Neil Hagerty in the producer's chair is a good fit for an album that deliberately blurs the pre- and post-Nirvana boundaries. [Aug 2013, p.92]

Apocalypse is a multi-storied cosmic rollercoaster that asks the big questions while relocating hip hop on the astral plane. No mean feat. [Aug 2013, p.88]

With Love's blackout material is thinly stretched, allowing light to shine in on a skeletal basement stock of dubstep sketches and flat house beats that repeatedly loop out to abrupt endings, halting Zomby's greater narrative ambitions. [Aug 2013, p.92]

An affecting release, it demands repeated plays, emerging as canorous, sly and bewitching. [Aug 2013, p.90]

Like a fine wine continuing to mature, Mavis's One True Vine should be allowed to breathe. [Aug 2013, p.87]

An hour of absorbing rhythmic transport, The Visitor fully satisfies the brief. [Aug 2013, p.84]

Three years ago, Africa For Africa felt like a career highlight: this isn't far behind. [Aug 2013, p.96]

A record of quality, but not of distinction. [Aug 2013, p.86]

Editors' fourth retains their customary grandeur and gloom, but with a new immediacy and surety, as Tom Smith matures into a truly commanding frontman. [Aug 2013, p.86]

With her soaring, passionate voice the wail of a spectre, she's the incubus Kate Bush. [Aug 2013, p.88]

It gets on the dancefloor to create some bona fide hits of its own. [Aug 2013, p.89]

Their refusal to accept stylistic boundaries when playing songs works well here. But balancing structure and freedom can be like trying to square the circle, and when you record quickly to preserve spontaneity, not everything will be successful. [Aug 2013, p.91]

Mollestad confirms her love of The Melvins, Sonny Sharrock and six-string gymnastics. [Jun 2013, p.95]

A wry, gently nostalgic affair recalling lives lived. [Jun 2013, p.95]

It may not eclipse past achievements but does point to a genuine way forward in a dignified and spiritual manner. [Jul 2013, p.84]

Fun and fully immersive, rewinds are rewarded with a plethora of intricate detail. [Jul 2013, p.85]

Bosnian Rainbows is no less powerful for its focus, segueing from fractured futuristic funk rock, to thorny melodic pop, to resonant power balladry with a fire and confidence confirming the Bosnian Rainbows as no mere "project," but indeed a whole new direction. [Jul 2013, p.86]

Treetop Flyers have perhaps wisely chosen to avoid Mumfords' bombastic path for an altogether sunnier route. [Jun 2013, p.88]

Their ability to create spellbinding instrumentals that blend high-calibre jazz improvisation with accessible melodies is evidenced by the wonderfully serene Reunion and the more febrile Finding Neamo. [Jul 2013, p.94]

With his chosen genre being synonymous with timeless, classic pop, these songs need to be unforgettable to really stand out. Instead they're merely good. [Jul 2013, p.88]

A two-hour 2-CD trip, hanging free in reflective well being. [Jul 2013, p.96]

Pleasant enough, but you may feel you've heard this conversation before. [Jun 2013, p.88]

It's not morose--his voice is too engaging, his songs (and band) too good. [Jul 2013, p.92]

Every one [of the songs are] a solid treasure. [Jul 2013, p.92]

It's gritty urban dramas never become too heavy-hearted, the breezy tunes blowing through like prime Jonathan Richman. [Jul 2013, p.84]

It still feels a bit hammy. [Jul 2013, p.96]

Marc Rigelsford's second LP basks in at-home production warmth. [Jul 2013, p.96]

What could have been overly esoteric instead recalls Vampire Weekend playfulness, albeit with 4/4 beats. [Jul 2013, p.96]

It's all too handsomely sterile to truly love. [Jul 2013, p.96]

The odd uptempo beat rather jars. [Jul 2013, p.96]

Although there are many acts occupying similar territory, the quality of Grey's songwriting and delivery elevates much of the material here. [Jul 2013, p.94]

For all the grey matter on display, this is a Technicolor record. [Jul 2013, p.94]

She sings calmly from the heart, flowing beautifully, her simplicity enhanced by his [producer Howe Gelb] delicate downmix touches. [Jul 2013, p.94]

[The album is] spare, poignant, dark and dry. [Jul 2013, p.92]

Its 11 new originals that wouldn't sound out of place on country radio or in a roadhouse in the '50s and '60s. [Jul 2013, p.92]

Immensely satisfying. [Jul 2013, p.92]

The words "necessity", "mother" and "invention" spring happily to mind. [Jul 2013, p.92]

Great late-night music. [Jul 2013, p.92]

Some tracks occasionally feel more like fillers--but at its best, Legacy feels like tuning into a magical mid-dial shortwave station, where all the neighbouring broadcasts gave fallen into an exhilarating synchronisation. [Jul 2013, p.88]

While quite meaty in itself, this is odd and not necessarily called for. [Jul 2013, p.88]

Kite breezes of melodic distortion blur into fog banks of silver noise before everything goes Dream-psych with Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan on hazy closer Happiness. [Jul 2013, p.87]

Floating Coffin is manna for the faithful, but also an excellent point for newbies to get onboard. [Jul 2013, p.87]

Buzzing with delicate analogue warmth, the gamelan rhythms, toy-piano chimes and warped guitar loops or Walking Field are lullingly hypnotic and eerily deja entendu. [Jul 2013, p.87]

It's hard to imagine droves of converts flocking to so abstruse a musical cocktail, but it's a welcome addition to the Grubbs canon, nonetheless. [Jul 2013, p.87]

His spark remains undimmed. [Jul 2013, p.87]

In a life of perpetual motion, Perils From The Sea provides a vital forward thrust. [Jul 2013, p.86]

Grief therapy has rarely sounded so groovy. [Jul 2013, p.85]

Reincarnated is not the usual Dogg's dinner, nor is it a roaring revelation. [Jul 2013, p.85]

The first half of this double album follow-up picks up Badlands' wayward trail.... As the set wears on, Hungati's soundtrack-composer instincts take over. [Jul 2013, p.84]

Random Access Memories manages to maintain a core of sense and sobriety. [Jul 2013, p.83]

Stripped back to vocals, drums and piano not a million miles from Nick Cave's Boatman's Call, of 10 tracks, not one's a duffer. [May 2013, p.87]

Some 18 years after his astonishing debut album Maxinquaye, Tricky has come close to making Maxinquaye II. [Jul 2013, p.88]

Strange Pleasures is a lush, intoxicating place to drift away in. [Jul 2013, p.86]

Gravez is scrappy, fun but unoriginal--free in spirit but limited in execution. [Jul 2013, p.105]

Some ace stuff aboard here.... But you do long for MES to turn up with a sheaf of structured writing, as per Hex Enduction, rather than a sozzled brainful of scattered grievances and in-jokes. [Jul 2013, p.86]

A thoroughly charming patchwork of neo-'60s rock. [Jul 2013, p.82]

Immunity never drags. [Jul 2013, p.86]

Higher-proof versions of both music and visuals exist, but these songs stand up all by themselves. [Jul 2013, p.85]

While it's debatable whether Empire Of The Sun deliver on a stated aim to make music that's "transcendental," you'll have a lot of fun hearing them try. [Jul 2013, p.85]

With unerring melodies, Eleanor F hits the sweet spot time after time. [Jul 2013, p.84]

This pared back approach, which lends parts of the record a "dancier" vibe, may not suit all fans of his singular debut. [Jul 2013, p.85]

Kveikur largely conforms to existing Sigur Ros templates, and though the quirky rhythms and ethereal vocals of Isjaki spawn a certain magic, something is audibly lacking here. [Jul 2013, p.82]

It's vintage Boards Of Canada--a beautiful, shimmering, electronic maelstrom of liquid, vintage synths and slo-mo beats. [Jul 2013, p.82]

Iommi occasionally apes Slayer's squealing solos, but otherwise this is vintage Sabbathian, slow-grind all the way. [Jul 2013, p.82]

An album truly fit to do battle with the rock classics of any age. [Jul 2013, p.80]

Hyetel continues his transformation from producing club-oriented tracks to elegant, fully rounded electronica. [Jun 2013, p.89]

Wings Over America records the fact that they were a far sturdier, more streamlined and thrilling proposition than they were ever given credit for. [Jun 2013, p.96]

Nothing here is naive or inaccessible. [Jun 2013, p.89]

[A] thrilling state-of-a-broken-nation address. [Jun 2013, p.95]

The Weighing Of The Heart puts Shott's breathy yet deceptively resilient voice to work in the service of her music with a disciplined playfulness worthy of kindred spirits Juana Molina and Alexander tucker. [Jun 2013, p.94]

Another album big on willful naivete and arrangements so pretty they make Belle & Sebastian sound like Finnish black metal. [Jun 2013, p.86]

Those all curious about CocoRosie should begin here. [Jun 2013, p.88]

The dark matter of his fall that holds The Graceless Age together is formidable stuff. [Jun 2013, p.85]

As well executed as the latter half is, it can feel a mite unsatisfying compared to the stripped-down stuff that sits at the top of the album. [Jun 2013, p.85]

Bumpy at times, but worth the effort. [Jun 2013, p.92]

He's employed iPhone apps, junk-shop keyboards, cassette recorders and other unlikely paraphernalia to illustrate the wider aural picture. [Jun 2013, p.86]

Cathartic and beyond satisfying. [Jun 2013, p.102]

It delivers drama in spades. [Jun 2013, p.95]

Often beautiful, though as the protagonist of a song fragment say, he could stand to Let Go A Little too. [Jun 2013, p.95]

If not quite an Ironman or Supreme Clientele, this is Ghostface's most unified, coherent work in years. [Jun 2013, p.94]

Indigo Meadow is their first to perfectly balance melody with noise. [Jun 2013, p.94]

It may seem an unlikely match, but Martin and Brickell bring out the best in each other. [Jun 2013, p.93]

Their thrilling music rooted in old country with touches of blues and gospel can't help but remind you of Jack and Meg and Johnny and June. [Jun 2013, p.93]

Wolf People can play and on NRR have just enough Sabbath-styled hard riffing to appeal to the basest rock fan. [Jun 2013, p.92]

Fizzing with energy and invention, distilling influences into vibrant new hybrids, this is a must-have insight into an ever-fertile, increasingly global scene. [Jun 2013, p.92]

It's compulsive listening. [Jun 2013, p.92]

There's undeniable joie de vivre to the airpunching I want To dance but his "doing it for the kids" rhetoric and propensity to wallow in rose-tinted nostalgia gets a little corny. [Jun 2013, p.92]

A relentlessly effervescent electro/dancehall mash-up. [Jun 2013, p.89]

[Supermigration] fastens pillow-soft beats to steadfast bass lines in a variant of the motorik rhythm. [Jun 2013, p.89]

With its beautifully balances smorgasbord of UK garage, drum 'n 'bass, this is the album the person on the night bus in records by Burial would really be digging. [Jun 2013, p.89]

Ghostpoet serves up his bruised, tender heart with the steely precision of a master sushi chef. [Jun 2013, p.89]

The Redeemer finds Blunt adding a series of potent new weapons to an already well-stocked musical armoury. [Jun 2013, p.88]

Although Four may strike some despondent notes at times, it's a high point for Harvey's career. [Jun 2013, p.88]

Clarietta is no routine homage, more a gripping twist on a timeless classic. [Jun 2013, p.88]

Enjoyable, but the signposting towards "the good bits" can be a tad too obvious. [Jun 2013, p.86]

It's a joy to hear VDP's mission with the boosted clarity of 21st century production. [Jun 2013, p.87]

Little known natural wonders are gleaned from Rennie's witty and offbeat stories.... Meanwhile, Brett's deep bow-saw of a voice has never sounded so sonorous. [Jun 2013, p.87]

Hubcap Music is a seasoned, mostly joyous affair rooted in Seasick's fully paid dues. [Jun 2013, p.85]