DFA DJ/engineer's gangshow debut. [Oct. 2010, p. 95]

Taken as a whole, it's an arresting step towards the light. [Feb 2013, p.90]

To be fair, Sharpe, a dramatic alter-ego for leader/singer Alex Ebert, does corral a few tunes infectious enough to last the distance on Broadway. [Sep 2009, p.90]

But those with the gumption to take this record on will certainly come out of it knowing they've listened to something, and you can't fault Malone for putting himself out there. [Dec 2009, p. 94]

Their refusal to accept stylistic boundaries when playing songs works well here. But balancing structure and freedom can be like trying to square the circle, and when you record quickly to preserve spontaneity, not everything will be successful. [Aug 2013, p.91]

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]

The album's second half-hour wilts, but the first is Temples Excelling as never before. [Jun 2023, p.92]

Though humour abounds, there's also some serious musicianship on display, both from the mercurial Goldblum and his excellent band. [Dec 2018, p.90]

By turns, it's both sublime and downright ridiculous. [Oct 2005, p.116]

Noble concept, but possibly the dumbest clever-clogs album ever made. [Jun 2010, p.98]

The bulk of In Dream is much darker, but no less alluring. [Nov 2015, p.94]

Graham Coxon has left behind his early Jam-meets-Syd-meets-Billy Childish thrashings and his more petulant little-boy-lost vocals, and recorded an album seemingly inspired by Paul Weller's "22 Dreams." [Jun 2009, p.98]

Gentle, reflective, angsty girl'n'guitar fodder that's often more worthy than interesting. [July 2000, p.104]

Here is a pop masterpiece so toe-tapping and huggable that we might just have to rearrange the canon. [Mar 2008, p.106]

Duets with Stevie Nicks and the latest country sensation, Colbie Caillat, lift the proceedings--but the tracks that stand out are those where he sings with more personal reflection. [Jul 2011, p.114

Their comeback is an even more demanding listen. [Dec 2012, p.87]

Overall Anthems is a gutsy carer swerve from Carter who proves himself capable of crooning with swagger. [Mar 2013, p.94]

While there's a sense that Jungle lack the invention of Young Fathers, whose vocals they echo, or Thundercat, whose disaffection they share, For Ever's Sunset Strip soap opera is always compelling. [Nov 2018, p.91]

Its predominantly midtempo, cleverly crafted pop-Americana sounds even more substantial. [Apr 2007, p.97]

Intriguing debut. ... A surfeit of vocals is distracting. [May 2017, p.98]

Overblown and cloying, it destroys any early promise by way of total saccharine overdose. [May 2016, p.86]

Like the second series of their HBO sitcom, from which most of the tracks here are culled,...Freaky feels a little rushed, but there's still plenty to love. [Dec 2009, p. 95]

Gentleman Jack White does his Loretta Lynn production thing for another grand old lady. [Feb. 2011, p. 108]

This is unlikely to expand thier fanbase, but The Mars Volta are making music built to last. [Feb 2008, p.113]

New York's post-punkers are mooder than ever. [Oct. 2010, p. 90]

Zig Zaj corrals its celebrity cameos within a strictly ring-fenced aesthetic. [Oct 2011, p.98]

By turns whimsical, self-deprecating and humorous. [Oct 2015, p.93]

The keening askance of his voice, celestial choirs and brittle hesitation of his guitar all speak of terrible demons exorcised, and when that all comes together on Brother or opener Part One: The End, maybe only Josh T. Pearson can touch his pain. [Aug 2012, p.84]