Motorik-like melodies now overwhelm the miasmic shoegazey tropes. [Feb 2013, p.91]

If previous Body Count efforts wobbled close to self-parody, Bloodlust nail-guns the impending doom of post-truth Trump America with incision. [May 2017, p.92]

Warm and hazy liek a day spent in teh summer sun, The Illustrated Garden is a sumptuous honey-hued helping of soft-souled pop, unhurried Americana and the occasional spry rush of pop. [June 2010, p. 99]

A crop of high quality songs and instrumentals played with dazzling finger-picking. [Mar 2017, p.90]

These 10 tracks positively bristle with feral, street fighter 'tude. [May 2003, p.97]

This is Billy Bragg as known and loved by many. The difference comes from the never more buoyant Blokes. [Mar 2002, p.114]

Brighton trio take a walk on the dark side. [Feb. 2011, p. 104]

Pulsing with youthful rebellion, PV sound wildly bacchanalian. [Jun 2015, p.96]

It's still a safe record, however, neither spasm of petulant experimentation hell-bent on commercial suicide, nor return to the good old days beloved by original fans but viewed warily by the new. [Nov. 2010, p. 94]

She gets into her stride with French electronic maestro Martin Solveig. [May 2012, p.84]

The Stills still aren't sure of their true identity, but at least those Interpol comparisons are way behind them. [Jan 2008, p.101

Hearing Mahal mimic African Blues players is usually fun, but 'Zanzibar' is underwhelming. But when Ben Harper turns his guitar up, things get interesting. [Nov 2008, p.116]

Lyricwise everything is simple, ready for sing-along consumption and sometimes you can almost visualise that bouncing ball heading a long the bottom of some YouTube screen. [Feb 2010, p. 95]

With his chosen genre being synonymous with timeless, classic pop, these songs need to be unforgettable to really stand out. Instead they're merely good. [Jul 2013, p.88]

Some may fine the ambient, tree-hugging Willow (Interlude) hard to stomach, however, and the lyrical flair that can elevate a debut album is sometimes lacking. [Apr 2014, p.91]

Slo Light's sky-high production values come at the expense of soul. [Apr 2014, p.96]

Daft, overblown and sometimes unintentionally hilarious. [Nov 2014, p.90]

Overall, Beck's playing is by turns exquisitely dainty and jaw-droppingly unhinged. [Jul 2015, p.86]

With some lyrics on the utilitarian side of blunt, it lack the younger Jobson's poetic delusions, but and elegiac title track, shimmering Refugee and Kings Of The New World Order's halcyon riffola are all powerful statements worthy of the Skids legend. [Feb 2018, p.96]

Blend anarcho-punk speed rush with the paranoid crash of industrial rock--ticking programmed drums, frantic guitars, creepy crawl vocals. [Feb 2019, p.93]

Results range from the radio-friendly but obvious to the obscure but not a word out of place. [Oct 2021, p.96]

The emotional honesty and lack of bravado suits him. [Nov 2021, p.87]

Freak Out City owes little to Flight Of The Conchords, but much to '70s US songwriters with a kitchen-sink production. [Oct 2025, p.89]

Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson's endless calls for us to party hearty sound like nothing less than Shampoo's sozzled grans on a hen night, Fred Schneider's ironic lounge lizard is just creepy, and the same old tuned guitars spar against the same old Barbarella beats. [Apr 2008, p.102]

Now, by trying something a little different, he's mustered a late-career triumph. [May 2010, p. 92]

An uneven and slightly uneasy listen. [Nov 2005, p.112]

Enjoyable, but the signposting towards "the good bits" can be a tad too obvious. [Jun 2013, p.86]

Martey is a definite improvement. [Jun 2005, p.106]