Death Cab For Cutie’s ninth album ‘Thank You For Today’ does what it does extremely well, but 20 years into their career, it suffers from an almost total lack of surprise.
A strikingly beautiful and intensely personal triumph, Mitski Miyawaki’s fifth studio album ‘Be The Cowboy’ has firmly established her as one of the best young songwriters in music.
On their third album ‘Acts Of Fear And Love’, Slaves update their template and produce their most emotionally honest and thorough work to date.
John Dwyer takes his twisted garage-rockers Oh Sees into prog-rock territory on 21st album ‘Smote Reverser’ – but their punky thrills are as technically proficient as ever.
On his third solo album ‘Coup De Grace’, Miles Kane halts his already glacial musical evolution with songs that you’ve heard time and time before.
The idea of twin, yin/yang EPs is a masterstroke from Iglooghost, with ‘Clear Tamei’ and ‘Steel Mogu’ each scanning as different but complementary works.
We know Deaf Havana are capable of greatness, which makes the overwrought and bland ‘Rituals’ so disappointing and frustrating.
A long-standing omission from the riot-grrl canon has been finally corrected, as early ’90s feminist post-hardcore heroes Little Ugly Girls finally get a full-length album, pieced together from demos.
Now on their fifth album, Spider Bags are still tinkering with their off-kilter mix of punk, indie, country and blues on ‘Someday Everything Will Be Fine’.
Full of swirling, occasionally transcendent arrangements, ‘Living In Extraordinary Times’ proves that, even on their 15th album, James are a still a viable creative force.
