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The Orange County crew have delivered their most satisfyingly ferocious set to date.
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Some of the most dazzling, dizzying instrumental music you’ll hear this year.
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There’s tremendous beauty within these purposefully flawed pop gems.
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An album that furthers its makers’ country-folk cause in all the right ways.
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For those about to rock, raise a salute to your enduringly enthralling forefathers.
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A set of innocuous introspection that will appeal to Jack Johnson fans.
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It’s unlikely that listeners will combat crime dressed as Mika as a result of this set.
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It’s easy to forget just how from out of nowhere Deserter’s Songs was.
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An hour of great music that works independently of its parent picture.
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They’ve invention enough to outlast most of the chillwave players.
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Sure to resonate deeply with the Will Oldham faithful.
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Entertaining debut from a band with potential to shake up the post-rock establishment.
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The Welsh rockers introduce a pop immediacy that could propel them into the mainstream.
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A deceptively enjoyable, bright and airy debut from Paul Simon’s son.
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Expect to hear a lot more from this Brooklyn band in the coming months.
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Music without fear, and such audacity should only ever be celebrated.
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Remastered and expanded reissues of three important Bad Seeds albums.
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A one-stop introduction for newcomers to Rodgers’ best-loved bands.
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They’ve the potential to follow Biffy into the bright lights of the biggest stages.
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Affecting, empowering fare from a young rapper sparking with ambition.
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Manson’s career-defining performance is as electrifying as it was 15 years ago.
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A firm favourite amongst the Idlewild faithful, and not afraid to get heavy.
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A perfunctory debut album, but surely destined for the indie landfill.
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Its inherent sweetness can’t fail to connect with a bigger audience.
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Widescreen evolution from former Blood Brothers punks.
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One-time peers of REM are exhumed, and still sound remarkably fresh.
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Album four from the mathcore innovators is another singular success.
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A treat for fans, but younger ears might wonder what the fuss was ever about.
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Long-term fans of Pollock, and The Delgados, will find their expectations met.
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As hot as a deep-frozen chicken fillet, this soulless Auto-Tune-fest is one to avoid.
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A nadir for a group once heralded as purveyors of the very brightest pop.
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A great idea some distance short of being properly realised.
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Errors have grafted real flesh to synthetic bone: this is the machine made man.
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The work here only lends weight to Micmacs’ already impressive reputation.
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Entertaining, sunny-side-up fare, despite its obvious debt to the likes of J Dilla.
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They remain among the UK’s most cherished songwriters and performers.
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Could prove to be this year’s Merriweather, so dazzling is its sunny composition.
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A superb record from one of the world’s most uniquely-minded bands.
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Expect Goulding to be the last one standing at 2010’s poll-winners’ party.
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Nedry are evolving trip hop in an enticing fashion.
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Go see them, as on this evidence they’ll be a great watch.
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Glorious, albeit predictably so, Similes is a delight to be distracted by.
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It trades innovation for let-loose fun, and wears its influences proudly.
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A limited-run Valentine’s set from the plain-speaking American bluesman.
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The influential NYC label significantly changed the world as we hear it.
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Music of a textural depth that’s difficult to have too much of.
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They might not capture your heart fully, but theirs are in the right place.
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Bowie’s continuing hunger sets a fabulous example to new artists.
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Despite promising little, Turn Ons proves to be quite the diverting delight.
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A worthy addition to an already vast catalogue.
