The fact that 'Purpose' features some of the hottest writers and producers in the game right now means there's enough going on to hold your interest throughout.
Half of the time Barnett, sounds like she isn't even trying, shrugging out moments of brilliance with ease and nonchalance. Whether she sits and thinks or sits and does nothing, it would appear the results are still golden.
'Fading Frontier' is by no means a poor album, and truth be told really doesn't possess a bad number on it. The real issue is that in a genre filled with imitators, many whom Deerhunter no doubt inspired, we need a bit more bang for our buck.
His latest LP is an endearing collection of slow-burning, dreamy arrangements, which find the singer wistfully contemplating the shifting nature of identity.
This sense of duty might go some way to explaining the less destructive and far more unifying approach to these songs; add in Stephen Street ... and you get the band’s most natural sounding album in over twenty years.
This is a musically adventurous record that's sugared by its pop sensibility.
'What Went Down' arrives without any obvious standout singles and is a far cry from Foals' early energetic indie sound. On the other hand, it's impossible to deny that the overall album is a hugely accomplished effort .
Yes, the production is razor sharp, the beats are skewed and often very loud which makes them feel important, but in reality, it's all a façade; an image.
'Goon' is not perfect, but it's the imperfections and the straight honesty that bleeds through it that make it so appealing.
It's a truly incredible album, a special album and a rare album. Give in to it because, before you're ready to let it go, it's gone.
'Natureboy' serves as an adept education on equilibrium, an accomplished piece of artistry which is prolific in its worldly influence but never self-indulgent enough to get lost in it.
In some ways it may have too many ideas, just falling short of Grant's 'Pale Green Ghosts' ... But '...Honeybear' is easily a masterpiece and already one of the best albums of 2015.
The simple fact is that ‘No Cities To Love’ sounds hungrier, fiercer and more up for the fight than next to anything coming from newer, younger rock artists right now.
It may well be our first insight into the real Sufjan. It's heavy, but so very beautiful.
‘Vespertine’ is a master-work by my reckoning, an emotionally resonant record that truly articulated the innermost desires of its maker in a way that felt less intrusive, more inclusive.
This is the truest representation of Grimes we’ve heard yet: 'Art Angels' is boundary pushing, it’s listenable and it’s Boucher’s most ambitious and most consistent work to date.