Artists who made some of your favorite music and you thought they'd never reach such heights again but then they went right ahead and did something that's possibly even better

Underworld are constantly on this level for me, hearing "Scribble" for the first time immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title

Pet Shop Boys' The Pop Kids is one of their best ever singles, just about in their Top 10 even. No one was more surprised than me.

It must have been a shock for 80s Lou Reed fans when the 1-2 punch of New York and Drella happened.

immediately thought the same about "Love is a Booshwa Contract"

'The Pop Kids' is great, but then Pet Shop Boys have had a shitload of great singles post-Very, even from their lesser albums.

Lots of good suggestions here. Nightbird, Tales Of Us and Oceans Apart are great examples.

Glory by Britney. I never thought she'd get near the quality of Blackout again, especially after Britney Jean was such a disaster. A year on and I think Glory is up there as her second best album.

Saint Etienne's Tales From Turnpike House is another one. Sound Of Water is comfortably my least favourite album of theirs and Finisterre was only a slight improvement. Turnpike House fully got me back on-board when my enthusiasm was really low. Easily their best album since So Tough. Words & Music isn't far off that quality either.

Paul Buchanan - Mid Air