This is a stunning vocal experiment, one that constructs immaculate, dreamt and abundant worlds.

It was inspired partly from the loss of close friends, but the mood is rarely sombre. More it seems to have galvanised McCombs' focus, adding a heft of sincerity to his occasionally flippant style.

YTILAER meanders through moods, from melancholic to tumultuous to mellow and easy. Often, the songs take time to reveal their true nature: Naked Souls begins as a gentle jazz ballad over piano, gradually building as other instruments join to become explosive. But elsewhere (Coyotes, Natural Information), it is simply joyful listening from the first beat.

Like its name, Billie Marten's fifth album is one to be dog-eared – revisited, rediscovered, and cherished.

WOOF. is an intense joy, and absolute in establishing Fat Dog. It can, however, hit the same notes throughout.

White Lies have succeeded in creating an album with much more scope that is a testament to the enduring nature of their sound. Five denotes a chapter in the band’s career but it does by no means symbolise the end of White Lies.

Nestled among the more turbulent pieces are some truly infectious melodies, with euphoric lead single Lose It Again closely followed by the effervescent Part That Bleeds, while frothy, loved-up closer Stuck might just be the record’s most endearing moment.

Brooding and hypnotic, I Was Born Swimming is delicately sombre, yet diverse in such a way that evades any risk of tedium.

Double Negative is a magnificent and courageous record, if you’re ready for it.

The resulting album, Saviors, is a hugely entertaining return to form, with some of the seminal American rockers' best music in decades.

Every Loser is lyrically and technically multidimensional.

Nueen’s understated drill elements bring a benevolent, tense space that Iceboy Violet has complemented with their lyrical expanse.

HMLTD craft a compelling pox-ridden world of their own and leave just enough room for some bewitching ballads and ethereal laments amongst the chaos.

Across its concise 42 minutes they move from shimmering electronics, and sounds akin to techno, to more ambient waves, with each mood laid across a foundation of intricate, textured layers of sound that seem to continually reveal themselves over repeated listens. Blink and you could easily miss a detail, but Selling will keep drawing you back to discover all of their secrets.

Big Thief aren’t the sort of band that will always hit you suddenly, such is their subtlety and restraint, but on Capacity they prove that when they do it’s powerful and memorable.

Produced by Bernard Butler, its ten tracks hum with greedy ambition.

Hval’s most personal record, Blood Bitch is an understated but intriguing album by a perpetually fascinating artist.

Bark Your Head Off, Dog is another great Hop Along album, intimate and grand in a way only few can do.

While the material is scarce, the quality is a renewable resource on par with a nuclear fusion plant. Choruses hum, drumlines bounce, and there's always enough subversion for leftovers.

Much more than mere offcuts, Great Thunder instead offers some stunning moments from Waxahatchee with Katie Crutchfield at her most off guard and most personal.

There's a real vulnerability to Taylor's voice, too, reminding us of his mastery of light and shade. Rennen is more thought-provoking than its predecessor, but it's still unmistakably SOHN.

Closing track aside, everything else on Loud Patterns is threaded through with intriguing noises and the kind of urgency you can only get from a live band, making for quite a unique sounding dance record which sits comfortably on the shelf alongside the likes of Caribou and Gold Panda.

The wit and wisdom of Moffat is about as sharp as ever here and ‘Hubby’ is clearly at the top of his game.

Consistently flowing from heartfelt numbers to classic electrifying rock, Futique is one of Biffy's most personal albums to date, cementing their status as one of the country’s most iconic bands.

It's a study of musical form that is innovative in its approach and experimentation.

Home In Another Life keeps you coming back for more.

With The Jacket, Widowspeak prove once again they can find the irresistible spot between timeless and fresh. It might not be littered with huge, unforgettable moments, but the spell it casts lingers long after the music has finished.

A well-crafted album.