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Birthdays Keaton Henson 581c66
Henson’s stripped-back sound is almost shocking in its purity.
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Wash the Sins Not Only the Face Esben and the Witch 2r4856
Brighton band eschews cliché, sounding sleek, fluid and effortlessly modern on album two.
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Lysandre Christopher Owens 314y3g
Owens’ bid for a place in the pantheon of gifted greats is on course.
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Calendar Motorama 66113o
Manchester-inspired Russians impress with these 10 tracks.
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Fear Fun Father John Misty 35w59
Ex-Fleet Foxes sticksman gets superbly freaky on a special solo voyage.
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Pale Fire El Perro del Mar 1a2t17
Hers is a shivery presence, like moonlight on flesh.
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Sunken Condos Donald Fagen 6sw1q
Relaxed of groove but certainly sophisticated, this is Fagen on form.
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Come Home to Mama Martha Wainwright 353x6x
The Canadian-American singer has realised her best record to date.
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Lonerism Tame Impala 6v120
Superbly psychedelic second set with a very British-sounding soul.
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Thefearofmissingout Thenewno2 3b3h3n
Dhani Harrison and company's second album plays things too safely.
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Lo Fi High Fives: A Kind of Best Of R. Stevie Moore 4w3v14
Songs of subterranean AOR, with guitars tripping the light fantastic.
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Summer Special Euros Childs z541j
A perfect little world of mid-tempo, piano-based, chorus-heavy impressions.
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Life Is People Bill Fay 41452i
The stunning return of a prodigal son you never knew existed.
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Cyrk II Cate Le Bon 464b2n
A second helping of Cyrk, accentuating the dreamier haunts of part one.
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Electric Hawaii Opossom 1o2b6w
The Mint Chicks’ Kody Nielson flies solo with great psych-pop results.
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Cheeky for a Reason The View 4s2n1b
A more grown-up sound permeates this fourth LP from the Dundee quartet.
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On the Hot Dog Streets Go-Kart Mozart 3n3lx
There is only one Lawrence, this is his gospel, and roll on the next chapter.
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Island Fire Gemma Ray 3j1a72
A singer with potent pop sensibilities, packaged exquisitely and uniquely.
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Tree Bursts in Snow iral Fallow 163w41
Hearts might well burst under prolonged exposure to this record.
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Dr Dee Damon Albarn 2k5s6t
A well-researched soundtrack piece full of memorable melodies.
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A Joyful Noise Gossip 166o5v
A fifth album from the pop-embracing trio that’s geared for maximum chart impact.
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Electric Warrior: 40th Anniversary Edition T. Rex 4u6a3p
Presented with loads of extras, but the original 11 tracks are all anyone truly needs.
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It’s nu-folk on Williams’ second long-player, but not as you know it.
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This Alabama outfit might be the feel-good hit of the summer festival circuit.
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Viva Hate Morrissey 4g4dv
Moz has taken his editor’s hand to this solo debut – but does it lead to better results?
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Port of Morrow The Shins 1eu1m
A record with so much clever and excitable beauty, yet strangely disappointing.
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Breakfast Chiddy Bang h2d2q
An instant hit with tasty ingredients from the Philadelphia rap duo.
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Always Xiu Xiu 212u4z
Music for those comforted by blood, sweat and tears.
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Stage Whisper Charlotte Gainsbourg 142d6d
An obvious, albeit appealing, stopgap release.
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Pray to Be Free James Levy and The Blood Red Rose 57184h
A smouldering album wrapped in velvet strings and suave horns.
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Put Your Back N 2 It Perfume Genius 13t2e
Music from a bleakly beautiful twilight zone entirely of its own design.
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The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy Nada Surf 2t55a
A sixth LP proper that’s perhaps better titled Bands Are Indifferent to Change.
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A terrific and charming Domino debut from Frenchman Fránçois Marry.
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Future This The Big Pink 3t444n
Welcome to Difficult Second Album syndrome, delivered in typical Big Pink style.
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Lemondale Bill Wells p4b2f
Deserves to live on, and on, many years after its creation.
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The sisters’ voices, with Hegarty and Wyatt’s songs: a perfect match.
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While Mortals Sleep Kate Rusby 6j5z5u
Traditional numbers given a Rusby spin, best enjoyed with pint in hand.
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Inni Sigur Rós 6943x
The band ignites on several occasions across this double-disc live set.
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Humor Risk Cass McCombs 6f2q4q
One of the American Gothic greats reveals his second LP of 2011.
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Parallax Atlas Sound 3671n
Bradford Cox’s most coherent record to date – how badly we need more of his ilk.
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Achtung Baby – 20th Anniversary Edition U2 623e4l
When the Irish band went to Berlin, roped in Brian Eno, and pressed the restart button.
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Mylo Xyloto Coldplay 2c173f
A triumphant fifth LP which reveals familiar strengths in all the right places.
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Portamento The Drums 5a1h45
Mostly more of the same from a New York band in need of their Pet Sounds moment.
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Ghost on the Canvas Glen Campbell 5nx10
The country legend’s final album, and a fine way to bow out of the business.
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Tamer Animals Other Lives 5b6p72
The most uniquely sublime, meticulous and heroic 40 minutes of 2011.
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Gentle Spirit Jonathan Wilson 82w1j
The sound of lying on your back, sun-basking, mentally drifting downstream.
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The ex-Beta Band man becomes the ghost in Bovell’s time-travelling dub machine.
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House of Rufus Rufus Wainwright 2g5l6z
Lavish set covering the man’s career to date, packed with startling rarities.
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Beautiful Ground Something Beginning With L 61451p
A constant threat of change makes this lovely long-player so very enticing.
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Mirror Mirror Sons and Daughters 423b6j
There won’t be a more sexily evil record released this year.
