You kind of know what to expect from a Kristin Hersh solo album, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. [Mar 2007, p.102]

The Final Frontier, its scratchy, clattering intro resembling The Mars Volta and signifying that this national institution's quest for adventure remains unabated. [Sept. 2010, p.98]

As was the case on 2013's Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO, seem poised equidistant between the mellifluousness of '70s Beach Boys and prog rock opacity. [Feb 2016, p.93]

Experimental pop that feels for the warm electronic pulse of '80s futurism. [Mar 2016, p.100]

[Harcourt whets] our curiosity with this six-tracker which goes to the brink but never quite falls over the edge. [Feb 2014, p.96]

Though still in thrall to the synthetic '80s new wave ttemplate as perfected by Devo, Fasciination is nevertheless the sound of a band who've finally found the space to nail their own sound. [Nov 2008, p.119]

Nobody's expecting Steve Earle & The Dukes to break new ground, but when they break sweat, Terraplane comes to life. [Mar 2014, p.100]

Convocations - conceived in lockdown and isolation - represents anguish and discombobulation, without having yet reached acceptance. [Aug 2021, p.84]

The opening futurefunk salvo gives way to some soulful ballads. [Mar 2014, p.96]

The writing on this third album's greatest strength. [Feb 2009, p.109]

His vocable chants on You Can't Remain Here and purposefully awkward intoning for Detachment dance on the edge of parody. Yet the baroque sharp-tuned dances he weaves around the gothic gloom-chorales of Wisconsin-raised dark-pop enigma Zola Jesus possess an occult delicate beauty. [May 2016, p.91]

It's a highly-strung record--tiringly so sometimes--but The Dears walk its emotional tightrope with an acrobat's grace. [Aug 2017, p.93]

Nicks co-produces with Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. [July 2011, p. 102]

Nothing on The Spine drills into your cerebral cortex and demands to be whistled on public transport like earlier hits, but the tunes are agreeable enough. [Aug 2004, p.99]

The techno seedlings that before poked through the soil sporadically now burst into full bloom. [Sep 2015, p.93]

Walsh's facility for approximating his soft-rock heroes is impressive; likewise DLM's sensitivity to the sport's uniquely philosophical undertow. [Aug 2013, p.89]

Celebrating both Big Bill and the Alvins' shared boyhood, this genial collaboration throws a warm light on both. [Jul 2014, p.89]

Track by track, these are nuggets of brilliance. As a whole, it's baffingly eclectic. [Sept. 2011, p. 106]

Studded with occasional gems...it's also weighed down by a handful of jokey throwaways and partially realised pop numbers among its 24 tracks. [Oct 2011, p.94]

The continuing resemblance of their lyrics to motivational speeches may still grate on non-fans. [Oct 2013, p.88]

Like Weimar cabaret Gilbert & Sullivan. [Apr 2006, p.104]

Tremulous covers from the '60s, '70s, US Westerns and beyond. [Jan 2018, p.93]

One off-putting aspect: a vague sense of cocky over-cleverness. [Jun 2006, p.108]

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]

The follow-up to 2020's When We Stay Alive continues that LP's fragile introspection. [Jul 2022, p.97]

These guileless, well-hemmed songs could use a few more frayed edges. [Dec 2012, p.96]

A fine album is in here, but on this evidence, embracing the instinctive over the reflective might have been a better strategy. [Apr 2020, p.89]

With too many pastel-shaded instrumentals, the album lacks the previous album's molten touch and her live show's surging spirit. [June 2008, p.114]