As ever, though, their sheer weight in numbers often becomes overbearing. ... Yet, while their palpable urgency is frequently dissipated in the splurge, Hug Of Thunder's peaks are sky-scraping, indeed. [Aug 2017, p.88]

C'mon suggests their state of grace deserves a wider congregation. [May 2011, p.108]

In replacing the stark natural timbre of recent albums with layers of reverb and oblique orchestration, the pure heart of the songs has been obscured, if not lost. [Oct 2002, p.96]

If not quite a match for Gainsbourg's ticklish masterpiece, it's a partial return to the stringy artistry of 2003's Friends Of Mine. [Oct 2019, p.83]

The latest outing from the Icelandic quartet may not possess quite such drama [as John Grant's Pale Green Ghosts], but there's plenty to admire here. [Aug 2014, p.91]

Fringe entertainment, for sure, but top fun. [Dec 2017, p.87]

bare-knuckled rhymes and eerie sing-song hooks deliver the trademark thrills, though Muggs' lysergic touch is often missed. [Apr 2022, p.89]

Amor's main reference point is arguably Arthur Russell, though there's little of his joie de vivre--unless you count the cowbell on Heaven Among The Days--and more the cold fire of Martin Hannett-era A Certain Ratio. [Jan 2019, p.89]

Despite the presence of a few additional collaborators, much in Half Japanese-world is as anticipated. [Feb 2017, p.94]

The Endless River is big on atmosphere, just a little light on songs. [Dec 2014, p.88]

Not exactly a collection of lullabies, this is still some of the most achingly beautiful music released yet under the Jesu name. [Dec 2013, p.89]

It's hard to shake the sense that these songs ape Corgan's past but too often lack the spark of inspiration that fuelled his previous masterpieces. [Jan 2015, p.100]

It's a promising - if a little lackadaisical - debut. [Dec. 2011 p. 97]

Variously evoking a gnarlier early R.E.M., The Hold Steady, and, yes, Springsteen, other songs here occasionally suffer from over-telegraphed choruses, but Fallon's fervour and gift for an apposite metaphor - "I'm a weatherman watching the skies, trying to read you" - are evident. [Nov 2023, p.86]

The limits of comfort zones are not breached. [May 2017, p.89]

As always, with such projects, Goddess flies or falls on what these collaborators bring to the table, but the material here is as strong as it is varied. [Jul 2025, p.84]

Nothing here feels contrived. Instead we witness a rare thing: an inherently youthful band gracefully making good into their thirties. [Apr 2011, p.106]

The gift of such unadorned recordings--no attempt to conceal the hoarseness in closer Sky Blue Sky, for instance--is the proximity to the singer and his songs. [Aug 2017, p.93]

Lollipop finds songwriter Curt Kirkwood, as ever, rearranging rock history into new shapes that fit his wonderfully warped vision, delivering some of the Pups' most compelling tuneage yet. [Jun 2011, p.102]

Subversively moving. [Aug 2016, p.94]

Nau's adept handle on lachrymose soft-rock, meanwhile means even when treading water, the album charms with its soft-focus ambience. [Sep 21018, p.90]

Nadler's cathartic inner journey isn't always as easy to empathise with as it is artfully expressed. [Oct 2018, p.88]

Scratch beneath the glossy surface of Torches and beneath the gurgles, stutters and hands-aloft choruses lies an album with a disappointing lack of substance. [Aug. 2011, p. 94]

Guaranteed to make fans of the underground feel queasy. [Dec 2013, p.92]

The whole thing sounds effortless, and not always in a god way. [Dec 2007, p.109]

Occasionally things get laboured or dull; still, a powerful new direction. [Apr 2017, p.93]

Klang is a step in the right direction. [May 2009, p.69]

Their debut full-length more than makes good on the attention they've been receiving. [May 2009, p.103]