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Celeste: Woman of Faces
New album: The outstanding British singer returns, a long four years after her acclaimed debut Not Your Muse, with a classy, passionate set of nine, simmering, smoky, rippling dramatic, timeless numbers in which her vocal prowess is magnificently on show on songs playing on the theme of self and identity
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Florence + The Machine: Everybody Scream
New album: Another Halloween-ish well-timed release, in which Florence Welch juggles her thoughts on the addictive joys, but also horrors, of fame, experiencing traumatic emergency surgery, her passion for paganism, folk, witchcraft, and references to 14th-century mystic Julian of Norwich, all in a sixth album full of musical light and shade
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Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving
New album: Mainstream but perfectly composed and polished pop and soul with a 70s retro style by the London singer-songwriter, this new LP is an unquestionably classy affair with her smooth, golden voice, gliding effortlessly through a series of songs about love, friendship, change and heartbreak
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Lorde: Virgin
New album: The mega-selling New Zealand pop singer-songwriter returns with her fourth LP, one that, unlike 2021’s Solar Power, harks back more to the teen partying themes 2017’s Melodrama, but dealt with from a late-20s angle of different angst, added promiscuity, pills and uncertainty
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Child scrawls: Loyle Carner’s Hopefully!
New album: The acclaimed London rapper, now 30, returns with a fourth LP that brings his nice guy, tender, candidly earnest persona to a whole new level of almost horizontal gentleness, adding a lazy talk-singing style to his oeuvre, in a release centred around being parent with two young children
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Self Esteem: A Complicated Woman
New album: Rotherham’s charismatic Rebecca Lucy Taylor returns for a third LP of empowering therapy-themed full-on gospel harmonies and dance music styles with lyrics that are earthily honest, filthy, sweary, humorously emotional, philosophical and entertaining
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Divorce: Drive To Goldenhammer
New album: With a warm, engaging sound, and beautifully crafted, intelligent songs, this excellent debut by the Nottingham indie quartet transcends genres from pop to country, Americana folk to rock with enduring passion and quality
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Doves: Constellations For The Lonely
New album: A glorious sixth LP by the Manchester indie band, weathering many ups and downs, including ongoing mental health issues for lead vocalist and bass player Jimi Goodwin who is unable to tour, but despite that, summoning a powerful, dynamic, passionate work of darkness and light, and one of the best in the 25 years since their debut, Lost Souls
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Lauren Mayberry: Vicious Creature
New album: The debut solo LP by the Glasgwegian LA-based Chvrches lead vocalist is strong, shimmering mainstream pop, and feels very much like nod to mainstream pop heroines of her teenage years, particularly All Saints and Avril Lavigne
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The Cure: Songs of a Lost World
New album: Powerful, moving and dark, on grief, loss and the passing of time, this milestone release by the British cult band of Robert Smith is their first LP of new songs for 16 years, but is worth the wait with its emotional depth and strength
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Lola Young: This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway
New album: A set of catchy, cutting lyrical diatribes against disappointing exes punctuates this eclectic, clever, darkly ironic release of pop and other styles, in a second LP by the south London Brit School graduate with a strong powerful voice
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New album: After 2022’s acclaimed debut, Reeling, another searing, scorching LP by the Merseyside rock band fronted by Lia Metcalfe, once more dark and smoky, and produced this time in LA by John Congleton, yet with more confidence, range, and also vulnerability
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Paul Weller: 66
New album: This 17th solo album by the restless, ever-changing stylish mod-rock veteran is one of his mellower, more reflective releases, marking his age, a classic number, and year, distinctively depicted by Peter Blake on the cover art
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Jordan Rakei: The Loop
New album: Silky, soulful new work by the falsetto-smooth London-based New Zealand-Australian musician, singer-songwriter and producer with a sophisticated cocktail or perky pop, jazz, and R&B
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Nadine Shah: Filthy Underneath
New album: The charismatic Tyneside-raised singer-songwriter of Norwegian and Pakistani heritage returns in fabulous, rich-voiced form with a powerfully dark fifth LP, resilient after a tumultuous few years of family grief, failed marriage, attempted suicide and rehab
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The Last Dinner Party: Prelude To Ecstasy
New album: A much hyped, but also arguably merited debut by the London five-piece of luxuriant, theatrical rock-pop with some echoes of Abba, and lavishly super-produced by James Ford
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LYR: The Ultraviolet Age
New album: A beautiful, profound, utterly absorbing second LP by the trio of current British poet laureate, Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick J Pearson
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Feist’s sixth album, Multitudes
New album: A beautifully intricate, delicate, intelligent and innovative new LP by the Canadian singer-songwriter with among others, a theme the many selves we possess and present, now, in the past and future
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Stomzy returns with his most mellow and candid album yet
New album: Smooth, mellow, self-healing, candid, with many nods to his faith, the third album by the south London rapper is far from his edgier grime origins, and particularly mixes soul, R&B and spoken word alongside gospel choir and keyboards
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Loyle Carner’s third album, Hugo
New album: The British rapper returns with one of his best LPs yet, a candid exploration of his own identity, from seeking out his estranged biological father, how that reflects back onto his own son, ADHD, being mixed race and fearing inner-city violence
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