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A more straightforward proposition than recent offerings, these 10 tracks clock in at just under 45 minutes, offering something direct and easier to love. A proper album, then. Confident, urgent and cohesive with some of the heaviest riffs they’ve unleashed in years, this. feels like the true return of The Smashing Pumpkins.

14th LP their first in 16 years was written/arranged by Robert Smith and recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Sounding regal, weary, melancholic and bleak but beautiful. Haunted by bereavement, he grapples with mortality and doubt as only he could. The album has same slow-moving grandeur of Disintegration, delivered in deep, drawn-out, sweeping movements. A fitting swansong I suspect for this great band.

Fourth studio album from the second run of the band is wide-ranging with something for everyone. Krautrock and Prog are the main touchstones, with the focus being on mood and atmosphere.

Fourth album from adrenaline-fuelled Australian krautrock, jazz and psych-rock power trio. Imagine a fusion of Can, Hawkwind, Soft Machine and Hendrix. Raw, heavy and hypnotic blend of psychedelic rock and hypnotic grooves, stripped down and tight with punk/post-punk intensity. Fuzzed-out guitars, tough basslines and pounding drums, complemented by analog Moog synthesisers.

This Manchester mash-up proves to be an effective musical foil with both parties sounding absolutely invigorated. They may be retreading old ground and yes, it sounds like a cross between their former bands, but the songs are charged with an electric vigour and it works. Its the best record either has made in decades and everything Oasis and Stone Roses fans could want. Well done.

First album from literary American folk-rock in six years is highly ambitious and full of collaborative spirit. Theyve added jangle-pop and Beach Boy harmonies into the mix this time. Sequenced as four sonic “islands", the album combines storytelling, epic song construction and numerous choruses with tight-knit songs that are both playful and pointed. Whille cramming two decades worth of material in, they still sound fresh and focused. They take the listener on an emotive journey, reflecting on mortality and loneliness, longing and cynicism, expectation and unease. The album also features The Shins' James Mercer.

Dave Grohl pays tribute to Taylor Hawkins and his mother on Foo Fighters’ extraordinary 11th album. A raw, unapologetic act of mourning, it is anguished, searching and triumphant, resulting in the band’s most propulsive and purposeful music of the last two decades. Full of grief, reckoning, and resolve it's pensive toast to rock’s restorative powers.

The new seven-piece configuration of the War on Drugs delivers a second live album which is a distillation of its cosmic Americana sound. The set draws heavily from 2021’s shimmering prairiecore opus I Don’t Live Here Anymore but live arrangements don’t faithfully mimic the studio recordings. Instead incandescent synths and droning guitar build something entirely new nearly every time the band plays them.

Brooklyn indie-rock band's first full-length release in four years is packed with all the things we love: Bittersweet anthems that begin quiet but explode, soaring harmonies, poetic and thought-provoking lyrics about love, grief, deep loneliness, doubt, wonder, and hope. They've been making great records since the 90's with the same core lineup channeking propulsive rhythms, jangling guitars and gleaming melodies delivered via Matthew Caws’ lithe tenor. Moon Mirror is one of their best

Eighth studio album from 21st century progressive rock visionary is wildly ambitious. Engaging conceptual lyrics are set to ultra melodic music inspired by viewing the Earth from space. To the heavens and beyond, and to the farthest reaches of human imagination. A cosmic modern classic.