Her expressive lyrics exude equal-parts watchful intelligence and first-person vulnerability. [Mar 2020, p.96]

A deluxe synth odyssey. [Feb 2020, p.96]

Although his philosophical ponderings may not be that profound, his seize-the-day positivism and innate command of orchestral tension more than compensate. [Feb 2020, p.89]

The album is diverse: lovers rock meets gospel hymnals and Parisian waltz-dirges. [Feb 2020, p.94]

Moby Dick's cast-of-thousands approach actually makes it feel more like a smart, funny musical without a stage. [Mar 2020, p.95]

Studs Nuggets ruckus with broody grooves. [Mar 2020, p.96]

A US singer-songwriter-guitarist who values both tranquil folk purity, rooted in her crystal-clear voice, and '70s classic-rock range, in the same smouldering fashion as Red House Painters and Jeff Buckley. [Mar 2020, p.95]

Doesn't quite hit home. ... Letting loose more might have benefited the flow. [Mar 2020, p.95]

As restless and fidgety as ever. [Feb 2020, p.91]

When it rocks, it rocks hard, and when it slows down--which it does several times--it's grimmer and more emotional. [Feb 2020, p.84]

The good news is that Have We Met shares melodic strengths with his previous high-water marks. [Mar 2020, p.88]

This rolling membership opens the palette considerably. ... The songs that leave the biggest impression, however, are the raucous yet soulful bangers. [Mar 2020, p.89]

More recognisably Air-like despite half its tracks being merely serviceable collaborations. [Feb 2020, p.89]

[Wolf Parade] stand against the day, insisting, "We can begin again." Doing it less with grand declarations than moments of grace. [Mar 2020, p.89]

Not Pet Shop Boys in highest definition, Hotspot still provides a vivid panorama of their world. [Mar 2020, p.86]

Shauf is as musically jaunty as Josh Rouse. [Mar 2020, p.92]

Some career-catchiest tunes and a lively self-production make Sing an absolute triumph in repositioning. [Mar 2020, p.91]

These great songs live on through reinvention; Bonny Light Horseman have done them proud. [Feb 2020, p.87]

Lurid yet skillfully inconclusive music for these precarious times. [Feb 2020, p.88]

Been Around has heart, soul, a voice and tunes to die for, an early highlight of 2020. [Feb 2020, p.90]

Full of warmth, humour and depth. [Feb 2020, p.86]

Forsyth's emotional power is entirely here and now. [Feb 2020, p.88]

These are songs that chime delicately within uncertain world, in the best possible way, neither here nor there. [Feb 2020, p.90]

Dream On is packed with heartbreak, yet has a deft pop instinct too, courtesy of producer Patrik Berger. [Feb 2020, p.94]

Rekindle the guileless spirit of mid-'90s alt rock in The Alarmist's twilit wistfulness; or Moment's surge of power-chord melancholy. [Feb 2020, p.96]

Instead of meeting fire with ire, there's an attempt to provide calm, clarity, a space to contemplate what really matters. [Feb 2020, p.93]

If the arrangements and performances are as good as retro-rock gets--with veteran drummer Gene Chrisman and keyboard player Bobby Wood among Auerbach's American Sound Studio band they would hardly be otherwise--the lyrics seldom boast a single sentiment or turn of phrase which isn't threadbare. Otherwise, never a dull moment. [Feb 2020, p.92]

Their fusion of Franklin James Fisher's gospel howl and post-industrial beats has grown into something searing and infernal. [Feb 2020, p.90]