Known as the scruffy boys from Brighton, The Kooks survived the cutthroat hipster (oh yes we said it) scene and has since released multi-platinum albums that have all the cool kids still secretly humming to ‘She Moves  in Her Own Way’ from their  2006 debut album Inside/Inside Out. According to frontman Luke Pritchard their genius was purely accidental – like a pee stick turned blue from an unplanned pregnancy – since the start with the idea of forming The Kooks occurring on a shopping trip.Now after holing up in the English countryside, they birth Junk of The Heart; their third try. Leaning more to The Konks than to Inside/Inside Out, this album sees The Kooks using a less rock-based approach and more of a sensible britpop vibe.

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Along with the more readily mainstream-accessible Frank Ocean, The Weeknd is one of the first r’n’b acts to emerge out of nowhere on the internet and prove to critics of the much-maligned (undeservedly) genre that there’s more to it than sung (sometimes autotuned) lecherous hit ons and bad double entendres. Just 5 months ago they released House of Balloons, their first mixtape, to instant critical acclaim. It would be cruel to say that in such a short duration they’d be hit with sophomore slum, but it would also be closer to accurate than we’d like it to be.

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Electronic pop group Little Dragon hails from Sweden and Ritual Union is their third and possibly most distinctive album yet.

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A marriage is a funny thing. You can watch it progress or disintegrate before your very eyes, but imagine it translated into an album? Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds began as bright eyed newlyweds when their first power pop album The Rosebuds Make Out was released in 2001, so it was interesting to see how their latest effort Loud Planes Fly Low would play out, since this was their first release after their divorce.

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With over three children’s albums as well as contributions to several Disney soundtracks in a span of 10 years, it’s understandable for fans to crave more adult tunes from quirky alt band They Might Be Giants.

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Over the years French producer Yuksek has remixed for the likes of Lady Gaga, Phoenix, M83, and even Wu Tang Clan before debuting his own music with the impressive Away From The Sea in 2009 which spawned his underground club classic ‘Tonight’. Not only was the album well received by critics and fans alike, it also solidified Yuksek as a French producer with a knack of producing catchy electro pop tracks and an immense talent in songwriting.
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After being in the local music scene for almost a decade, KL blues rock quintet Rollin’ Sixers finally released their self-titled debut album. The production quality is top notch considering the fact that it was recorded at guitarist (and indie filmmaker) Khai Bahar’s home.

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With apologies to Shawn Carter, he genuinely needs to watch the throne because with Dark Fantasy and now this, Kanye is definitely climbing up the hip hop royalty ladder. Before you cry “but Mr. Juice Writer Guy, this is a joint album!”, understand that Watch The Throne is pure Kanye West.

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Formerly goth-pastiche band The Horrors’ third album is really an attempt at reaching some level of credence beyond being amusing, and they have succeeded to some degree. Forget that they are still heavy on anachronism, from using the term ‘skying’ (an old tape recording technique) to referencing 80s new wave, when these guys do it, they do it with such gusto and earnestness that you can’t help but fall in love with them a little.
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You might have heard Thundercat crooning on Flying Lotus’ ‘MmmHmm’ off the latter’s seminal Cosmogramma. Despite being the superior track, Thom Yorke’s vocals were still the sole voice casual fans would remember being featured on the album. Ain’t hating on homie, but fark dart.
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