His own voice is a marvel too, heartfelt and luminous. [Apr 2016, p.96]

Bayley's lyrics--inspired by fly-on-the-wall over-hearings--add depth. [Oct 2016, p.109]

Any fears that Deaner may have matured during his absence are summarily nipped in the bud by the most puerile collection of ditties since, well, Ween. [Jan 2017, p.94]

It's Flynn's warmest outing so far. [Apr 2017, p.98]

Each song struggles to reach the three-minute mark, and are all the more enjoyable for it. [Aug 2017, p.97]

Highlights include Richard Youngs' wistful Summer's Edge, with Sugden deadpan amid a splashing keyboard fountain. [May 2018, p.97]

Tastefully arranged, high-spec country-folk introspection. [Aug 2018, p.96]

There's an agreeable robustness to proceedings. [Sep 2018, p.91]

This is very much an album to shout "Hey!" at regular rhythmic intervals. [Jun 2019, p.95]

This worthy and humane sequel lacks only the original's pioneering force. [May 2021, p.85]

The sixth full-length is a more modest affair, but also one of their finest. [Nov 2021, p.88]

Soundtrack to Mona Fastvold's story of love amid tough rural landscapes has similar mood contrasts. [Feb 2022, p.92]

A proper fire-starter. [Mar 2022, p.88]

It's a beguiling mix for the most part, even if they have overly sacrificed melody on the altar of rhythm. [Jul 2022, p.93]

It puts ZZ's impeccably-tuned engine room under the microscope, their "just us and the music" gambit paying off. [Aug 2022, p.90]

A concept album set in the 1890s, revelling in simplicity. [Oct 2022, p.92]

Predictable, perhaps, to mention Torrini's compatriot Bjork. ... Ultimately, though, RTS charts its own path. [Apr 2023, p.91]

The overall feeling of lab-hygienic utility is clearly intended, but a pretty wistfulness also whistles down these wires. [Feb 2025, p.87]

An elegantly collaged exploration of death and its consequences. [Mar 2025, p.86]

Walker's narratives land like a looser Lucy Dacus or a more skittish Craig Finn (especially on the regret-buckled Bitter Root Lake), her voice shat=ring the fur-rubbed-the-wrong-way scratchiness of Jeffrey Lewis or Kimya Dawson. [Sep 2025, p.85]

Holy Island nods to mid-period Flying Saucer Attack, Souvlaki-era Slowdive, maximum-shimmer Ride and motorik. Such influences are offset by an innate drama which inexorably draws inwards. There is, though, a potentially overwhelming backstory. [Jan 2026, p.91]

It's the rarest of soundtracks: one that makes you excited to watch the documentary, not the other way round. [Feb 2026, p.80]

Finn is still writing wordy story songs, but the breathing space elevates those words. [Apr 2017, p.97]

His best yet. [Feb 2012, p.98]

God Help The Girl has real class. [Jul 2009, p.99]

Freed from that angst, the group sound more savage, more inspired and, crucially, more fun than they have for a quarter of a century. [Dec 2016, p.88]

Sound Mirror is far more than an exercise of indulgence. [Jul 2014, p.94]

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