Metronomy have tapped into a rich seam of eccentric pop for their third studio release. [may 2011, p.114]

Ultimately, The Llamas seem like a Heston Blumenthal of sound, stimulating through a kind of weird science. [May 2011, p.112]

The album pays in cleft between Darnielle's left and right brains and strikes the perfect balance between wild imagery and plaintive sentiment. [May 2011, p.112]

Mostly, she seems so (understandably) lost inside herself you don't know where to find her. [May 2011, p.111]

Far from the title's implied despair, Wit's End sounds more like home, sweet home. [May 2011, p.111]

Where the remainder deviates, though, is in its lyricism, a good thing, because the beer-boys-in-the-band stance is replaced by only-to-be-encouraged attempts at social comment and a more enlightened approach to gender politics. [May 2011, p.110]

The rest, it must be said, is extremely dull. [May 2011, p.108]

C'mon suggests their state of grace deserves a wider congregation. [May 2011, p.108]

A romp through Bootsy's former glories, subtly retooling them to sound comfortingly familiar yet not anachronistic. [May 2011, p.106]

So beautiful Or So What is a deeply spiritual record, its more reflective moments offset by playful fare. [may 2011, p.106]

Walk The River is far more direct and carries a mood of singer-songwriter writ (very) large. [May 2011, p.105]

This collection does little to enhance their hard-won reputation as one of modern rock's most compelling live draws. [May 2011, p.105]

Blood pressures doesn't quite take charge of their joint destiny as decisively as it needs to, the cohesive chain smoking cool do their earlier albums diluted by sudden shifts in tempo and mood. [May 2011, p.104]

Despite including some familiarly-styled acoustic reflections, 101 is very different to 2007's New York-influenced Keren Ann. [May 2011, p.104]

Cat's Eyes are the sound of something beautiful in a state of slow decay. [May 2011, p.104]

Rather than gaining urgency Tomboy instead feels rhythmically constrained and sonically muted. [May 2011, p.100]

His fifth album finds him digging into the C-60 funk box, and sometimes misplacing his wonderful strangeness in the process. [May 2011, p.104]

It's a shame Eisold has lost some of individuality, but you can't fault him for hook-fueled momentum. [May 2011, p.110]

Not one of his career's frequent great leap forward, but still a thrilling delivery system for his formidable gifts. [May 2011, p.100]

Do you like reading poetry while folded into a big armchair in some sunny corner? You'll love False Beats And True Hearts. [Jun 2011, p.102]

Students of the 19080s Brit synth-pop and Gallic cold wave will find Austra a contemporary champion. [Jun 2011, p.97]

This crisply produced second LP sticks rigidly to the same mandate--big beats and bigger tunes--and feels a little dated as a result. [Jun 2011, p.97]

Brilliant! Tragic! soars on the crumbling wings of an Adverts-brand art-punk and Argos's much-improved bellow. [Jun 2011, p.96]

Anderson never sounds too like any of those people for comfort, she just projects a similarly high level of sinewy individuality. [Jun 2011, p.94]

From Mason Dixon's struttin' Southern boogie and the title track's exhilarating echo of the Stones' Soul Survivor, through to the adorably vulnerable Quiet Person--what a hoot. [Jun 2011, p.92]

Smother sees this singular and intriguing group still on the ascendant--limiting notions of normal music notwithstanding. [Jun 2011, p.92]

All-enveloping and omnivorous, it's hard to tell if this record wants to hug you or eat you, but it's blissful submitting to its embrace. [Jun 2011, p.93]

Wasted Light finds Foo Fighters at their boldest, their most vivid. [May 2011, p.101]

The blue-collar earnestness is still served in large dollops, but there;s a sense of over-reach about the whole thing. [May 2011, p.100]

Glasvegas retain their open-throated passion, anthemicism and the very distinctive Caledonian character of James Allan's voice, but these qualities are now sometimes a little lost in widescreen--like tears in rain, like synths in multi-track. [May 2011, p.105]

They've delivered their biggest surprise to date. A record that falls short for its constituent parts. [May 2011, p.100]

Deez is revealed as a one-trick pony in the nine variants that follow. [Jun 2010, p.102]

The result is an unexpected throwback to the pop noir of Foxx's 1980 debut Metamatic. [Apr 2011, p.104]

Withering, witty and clever. [Apr 2011, p.94]

Baenziger takes nothing for granted when it comes to arrangements. where the song demands it, electronic textures are favoured--instincts which bear rich fruit on Willis and Skinnybone. [Apr 2011, p.95]

If Kate Bush backed by MGMT appeals, Maguire's your woman. [Apr 2011, p.105]

If Diana Krall's Goodby and Norah Jones's Ill Wind are strikingly vulnerable, intimate performances of classics, it's perhaps the obscurer selections that stand out. [Feb 2011, p.107]

Certainly, Live On I-5 proves Soundgarden weren't covered by grand stadium stages. [May 2011, p.125]

Fourth album from the Kensington-born, Georgia-based garage rock queen's latest incarnation. [Jun 2011, p.100]

Out of retirement -- and on to the hard shoulder. [June 2011, p. 93]

Follow-up to 2008's widely acclaimed Dear Science recorded at guitarist David Sitek's home. [June 2011, p. 92]

The resulting platter is overflowing with dense slabs of aromatic unrefined funk, peppered with scattershot stupid-dope old school rhymes. [June 2011, p. 92]

This album is destined to redraw the parameters, thanks to its sheer scale and detail, its recurring themes and imagery, and its creators' refusal to settle for less than they could achieve. [June 2011, p. 90]

The vocals are mostly too downmix, the lyrics too inaudible or too banal. [Apr 2011, p.101]

A further refinement of their liquid improv vibe, the Thrill Jockey debut finds the quintet sitting on a mountain looking at the sun, high on Popol Vuh and who knows what else. [Apr 2011, p.97]

Vile's no relic-treasuring throwback, finding a unique, laconic voice of his own among the tangle. [Apr 2011, p.95]

Angles homespun demeanour is key to its appeal. There are flaws. [Apr 2011, p.95]

Collapse Into now finds Stipe, Peter Buck and mike Mills pleading relevance and vitality. [Apr 2011, p.96]

While T.I.'s measured, discursive rap style is heard at its best on scourging confessional duets with Eminem and, of all people, Christina Aguilera on the genuinely touching Castle Walls, Further promising collaborations with Kanye West, Pharrell and Drake end up having a rather more formulaic ring to them. [Apr 2011, p.97]

On Blessed she finds the perfect balance between the sweet and the sour. [Apr 2011, p.98]

It's a near-total reinvention, and a triumph. [Apr 2011, p.98]

It's a pity that the set plays out with a hat trick of dreadlock holiday stinkers. [Apr 2011, p.98]

Cornershop's Midlands-Asian mainspring, looks back to the homeland with an album joyously sung all in Punjabi. [Apr 2011, p.100]

Musically, this album is well assembled, with stabs of Memphis-style horns, slide guitar and luscious strings--but the lyrics lack deep resonance. [Apr 2011, p.100]

Nothing here feels contrived. Instead we witness a rare thing: an inherently youthful band gracefully making good into their thirties. [Apr 2011, p.106]

There's not a note put out of place as they invite us to enjoy the good natured be-in. [Apr 2011, p.104]

Like island life itself, it's quietly focused and won't be rushed. [Apr 2011, p.104]

The tonal similarities of these tracks blend into one another, holding only half of your attention like the soundtrack of an imagined film. [Apr 2011, p.105]

She now finds plenty to lampoon in 2011 on this droll, provocative comeback. [Apr 2011, p.105]

The hi-gloss but uneven Credo only partially convinces. [Feb 2011, p.100]

Gentleman Jack White does his Loretta Lynn production thing for another grand old lady. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

The southern legend's first solo outing in 14 years. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

Their 21st studio album. Not so dissimilar to the other 20. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

The Brit School girl undergoes a successful soul-pop makeover. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is genuinely a great record. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

Brooklyn collective with ex-Le Tigre members party like its 2003. [Feb. 2011, p. 107]

Fourth outing for the hirsute folk/pop alchemist. [Feb. 2011, p. 107]

Homme has gone on to make sexier records, but for sheer creepy sensuality QOTSA is the definitive article. [Apr 2011, p.112]

Fifth album from former Afghan Whigs mainman's collective. [Apr. 2011, p. 94]

Fifth, and best, album from Montreal's big dreamers. [Apr. 2011, p. 94]

US gypsy folkies ramble aroudn the musical map. [Apr. 2011, p. 94]

As with earlier records, Build A Rocket Boys! is touched by ambitious, intuitive invention. [Apr. 2011, p. 92]

Mike Ness and his men still have those rock 'n roll blues. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]

First album in 16 years for the post-punk maestros. Riveting and robotic. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]

Pugnacious indie squares up to all-comers. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]

Portland's college-rock heirs downsize with Peter Buck-featuring sixth album. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]

Jamaica Queen;s potty-mouth hits rap home run on brutally enjoyable debut. [Feb. 2011, p. 105]

Brighton trio take a walk on the dark side. [Feb. 2011, p. 104]

Trio from Whittier, south-east Los Angeles, make debut on Britney's label. [Feb. 2011, p. 101]

The hardest working man in indie rock today shows no sign of taking a break. [Feb. 2011, p. 100]

San Francisco art-rockers deliver the perfect prog-pop hit. [Feb. 2011, p. 100]

Former soul-punks return with rough edges removed and hearts on sleeves. [Feb. 2011, p. 99]

Red Barked Tree compares favorably with the very best of the definitive Wire. [Feb. 2011, p. 98]

It's a voice that dictates the tone and timber of every other element: the clipped, bass-driven, soulful blues dances delicately around those molasses tones and,at times, you can almost feel his breath in your ear. [Apr 2011, p.98]

This lot, however, aim for anthems, armed with zero melody. [Apr 2011, p.100]

Michael Collins' garage rockers do Detroit techno. [March 2011, p. 97]

Guest vocalists save giddy, sampling sextet from "more of the same old" charges. [Feb. 2011, p. 97]

Italian-blooded debutante rocks passionately. [March 2011, p. 96]

Krautrock surrogates get expansive on fourth album. [March 2011, p. 96]

Of all her many guises [...] this may be her most powerful. [Feb. 2011, p. 94]

On Bella, Thompson is once again in the crossfire of a stop-start relationship. [March 2011, p. 109]

Album seven hits a sweet spot between prog and power-chords. [March 2011, p. 108]

Strip away the noise and you'll realize that the charm of Yuck is rooted in fundamentals of great songwriting. [March 2011, p. 108]

Hip-hop originator meets Mercury-winning button-pusher du jour. [MArch 2011, p. 108]

So much more than the original boy band. [March 2011, p. 106]

The Scots post-rockers who will outlast them all. [March 2011, p. 100]

Psych-pop and trip-hop revivalism collide with a pleasing consequence. [March 2011, p. 99]

Third, and finest, brew of Seattle trio's fever-folk moonshine. [March 2011, p. 99]