Music fanatic Alex Flood looks at the biggest new music releases coming up in May 2014.

Music fan Alex Flood gives his pick of the best musical releases in May.

·The Horrors – Luminous (May 5)

Three years have elapsed since The Horrors critically acclaimed third album, Skying, hit the charts. Purveyors of a sound combining elements of post punk, garage rock and neo-psychedelia, the band has described the new material as 'fun and danceable'. With latest singles 'I See You' and 'So Now You Know' showcasing a more electro-pop direction, the forthcoming Luminous promises to be the work of a modernised Horrors, looking to the future.

·SBTRKT – Transitions I and Transitions II (May 5 and 19)

The Aaron Jerome-led project, SBTRKT, producer of post-dubstep, indie-electronica will release a series of six instrumental tracks divided into three EPs in the run up to the artist's second full length record, to be released later this year. The first two releases, entitled Transitions I and Transitions II, will arrive this May, and have been eagerly awaited by the darling of underground music's fan base. Some tracks are already available to stream on the artist's Soundcloud and are already kicking up a quite considerable storm within indie circles.

·The Black Keys – Turn Blue (May 12)

Newly crowned kings of blues infused rock 'n' roll, the mercurial duo from Akron, Ohio, will release the eighth album of their remarkable twelve year career on May 12. Unimaginatively titled, Turn Blue, early releases 'Fever' and title track 'Turn Blue' signify a sound of grander proportions than previous effort, El Camino. The return of Grammy award winning- producer, Danger Mouse, bodes well however, and fans will hope for more of the same from the rock revivalists.

·Coldplay – Ghost Stories (May 19)

Quite possibly the biggest band in the world at the moment, Chris Martin merely has to mention the words 'Coldplay' and 'new music' and the internet goes into a hype-induced meltdown of unbelievable proportions. Curators of a form of post-Britpop alternative rock, the band will release their sixth album, entitled Ghost Stories, on May 19, and hope to extend their remarkable run of five straight number one records to an astonishing six. Don't bet against them achieving just that.

·Connor Oberst – Upside Down Mountain (May 19)

May 19 will mark the release of the Bright Eyes frontman's ninth solo album, and his first on the intensely well-respected Nonesuch label. In the midst of a three year break from his main project, Bright Eyes, Oberst has announced an extensive world tour that includes Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Whatever the new record, Upside Down Mountain, entails, it is sure to follow the trend of Oberst's other work, and be more of the same wonderfully affective, melancholic indie folk-rock we're used to from the Nebraska native.

·Yann Tiersen - ? (Infinity) (May 19)

French multi-instrumentalist, Yann Tiersen, has enjoyed twenty years of near-universal critical acclaim across multiple platforms, including studio albums, collaborations (most notably with Shannon Wright) and film soundtracks. Composer of an eclectic combination of minimalist, avant-garde and post-rock genres, the musician from Brittany will release his eighth studio album this May. Cryptically entitled with just the symbol for infinity, ?, the only thing we know for sure is that, as is always the case with Yann, it will be what we least expect.

·Sharon Van Etten – Are We There (May 26)

American singer-songwriter, Sharon Van Etten, was born to a computer programmer and a history teacher, which comes as quite a surprise when we consider that the New Jersey resident is set to release her fourth record of soporific, indie folk-rock this month. Encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music, the 33-year old has often been compared to multi-instrumentalist St Vincent. Let's hope that Sharon's latest release receives the same kind of acclaim that St Vincent's latest did, and be her best effort yet.

·Neil Young – A Letter Home (May 26)

The incomparable work-a-holic, Neil Young, cultivator of a discography containing a mammoth 38 studio albums, will release his 39th effort via Reprise Records on May 26. Recorded entirely in Jack White's refurbished 1947 Voice-O-Graph recording booth, at his Third Man Record Store in Nashville, the album consists of 'an unheard collection of rediscovered songs from the past… and unleashes the essence of something that could have been gone forever.' A rather bold claim though it may be from the 68-year old rocker, it is unlikely to be his last.