His intelligence and Satie-like lightness of touch prevent any excess o whimsy even when the results are as peculiar as "M For Mandala", which resembles a Kraftwerk song reimagined for a gamelan ensemble. Print edition onlyunc

Acclaim for 2024's Box For Buddy, Box For Star raised the stakes, not that you'd know it from the breezy assurance of these songs. Print edition only

An energetic and engaging set that splits the stylistic difference between the electronic leanings of 2016's Hymns and the spiker post-punk of 2022's Alpha Games. Print edition only

A record that is a ridiculously hook-heavy collection of songs - and one that unquestionably positions Williams as one of our most unique and arresting contemporary songwriters. Print edition only

It's all so smooth that you rarely get a sense of who he is. Print edition only

So Much For goodbyes is starkly confessional, and openly anguished - but redeemed well short of the actually funereal by a warmth and wit that permeates proceedings even at their bleakest

If this is the end, it's a poignant and graceful farewell. Print edition only

Though the LP intended to be experienced as a whole, the buoyant "Come Again", the gently grooving "Hands On" and the summery "Lost Child" the lone newly written song - unfurl with James' familiar rhythmic soulfulness. Print edition only

Diamond has nothing to prove nowadays, which helps explain why this minor late-career coda mostly feels like a fun hobby project, good natured but lightweight. Print edition only

It might be the very best of that excellent 21st-century run, fighting it out with 2009's Farm for bragging rights at the top of the Dino tree

Jenius is crammed with characteristically witty earworms about everything from the state of the nation to how the whisky did for Dylan Thomas and Georgie Best, capped by the rambunctious romanticism of "Favourite Kind Of Idiot". Print edition only

There's much to admire, but 'Bird And The Serpent", whose intriguing exit passage featuring woodwind and strings, and "Wings On Fire", which suggests a tormented INXS, are among the darklights. Print edition only

Diamond has nothing to prove nowadays, which helps explain why this minor late-career coda mostly feels like a fun hobby project, good natured but lightweight. Print edition only

The founding trio of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still have their old wily chemistry as they assemble thorny grooves from anything within reach. Print edition only

Marvellous. Print edition only

Some of their tonal subtleties have been sacrificed in the process, but there's no denying the dramatic punch of pieces like "The Ferryman" and the semi-operatic "Elevator Two". Print edition only

Holter plays with time throughout, from the electro-ambient dream "Clepsydra" (named after the ancient water clock) to the 10-minute standout "My Twin". Print edition only

At its peak, the album is great, their best work, but at its weaker spots it still sounds lost. Print edition only

"Silver Lining" offers calm positivity, and "The Ever After" even guides us cautiously towards the dancefloor, before he touchingly concedes to sentimentality on closing ballad "This Will All Be A Memory Soon". Print edition only

Flowers' take on country hews to the proto-Americana of Springsteen and Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell as he unleashes his chromium pipes and unfettered emotionality on image-rich tales like "Plans", "Tiger's Blood" and the climactic "An American Dream". Print edition only