Edgy, ear-splitting, bonkers, bizarre and, in parts, astounding. [Mar 2004, p.104]

Though not without the odd turkey, it is arguably their most satisfying work since 1978's Some Girls. [Oct 2005, p.100]

The Sparks take the nascent country rock of their obvious influence and extraploate every last ounce of plangent guitar chime and yearing vocal polyphony until they ring afresh. [Nov 2001, p.100]

The record is such a sprawling, unwieldy beast that the instrumental hooks take time to emerge.

A quirkier affair than their previous works.

They have clearly been rejuvenated by this beguiling collaboration, producing their best work for years. [Jul 2005, p.110]

A charged return. [Mar 2006, p.96]

It's mostly a success, though its dominant tone of understated, rainy melancholia is unlikely to earn Parish a dressing room with a star on the door. [Oct 2002, p.108]

A workout for both mind and soul. [Jun 2005, p.97]

Formula, for sure, but it's the Buzzcocks' own: the original and best. [Apr 2006, p.88]

[A] consistently crafted and stimulating set. [Jun 2005, p.100]

A more than enjoyable stopgap. [May 2006, p.104]

This is well-muscled, heavily mascara'd dance music. [Sep 2004, p.99]

While their music does have a Scando smoothness to it, its ramshackle moments recall the Beta Band more than they do Sondre Lerche, The Cardigans, et al. [Sep 2006, p.100]

The album only stretches to 35 minutes but its quality more than compensates. [July 2002, p.112]

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]

An interestingly mixed-up album. [Sep 2001, p.114]

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

A reflective, pop album fit for a rainy afternoon. [Mar 2003, p.103]

Equal parts tantalising, frustrating, and riveting. [Jan 2001, p.106]

A surprisingly consistent listen, albeit one that's akin to gorging on Christmas cake. [Feb 2006, p.102]

An eminently listenable collage of jittery grooves, lop-sided beats and wayward electronica.

The empathy between the four is palpable. [Jun 2003, p.113]

It's messy, seductive stuff. [Dec 2003, p.113]

A specialist release, perhaps, but one that is ambitious, accessible and beautifully played. [May 2006, p.112]

The same drifting mood is maintained from start to finish, all nine songs being gently eclectic acoustic musings with occasional electronic decorations. [Apr 2002, p.101]

This [album] finds her with a steelier determination in her country soul and an inclination to rock out that she's only previously hinted at. [Nov 2004, p.116]

For all the band's rich resonance, she shines brightest when [producer Colin] Cripps holds the kilowatts. [May 2005, p.98]