They are strange, sibylline and gorgeous. [Nov 2014, p.94]

He sounds the most determined he has in over two decades. [Feb 2015, p.94]

Adrift in a sun-warped dome of guitar wah, wobble and dub. [Apr 2015, p.89]

Even if consistency isn't their bag, Pond have genius at their fingertips. [Apr 2015, p.96]

The Cree folkie in fine bellicose form at 74. [Jun 2015, p.96]

Such is the breadth of ideas and chutzpah here that you can even forgive Godin for having the temerity to name one track Bach Off. [Oct 2015, p.89]

Mind Over Matter's sleazy rockabilly nightmares and Captain Beefheart-channeling psychedelic detours are entirely keeping with the group's '80s records. [Jun 2015, p.93]

While the peppier River Of Longing and Palace Of Love are rousing, it's when the brakes are applied that Illegals in Heaven leaves a durable residue. [Nov 2015, p.90]

These transformations prove entirely worthwhile. [Dec 2015, p.92]

While none of these 19 tracks reach four minutes, the music has an epic, quasi-devotional quality. [Jan 2016, p.94]

There's a '60s simplicity that's instantly engaging. [Feb 2016, p.93]

There's a warmth and careless spirit to 96, Rome and myriad others that hasn't always been there down the years, and they've seldom bettered Save You. It really is heart-warming to have them back on point. [Feb 2016, p.90]

Enlightened and challenging... an incredible String Band for a brave new world. [Mar 2016, p.99]

Inventive, swinging, dud-free and very musical: terrific entertainment by any standards. [Mar 2016, p.94]

From thrilling and ecstatic to confounding and even infuriating-- Bailing Man's A Day Such As This, and David Thomas's vocal freakery throughout, is all of these--post-punk Ubu is one of a kind. [Apr 2016, p.104]

Her gift for unearthing colourful material and then delivering it with both swagger and soul is compelling. [Mar 2016, p.99]

Brought To Book starts off as a classic Hammill Piano ballad, but like many songs here it goes through metric convolutions while still keeping its melodic coherence, crashing through the hedges of its own maze to get from A and B. [Oct 2016, p.97]

A strange, haunted phantasmagoria that explores atmospheres and moods more suited to the score of an art film than to a rock album--despite the gratuitous use of grungey guitar noises and distortion. [Dec 2016, p.94]

There's a palpable connection to their country's dread history that allows Wolf People to transcend their music's fantasy elements, whiles still being properly fantastic. [Jan 2017, p.96]

Definitely one of 2016's better achievements. [Jan 2017, p.99]

A rump-shaking whole. [Feb 2017, p.99]

Mehldau sounds at home on folksy rambles like Tallahassee Junction while Thile imbues the jazz standard I Cover The Waterfront with a desolate tone, his plaintive vocals accompanied by suspenseful mandolin tremolos. [Feb 2017, p.90]

Deceptively simple-sounding, beautifully constructed folk songs. [Jun 2017, p.95]

Ruiz's best mode is mocking fury, wielded against Trump, scene exclusivity and the consequences of silence. The leering tone makes an already fearless record genuinely fun. [Sep 2017, p.86]

There are some sumptuous moments, but it's also arch and mannered, and rather awkward to embrace. [Dec 2017, p.93]

Leeds quintet serve up sonic catnip for post-punk nerks. [Dec 2017, p.96]

Protest and dissent rarely sounds less strident than on Widdershins, but any resistance to the dark tide is an inherently good thing. [Mar 2018, p.96]

GoGo Penguin build on its momentum with the most insistent distillation of their potent brand of piano-driven melody and groove. [Mar 2018, p.91]