Opening track ‘Brennisteinn’ is nothing short of a volcanic eruption of moody industrial rock at it’s very finest. The new direction maybe a more dignified way of sticking a finger up to the man and proving they’re capable of creating more than just idealist melodies. The fantasy of more aggressive sounds is an exciting change for the band and the bleak darkness is welcomed with open arms.

The follow up track is a complete contrast to the opening of gloom and doom, as if waking up from a thunderstorm ‘Hrafntinna’ is the uplift in mood to keep old fans content, where we can’t help but sigh with disappointment. The enchanting percussion and haunting vocal ‘oooh’s’ is a pleasant and more poppy sound for the band but already moving back to safe territory, drat.

Watch the video for album opener 'Brennisteinn' below

It’s not that the songs aren’t beautifully composed and poignant - they really are, it’s just that we were getting pretty excited by the alternate motive of darkness and mystery. You get the feeling that the band have tried to mold into a darker hysteria but then backed away at the last minute, only just dipping their toes into the murky water. We wished they’d dived all the way in because what a sinister creation that would’ve been.

Watch title track 'Kveikur' below

The album continues to fill out with tracks like ‘Isjaki’ and ‘Rafstraumur’ that are gorgeously divine yet all seem too much like common ground for a band capable of so much more.

You can probably now sense the repetition and frustration here, but as there aren’t many bands out there that can create such strong visualizations as Sigur Ros it’s such a shame they haven’t tried to push the boundaries a little more this time around. What’s more, with an opening so bold and brilliant the album falls short of achieving something much more magical.

Names as varied as Snow Patrol, Four Tet, Sly and Robbie, and Arctic Monkeys have taken on the challenge since 2001. The latest instalment, however, sees Norwegian electronic duo, Royksopp, take on the mantle.

In the true spirit of Late Night Tales, the record is a vibrant trip through the weird and wonderful. It touches on every nook and cranny of Royksopp's record collection, exploring electronica, synth-pop, folk, jazz, prog-rock, the odd guilty pleasure, and a couple of new recordings from the band themselves.

'Daddy's Groove' was exclusively recorded for the compilation. The track could blend seamlessly into Royksopp's masterpiece debut, 'Melody AM', but also acts as a wonderful opener.

Listen to 'Daddy's Groove' below

In many cases, the 18 tracks that follow read as if they have been plucked from complete obscurity, but a full listen reveals the time and care that has been taken to make the album an encapsulating sonic meander.

Infectous folk songs from the likes of Rare Bird and Little River Band are married perfectly with 80s pop masters such as Tuxedomoon and XTC. The latter is a genre Royksopp even dare to have a go at themselves in the shape of a cover of Depeche Mode's 'Ice Machine'- incidentally the version is a delightful listen.

The journey also visits the depths of the avant-garde with tracks from Greek cinematic composer, Vangelis, and kraut-rock oddballs, Popol Vuh. For periods, the album is as much an education as it is a recreational voyage.

Cover versions of tracks by Neil Young and Emmylou Harris (courtesy of Prelude and This Mortal Coil respectively) are dream-like and give a subtle injection of familiarity to the record.

As is the beautifully disorientating convention of Late Night Tales, things are brought to a close with a piece of spoken word (from none other than 'Sherlock' star, Benedict Cumberbatch).

His delivery of the second part of the modern short story, 'Flat of Angles' is a continuation of the last edition of Late Night Tales, curated by Friendly Fires.

Whether a Royksopp fan or not, those already au fait with the Late Night Tales catalogue should thoroughly enjoy this. For others yet to explore the concept, it may prove a bit of an overbearing place to start- but give it the right context and frame of mind and there is something here for all the insomniacs amongst us.

Tracklisting:
1. Royksopp- Daddy's Groove
2. Rare Bird- Passing Through
3. Little River Band- The Light Of Day
4. Tuxedomoon- In A Manner Of Speaking
5. Vangelis- Blade Runner Blues
6. Royksopp- Ice Machine (Depeche Mode Cover)
7. Johann Johannsson- Adi Et Amo
8. F.R. David- Music
9. Prelude- After The Goldrush
10. Richard Schneider Jnr- Hello Beach Girls
11. Acker Bilk- Stranger On The Shore
12. Thomas Dolby- Budapest By Blimp
13. Byrne & Barnes- Love You Out Of Your Mind
14. Andreas Vollenweider- Hands And Clouds
15. John Martyn- Small Hours
16. XTC- The Somnambulist
17. This Mortal Coil- Till I Can Gain Control Again
18. Popol Vuh- Aguirre I (Lacrime Di Rei)
19. Benedict Cumberbatch- Flat Of Angles (part 2)

The View were greeted with a tidal wave of hype when they unveiled early singles like 'Wasted Little DJs' and 'Same Jeans' in 2006. The debut album that followed didn't disappoint either, the infectious indie pop of Hats Off to the Buskers saw the best of both worlds, storming the charts as well as gaining a Mercury nomination.

Since then indie's ability to gatecrash the Top 40 seems to have dwindled a little, but it's nice to see a band with such genuine intentions continue to succeed where others have petered out.

This retrospective tour through The View's studio albums is broken up with three new tracks. 'Kill Kyle' opens the record and is probably the strongest of the trio. 'Dirty Magazine' and 'Standard' also slot well into the compilation, but in all honesty are indie by numbers.

There's a slight niggling feeling that it would have done to use these for an intermediate EP, and this full-length release could be cynically looked upon as a money-making exercise.

But revisiting tracks like 'The Don', 'Shock Horror', and 'Superstar Tradesman' is an enjoyable way to waste a rainy afternoon. The offerings taken from last year's 'Cheeky for a Reason' simply aren't of the same standard, but at no point does the temptation to hit the skip button become too overpowering.

Support slots with The Stone Roses, and the lifting of their US exile following Kyle Falconer's cocaine possession, may well have won The View some new fans over recent months. For those who have indeed arrived late to the party, Seven Year Setlist is an ideal way to get started.

The omissions of early belters like 'Street Lights' and 'Comin' Down' mean it is essential to treat yourself to Hats Off to the Buskers in its entirety to really hear The View at their best. But as guitar-wielding journeys from the mid-noughties to the present day go, this one is good fun.

Does what it says on the tin, and does it well.

Pushing listeners in a completely different direction to his last, Mac’s love of underground Hip-Hop rides shotgun. With a mix of zany beats and psychotically comedic subject matters also used to help describe Mac’s inner imaginations, daring to be different, this is without doubt a ballsy effort that transcends what some might consider to be the norm as far as rap music is concerned.

With shock value set well above 10, wishing Rihanna was DTF (down to fuck for those unfamiliar with the term) on the Tyler The Creator featured 'O.K.' and then promising to "punch a fan if he get a fucking word wrong” on “Bird Call", it’s hard not to think of early Eminem when listening to the 21-year-old Pittsburg emcee’s latest transformation. Lyrically expansive, his inner stoner meets impenetrable rhyme schemes that results in some excitingly hazardous results.

Stand outs include 'REMember', a dedication to a friend gone too soon, and the Action Bronson assisted 'Red Dot Music'. Also featuring the likes of Ab Soul, Jay Electronica and Schoolboy Q, with some of the most respected names in Hip-Hop stopping by there’s absolutely no chance of being steered in the wrong direction.

Slightly alienating himself by not offering his longstanding fans any light listening, Mac Miller’s selfish tendencies that scream total independence are actually what makes this album the enjoyable outing that it is. An unsubscribed genius has let itself be known with this release; whether it sells or not.

The point at which Kanye stopped caring about public opinion was a long time ago. Believing his own hype based upon the accolades of yesteryear, his need to continually break through creative restrictions has finally ended with a dud. While it took a little while for people to understand his other creative turning point, 2008‘s 808s & Heartbreak, this time there’s no sudden realisation that an upping the bar moment was staring people in the face the entire time.

With atrocious techno beat influences, that sound as outdated as an Atari game minus the respectable retro quality, sonically abrasive joints such as 'On Sight', on which Daft Punk continue their run of underwhelming creativity, and 'Send It Up' add to an album seriously lacking in cohesive awareness. A pick n mix of instrumental insertions, the only backdrop that displays any type of creative flair is the one displayed on 'Bound 2'. It’s just a shame about the song’s basic lyrical content - “I wanna fuck you hard on a sink/ After that give you something to drink.”

Listen to Kanye West's Yeezus album below

Rants and tirades aplenty, early reviews [tailored more towards a positive opinion] claim the album will go over most listeners heads. If this is the case then what is so mind blowing about the lyrics, “Black girl sippin’ white wine/ Put my fist in her like a civil rights sign”? Not all-the-way terrible, moments of tolerable Yeezy come in the form of 'Guilt Trip', once you get past his painfully rough singing voice, and the system fighting 'New Slaves'. Whilst not groundbreaking, these really are the best of a bad bunch.

So far left field that it might not even be in a field, calling ‘Yeezus’ art, which a lot of so-called avant-garde trendsetters are doing, is like calling a blank canvas splattered with paint by an infant art. Full of shock value just for the sake of it, ‘Yeezus’ is an incredibly self-absorbed project with quite possibly the worst bout of arrogance ever laid down on a track - listen to 'I Am A God' for evidence. When working as one beats and lyrics are usually married together in musical matrimony. On this go round however it all ends in divorce. Sorry Kanye, but this is more recycle bin rap than genre defining inventiveness.

Liam Gallagher's appraisal of his band's follow-up to the ironically pedestrian 'Different Gear, Still Speeding', has been typically arrogant and dripping in his usual self-belief. During its finer points, the record is an improvement on their 2011 debut, but the new-found "magic" Gallagher cites as being present on 'BE' is missing for protracted spells.

The decision to bring in TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek as 'BE's producer was a smart decision though. The album's opener 'Flick of the Finger' is a highlight that is a real signal of intent. The track is the most expansive Gallagher and co have sounded for some years. A huge brass section brings the track to life and Sitek pushes the frontman's vocal right to the front of the mix.

Watch 'Flick Of The Finger', performed on Jools Holland, below

A spoken word cameo from 'Fonejacker' star, Kayvan Novak, sounds ridiculous on paper, but actually works perfectly as he recites an extract from Tariq Ali's book 'Street Fighting Years- An Autobiography of the Sixties'.

Unfortunately the record only gets less interesting from here. 'Soul Love' and 'Face the Crowd' are from the same arsenal of mediocrity that defined Different Gear, Still Speeding.

Lead single 'Second Bite of the Apple' again benefits no end from Sitek's involvement. There's a heavier, more layered element to the track that simply couldn't be heard before.

Watch 'Second Bite Of The Apple' below

Gallagher and Sitek's reported mutual ignorance of each other's work is something that seems to have worked well for the partnership as a whole.

It's hard to imagine the former getting too much of a kick from TV on the Radio, however following the collaboration he recently described Sitek as "the maddest bastard in thick-rimmed glasses since my Grandma".

But as 'Soon Come Tomorrow' rears its ugly head, my reaction is one of the kind of bluntness that is normally synonymous with Gallagher... (Despite Sitek's best efforts) you can't polish a turd.

'Iz Rite' is a nauseatingly bad title. The track's sound is slightly more bearable, but will only really bring joy to grieving Oasis fans still weeping into their lager, struggling to let go.

'I'm Just Saying' picks things up a bit. A jaunty chorus is matched with a sudden injection of urgency. The track is one of few on the album that could be seen as having the credentials to have made it onto an Oasis record (probably not one of the good ones though).

'Don't Brother Me' is a pleasant listen. The 7-minute ballad is given the kind of space we would expect from fellow Mancunians like Elbow and I Am Kloot. But the fact remains both those bands boast infinitely more talented lyricists than Beady Eye, and the track is at its best when Gallagher shuts up.

'Shine a Light' and 'Ballroom Figured' are formulaic, drab, and devoid of any kind of engagement.

'Start Anew' rounds the album off quite nicely. But unfortunately the filler on BE far outweighs some glimpses of an intriguing new direction.

The world doesn't really need this album. The musicians involved didn't really need to make it, yet people will buy it, and some of them will like it.

I myself look forward to the "magic" of record number three with very little anticipation.

Since, the Top 10 has been crammed with first-class dance tunes from the likes of Duke Dumont, and Chris Malinchak, who have delivered first class dance to the mainstream. It feels very much like the Disclosure boys have paved the way for this massive onslaught of deep house and break beats, consequentially hijacking the typically irksome mainstream.

Their debut album features an eclectically cherry-picked mix of elite British collaborators including Jamie Woon, Jessie Ware, Ed Macfarlane of Friendly Fires and London Grammar, their spidery baselines and feverish beats providing the perfect backdrop. The album leans very much into the Chicago-house era, with deep UK -garage influences.

‘You And Me’, the third single to be taken from Settle, features Eliza Dolittle (who’s voice, outside of her twee, bubblegum, pop phase is amazingly brilliant) serves as confirmation of their just how astonishing talented they are. It is perfect, summery, expressive and no doubt a future festival favourite.

The charts were a baron wasteland of pop tarts and plastic boy bands, David Guetta and Flo Rida. And then, Disclosure happened. Are these guys from space? Their production style is on another level of brilliant, leaving Settle to play through like a greatest hits collection, each track just as entrancing and infectious as the next.

Opening track ‘Taking Over’ sets the stall for what is to come. The old-school fuzzy guitar intro that features throughout is as catchy as they come and certainly gets things going for the ex-Rascals front man. The album has been produced by ex-Lightning Seed Ian Broudie, who also aided the writing process and arguably his most notable contribution is the title track and lead single ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are.’ The choruses stomp along to a la-la-la sing-along that will have festival goers and mods singing in unity long after his live sets ends.

Driving guitars and euphoric choruses are the order of the day on this album and Kane continues to produce those in-yer-face tracks that hark back to better musical times. The Paul Weller co-written number ‘You’re Gonna Get It’ is going to really please those sharp dressed men that follow these two mod icons. From The Jam-like guitars to the bobbing-head beat, it has all the components you expect from a song that brings Weller and Kane together.

It has to be said, Kane doesn’t get it all right on the album, the hazy acoustic musings of ‘Fire In My Heart’ certainly don’t bring out the best attributes of the Liverpudlian. With the country-tinged piano and pretty basic lyrics it is a song that seems out of place on the album. It is a song so contrasting to the highlight of the album, 'Inhaler'. It was the first new song to emerge back in February and still holds more than its own on the album.

Despite album closer ‘Darkness In Our Hearts’ apparently borrowing the opening riff from ‘Last Nite’, the colossal indie track from everyone’s favourite converse wearing New Yorkers The Strokes, it still works. It’s a driving number that sums up the record so very well, that being a collection of no-nonsense, modern rock anthems.

Finally, the time has come for the Queens to drop their long-awaited sixth album '...Like Clockwork'.

Much has been said about the months of toil in the California desert. After leaving their mark on everyone from Arctic Monkeys to Biffy Clyro in recent years, QOTSA have long been one of the most respected rock bands on the planet. It only stands to reason that they should attract help from across the spectrum of rock royalty in the form of contributions from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, former QOTSA and Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri, Alex Turner and even appearance from Scissor Sister Jake Shears and Sir Elton John.

But can Homme and co live up to hype? Can they make the desert bloom fruitful once again? Let's take a listen and find out...

'Keep Your Eyes Peeled'
The sounds of breaking glass and ominous goings on get things off to a fittingly menacing start before a swampy dirge of a bassline leads the album down to some pretty dark depths. Not even the backing vocals courtesy of The Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears can brighten the tone from its waltzing nausea. None of this is criticism – it’s ace, and the perfect opener for what follows. Rather than leaning on past glories or formulae, Queens of the Stone Age are back, they’re bad-ass and they’ve got the balls to do whatever the hell they feel like.

'I Sat By The Ocean'
As debuted on Later With Jools Holland earlier this month, the secret to this track is its subtle swagger. “Silence is closer, we’re passing ships in the night,” spits Homme as the slow-burning slice of stoner-rock psychedelia builds to a pretty sweet guitar-duel release.

'The Vampyre of Time and Memory' 
“I want God to come and take me home, because I’m all alone in this crowd,” mourns Homme over a lamentful piano ballad in one of QOTSA’s most tender and intimate moments to date. The usually fierce ‘Ginger Elvis’ Homme really opens up in a refreshingly exposed reflection on love and loss as he pines “does anyone ever get this right? I feel no love” and “to be vulnerable is needed most of all if you intend to truly fall apart”. Lovely stuff. Heartbreaking.

'If I Had A Tail'
“Kichy kichy, ooh la la,” struts Homme with a furled lip as the sassy QOTSA from ‘Sick Sick Sick’ and ‘I’m Designer’ make a welcome return on this sexy burst of heat and hedonism. Plus it features drums from Dave Grohl and backing vocals from Alex Turner AND Nick Oliveri. That’s every barrel locked, cocked and ready to unload. Come get some.

'My God Is The Sun'
The world’s first taste of ‘…Like Clockwork came courtesy of this scorching rush of desert rock. Like ‘Monsters In The Parasol’ and ‘Go With The Flow’ before it, ‘My God Is The Sun’ carries itself with that thrilling pace of a race through the wasteland to make it another instant QOTSA classic.

'Kalopsia'
“Rose-tinted eyes colour my sorrows a shade of white – bye bye black balloon,” cries Homme on this unsettlingly touching acid-fuelled swoon about ‘things appearing more beautiful than they actually are. But make no mistake, as one of QOTSA’s more experimental and emotive moments, this is every inch as beautiful as it seems. Plus, with a title from the brain of Alex Turner and backing vocals from the mouth of Trent Reznor what more do you want?

'Fairweather Friends'
Forget everything you thought you knew about Elton John. He certainly knows how to rock out with the best of them. Adding some pretty stately backing vocals and dizzying piano-work to this cunning little beast, Sir Elton spits in the face of his balladeering reputation to do some pretty twisted things with a set of ivories. Lad.

'Smooth Sailing'
Oof! Boy, is that sexy? Strutting like a peacock on MDMA, ‘Smooth Sailing’ licks its lips and smacks a cheeky kiss on the face of an otherwise pretty dark affair. Homme’s devilish musings on “bruises and hickies” as he ‘blows his load over the status quo’ along with some pretty chunky drums and mean guitarwork oughtta make this a live favourite in years to come. Not only is it an album highlight, but scientists are currently testing its aphrodisiac qualities. There are going to be some very horny monkeys out there.

'I Appear Missing'
“Shock me awake – tear me apart” runs the pretty grim chorus as Homme and co bring the mood back with one last slow-motion charge through fire and brimstone in a tale of a conflicted identity. Clocking in at just over six minutes, ‘I Appear Missing’ is the longest and most meandering track on ‘…Clockwork’ and one of Josh’s most tortured insights.

'Like Clockwork'
Ending the album on a soothingly sombre note, the John Lennon-esque title track reveals the true nature of the twisted turmoil that Homme went through during the making of the record. The inter-band splits, the depression, the dice with death and the fear of the uncertain future all come to a head as he vulnerably muses: “holding on too long is just a fear of letting go, because not everything that goes around comes back around you know…one thing that is clear – it’s all downhill from here.” It was certainly a great ride for us.

Verdict:
Certainly the best QOTSA record since Songs for the Deaf, …Like Clockwork is a different beast entirely to its predecessors – but it’s still one hell of a beast. Rather than leaning on guest collaborators as a crutch, Homme has subtly interweaved their contributions to make a layered and intense listening experience.

Leaving behind the dad-rock of Them Crooked Vultures and the mindless hedonism of Eagles of Death Metal, ‘Clockwork’ sees the Queens racing into the unknown and totally owning it. Sure, it’s full of fear, fire and fury – but it’s also Queens of the Stone Age more personal and powerful than ever.

In a year of strong contenders, QOTSA may have just dropped the best rock record of 2013. Now watch its aftermath bloom like a mushroom cloud.

Veteran Brooklyn-based quintet have always been the epitome of a ‘slow burner’. An outfit, if you’re patient enough to invest in their melancholic insecurities and elegiac, shimmering melodies, which will reap dividends in handsome, ever-growing quantities. 

2010’s High Violet was such a case in point, indicative of their 11-year career at that point to date. Majestic, heart-wrenching and, at times, soberingly beautiful, it took several listens before the true beauty of tracks like 'Lemonworld' and 'Conversation 16' hit home.

Buoyed by the hip support of an Obama election campaign plug, the record swooped into more hearts than ever before, putting them here, in 2013, in quite the interesting position. Towering baritone Matt Berninger said so himself, confessing they finally had the ‘thing’ they had been chasing for a decade and could finally relax, meaning the follow-up to High Violet would be a more instant and, dare I say it, commercial affair.

So is it? Thankfully no, ironically, it takes even more listens than their previous releases to connect to Trouble Will Find Me.

I’ve had it on the work commute all week and it was three or four days before I finally started to really enjoy a number of the tracks.

Opener 'I Shall Live In Salt', left me feeling strangely non-plussed at first, but it’s gentle orchestration and yearning refrain slowly seeped through and it now feels like a strong starter.

Elsewhere, single 'Demons' is archetypal The National, draped in dark thoughts and self-doubt, while 'Sea Of Love' with its album title refrain, surfs on Bryan Devendorf’s urgent drum groove and 'This Is The Last Time' and 'Slipped' are the sort of fag end of the night contemplation tracks The National do so well.

'I Need My Girl' (with it’s amusing ‘remember when you lost your sh** and drove your car into the garden’ line) is dreamy, yet dark and album closer 'Hard To Find' is tender and beautifully layered.

That said, it’s no High Violet. One of the best albums of the last decade was always going to take some beating and The National have undoubtedly fallen short. 'Graceless' and 'Pink Rabbits' both miss the mark musically, despite their thought-provoking lyrics and the album overall is a couple of tracks too long, allowing it to meander in a way High Violet never does.

Does Trouble Will Find Me deserve to find a way into your hearts and record collections though? Most definitely, there’s plenty still hear to enjoy, relate to and generally allow to permeate your consciousness. The National - it’s good to have you back.

Since her re-introduction into the American (and indeed British) conscious as a judge on American X Factor, Demi has become more of a name to the masses, than just to her teenage girl fan base. ‘Demi’, her fourth album, is full of reliable pop songs, but doesn’t necessarily push the boundaries like her previous offering ‘Unbroken’.

Opening track is current single ‘Heart Attack’, is a punchy upbeat song which is not only a great introduction to new listeners of Demi, but also a great showcase for her powerful voice. Despite her years spent as a Disney kid, the album as a whole show her growth from squeaky clean child star, to bona fide pop star with the pipes to rival any of her contemparies’ in the charts at the moment. Most surprising song from the album is the track ‘Really Don’t Care’ featuring one Cher Lloyd from Britain’s X Factor a few years back (the one who sang of swagger, and indeed, jagger).

The album is a good listen, and has several songs which if pushed to be singles will no doubt cement Demi into the mainstream, but perhaps isn’t as strong as one would have liked, on hearing her previous album. Stand out tracks are the current single ‘Heart Attack’, the catchy ‘Fire Starter’, and despite (maybe because of) the inclusion of Cher Lloyd, ‘Really Don’t Care’.

You've already experienced the love-at-first-listen joy from the instant pop gem of 'Diane Young'. It's frenetic rhythms and the madman vocoder tomfoolery of chorus "baybuh, baybuh, baybuh, baybuh - right on time" are going to send many a field wild in the coming months and you'll be glad to hear that the rest of the record follows in that same festival-friendly spirit.

But rather than leaning on the band's quirks which can often prove quite divisive, Modern Vampires of the City hones in on the soul, sass, maturity and melody of Vampire Weekend.

'Finger Back' is driven by the playful quick-fire guitar chops and infectious Afro-beat Peter Gabrielisms that skyrocketed Vampire Weekend to fame in the first place, while the maudlin dirge, military march and haunting choral backing on 'Hudson' probably makes for the biggest departure for the band. Just like with their first two LPs, Modern Vampires has that same 'greatest hits' feel where every track has smash single potential, but the thread that runs through their third album is an emphasis on reflection and analysis.

From the tender waltz of loss on opener 'Obvious Bicycle' and single 'Step' to the laments of religion on the bubbling swoon of album highlight 'Ya Hey' and the angelic ode to youth on closer 'Young Lion', Modern Vampires of the City sees Vampire Weekend wrap their unbeatable pop formula around tales of God, death, life and love.

If that ain't sunshine to your ears, then I don't know what is.

Sickly sweet it may be, but as we've learned from their first two LPs and their delightful Christmas album, She & Him don't dabble in that faux-vintage simulacra of yesteryear that so obsesses the Instagram generation. What you have in the partnership of Monster of Folk M Ward and indie starlet Zooey Deschannel is a true labour of love for the rich sounds of early pop.

It has all the hallmarks of a swinging 60s pop record - including the obligatory covers in the form a swooning Phil Spector-esque doo-wop version of 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me' and skiffle re-imagining of Blondie's 'Sunday Girl' (complete with a verse or two in French... Hmmmmm).

Call it kitsch if you like, but none can deny the warming charm on the bouncing 'Together' or the sheer rockabilly wedding disco fun of 'I Could Have Been Your Girl' or the widescreen loveliness of 'I've Got Your Number, Son'. The whole record would definitely benefit from the fuzzy crackle of vinyl - in the best kind of way.

The album's centre-piece is the heartfelt piano ballad 'London'. As Deschannel pines "Oh London, where the clouds never go away - I keep my coat on from September 'til May," you're reminded that some things never change, including some staples of music.

Fairly mood-dependant, it could grow a little tiresome or find itself on some middle-aged dinner party playlist, but regardless of era and fashion and subtly spitting in the face of irony, Volume Three is an album to be enjoyed without pretence or prejudice as a nod to pop's sweeter and simpler moments.

The unveiling of the next chapter, 'More Light', is Primal Scream's 10th studio album and will be their first since the loss of their bassist of 17 years to The Stone Roses' reformation.

The record starts with an enormous statement of intent in the shape of nine-minute thriller, '2013'. Bobby Gillespie's disillusioned social commentary sits on a backdrop of punchy instrumentation that engages throughout. It's classic Scream.

Uncompromisingly, track two- 'River of Pain'- then comes in at seven minutes. Not as immediately catchy, it at first seems unremarkable, before meandering into a trip through dark psychedelia and an orchestral wall of sound.

The proceeding phase of the record harks back to another of Primal Scream's triumphs, 2000's 'XTRMNTR'. Gillespie again flirts with the kind of lyrical semantics that had some label him a hell-bound Satanist at the turn of the millennium.

'Hit Void' is a carefully layered song that dips its toe into kraut-rock while also triggering memories of the epic 'Shoot Speed/ Kill Light'.

The album drops down a gear when the stoner-rock bassline of 'Tenement Kid' arrives, but the track remains immersive enough to firmly keep hold of the listener's attention.

And if anyone claims they were at risk of drifting off they are brought straight back to earth with the spiky indie riff of 'Invisible City'. A spritely brass section keeps things ticking along and characterises a return that reminds us what a modern rock 'n' roll album should sound like.

The crooning soundtrack of 'Goodbye Johnny' is followed by another piece of abrasive guitar in 'Sideman'. Perhaps two of the album's weaker moments, but never in danger of downgrading what is (on the whole) an enthralling listen.

Blink and you'll miss a cameo from none other than Robert Plant on 'Elimination Blues', but the fact his contribution could easily go unnoticed on first listen is testament to the album's strength.

Its remainder exposes the listener to Primal Scream's trademark gospel-tinged rock. For long-time Scream fans, the last two tracks will transport them back to 1991, to what was dubbed 'the druggiest album of all time' by the NME two years ago.

'Walking With the Beast' is certainly the offspring of Screamadelica's come-down faze. Gillespie's atmospheric soul on the penultimate offering is the best he and his band have sounded for at least a decade.

The loss of Mani, ageing personnel, and a general depreciation of indie music over recent years may have led some cynics to profess Primal Scream were on their last legs. 'More Light' not only dispels that theory but blows it apart.

A truly impressive comeback album is capped off with the recent single that will provide the perfect soundtrack when Primal Scream take to the stage just before The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury next month...

'It's Alright, It's OK'- No, it's far better than that.

Little Boots initially surfaced in the heady days of nu rave, as a kind of synth-disco star. She appealed through her feel-good rhythms and innovative take on instrumentation, as presentable as much at festivals as on the club scene. Potential was good.

Sadly, the frightful industry dithering that now seems to accompany any second album that represents anything more than a dead cert has taken its toll. Too long has passed and 2013 is not 2009. While the public's need to dance is no less now than then, the sounds that make feet move are no longer the same. Granted, there is still a healthy appeal to her disco sound, which increasingly resembles a Cargo mix night. But when there's bolder and more brash acts out there its hard to see Little Boots cutting through. 'Shake' touches on the dub trend, while 'Motorway' is the club anthem.

Yet elsewhere the material is just too subtle. 'Crescendo' for example defies its own name sake by never moving beyond the insipid in spite of the dulcet vocals. And despite the potential of its cracking 70s bassline, 'Beat Beat' muffles its strength - Little Boots' vocals – to the back of the mix like some sort of unknown audio soup.

Equally, Nocturnes also suffers a little from a lack of originality. One track melds into another with minimal variation in style (and thus the dance mix tape comparison). With this second album, the same tricks don't quite work twice. Little Boots' cunning live antics with crazy instruments such as her beloved Tenori-on were part of her wow factor and gave an interesting touch to her first album Hands. But when it takes the song 'Strangers' two and a half minutes to actually get going, one can't help but search tentatively for the shuffle button.

In many respects, this is a much more developed and mature album than Little Boots' debut. But in growing up Little Boots has cast aside some of her strengths. Club-length tracks now compromise the instant pop she once peddled, and ambient mixing robs this material of its immediacy and presence.

More mature Nocturnes might be, but attention grabbing it is not. While this album will find appeal with certain audiences, it is unlikely to deliver the mainstream success required to make album three a certainty. One can only hope that a lesson can be learned and a happy medium achieved in her sound going forward.

Following on from the success of hit single ‘Cash & Carry Me’ and his 2011 Mercury Prize nominated album Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, Ghostpoet’s latest musical outing is one that addresses subject matters of all sorts - mainly upsetting matters of the head and heart - with some distressing beats to back the pain.

Speaking on self fear, ’12 Deaf’ hears Ghost admit to never learning and struggling to deal with a sudden cloak of fear - production-wise the track sounds a little like a throwback Gravediggaz joint. Including vocals from Lucy Rose, ‘Dial Tones’ [while leading with another not-so-uplifting message] is a beautifully dark “constant calamity”. Thought provoking from the moment the introductory footsteps are heard, the song is one for fans of trip hop and other expansive genre fusions.

The repetitive downtrodden attitude and personal idiosyncrasies witnessed throughout Some Say I So I Say Light become slightly tiresome at times - tracks such as ‘Sloth Trot’ and ‘Comatose’ prove to be a tad bit dull - however there are moments of supreme creative excellence. ‘Dorsal Morsel’ [in a stripped back Mr. Hudson type manner] is by far the album’s key moment. With minor harmonies, the song is a bright look at a not-so- favourable situation.

So while occasionally featuring a monotonous moment or two, not since The Streets has there been a chain of everyday events unraveled so fantastically in poetic form with a British twang to boot.

Although less understated and raw than her many earlier albums (Gilmore has, unusually, released 14 albums in just 14 years), there is still plenty to like here.

Her husky, honey voice is as captivating as ever, and her lyrics – for the most part – as introspective and poetic (“I took lessons from philosophers and fools”). Her band sounds very much like it’s expanded, at times to orchestral proportions, which helps to build the dramatic backdrop to ‘This Is How You Find The Way’ and the heart-on-your-sleeve melancholy of ‘I Will Not Disappoint You’.

Title track ‘Regardless’ sees Gilmore hurl herself into a bit of a warble – a mistake that many singers with larger-than-life voices make. Her vocals are much better matched to subtler tracks like ‘This Road’. ‘Love Came Looking For Me’ is a big, shameless love song which is perhaps likeable for its honesty and because Gilmore sounds like she’s genuinely having the time of her life singing it. ‘I Will Not Disappoint You’ is graceful and lyrically lovely, but somehow still manages to end up sounding like something that might end up on a teen drama soundtrack.

With one eye on arena-sized audiences, the Gilmore of ‘Regardless’ sounds more like the 90s mainstream song merchants - Texas, the Cranberries and Sheryl Crow all spring to mind – and less like the offbeat artists she seemed to resemble on her early albums.

‘Regardless’ is clearly very carefully produced although fans may find themselves yearning for the days when her music was more basic, her vocals more gentle, and there was more focus on her lyrics. You get the impression that Gilmore, rather than outgrowing her basic, country-pop sound, is just experimenting with a different type of album. But despite its apparently more commercial sound, it’s hard to identify any particular one that will be promoted to radio airtime. It’s an interesting experiment, but most Gilmore fans will no doubt be looking forward to an album where she returns to her less in- your-face roots.

A scene setting project, the album’s opening title track creates a late night after party atmosphere. Taking you back to when paying a pound a pint in a nightclub was the norm, the instrumental funk holds sex appeal of mass quantities. Taking over your soul and allowing your body to follow through with a passionate push - like much of the album - The Heavies will always have an authentic dash of creativity like no one else.

With original vocal collaborator N’Dea Davenport returning to belt out a few notes, her vocal input on the beautifully crafted ‘Sunlight’ is a joy to witness. Listed as an extended version with some seriously inspiring string work and dirty bass licks, there’s no doubt listeners will be hit with a case of orchestral disco fever on this go round.

Sounding slightly repetitive on occasions, instrumentally the album follows a strict blueprint. The introduction of new vocalist Dawn Joseph is a great addition, however the standout moment actually comes when Jan Kincaid - who alongside Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy have been with The Heavies since day dot - exercises his vocal game on the soulful house-meets-pop floor filler ‘Heaven’.

With heaps of respect, over the years the group have carved out a lane that only a few lucky individuals have ever been able to infiltrate - Jamiroquai being the most successful. This album is for those more interested in emotional connectivity with dance craze tendencies than a non-progressive banging beat.

Noah & the Whale might have been over-shadowed by their West London folk-inspired contemporaries Mumford & Sons but both have taken their own roots, proving that there is room for two of Laura Marling's ex-boyfriends on the music scene. You could say that NATW path has been more experimental as they have evolved into their own established sound.

If you want heartbreak and tales of growing into your mid-twenties then NATW are the band for you and Heart of Nowhere, their latest effort has it all, again, without it sounding repetitive. Fink is a unique song-writer, ambitious with his creations, bold in imagination, visual in sound. There's an array of elements that shine through on Heart of Nowhere, a collaboration with the powerful lungs of Anna Calvi on the title track gets things off to an attractive start.

'All Through The Night' has an uplifting melody, an atmospheric chorus and synths that take on an intrinsic, eclectic role, 'Lifetime' is structured around hope, partnered by an eclipsing string section full of vibrant lust and green-is-green-on-the-other-side mentality. The subtlety on 'One More Time' explodes into what is regret where Fink croons over an ex who moved on whilst he clearly hasn't.

At time there is a certain awkwardness to the in-depth detail of Fink's lyrics, these mostly revolve around the fact that names are given to the girls in these stories, maybe they are fictional but with the brutal honesty on the LP that seems unlikely. The progression on each of NATW four albums has been impressive, the freshness of the band's debut still feels not only relevant but what it promised has been delivered, 'There Will Come A Time' might be the bands most impressive track to date. It has a manifesto, a repetitive chorus that pleads to be shouted back at and a feeling of celebration, a rare moment of joy.

Heart of Nowhere comes to a subdued closure with 'Not Too Late', a moody number that shows that expectations are rarely met, not everything promised comes through but there is still time for a change. All in all this is a good album, when NATW are on it they are great but there are flaws in there too, but that is essentially what growing up is all about and they document those struggles well.

Despite big releases from the likes of David Bowie, Fall Out Boy and more, no new album has captured the imagination like Daft Punk's big return. The hype has reached fever pitch after months of online teasers, festival surprises and interviews with the guests on the new record.

A few weeks ago Gigwise was summoned to Daft Punk's record label, locked in a room and allowed to listen to Random Access Memories. We were then sworn to secrecy - until now. Check out our first impressions of the new album right here.

'Give Life Back to Music' (featuring Nile Rodgers)
Opening with those oh-so-familiar vocodered vocals, Daft Punk stamp their distinct mark on the new album, which has become as known for its collaborators as it has the robots themselves. Of course, with Nile Rogers on the track, the spotlight here is shared, with Daft Punk's 'music of your life' lyrics blending seemlessly with big disco guitar licks. 'Give Life Back To Music' follows the live feel of No.1 single 'Get Lucky', and packs a massive middle eight (not dissimiliar to some of the sounds heard on Justice's Civilization album) before dropping into a huge intstrumental finale, the sort only Daft Punk could pull off without sounding self indulgent. A big start to a big album.

'The Game of Love'
While Daft Punk are remembered for big dance hits, softer tracks such as 'Something About Us' and 'Make Love' have also made their marks on previous albums, and here the tempo drops after the disco assault of the opening track. A melancholy, robotic ballad with touches of Tina Turner's 'I Can't Stand The Rain' in the vocodered 'Me, I just want you to stay' hook, seemlessly blended with a live, 70s porn-esque production. Both subtle and stunning.

'Giorgio by Moroder' (featuring Giorgio Moroder)
And here is where the album gets truly epic. Previous Daft Punk albums have been adored by fans - but at times have raised eyebrows with the quantity of samples used. Random Access Memories is a sample free album, and 'Giorgio By Moroder' is the most intricate and intelligent track of Daft Punk's career. Built upon a spoken word narrative by the iconic seventies producer, the track is 50% documentary, 50% beautiful disco track.

As Moroder discusses the evolution of his career, the production changes accordingly - and when he begins to talk about his love for the synthesizer, the beat flips to an eighties-influenced synth sound. After a keyboard breakdown, the seventies and eighties sounds collide before Moroder returns for a spoken word outro, and just when you think things can't get any bigger? Oh yeah - there's a massive orchestra involved as well. 'EPIC' DOESN'T EVEN COME CLOSE. One of the album's many standouts.

'Within' (featuring Chilly Gonzales)
Random Access Memories is a mix of the massive and the mournful, and here, the tempo drops again. Strictly seventies sounding, 'Within' is reminiscent of a slightly glum cocktail party (Abigail's Party perhaps?) and despite sounding like a slightly less sex-obsessed Chromeo in places, is slightly underwhelming. But perhaps that is simply due to the two tracks it is unfortunate to be sandwiched between...

'Instant Crush' (featuring Julian Casablancas)
If Daft Punk need a second single from the album, they need look no further than this. Their collaboration with Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas screams mainstream from the sense of classic Americana in the guitar opening to the heavily processed vocals. Taking elements of seventies rock sounds rather than the disco scene, Daft Punk work squealing guitars into the track - the likes of which would sound awful on a modern day rock song, but instead sound glorious here. A very big song indeed.

'Lose Yourself to Dance' (featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
One of two tracks with both Pharrell and Nile Rogers, 'Lose Yourself To Dance' slightly lacks the edge of 'Get Lucky', but when being pitted against one of the biggest hits of 2013, what could compare? More soulful than Daft Punk's chart topping hit, mixing laid back guitar licks and heavy handclaps. 'Lose Yourself To Dance' does stand out as fully representative of why Random Access Memories is so unlike any other dance album released in 2013 - or any other dance album in the past decade. The album is warm and inclusive, and offers an open invitation to any listener, Daft Punk fans new and old, to a party we all want to attend.

Listen to a 15-second snippet of 'Lose Yourself To Dance' below

'Touch' (featuring Paul Williams)
Perhaps the album's most ridiculous moment - and also one of the best. Opening with vintage computerised beats, the like of which you might expect to have heard in an old Dr Who episode, producer Paul Williams delivers a David Bowie-esque vocal, initially sounding like a nightmare-ish robot nightmare.

And then things get really crazy.

As if the electronic production and string section wasn't enough, by the time the choir come into play with their 'Hold on / If Love is the answer' hook, the listener realises there is no way to predict where this one is going, or where it will end. Insanely good.

'Get Lucky' (featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
Very brilliant indeed.

Listen to 'Get Lucky' below

'Beyond'
A disappointing moment on an otherwise excellent album - largely due to the spectacular opening, which Daft Punk fail to sustain. Beginning like the duo's take on Ride Of The Valkyries, 'Beyond' drops into more melancholy vocodered funk, which, despite the Michael Jackson, 'Beat It' era production style, packs less of a punch than much of RAM.

'Motherhood'
Remember 'Verdis Quo' from Daft Punk's 'Discovery' album? Instrumental track 'Motherhood' sounds very much like a live version of that - and very lovely it is indeed. The track builds to a moderately epic crescendo, and while it pales in comparison to some of the other tracks on the album, is still a solid album moment.

'Fragments of Time' (featuring Todd Edwards)
A hint of lounge jazz comes into play here, on a classy dance track for grown ups. One of the ways Daft Punk succeed with this album is by managing to satisfy their huge, hungry audience, but at no point spoiling things by attempting to sound too young or bending to modern dance expectations. Kitsch, but on the right side of cheesy, the track introduces country and western twangs before picking up pace for a big breakdown and vocodered guitar solo. By the time it reaches its close, 'Fragments Of Time' becomes one of the album's BIG songs - and a potential future single.

'Doin’ It Right' (featuring Panda Bear)
While many tracks on Random Access Memories grow from subtle moments to epic crescendos, 'Doin It Right' does not - and neither does it need to. Ditching the mind-blowing production operatics, Daft Punk take centre stage here with the 'everybody will be dancing and we're feeling it right / everybody will be dancing till they're doing it right' chorus. Panda Bear's vocal contributions are outstanding, as he more than holds his own alongside the album's big names, such as Julian Casablancas and Pharrell Williams.

'Contact' (featuring DJ Falcon)
And here is where things really go crazy. It is surprising that considering how much work went into creating that seventies disco warmth, one of the standout tracks sounds the least organic. Opening with a phone call describing a UFO sighting in the US, this is the album's big, noisy moment - and should Daft Punk tour in 2013, this will raise the roof when performed at gigs. Live drums blend with stunning electronic waves on a mind blowing finale unlike anything that came before it on the previous 12 tracks.

Random Access Memories is not an album that can be fully appreciated in one listen. There is more to digest in many of the tracks here than most bands can pack into an entire album. The album sounds nothing like any of the duo's three previous albums, and yet manages to sound 100% like a Daft Punk record. The wait it over - and boy, was it worth it.

Random Access Memories is release on 20 May 2013.

Below: rare Daft Punk images revealed for the first time