A notably mature-sounding record full of gnarly guitars, scrunchy Hammond organ and tuneful innocence lost. [Jun 2018, p.92]

Golden Ticket is a diverse treat. [Sep 2015, p.93]

There is an inflammatory urgency here that reminds you of why Kurt Cobain considered Black an almost saintly figure. [Feb. 2001, p.88]

They've come within a hairclip's breadth of producing the rock'n'roll riot they always promised. [Dec 2004, p.114]

The Darkness have regained much of the joy, silliness and virtuostic songcraft that made their 2003 debut Permission To Land such fun. [Nov 2017, p.96]

It's one of the most thrilling rocksteady albums to have been made since the genre emerged in the late '60s. [Nov 2016, p.89]

O'Donovan has a fragile, heart-melting voice and is a fine songwriter. [Sep 2013, p.88]

Lucid lyrical imagery punctuates the muzzy near-consciousness. [Sep 2013, p.96]

Uninhibited where "()" felt constipated. [Oct 2005, p.99]

There's a distinctly Mitteleuropa aura to her enigmatic Nico-like vocals. [Nov 2016, p.96]

Under Hval's microscope, the seemingly straightforward is anything but. [Apr 2022, p.83]

Martin Courtney's music is unsurprisingly like Real Estate's in that it comes at an unhurried tempo and sounds deceptively simple. [Nov 2015, 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]

Appaloosa Bones is prime Isakov. [Oct 2023, p.81]

Alongside the adolescent energy, they also give vent to decidedly adult passions. [Nov 2011, p.93]

A slightly more cohesive album - a complement to 1978's Comes A Time rather than a first take, perhaps. [Apr 2025, p.97]

Occasionally, the histrionics and faux-biblical warnings of this guitar-drum duo tread a fine Spinal Tap line, but they do its majestically they can only be admired. [Mar 2015, p.95]

This harder edge suggests a long, bounteous road into the future. [Nov 2022, p.93]

Another self-titled album is a risky statement of intent. The Bad Plus pull it off with pith and swank. [Nov 2022, p.91]

Sounding this simple is not always easy and for fans of pop with depth, Pete & The Pirates are a treat. [Jun 2011, p.100]

Toronto punk sextet's third LP is an epic soundtrack. [July 2011, p. 104]

An album of straight-up, dazzlingly well-realised British pop. [May 2004 p.92]

Driven, hooky, moving. Better than Prozac or a sunny day. [Aug 2015, p.88]

If at times things veer towards needy, the sum of the set is saved by how real it all feels. [Sep 2018, p.92]

Love Chant might also be described as scrappy, vulnerable and heartfelt, but it is also loose, exuberant and animated in a manner that seems faithful to who Dando is today. [Nov 2025, p.84]

Kokoko! again deliver a banging, agitational rave-up that’s impossible to stay a wallflower to. [Aug 2024, p.87]

the Krautrock gene that moulded 2012's brilliant debut Free Time! still dominates the album's early passages. [Sep 2013, p.88]

There's an often harrowing conviction to Rewind The Film's primarily acoustic arrangements and elegant melodies, heralding a new level of artistry for this unique band. [Oct 2013, p.87]