A rich, bright sounding record, albeit etched with Ward's lyrical ruefulness and voice of crumbling, lugubrious regret. [Oct 2006, p.111]

A typical case of slack self-editing... Kelis was here too long, frankly. [Nov 2006, p.101]

Could pass for a load of Stone Temple Pilots B-sides. [Sep 2006, p.106]

This is the far meaner, angrier and punkier [of the two post-Libertines albums] [Jun 2006, p.98]

A diverse yet flawless disc. [Sep 2006, p.96]

Plays like a budget price homage to ELO and early '70s Beach Boys, full of pocket symphonies and childlike wonder. [Jan 2006, p.132]

Innovative it's not. [Oct 2006, p.112]

The new, not-so-great English translations hurt more than help. [Jun 2006, p.102]

A record designed to ensnare the as-yet-uncommitted listener without abandoning their extant fan base. [Aug 2006, p.103]

Highway Companion abounds with Dylanesque first-, second- and third-person stories of rolling stones with no direction home, and how wear and tear is grinding them to a halt. [Sep 2006, p.90]

What's most remarkable is just how like the old Dolls this new record sounds. [Aug 2006, p.92]

An 11-song set that's melodically insidious and swings like a noose. [Apr 2006, p.90]

Lyrically he's as pleasingly obtuse as ever. [Jul 2006, p.101]

Multi-layered backing vocals and summery hooks tickle the spine with every listen. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Another electrifying statement of unrest from the underground. [Nov 2006, p.118]

As with Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, we're dealing with an invigorating, many-faceted work of diverse instrumentation and durability. [Jul 2006, p.106]

A typically heartfelt and demonstrative record given to wistful glances backward. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Wield[s] both a wistful poignancy and raw emotional undertow. [Aug 2006, p.94]

The Smog's winning streak [is] intact. [Aug 2006, p.88]

Chemist eschews masturbatory scratch showcases in favour of artfully constructed, utterly oddball 'songs'. [Aug 2006, p.103]

What this record lacks is a couple of the screamalong anthems at which Muse have become renowned. [Aug 2006, p.88]

The trio's shared vocals are a unifying factor, finessing the outre music into gently hypnotic melodies. [Sep 2006, p.94]

An audacious, X-rated treat. [Aug 2006, p.90]

This whets the appetitie for whatever Stevens' formidable talent fixes upon next. [Aug 2006, p.96]

The Eraser is less crabbed, cryptic or violently bitter than Hail To The Thief... and is often more satisfying for that. [Aug 2006, p.86]

It finds the band stranded in the middle-of-the-road, spinning its wheels amid a mass of musical cliches and Dave Pirner's overwrought lyricism. [Aug 2006, p.104]

A messy, eccentric triumph. [Aug 2006, p.98]

The dignity and sharp poetic instincts on American V are all classic Cash. [Aug 2006, p.89]

Better still [than 'Stepp Off']. [Sep 2006, p.98]

Lacking the wit and lyrical dexterity of a Jill Scott or the raw power of Angie Stone, the songs can feel airless and unengaged. [Sep 2006, p.98]

[An] underwhelming collection of moderately sweeping, mildly elegant arena pop. [Jun 2006, p.108]

There's just enough twisted wit among the non sequiturs to redeem this controversial release. [Oct 2006, p.100]

What makes this more than a self-indulgence is the mellow melancholy he brings. [Oct 2006, p.103]

Its sound remains as confrontational and as provocative as its content. [Aug 2006, p.103]

While it might've been more digestible as a single CD, Black strives for a wide scope that makes the album's elegant songcraft, musical telepathy and poetic unpredictability all the more satisfying. [Aug 2006, p.104]

Loose feels less like an album than a clutch of singles plus accompanying extras. [Jul 2006, p.100]

Their new direction sounds suspiciously like the old one. [Jul 2006, p.100]

It might have been captured anytime in the past four decades. [Jul 2006, p.114]

A hazy treat. [Oct 2006, p.103]

Highly agreeable in small doses. [Jul 2006, p.104]

You're left with the uncomfortable sensation of having walked in on six serious young men, lost in their own indie-rock majesty. [Jun 2006, p.110]

A pretty disappointing work of rock ordinaire. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Last Days Of Wonder is rich in history and nature imagery, yet the couple are equally obsessed with modern life. [Jul 2006, p.101]

The Sun Awakens isn't wildly different (from its predecessor)--though it introduces tripped-out electric guitars to Chasny's homespun palette. [Jul 2006, p.102]

There's surely never beena Sonic Youth album so unself-conscious. [Jul 2006, p.98]

Spektor has lept from black and white into joyous colour. [Aug 2006, p.88]

Proves again what an unnerving space the interior of his head must be. [Aug 2006, p.104]

Quite stunning. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Thanks to the vision of singer/songwriter Traceyanne Campbell, this is a killer record, rather than just a pretty one.[Jul 2006, p.102]

This is a great record for and about New Orleans and one of the best the two men have ever made. [Jun 2006, p.96]

This record does not return [Ice Cube] to his early 1990s heyday, but proves he still has sufficient desire to make angry, focused music. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Vocally and melodically, Durant aims for nursery-rhyme simplicity, sometimes to her detriment. [Jun 2006, p.100]

Packed with fine folk-tinged numbers. [Jun 2006, p.102]

When Todd sings his own I Saw The Light he sounds more comfortable than when negotiating The Cars' blustering powerpop. [Jun 2006, p.111]

Only the faithful need apply. [Jul 2006, p.101]

A record that makes the tortured beauty of Tilt appear like a mildly resigned shrug. [Jun 2006, p.102]

It's another good one. [Jul 2006, p.100]

Equal parts bludgeoning Art Brut and soaring pop grace. [Aug 2006, p.94]

For all the frenetic energy, lush orchestration and earnest vocals, however, It's Never Been Like That has the feel of the work of a hollow band. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Give it time and you'll be rewarded. [Oct 2006, p.102]

To Find Me Gone won't win any awards for wheel reinvention, but it's no sterile exercise in genre classicism. [Jul 2006, p.101]

An album that sounds effortless, but at times almost dissyingly diverse--imagine The White Album, but made by happy people. [May 2006, p.96]

The autobiographical lyrics on offer here make for intimate listening. [Jun 2006, p.108]

A bewitching record. [Aug 2006, p.96]

That he is reunited with producer Mitchell Froom only partly accounts for the likeness this album shares with his '90s work. [Jun 2006, p.111]

Every generation needs an Art Brut. [Jun 2005, p.100]

A loose lyrical thread (mental instability), an unrestrained creativity and an enviable sense of musical freedom are the only things holding it together. [Jun 2006, p.104]

And the songs? Urgent, instant, bolshie mostly, with a stronger individual melodic sense than, say, Greendale, but without the intense beauty of, say, Ohio. [Jul 2006, p.112]

[A] confident follow-up. [Jul 2006, p.106]

Its music holds a refreshingly naive (if ridiculous) charm. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Fambly Cat's highpoints... stand with their very best. [Jun 2006, p.102]

One off-putting aspect: a vague sense of cocky over-cleverness. [Jun 2006, p.108]

A record sensational only in the best ways. [Jun 2006, p.103]

It's the sound of a band on a roll. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Though couched in arrangements that sometimes camouflage their immediacy, the tunes are dependably strong. [Jul 2006, p.100]

Eyes Open hardly furthers Snow Patrol's rote one guitar attack, and repetition exposes Lightbody's interpretations of love's little hiccups as a tiring experience. [Jun 2006, p.108]

Never less than inventive. [Jul 2006, p.110]

This one's got a whiff of the Stones' Black And Blue about it. [May 2006, p.98]

With no weak link, you can drop the needle anywhere. [Jul 2006, p.106]

Many are banal love songs, devoide of narrative impact, or even identity. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Pearl Jam sound reborn, vital. [Jul 2006, p.112]

Wolfmother have a canny knack for a tune. [Jun 2006, p.98]

Capture/Release's clanking guitars and shimmering melodies meld the abstract and the earthy with a Mark E Smithian panache. [Sep 2005, p.102]

There are some beautiful moments. [Apr 2006, p.94]

Although some of his lyrical tricks might sound a little familiar this time round, he remains one of Britain's great storytellers. [Jun 2006, p.104]

Many who don't like Springsteen may love this. Many who love Springsteen may hate this. [Jun 2006, p.100]

Smart, sensual, self-loving and self-critical, pissed-off and hilarious. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Belle Starr and... Red Staggerwing finds [Knopfler] reaching for a goodtime clambake feel that ends up sounding kinda grating and twee. [Jun 2006, p.98]

Business as usual. [May 2006, p.104]

It's in essence a wordless, monochrome Television. [May 2006, p.104]

When it comes to making smart, mischievous electronic merry, no one can touch him. [May 2006, p.105]

There's plenty of soul and swagger again here. [Apr 2006, p.94]

The disc as a whole is never quite as gripping as its conceptual predecessors. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Certainly the most accessible [album] of their career. [Jun 2006, p.99]

[An] intriguing debut. [Sep 2005, p.103]

Some of its finest moments are its most intimate and least arranged. [May 2006, p.99]

This is repeat-play head music that still manages to hotwire the heart. [May 2006, p.102]

Despite having some of Ritter's least introspective lyrics, there are some of his most emotionally affecting songs. [Apr 2006, p.98]