Vetiver - Tight Fit (V2)

Probably best known as the backing band for Californian freak-folk exponent Devendra Banhart, Vetiver — under the stewardship of Andy Cabic — have proved themselves to be no passing fancy.

This is their fourth album, and a sweet collection of folk-inflected cosmic pop it is too.

There are nods to the Laurel Canyon brigade, early 1970s Neil Young is an obvious influence, and the band certainly haven't abandoned their hippy-dippy vibe.

Another Reason To Go ventures into previously unchartered funk territory, with a horn section providing vivid colour.

And Strictly Rule, with its Latin vibe, is as gorgeous a song as Cabic has yet written.

But ultimately, Tight Knit's slew of gentle, slow-core acoustic songs struggle to break free of the box marked ‘background music'.

Burn it: Another Reason To Go

The Answer - Everyday Demons (Albert Productions)

With AC/DC very much at large again, the time is ripe for this Northern Irish trio to stake a claim for big-hair rock.

Their first album, Rise, was a word-of-mouth success, going on to shift a highly respectable 100,000 copies.

Its early 1970s hard rock — inspired by Zeppelin and Lizzy — had plenty of charm as well as hooks, but both are largely absent from this album.

This album is more ‘by numbers’ than its predecessor, and while the songs are likely to have an impact live, there's something amiss in the studio.

That said, even signed-up haters of this sort of music are unlikely to be able to resist the appealing nonsense of the head-banging opener, Demon Eyes.

Those with a penchant for guitar solos will not be disappointed. But Everyday Demons seems like a lost opportunity to build on early momentum.

Burn it: Demon Eyes

Asobi Seksu - Hush (One Little Indian)

Not many people heard Citrus, the second album from New York outfit Asobi Seksu (Japanese slang for casual sex), but those who did are likely to have fallen head over heels in love with its winning blend of dreamy shoe-gaze and the sweet vocals of Japanese-American singer Yuki Chikudate.

Follow-up album Hush is likely to prolong the love affair, even if it’s not quite as startling.

The rough edges have been smoothed away — which detracts somewhat from their edgy power — but that subtle change in direction paves the way for the band to fill the void left by the departure of the Cocteau Twins.

Hush is likely to be one of the loveliest albums you will hear all year — right from the blissful pop of Me & Mary to the inappropriately named Glacially, which sounds like a great, Lost Sunday song.

For a band previously in thrall to My Bloody Valentine, there are still remnants of that infatuation, but it’s definitely encouraging to see Yuki and friends overcome their influences and create their own identity.

Burn it: Me & Mary; Glacially