Each track will commit to Whack’s usual first minute, but suspiciously lingers on, sometimes embellishing an idea and other times letting the same moment marinate on repeat. This often does little to diminish the power of each particular song, but on the macro-level, the record is still a collection of fleeting snapshots, albeit with high resolution and long-term fidelity.

Rips is that album; there’s nary an ounce of artiness or innovation here, and it sounds almost hopelessly out of time in 2014, yet you can’t help but grin and love it just the same.

This is a thrilling conclusion to an incredible, peerless career, and it just so happens to be one of the greatest posthumous albums of all time.

The past few years have seen Dev Hynes become one of the most prominent, important voices in pop. Negro Swan builds upon this legacy.

Mortal Primetime sees the rebirth of the New York trio; emerging from the shadows of winter to tilt their heads towards the brighter, more fruitful pastures of spring.

It’s always charming, but in its best moments, Don’t Forget Me is often phenomenally well-written, a solid show from an artist who’s likely to linger in your memory for a while.

Their tracks are short and sharp bursts for the most part, rarely cracking three minutes and crammed with ideas (sometimes to the point of disorientation) but it does mean nothing stagnates and keeping up with the stylistic shifts is an exhilarating task.

When it comes to Israel Nash's Silver Season, it's impossible to get tired of it. Try it--it won't let you down, either.

Charming, addictive and seemingly effortless, Cuz I Love You is Lizzo’s declaration of superstardom.

Even the songs with more conventional structure feature an attention to detail and craftsmanship that is clearly rare.

It’s one that will thrill fans of inventive, guitar-driven alternative rock.

SABLE, fABLE’s slog in the middle wouldn’t have been as hollow had that seeped into the central concept more. For now, the record shows signs that Bon Iver’s discography runs in duologies, much like Mitski’s.

Overall, this material is essential listening for hardcore fans of Bob Dylan, recommended listening for fans of Johnny Cash, and somewhat life-affirming for folks who have Nashville Skyline as their favourite ever album. But for everyone else, there is the sense that this material making up its own standalone set shows either a lack of foresight or a thirst for dollars.

MAYHEM is more like an inspired album rather than one that inspires, and where Gaga usually flips the game on its head, she’s stuck to the rules this time. LG7 feels like it’s come and gone, and where we’re usually saying ‘wow she’s amazing’, it’s more like a resounding ‘wasn’t that nice’ – not bad, not life changing, but a record I’ll be playing for a while I’m sure.

It's an emphatic 42 minutes of contentment, of genuine happiness that is so rare within music.

This is Parker's strongest bunch of songs yet.

What makes Pussycat an unqualified success is how Hatfield has constructed it with multiple dimensions and, no matter the mood or approach a given song takes, she continually scores with material among the finest of her career.

The result is a blisteringly progressive record - one that genuinely feels years ahead of its time.

Dawn is just the beginning for Yebba, and the sun is only rising on her promising future.

If these stories sound less compelling than those of her past work, rest assured that Mitchell’s talent as a songwriter has remained undimmed in the decade since Young Man in America.

Rebound doesn’t represent an entirely successful experiment--especially when, on ‘In Between Stars’, things begin to sound suspiciously like Texas--but when Friedberger gets it right, the record soars.

Preservation hits the hardest when there are zero or few added ingredients to divert attention from the voice, the melodies and the words.

Although PRE PLEASURE is stylistically leaps and bounds from debut album Don’t Let The Kids Win the tenderness and vulnerability of earlier Julia Jacklin albums isn’t lost.

Its power is found in the band’s ability to trap and pin you down to experience a place unholy – to transport you into their gnarled world that struggles to give way to its inevitable ruins.

Unwilling to finish on “14”’s vulnerability, Water From Your Eyes keep us at arm’s length, but eager to burrow deep and discover everything this album has to offer.

Williamson’s voice, writing, and sound have all evolved leaps from her previous albums, and Time Ain’t Accidental stands tall among masterful country-pop crossover records like Speak Now or Golden Hour that made their authors superstars.

William Basinski has created yet another outstanding work of art with A Shadow in Time, an audio sculpture of serenity and bliss to begin 2017 and put what was a saddening year for music to bed.

On 2017 – 2019 he again shows us why he is one of the most vital electronic acts of the 21st century.