Its overload of big-picture polemic, explosive virtuosity and tune-rich entertainment certainly takes some unpacking, yet is consistently thrilling. [Sep 2022, p.89]

12 self-penned kitchen-disco bangers, each one a gem. [Oct 2022, p.84]

The album is a great showcase for the Fontaines D.C. guitarist's production skills, which makes even occasionally inert material punchy and dynamic. [Mar 2026, p.81]

This sequel ups their ante further; there's inventiveness here that rivals Girls Aloud producers Xenomania. [Apr 2009, p.103]

Heroic, to a degree, but they'd need to hurdle the rainbow to warrant any pot of gold. [Apr 2014, p.95]

There are moments when Tom and Ed no longer sound like the baton is theirs to pass. [Feb 2005, p.101]

Even with the bright flickers of Kate Bush-like experimentation and excellent Depeche Mode disco, though, these songs tend to lack the high-definition of 2018's Chris, their earnestly fixed intensity never quite catching from pop smoulder to earth-scorching flame. [Dec 2022, p.84]

Insanely ambitious, or just insane; you decide. [Apr 2016, p.90]

Overall Tron: Legacy is but faint clanging, drowned out by rent-a-string-section romanticism; like sad robots banging on a sound-stage door. [Jan. 2011, p. 95]

This is perhaps Eno's most personal record to date. [Jul 2005, p.102]

Almost entirely instrumental apart from the occasional detour into Floyd-like orbits, this is yet another bold statement from this ever-changing and challenging group. [Mar 2016, p.96]

The results are slightly uneven. [Jun 2013, p.89]

Nothing here truly ventures into the unexpected as [Russell] did, but there was only one Arthur Russell. [Dec 2014, p.89]

It's top quality stuff. [May 2008, p.106]

The 14 tracks here represent just a fraction of what he produced in his prime, so beware that it may be habit forming. [Oct 2011, p.110]

So that's Obits: rapid tunes, powerhouse performances, great album. [May 2009, p.104]

One senses New Shapes Of Life will probably mean less to the world at large than it clearly does to its author, but it has moments of intense beauty. [Dec 2017, p.86]

What's so impressive about Man on the Moon, however, is that it's a complete vision, designed to be listened to as a whole. [Dec 2009, p. 92]

Connoisseurs of punk's darker corners and post-punk's experimental extremes will have their socks rocked off, totally. [Apr 2007, p.108]

Gentle, Andrew Bird-style ballads bump alongside histrionic prog pop and four-to-the-floor beats on Ritalin-phased second LP. [Jun 2014, p.98]

Culturally rich, and instantly identifiable as excellent, this one's an extra-hot essential. [Mar 2016, p.97]

You sense they need a couple of pure pop gems that the Mary Chain had submerged within the noise to perfect the classic sound they aspire to. [Jun 2005, p.95]

A substantial and richly evocative work. [Apr 2013, p.89]

Across a double album, Clarke's songwriting landscape can start to feel featureless, his big-sky country demanding tighter focus, more interesting rock formations. [Dec 2020, p.88]

Few are better placed than Bostonian Edan Portnoy, who uses access to the old-school masters owned by Traffic, one of the few reissue imprints interested in rap, to curate a fine, fun funky and fascinating half-hour mixtape interlaced with new sample-based production. [Feb 2010, p. 105]

One of their most consistently impressive releases. [May 2013, p.90]

It yields mixed results. [Nov 2014, p.100]

Loose feels less like an album than a clutch of singles plus accompanying extras. [Jul 2006, p.100]