Sounding this simple is not always easy and for fans of pop with depth, Pete & The Pirates are a treat. [Jun 2011, p.100]

Broken Brights is like a stroll along the beach at dusk; reflective, intimate, nostalgic and yet full of tomorrow's promise. [Aug 2012, p.92]

Heartstrings is a succinct outing that charms. [Jul 2014, p.86]

Simplicity rules throughout and the material doesn't stray far from folk roots, yet always sounds contemporary. [Dec 2015, p.92]

Mirage rock's persistent melodies and infectious energy is hard to resist. [Oct 2012, p.87]

Tracks that will keep you waiting forever for the drop still have a corporeal appeal. [Jul 2015, p.94]

So Divided is less pompous, but the dynamic likes of Naked Sun and Stand In Silence barely atone for hamfisted stabs at chamber pop, country and The Cure. [Dec 2006, p.108]

It's mighty good. [Jun 2015, p.93]

She's simply not being fed the right material, or getting to work with a sympathetic producer. Hudson is a soul singer not a modern R'n'B one. [Jun 2011, p.104]

It's a beautifully recorded and unmistakably classy outing that resonates deeply. [Feb 2018, p.95]

The blend of Moulds old and new is highly successful. [Aug 2005, p.100]

This improbably excellent debut album eschews the studied blankness of many of that race's [psych revivals] current front-runners in favour of a playful yet intense engagement with psychedelic rock traditions. [Sep 2013, p.95]

There's little point in denying trip-hop's influence here--the bass on Yr Olaf is undiluted Massive attack-- yet Lisa Jen's vocals and Martin Hoyland's gitar create an eerie reverie all of their own. [Jun 2016, p.90]

Four decades and eight albums in, however, their own status as much cherished melody makers seems perfectly secure. [Jul 2016, p.93]

The pace down Mark Knopfler's latest road is steady and unruffled, like a 72-minute walk around a familiar locale--reassuring but rather lacking in excitement. [Dec 2018, p.87]

Regularly transcend mere pastiche. [Apr 2020, p.86]

It's a pity Parton has retreated into much safer and predictable territory. [May 2022, p.86]

The 6ft 5in, broad-shouldered Gibson finally sounds the part. [Jul 2015, p.90]

A triumph in thematic/aural juxtaposition, Come Ahead is up there with Primal Scream’s best. [Dec 2024, p.92]

Stirring but sombre stuff. [Aug 2004, p.86]

For every song that reacts against the last album, another chimes perfectly with its mood of epic redemption. [Sep 2003, p.101]

Heathen is a fine restatement of classic Bowie elements with contemporary twists. [July 2002, p.110]

There's less jamming than on earlier NMA releases, more insistence on songwriting. [Jul 2011, p.108]

Although California-based, her echoey swamp sound encompassing bottleneck guitars and cellos recalls the friendly/eerie seductions of Bobbie Gentry or Emmylou Harris's Wrecking Ball. [Mar 2013, p.90]

Occasionally, the histrionics and faux-biblical warnings of this guitar-drum duo tread a fine Spinal Tap line, but they do its majestically they can only be admired. [Mar 2015, p.95]

Much of Why Are You OK may be lush and beautiful, but there are too many rambling tracks to put it up with Bridwell's best. [Jul 2016, p.95]

Their star-kissed analogue sprawl and beautiful singing revitalise tired classic rock moves. [Mar 2009, p.107]

At once brooding and beautiful. [Jun 2018, p.97]