Marc Burrows

The darkest and most swooningly elegiac Suede album since Dog Man Star, and arguably the most imaginative and interesting of their career.

All of this is reflected in tunes that warp and slide uncomfortably, guitars that never seem to stay quite in tune, beats and hooks that dissolve before they resolve, Dev Hynes’ vocal always naked and vulnerable, with no effort made to hide his insecurities with his own ability.

Earl Grey works so well because the three women at its heart have uniqueness as players and chemistry as a band, and it’s rare to get both.

Stellular is very much the fulfillment of Dougall’s potential as a songwriter.

Despite the unavoidable, unbearable sadness of its context Viola Beach is best celebrated for its lightness.

It’s melodically strong enough, and bursting with so many ideas that it feels incredibly timeless: futuristic and classic all at once.

It’s a stylish, likeable work, that while not hitting the peaks of excitement in their early albums has a real consistency and warmth.

The extra care and attention shows too- this feels like a deeper record than its predecessor, 2012’s well-received Blunderbuss, not as pretty but certainly sharper and more elegantly formed

Understated, warm songwriting and unshowy production mask a record full of subtle touches and hidden depths. 

It’s a satisfyingly snack-sized 35 minutes of pop bangers that doesn’t drop the ball once and never overstays its welcome.

Such albums always reward persistence, and it may be that the consensus will eventually find favour with Trouble Will Find Me. For now though, as an album, as a piece of art, it’s beautifully painted but the colour palette needs to expand substantially.

Modern Vampires Of The City (bloomin’ marvelous title, FYI) overshadows such petty concerns by simply being immaculate, beautifully balanced and enthralling pop music.

At its heart In Love is the Charlatans covering the first Smashing Pumpkins album with a smidge of Suede, a smidge of the Mondays, a smidge of Blur and a blob of Pavement.

Palma Violets get a pass this time, their lack of focus and their naivety balanced by their charm.

It’s difficult to recommend ¡Tré! in its own right, and the smart move is probably to cherry pick the tracks you want rather than shell out for the whole thing, and that is surely the most damning judgment you can make on such a grand concept.

All We Love We Leave Behind retains the fire of Jane Doe and harnesses everything they’ve learned since, combining to create something unrelenting, brutal, and never short of magnificent.

Good rather than great, and enjoyable if rarely fully captivating, what’s clear is that Barthmus has a talent both as a producer, arranger and writer that could well pay dividends a couple of records down the line

¡Uno! finally sees the Cali-punk trio letting themselves sound like Green Day, releasing the pressure and defaulting to what they do best.