Taken as a whole, these poignant moments never threaten to cohere into a greater whole. [Apr 2010, p.111]

While The Gate is not as persuasive as 2007's Nightmoves, the good stuff more than makes up for comparatively effortful takes on Stevie Wonder and EW&F material. [Jun 2011, p.105

It's all too handsomely sterile to truly love. [Jul 2013, p.96]

Their stylish debut knows a bit about content, too, bolting together [the album's] synthetic surfaces with Vorsprung Durch Technik efficiency, yet unashamed of the messy human heart beneath the shine. [Jul 2012, p.85]

Pretty but lightweight. [Sep 2013, p.96]

A challenging but far from inaccessible work. [Jan 2020, p.91]

Innovative it ain't. [Jan 2006, p.132]

The best moments - Where The Water Clears The illusion's untethered vocals, for example - come with an edge of unease, pushing Prochet onwards, upwards, and out of her beautifully suspended animation. [May 2022, p.86]

This studio rendition fills out the sound with added instruments, but this essentially remains a suite of spiky, modern-classical compositions delicately showcasing Smith's sensitive, frequently affecting observations on where he has fetched up. [Dec 2014, p.89]

A little too relaxed for its own good. [Apr 2007, p.108]

This enjoyable act of historical revisionism highlights the still definitive source material. [Nov 2012, p.100]

The band interpret the album title as a play on Portuguese for "Shadow Or Doubt," as in the choice between comfort zone and uncertainty. It's a line they confidently tread throughout. [Jun 2019, p.93]

Occasionally, as on the stuttering, beats-at-war-with-the-tune One And Lonely, it's not so successful, but in the main it's easy to feel both the width and the quality. [Jun 2011, p.106]

He's employed iPhone apps, junk-shop keyboards, cassette recorders and other unlikely paraphernalia to illustrate the wider aural picture. [Jun 2013, p.86]

See them A Come and band original Open Goal here could both date from that time [1980].... The rest of Subculture spreads the net wider though. [Jul 2015, p.93]

What could have been overly esoteric instead recalls Vampire Weekend playfulness, albeit with 4/4 beats. [Jul 2013, p.96]

It isn't until the latter half of the album... that they find their own voice, and one that delivers deliciously sugary powerpop. [Aug 2005, p.102]

It makes for some oddly sublime listening. [Jan 2021, p.85]

One or two numbers have too many twiddles; but then there's the waltz-like Are You In Love?, no longer a teen crush but adult, gently humorous and intoxicating. [Mar 2022, p.85]

It's unashamedly nostalgic, but her voice remains pure and true. [Apr 2022, p.84]

Metals is the product of a stock-taking pause, it's clear the former Canadian indie scenester had rediscovered her bearings. [Oct 2011, p.106]

Album number 11 twitches with the same darkly neurotic pop as 2009's Destroyed. [Oct 2013, p.98]

Enter is 21st century big band jazz at its most brain-spinning. [Sep 2014, p.91]

This 20-song set delivers high octane versions of their greatest hits. [Nov 2013, p.85]

The results are at first comically unexpected, then intriguing. [Mar 2015, p.94]

Graffiti on the Train may be a conduit to pastures new, but it's two steps forward, one step back. [Apr 2013, p.96]

While the soundscapes offer subtle rewards, lyrics' emotional perseverance takes a toll. [Jul 2018, p.92]

Marc Rigelsford's second LP basks in at-home production warmth. [Jul 2013, p.96]