Sparhawk’s solo debut starts with a jazzy red herring that gives way to a set list of brand new songs which mine the depths of grief for his late wife and bandmate

Long after their 90s heyday, bands such as Codeine and Duster are finding new audiences in thrall to their slow, sad vision of guitar music. Veterans explain the scene’s angst and idealism

Amid a bloated festival market, the founders of the UK’s tiniest weekenders explain why they are keeping things intimate and defiantly non-commercial

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker unleash a charged cacophony on the reverent crowd but the couple’s connection provides an underlying sweetness

And finally – a deserving winner, whose second solo album is a truly relatable, pin-sharp pop classic. We reveal our No 1 album of 2021

The veteran group continue the scorched digital manipulations of 2018 masterpiece Double Negative, but their vocals are left pristine and beautiful

The classics are back in the charts even earlier than usual – alongside the perennial row about the Pogues. So why not discover these lesser-known festive bangers?

Our countdown is complete, and top spot goes to a timely blast of identity pop – adding to a fine selection of albums that range from the socially conscious to the political, as well as pure slices of ecstatic rock and cutting rap