RUFUS DU SOL Solace (Sony) It is, actually, this record - solace. Soothing but not somnolent, comforting but not blanketing, eyes up but not spinning, momentum rolling but controlled. When the shitshow that is national and international politics, or the likelihood that the climate is most of the way to hell already, starts to eat away at your enjoyment of life, this third album from the band once just known as Rufus could be the antidote. Or at least the reassuring distractio

It is a pretty good year when Nick Cave’s intense, deeply emotional – though never easily categorised as “sad” – and wholly satisfying Skeleton Tree has to settle for #11 in the top 20 albums of the year. It’s keeping good company though, with the gentle but persistent piano work of Sophie Hutchings and the anything but gentle reportage of P J Harvey affecting works in their own way, and Rokia Traore, balancing pointed commentary and elegance, a quiet achiever. Weirdly, King

The best songs of the year? Quite possibly. The songs I played the most, sang the most, enjoyed the most this year? Definitely. Many of them come from collections which will appear on the list of the best/favourite albums of the year. Not surprisingly. All of them exist independently though. Cracking power plays, strong final statements, quite beautiful and sad moments, slinky sensuous grooves and not one sign of Fergie, Meghan Trainor or Shannon Bloody Noll. Instead there’s