The first part of our annual roundup of notable albums includes several great debuts by young bands, plus work that reflects dystopian political turmoil, gender issues and growing human relationship with technology
Read moreNew albums: LP, Van Morrison, Earl Sweatshirt, AMOR, Planningtorock, and compilations
This week’s selection brings a mixture of mainstream pop and dance in the LGBTQ setting, hip-hop poetry, Van Morrison paying homage to old masters, some innovative electronica, and two intriguing compilations
Read moreNew albums: Art Brut, Ed Harcourt, Vessel, Laibach, Jeff Tweedy, The 1975
The latest roundup of album releases is dominated by indie pop, including a welcome return by Art Brut, Jeff Tweedy, ghostly instrumentals by Ed Harcourt, oddball covers by Laibach, and complex electronica by Vessel
Read moreNew albums: Thom Yorke, Julia Holter, Ty Segall, Pill, Soap&Skin, Value Void, Gypsyfingers
Otherworldly is recurring theme in this week’s releases, including Thom Yorke’s soundrack to the Suspiria remake, Julia Holter and Soap&Skin, plus pithy postpunk from Pill, and reinterpretations by Ty Segall
Read moreNew albums: Neneh Cherry, Farao, Yoko Ono, Lisa O'Neill, Will Oldham, Richard Ashcroft, TVAM
Female artists dominate this week’s album release roundup, with beautiful work from Norway’s Farao, Neneh Cherry, raw folk from Lisa O’Neil and even rawer retrospective from Yoko Ono
Read moreNew albums: John Grant, Connan Mockasin, Elvis Costello, Kurt Vile, Jerry Paper, Anna St Louis, Ambrose Akinmusire, The Aints, Goatman, A Certain Ratio
Elvis Costello triumphantly turns back the clock, John Grant at his bitchy, heartfelt best, and a heap of various laid-back and wonderfully eclectic, oddball records come with likes of Connan Mockasin, Kurt Vile, Jerry Paper and more
Read moreNew albums: Cat Power, The Nightingales, Molly Burch, Phosphorescent, Marie Davidson, Fucked Up, Cypress Hill, Kristin Hersh, The Blinders, Echo & the Bunnymen
Cat Power’s blues-folk to angry techno from Marie Davidson, cross-genre punk from Fucked Up, punchy postpunk by the NIghtingales, to reworked and tracks by Echo and the Bunnymen? This week’s selection offers something for everyone
Read moreNew albums: Spiritualized, Teleman, Maribou State, Menace Beach, Yves Tumor, Chilly Gonzales
Stormy sounds and emotions from Spiritualized to Yves Tumor to super-clean pop from Teleman, and intimate piano from Chilly Gonzales, this week’s selection no shortage of excellence and experimentation
Read moreNew albums – Mattiel / Ty Segall & White Fence / Dirty Projectors / Wimps / RVG / Primo! / Body/Head / The Jayhawks
A selection of new releases from the past fortnight, including the Atlanta singer, the prolific Californian guitarists, a return to form for the Brooklyn band, and two bright debuts from Australia
Read moreNew albums: Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine, Kamasi Washington, Nine Inch Nails, The Wave PIctures, Let's Eat Grandma, Gwenifer Raymond, Thee Dagger Debs
A bumper crop of recent and new releases includes Damon Albarn back in 2D, Florence toning down the volume, an industrial political comeback from Nine Inch Nails, and a colossal work by a modern jazz great
Read moreNew albums: Gruff Rhys, Lily Allen, Lykke Li, Boy Azooga, Jorja Smith, Echo Ladies
Wales and Sweden feature much this week, with interweaving solo artists’ melancholy-pop with the Furry Animals man, Lily Allen and Lykke Li, plus three promising debuts from Jorja Smith, Boy Azooga and Echo Ladies
Read moreNew albums: Father John Misty, LUMP (Laura Marling / Mike Lindsay), Bodega, Neko Case, Warmduscher, Natalie Prass, Sam Evian, Morcheeba
This week we lavish you with a bumper crop of top-quality LPs: ethereal beauty in a Laura Marling collaboration, Father John Misty parodying narcissism, brilliant Brooklyn punk band Bodega, blues funk from Warmduscher, and superb solo female work by Neko Case and Natalie Prass
Read moreNew albums: Chvches, Tracyanne & Danny, Wooden Shjips, Lindi Ortega, A$AP Rocky, Agnes Obel & Various
Synth-pop from the Scottish trio, a new collaboration featuring Camera Obscura’s singer, psych-rock from Wooden Shjips, filmic country from Lindi Ortega, braggadocio from Rocky A$AP, and a great new Late Night Tales
Read moreNew albums: Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Wax Chattels, Ryley Walker, Ray LaMontage, TT, Mary Lattimore, James Bay
A bumper crop this week includes sharp lyricists Courtney Barnett and Stephen Malkmus, postpunk greats Parquet Courts, jazz indie from kiwis Wax Chattels, and a solo album by Warpaint’s singer and a lovely harp album
Read moreNew albums: Josh T. Pearson, The Damned, Laura Veirs, Slug, Daniel Avery, Hinds, Wiley, Derek Smalls/Harry Shearer
The Texan returns with more forceful work, The Damned show more than punk, plus comedy rock from Harry Shearer, psych folk from Laura Veirs, Daniel Avery electrionica, Wiley's grime and offbeat indie from Slug and Hinds
Read moreNew albums: EELS, Manic Street Preachers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kylie Minogue, Goat Girl, Ultimate Painting, Hop Along
This week's selection sees EELS at their best, Unknown Mortal Orchestra rocking out, Kylie going country pop, Goat Girl on London life, the Manics coming back strong, and gentle guitar folk from Ultimate Painting and Hop Along
Read moreNew albums: Cabbage, The Vaccines, Kacey Musgraves, Czarface & MF DOOM
This week's selection covers political punk form Manchester's Cabbage the return of London rockers Vaccines, gay Nashville icon Kacey Musgraves and wondrous wordplay from MF DOOM and a Wu-Tang Clan friend
Read moreNew albums: Jack White, Sunflower Bean, Cavern Of Anti-Matter, Preoccupations, George Ezra, Led Zeppelin (live)
The White Stripes man returns with his third solo effort, plus big-voiced pop folk star George Ezra, New York rockers Sunflower Bean, synth experimenters Cavern Of Anti-Matter, postpunkers Preoccupations and a reissue of a classic Led Zep live album
Read moreSexuality, seduction and salutations: favourite albums of 2017 – part 2
St Vincent to Queens of the Stone Age, Marika Hackman to Laura Marling, Fleet Foxes to the Mountain Goats, this second part of our readers' favourite albums throws up lots of questions over the self and others
Read moreDrunk, dark and humorous: favourite albums of 2017 – part 1
Father John Misty to Randy Newman, Thundercat to Sleaford Mods, Richard Dawson to DUDS, Björk to Lorde – who is on the first part of this week's reader-voted list, and what is the running theme?
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