Musically simpler and less baroque than The Graceless Age, the album's autobiographical arc is conversely harder to glean, its lyrics more oblique. Murry's greatest ability, however, is to make the listener wince uncomfortably while peeking through their fingers at his captivating, compulsive honesty. [Aug 2017, p.88]

The lack of solidity can make Mercy nebulous like any spirit photo, it sometimes takes work to find the shape, fill in detail. Yet slowly, its unfamiliarity coalesces into a cold beauty, memory acting as a spur, not a comfort blanket. [Feb 2023, p.85]

This album engages out minds while it explores, but as it raises questions, it still comforts. [Sep 2019, p.92]

The S.L.P. might be a one-off, but right here, right now, he sounds liberated. [Oct 2019, p.85]

Uplifting, exuberant gloom. Tremendous. [Oct 2001, p.108]

The insistent, even patient, rhythms that propel most songs on Wolf Parade's fourth album are some measure of hope. They suggest there's someplace the synth-rock band is trying to get, and that there is some place worth reaching. [Nov 2017, p.96]

The resulting 12 songs return the group to their earlier sound, a chaotic bundle of charm and romance, realism and poppy experiment. [Dec 2020, p.83]

A pair of Bartz originals are frenetically reworked, while the veteran's scything sax on new Harlem To Haarlem steals the show. [Jul 2020, p.88]

They ensure Deerhunter's most accessible songs yet are also their most affecting. [Nov 2015, p.86]

Troubadour delivers deeply rewarding pop from its stylistic risks eerily familiar at moments, but ever its own marvellous thing. [Oct 2013, p.96]

It's hard world for little things, pigeon or human: these songs fight to ease the way. [Jul 2023, p.88]

The Only Ones reassures concerned fans that all is very well in Camp Milk Carton. [Jan 2020, p.90]

Recorded in a single night, this light-touch meld of jazz, ambient, post-rock and hip-hop sensibilities find its players intertwined like tangled wires. [Jan 2025, p.82]

The result is one of her most wide-ranging and satisfying collections. [Nov 2014, p.93]

While there are hints at the bleak vibrations that defined his previous solo work, the John Squire-ish groove of The End and beatific title track stand out as stunning comebacks from this folk euphoria original. [Feb 2019, p.90]

Sleigh Bells offer a thrilling ride. [Sep 2010, p.104]

Baby 81 finds a band evolving past expectations into a newly intriguing proposition. [Jun 2007, p.101]

The warmth of the recording and the excellence of the singer and the songs, this is up there with Massey Hall - just five songs shorter. [May 2021, p.96]

Songs fall into two categories: those tracking matters of the heart--Don't You Know could be a forgotten Delfonics single with drummer Aaron Frazer's sweet falsetto taking the lead--and those scolding their home country. These are jolting, especially opener Morning In America, with its Curtis Mayfield and Gil Scott-Heron touches. [Mar 2019, p.96]

Alternate/Endings is sprawling, cinematic and agenda setting. [Feb 2014, p.97]

Lyrically she still falling in love, but the slow burn of Consequences reveals more nuance with each sitting. [Aug 2021, p.83]

Modern Kosmology is every bit as good as its predecessor. [Jun 2017, p.90]

[A] dazzling folk-pop crush. [Mar 2014, p.94]

Aside from Jump Out's nightmare car ride ("Cell phone's dead, neighborhood is dark/what's the plan now?"), even the occasional rockers aim for atmosphere rather than combustion, yet Furman's trademark anger and angst find a way through. [Jun 2025, p.85]

So that's Obits: rapid tunes, powerhouse performances, great album. [May 2009, p.104]

It's far from a one-dimensional experience though, thanks to Mehldau's jaw-dropping virtuosity. [Feb 2011, p.107]

Her's a downhome collection that's low on dBs but as impactful as anything he's done. [May 2011, p.105]

Love In Constant Spectacle is watchful rather than showy, its songs not boxing up one simple mood at a time but sitting with their uncertainty. Nuance might be going out of fashion in the world outside, but in here, Weaver speaks it fluently. [May 2024, p.83]