The former High Llama may be low, but this is no menopausal weepy. [Apr 2016, p.96]

Overblown and cloying, it destroys any early promise by way of total saccharine overdose. [May 2016, p.86]

The skill that always made him singular--his ability to shape perfect pop melodies--still shines. [Mar 2016, p.92]

Gibson's captivating, narrative postcard songs are bolstered by a cast of Brooklyn musicians. [May 2016, p.96]

There are some surprising nuances in the set. [May 2016, p.91]

A record that's serene on the surface but with a dark undertow. [May 2016, p.91]

Painting Of A Panic Attack is easily FR's strongest album in years. [May 2016, p.89]

Though inconsistent, the quartet have siphoned the best of punk and '90s slacker pop to create an album that couldn't be any more Rough Trade if it tried. [May 2016, p.94]

Sometimes it's a bit repetitive or her voice goes trebly, but then you get What's Not Mine's Bjork-style weirdness. [May 2016, p.92]

It gives way to creeping synths, much post-rock elation and an epic finale, sung in French with nape-raising efficacy. [Apr 2016, p.96]

Like a Gibby Haynes-fronted Bongwater. [May 2016, p.96]

Although recognisably, and powerfully, the work of Explosions In The Sky this is now a band whose music undulates. [May 2016, p.92]

Changes redefines the Bradley Soul sound again. [May 2016, p.87]

Are You Serious is goosebump thrilling and deeply moving. It's also warm and funny, even in its darkest moments. [May 2016, p.93]

There's an occasional clunkiness and Let England's Shake's visionary fever is lacking. Yet there's an authority in Harvey's voice, her brisk musical and lyrical stride demanding the listener keep up. [May 2016, p.84]

Brisbane trio navigates teen psychodramas with the sort of wry reportage that makes Courtney Barnett such a charming indie narrator. [May 2016, p.96]

Western and Middle Eastern influences collide in a glitchy and rhythmically experimental union. [May 2016, p.96]

Mogwai [parlays] the hoary quiet/loud arrangement dialectic into a thing of immersive, undeniably affecting potency. [May 2016, p.89]

Their first album in seven years is a guns-blazing reinforcement of classic tropes, powered by young 'un Daxx. [May 2016, p.88]

It's a mix of acoustic and occasionally stodgy soft rock with a message of peace and positivity to all men and women. [May 2016, p.88]

An enjoyably hook-filled, pulse-quickening dab of squidgy yet soulful colour. [May 2016, p.96]

Their fourth album largely abandons any subtlety in favour of a scattergun art racket. [May 2016, p.91]

[Azel] finds him maturing rapidly. [May 2016, p.93]

The interplay between Stephen McBean's laconic drawl and Amber Webber's gothic-tinged wail remains their secret weapon, lending a lean bite to this hefty psychedelic behemoth. [May 2016, p.93]

All through this listenable, though frankly inconsequential album, PSB are stuck on a sound: it's that booming release of early '90s dance, filtered through a bit of early-noughties terpsichorean quiet-loud sonic sexiness. [May 2016, p.86]

Though some things remain reassuringly the same--the glitzy, moody, twangy, cinematic '60s Euro-pop feel--as if time hasn't passed, there's also a strong sense of Turner and Kane having grown as people. [May 2016, p.86]

The album's blend of '70s Euro-flick iciness, shag-pile funk and dark lyricism make for an intriguing and sophisticated treat. [May 2016, p.86]

Played loud, and listened to intently, it's the Bonnie Prince's most vital new release in more than a decade. [May 2016, p.88]