Big Mess is dense and discordant and wilfully ugly at times, but also a richly original and impressively ambitious musical response to a nightmarish pandemic. [Jul 2021, p.84]

An elegant set of sweeping rock anthems, not a rough edge to be found, and yet there' soul amid the aural perfection. [Jul 2021, p.85]

His vocals might lack memorable character, but right now the forceful energy he throws into his songs is enough. [Jul 2021, p.86]

This ominous set of industrial ire and theatrical brooding sees him in his element, prioritising atmosphere over tunes, both coldly alien and vulnerably human. [Jul 2021, p.82]

It's not exactly in Rikki's nadir, but neither is it exactly rock. [Jul 2021, p.87]

Once the album stops yelling and stamping for attention, the strong suits of this outfit come through, and dark, sinister atmospheres trademarked by Depeche Mode and The Banshees are allowed to thrive. [Jul 2021, p.81]

The sloganeering surfs in on a wave of ultra-catchy punk melodies, dragging the listener along in its wake. [Jul 2021, p.85]

The highlights have lost none of their lustre. ... What's abundantly clear is that each of the band members was squirrelling away material for their respective solo projects. [Jul 2021, p.90]

Each of its five segments finds nascent chaos metamorphosing into funk-fuelled crescendo as if by inspired osmosis. [Jul 2021, p.93]

Red Fang might not take themselves too seriously, but thankfully Arrows rocks pleasingly hard indeed.

While he’s not straying too far from the mothership, nothing here is phoned-in. As befits the craftsman he’s always been, he’s taken the time and trouble to fashion a bunch of songs worthy of standing alongside anything in his catalogue. Hats off.

Finds their former highs trapped behind glass, blurred and beclouded like the past year has been for all of us. [Jul 2021, p.86]

Not just euphoric but also important music, and another near-faultless Wolf Alice wonder. [Jul 2021, p.84]

The Width Of A Circle displays brilliantly, he's not so much planning his next move as constantly shape-shifting. [Jul 2021, p.92]

While long-term fans might initially be disappointed by the marked absence of the bar-room swagger of yore, repeated listens bear fruit. [Jun 2021, p.80]

Reason To Live is full of a warmth and pleasure in life that suits his growing maturity as songwriter and raconteur well. [Jul 2021, p.80]

A couple of other unremarkable tracks leave this album just short of being a stunner, but for the most part Blackberry Smoke have done Georgia proud once again. [Jul 2021, p.80]

The cumulative result is an album accessible enough to provide an entry point for the curious, while having just the right amount of wiggy to satisfy paid-up members of the Motorpsycho cult.

This slender exercise in flimsy whimsy boasts plenty f charm but few substantial songs. [Jun 2021, p.78]

If him being grumpy over excellent R&B riffs isn't too much of a shock for the listener, then this is an enjoyable album. [Jun 2021, p.78]

It's ace, but he's not a man you'd trust with secateurs. [Jun 2021, p.83]

The Boston boozers’ tenth album is a triple shot of euphoria with a Guinness chaser.

Such is the attention to detail that it evokes an eerie world of rattling ghost trains and deserted penny arcades as successfully as a windswept day-trip to Blackpool. [Jun 2021, p.81]

Not a great comeback, but just good enough. [Jun 2021, p.81]

With its gentle, unwaveringly steady, never-changing tone and rhythm, it demands work on the part of the listener. [Jun 2021, p.79]

The Million Masks Of God is way less heavy going than a concept album centred on explorations of faith and existence inspired by the death of a parent has any right to be. [Jun 2021, p.79]

They need just a little more musical and emotional grit to avoid fully surrendering to pastel-shaded midlife mellowness. [Jun 2021, p.76]

A master class in dancing away the heartache. [Jun 2021, p.76]