Had the duo chosen their vocal contributors more carefully, Divine Ecstasy could've been something special. Instead, we're left with an exciting showcase of potential and a few legitimate 'avant-bangers'.

Debut ‘Unlearn’ showed promise but Age of Fracture is that promise realised and then some.

Two thirds of the way in, the earth-shattering basslines make their way into the track, managing to reign in that sense of initial chaos, holding everything together and potently reminding any doubters that the trio--Efrim Menuck, Thierry Amar and Sophie Trudeau--have lost none of their sense of the epic.

We can’t choose how we’re made but we can choose what we make, and what Against Me! have crafted here is nothing short of exceptional.

Rave Tapes may not see them moving too far from their widescreen template but it’s an assured record that sees them draw from right across their rich palette of textures.

What it lacks perhaps in originality, it certainly more than delivers in getting, keeping and rewarding the listener's attention.

The result is a composed collection of tracks.

More power, more fury, more energy--it’s certainly a promising tone to set.

They’re always able to create something to get lost in. And, most importantly, the songs remain heartbreakingly, hauntingly beautiful.

It's not noise for noise's sake--it's melodic. It's quiet at points, frantic at others. It's dark, it's messy, it's a dank and smelly basement.

Get taken away by the current, and float inside every melody. It’s more intoxicating than even the most lucrative bar deal on Jägerbombs.

Their deep sea dive of a debut gradually evolves into a rich and colourful source of escape, like a coral reef excavation with the occasionally grizzly-toothed white shark thrown in for good measure.

McMorrow has shaken off the folk singer with a guitar tag to give us an album pregnant with intrigue, creativity and diversity.

Innovative, cerebral and yet totally accessible, Total Strife Forever is an incredibly impressive record.

Pop-rock deconstructionist, art-rock godfather, Portland father and family man: all these elements come through here and it makes this album a triumph.

It’s fun, it’s enjoyable and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

If you are prepared to enter into the listening experience with open ears and an open mind then you will be rewarded with an album of remarkable completeness that feels like a genuine coming of age for two musicians who are growing a little older with a significant degree of grace.

This album is not just a holiday destination but a permanent home for anyone who wants to see what the band has to offer next.

It’s not trance, it’s not electro, it’s not quite orchestral--it’s not quite anything. They are a band with good ideas but unsteady appeal.

It moves away from what many a critic will lazily refer to as Burial-esque, but still retains the throbbing heart that's always sat at the centre of his music.

Where other works were distinctive and refined, These Spirits feels confused and clunky.

In a rush to grow up they seem to have left behind some of what made them so excellent in the first place.

He hasn't quite perfected his talents, but it's far and away the best work he's done as Gambino yet.

This is an album with ambition; a sonically sweeping piece of work with big themes and big ideas that can overwhelm you. Just let nature take its course.

Songs pound onwards, elliptical guitar lines wrapping round and round, and there's an all encompassing feeling of travelling vast distances. Relentlessly, confidently and quite, quite spectacularly.

It isn't quite as defined or as consistent as his work with Gang Gang Dance, but through persistence it certainly comes close.

[A] sumptuous five track EP that's as melodious as its predecessor but, semi-sadly, not as memorable, not quite as fulfilling, nor as enriching.

Familiar yet new and exciting, individualistic without being exclusive, ambitious yet welcoming and engaging, and inventive without becoming the sound of being clever for being clever's sake.