The graveyard of tedious musical vanity projects – and the bargain bins of many record shops – is filled with solo albums by the lead vocalists of many fine rock bands. They may sell well initially, due to the power of well-financed record company marketing teams, but they are soon forgotten and adding to landfill sites around the country. In all likelihood, Corey Taylor’s disappointing solo effort, CMFT is destined to follow this path.

“Whoargh! Steady lads!” Under that headline, NME reported that Kevin Rowland had “announced his return to the music scene with a bizarre national poster campaign depicting him in make-up and women’s clothing whilst hitching up his skirt to show his pants.”

It will come as a surprise to nobody that the esteemed elders of rap haven’t got a good word to say about the (present) leader of the free world. Or continuing crimes against black lives. If only people had listened back in the Eighties – which, of course they did in their droves (Nile Rodgers says they changed the world). And yet here we are.

Sufjan Stevens is an artist of remarkable ambition. His 80-minute long new album, with 15 beautiful and poetic songs, belongs to a long line of pop experimentation that runs through from The Beatles and George Martin’s Stg Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to Björk’s own highly literate and endlessly inventive mix of dance music and daredevil sonic exploration.

Giant Steps doesn’t suffer from a lack of availability. A couple of weeks ago, two editions of John Coltrane’s 1960 landmark set were available in a central London music store. One was a 2002 CD version which supplemented the album’s seven tracks with eight bonus cuts: alternate studio takes which were not originally released. It was selling for £7.

“Produced by Tommy LiPuma.” That phrase has appeared on just about every Diana Krall album since the summer of 1995, when the Cleveland-born mogul arrived at the GRP label – it would be his sixth and last music industry affiliation – and promptly signed the Canadian singer-pianist.

Alicia Keys is a puzzling mixture. On the one hand she’s the hyper-achieving, multi-platinum, 752-Grammy-winning America’s sweetheart, all dimply smiles, positive-thinking ultra sincerity and the kind of showbiz over-emoting and singing-technique-as-competitive-sport so beloved of talent show contestants. On the other, she’s an undeniably interesting artist on multiple levels.

GogolFest:Dream in Kherson, somewhere near the Crimea in Ukraine was the music festival of the summer. Admittedly, in my case and for many, having missed out on WOMAD, Glastonbury, Fez, and others it was the only festival of the summer, and the bar didn’t have to that high to satisfy a festival junkie in need of a fix.

"This party's over" snarls Fish on Weltschmerz, and, this time, it seems the big man really means it. After threatening retirement for many years, the ex-Marillion singer has finally called time on his recording career. His final present to the fans is a double album that looks back on his 32 years as a solo artist.

Over the decades the charismatic Scot has moved steadily from mainstream to cult status. He's dabbled in pop (e.g "State of Mind"), hard rock ("Faithhealer") and punk ("The Perception of Johnny Punter). But, of course, the Bard of East Lothian is best known as an old prog-rocker. 

That's the style that dominates on Weltschmerz. But it's where Fish reminds us of his art-pop side that the album sounds best.

The tribal drums on "Man with a Stick" resonate with febrile energy, while "This Party's Over" combines early Peter Gabriel with Celtic sounds. The musical highlight is the title track, which starts off like a Muse number before the vocals take over with a blend of weariness with stirring defiance.

Thereafter, the mood becomes slower and more intense. The piano-led "Garden of Remembrance" (about Alzheimer's) moves at a crawling pace but is also undeniably poignant. "Little Man What Now?" draws on the work of a Weimar Republic-era German author to describe a man crushed by the 'system'.

These tracks, though, are bubblegum-pop compared to the big prog epics. For the album's long-form numbers Fish has opted for free-verse, with melodies that are twice as abstract. "The Rose of Damascus", the story of a Syrian refugee, has six sections, weighs in at a hefty 16 minutes, and contains a lengthy spoken-word section. "Waverley Steps" is almost as long and even more challenging.

None of this, of course, will faze the fans. The faithful will embrace the album's successes and excesses equally and will revel in its considerable length (84 minutes). Many will also be looking forward to the big man's next artistic chapter. Literally - there are rumours Fish will soon be penning his memoirs.

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@russcoffey 

Overleaf: watch the video for Weltschmerz

Michael Gira, Swans’ band leader and last remaining original member, has a reputation for being an intense and difficult individual who doesn’t compromise easily. This is illustrated by the band having been home to some 35 different musicians since its 1982 beginnings in a desolate and dangerous New York City.