For all her professed preference for slower, gothically-inclined blues, it's old-time rippers like Sometimes There's Blood or land speed banjo record attempt, Oh, Command Me Lord!, where she really excels--and, critically, excites.[Aug 2018, p.88]

Yet for all the invention and undeniably impressive groove control, there are lulls when their meditative update of '70s fusion stars Lonnie Liston Smith, Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers slicks into something wallpapery, doodly and unselfconsciously by-numbers. [Aug 2018, p.95]

The result is a dreamlike state of unease and wonder, in which you don't know where you are, or what's coming next. [Aug 2018, p.94]

They sound in rude health to me. [Aug 2018, p.96]

It's a judicious match-up. [Jun 2018, p.96]

Hyper-tense, but worth it. [Aug 2018, p.91]

An album of swooning, soft-lens electronica that is firmly of the Eno/Aphex Twin lineage. [Jul 2018, p.95]

Longstreth still doesn't make it easy on the listener with his frenetic arrangements. But, this time around, the sense of plainly expressed emotions is strong. [Aug 2018, p.91]

[The Trinity Session was] An alt-folk classic--and this might be one too. [Aug 2018, p.93]

Best consumed in small doses. [Aug 2018, p.91]

Sonically rich and lyrically intense. [Aug 2018, p.94]

Sculptor yields centre-stage to Randell's haiku-like celebrations of human spirit and suburban transcendence. [Aug 2018, p.94]

It's hardly news that soft rock and heartache go hand in hand, but Johansing's version is particularly seductive. [Aug 2018, p.89]

Seemingly ramshackle songs with deceptively shrewd arrangements, like the woozy, Beta Band-ish Paper. [Aug 2018, p.96]

A first album since 2006 reflects interim activities. [Aug 2018, p96]

The result is a meditative set full pf surprises, and songs that haunt. [Aug 2018, p.90]

While subsequent albums have traced the faultlines of parenthood, until now on the exquisite Sun On he Square, their teenage kids are leaving home. Everywhere, Peris notes absence. [Aug 2018, p.94]

Tastefully arranged, high-spec country-folk introspection. [Aug 2018, p.96]

Big God runs up and down a subtler emotional scale, while the heartfelt Hunger emphasises Welch's admirable desire to connect. Yet High As Hope often feels like The Greatest Showman for people of drinking age, This Is Me for art students--an affirmation, not a challenge. [Aug 2018, p.88]

Vanished Gardens is ultimately an uplifting and deeply satisfying record, due mostly to Lloyd's ethereal saxophone, which complements Williams beautifully. [Aug 2018, p.95]

As with Daptone's soul projects, the emphasis is on authenticity and integrity and the result is spot-on. [Jun 2018, p.94]

This album was submitted to Radio 1 in lieu of a mix, and in many ways it works better when considered on those terms. Because lots of the tracks have a similar vibe they could blend in perfectly well with each other, and it’s a shame that they don’t overlap at any point as this could have improved the overall experience. However, the album is still immensely enjoyable and generously rewards repeat listens.

There are some hammy moments on Americana Act II, but Davies' status as one of pop's great storytellers endures. [Aug 2018, p.92]

HML offset the filthy turbo riffage with moody atmospherics and surprise left-turns. [Aug 2018, p.94]

More quirks and rough edges would have added tot he thrill, but this is nonetheless a heart-warming set from a cultural treasure. [Aug 2018, p.88]

Not a bad track here, but extra points to The Youngbloods' Get Together and excellent Woody Guthrie's Deportee. [Aug 2018, p.93]

It's a record full of fabulous intros. [Aug 2018, p.100]

A debut proving the universal emotional weight in teenage preoccupation with romance. One to watch. [Aug 2018, p.96]