The folk-rock scene that rose from West London in the late 2000s was mostly completely awful, every bit as graceless and schlocky as the Syco pop these prissy middle-class waifs were supposedly the antithesis to. Laura Marling's 'Alas, I Cannot Swim' is the best from this sorry crop by some distance, albeit mainly because it hints at the makings rather than the arrival of a landmark singer-songwriter.

Entrenched in the twee sonic trappings of its brethren, 'Alas...' flits between breezy ... read more

Each track on 'Mystic Familiar' is a giddy, whooshing race up to the tops of kaleidoscopic hills. Atop these heights the air feels thin, colours run wild, and we desperately try to take it all in before the dizzying heights lead us tumbling back down to the ground. The thrill is undeniable - how much did we miss? What will we find on the next one?

But once you find your footing, the mysticism fizzles out rather quickly; the formula becomes predictable, and before long you're left with only ... read more

I can't help but be struck by a depressing sense of déjà vu when listening to "walking in the snow", the abrasive centrepiece from Run the Jewels' latest. It's easily the cream of the new crop, as Killer Make's scathing verses highlight how desensitised the general public have become to abuse of authority by police officers - "And on the evening news, they feed you fear for free / And you so numb, you watch the cops choke out a man like me / Until my voice goes from ... read more

It certainly sounds like Track 7 of 12. As bouncy and colourful as anyone would expect from a Katy Perry song, yet somehow there's just no joy in this. Maybe it's the boilerplate vocal delivery, maybe it's the lyrics mistaking self-referencing for introspection, maybe it's the great big nothing of a bridge, but nothing clicks like it should. Ho-hum; there's worse stuff on the charts, I suppose.