Disc of the Day reviews new albums, week in, week out, all year. Below are the albums to which our writers awarded five stars. Click on any one of them to find out why.
SIMPLY THE BEST: THEARTSDESK'S FIVE-STAR REVIEWS OF 2017
Alan Broadbent: Developing Story ★★★★★ The pianist's orchestral magnum opus is packed with extraordinary things
Arcade Fire: Everything Now ★★★★★ A joyous pop album that depicts a world in tragic freefall
Autarkic: I Love You, Go Away ★★★★★ Tel Aviv producer Nadav Spiegel's latest collection is a triumph of head and heart
Brian Eno: Reflection ★★★★★ Slow-motion cascades of morphing tone
Boris: Dear ★★★★★ Japanese noise-mongers mark their 25th year with a masterpiece of heaviness
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Dreams and Daggers ★★★★★ The vocalist and songwriter delivers one of the great live jazz albums
DJ Hell: Zukunftsmusik ★★★★★ Stunning electronic masterpiece from Bavarian techno don
Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind: Super Natural ★★★★★ The Righteous Mind’s debut is a punk-blues scorcher (pictured)
John Mayall: Talk About That ★★★★★ The godfather of British blues: still cutting it at 83
Lory D: Strange Days ★★★★★ From Rome via Glasgow, techno boiled down to its most potent essence
Lucky Soul: Hard Lines ★★★★★ The British pop band return with a timeless collection that's perfect for right now
Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White ★★★★★
The cult American singer songwriter tackles the domestic and universal with equal panache
Nick Mulvey: Wake Up Now ★★★★★ Second stunning album from wide-eyed, thoughtful, spiritually-inclined singer-songwriter
Offa Rex: The Queen of Hearts ★★★★★ Olivia Chaney and Portland's Decemberists channel the golden age of English folk rock
Robert Plant: Carry Fire ★★★★★ The endlessly surprising rocker will not go quietly
Tubular Brass: Tubular Bells ★★★★★ Superb brass recreation of a 1970s classic, with added baluphonium