between genres.

It’s the same but slightly more so. Solid and satisfying.

It won’t be the year’s slickest or tightest alt-pop effort, but it’s plenty adventurous--for the most part, endearingly so.

Good things do come with time, and this LP is no doubt a stopping point on Active Child's journey to uncharted, challenging places.

Capturing the sound of a fearsome live reputation on record can be daunting for band making their debut record, but here the Madrid trio sound truly fearless.

Post punk of course is a genre totally played out, but VENN’s approach is a new perspective on the genre. Runes is fresh, wildly innovative, and utterly essential.

It's all too easy to use adjectives such as glimmering and glacial when describing these kind of sounds but the music here is so expressive you can visualise the sights experienced by its makers.

Her stories are made believable by the authenticity of Bentham’s real-life everyday nothings that season each song and open our minds and hearts to the most primal feelings we encounter and the most insignificant events that take place in our lives.

Despite tracks such as “I Pray” and “Save The Day” re-treading the Disney dewiness and naïve optimism of Carey’s earlier ballads, the hardening of the singer’s artistry is palpable across the record.

Not to Disappear is made as carefully and beautifully as you would expect--balancing the acts of remaining true and pushing forward. It does this with an air of self-assured calm and the clarity that a few extra years of being alive bring.

The Rural Alberta Advantage bring enough intelligence and thoughtfulness to their music to ensure that it’ll appeal to listeners who wouldn’t normally like to admit to listening to soaring, emotionally open indie rock.

There’s fewer moments of Bird producing fireworks with her vocals throughout Different Kinds Of Light, and while that may leave some early fans feeling somewhat unfulfilled, it’s as strong a sign as any that she’s matured and is operating with a newfound dynamism as a songwriter – there’s more to her than just that huge voice.