Twelve of the songs here are vintage, unheeded warnings plucked from Ono's catalogue. The finale is Imagine--which now rightly bears a Yoko co-credit. All is transformed by the sparse new arrangements, mostly piano-led with strings, which bring the horrors--and occasionally the hope--closer to home. [Nov 2018, p.94]

It never feels as though her best work is behind her. [Nov 2018, p.96]

The box set's main selling point is the inclusion of a completely different version of Never Let Me Down, recorded posthumously. [Nov 2018, p.100]

The main attraction of this six-disc box set reissue is a new ground-up stereo mix of Imagine by Paul Hicks at Abbey Road. These new mixes are clearer and more controlled, though respectful (maybe overly so). [Nov 2018, p.103]

There are times on Bunny when Dear doesn't stray far from the hypnotic, hedonistic mood that underpins his dancefloor moniker, Audion. ... But Bunny really shows its teeth on Can You Rush Them. A smouldering, malevolent breakbeat stomp, its exhortation to "take back the streets" hints at America's political turmoil. [Nov 2018, p.86]

At times, its lumbering gait palls somewhat, but This World's rousing yacht rock twinkle proves that Kalevi has some aces hidden up his sleeve. [Nov 2018, p.91]

The wall-to-wall cyber-vox distract from his bountiful gifts. [Oct 2018, p.92]

Kurt Vile's slacker star continues to rise on Bottle It In. [Nov 2018, p.89]

Its breezy charm belies clever compositions and the odd jagged stylistic shift, but at 58 minutes feels overlong. [Nov 2018, p.96]

Love Is Magic is Grant entertainingly magnified, but the emotional returns comes slightly diminished. [Nov 2018, p.93]

When he's good (Con Conn Was Impatient, B'n'D) he's sublime. [Nov 2018, p.96]

Look Now bounces with unforced, uncluttered and cleverly fleshed vivacity, every song a cherishable gem. [Nov 2018, p.86]

This latest peculiar twist in the Bunnymen saga affirms the songs resilience, as well as the virtue of bravery. When the new versions mimic their predecessors, the project feels redundant. [Nov 2018, p.93]

The "dark sunshine" sound Hersh says she's courting is sometimes a little alienating but there are some fine melodies beneath the rubble. [Nov 2018, p.86]

Psych instincts and gas-weight vibes avoid modern psych's retro slavishness, but its lightweight sound can feel insubstantial. [Nov 2018, p.96]

An intense journey from slow harmonic chants to minimal rave euphoria. [Nov 2018, p.91]

MacIntyre's creativity is clearly in full flower. [Nov 2018, p.90]

It could all be too cute for its own good but some inspired darker moments elevate the whole to the level of a Raymond Carver short story collection set to music by Joan Of Arc-era OMD. [Nov 2018, p.90]

This album is a beauty. [Nov 2018, p.93]

The trio's vocal harmonies have lost none of their warm-blooded magic. [Nov 2018, p.96]

With no grounding bass, the groove is understated on a 13-minute title track that imperceptibly limbers from low-end oscillations and primitive pitter-patter into a billowing, blazing free jazz-prog odyssey in its own distinct dimension. Szun Waves sweep you into it. [Nov 2018, p.95]

In Just Lie Down, grief gives way to wrath and post-hardcore freakery. While Soft Stud and Sam, A Dream have more blissful guitar codas that signify a resolution to her woes. [Nov 2018, p.94]

On their third album Beak> still feels like a wonky and productive hobby for Geoff Barrow of Portishead with his mates Will Young and Billy Fuller; it's serious but it also sounds like a lot of fun. [Nov 2018, p.94]

Willie makes a hell of a job reshaping an array of Sinatra classics. [Nov 2018, p.93]

Beneath the bells and whistles, there's gold as well schlock. [Nov 2018, p.93]

European Heartbreak feels wonderfully whole, bound together by De Graaf's sweetly inscrutable voice and the unshowy, languid complexity of her songs. [Nov 2018, p.92]

It will either intoxicate or weigh down on you, or both, simultaneously. [Nov 2018, p.91]

Gave In Rest is melancholy yet beautiful, slow spectral low-end devotional music: creating a complete world that calls for total immersion. [Nov 2018, p.91]