Powerful to the point of brutality, but affecting. [Oct 2017, p.98]

Just occasionally the jangles get repetitive; sometimes, good things do go on too long. [Oct 2017, p.96]

Tragedy and regret, all captured in beautifully glowering analogue. [Oct 2017, p.93]

The best moments find Deerhoof unadulterated, like the angular tropicalia of Begin Countdown, or drummer Greg Saunier's Prefab Sprout-like Ay That's Me. [Oct 2017, p.94]

Classic OMD tropes are almost overdone on this, their 13th studio album. [Oct 2017, p.88]

Big, brave and laudably odd it is, then. [Oct 2017, p.93]

American Dream feels like a strong re-statement of what they do, and what they can mean, a record that, despite its fear of death, feels very much alive. [Oct 2017, p.86]

As striking as her career-defining 2010 album, The Brothel. [Sep 2017, p.92]

This is vaulting, widescreen soundscaping of the first water. [Oct 2017, p.92]

[His bathroom's] natural reverb add a wobbly-otherworldly feel. [Sep 2017, p.96]

This new material finds them in [a] more experimental mode. [Oct 2017, p.90]

Strong synth tunes and beats, bristling with vocal angst. [Oct 2017, p.98]

Gogol Bordello's passport-abusing, transcontinental musical journeying occasionally feels like being faced with an over-ambitious tapas plate. [Oct 2017, p.96]

Hippopotamus is never anything less than wildly entertaining. [Oct 2017, p.88]

At times, it recalls the late-'60s acid blues experiments on Leigh Stephens' Red Weather and Peter Green's The End Of The Game but with a shimmering summer optimism and textural complexity all MacKay's own. [Oct 2017, p.92]

The once-lairy Scots' high-volume potency remains beyond question. [Oct 2017, p.92]

Scum is a joyous mash-up of cheap beats, precinct-loitering aggro punk and youthful vim; it's by no means a classic, but you suspect Cardy may well have one in him soon. [Oct 2017, p.94]

Invitations rushes of feeling are rich and real. Filthy Friends are a genuine supergroup surprise. [Oct 2017, p.96]

Clever, unflinching, experimental and catchy. [Oct 2017, p.98]

Her more organic songs stand out melodically amid layers of modern production mulch. [Sep 2017, p.96]

Holiday Destination needs to be uncomfortable and it is, a beautifully realised disturbance of any remaining peace. [Sep 2017, p.92]

Dwyer's crew are oft-cited as the world's most exciting live rock band; they're also making some of its most exciting rock records. [Sep 2017, p.93]

May can be schmaltzy, yes; but also needle-sharp. [Sep 2017, p.94]

The Right To Love is a heartbreaker from the beautifully phrased, opening reading of Hoagy Carmichael's Skylark through to a final I Get Along Without You Very Well. [Sep 2017, p.91]

Knowingly nostalgic, it's an album with a very strong sense of itself. [Sep 2017, p.86]

Despite the eclectic material, the slow tempos and monochrome tone gets wearing. [Sep 2017, p.94]

A taut, fraught dalliance with '90s trip-hop melancholy vivified by spidery Sisters Of Mercy-esque guitar figures and a gruff cameo from Massive Attack's Daddy G. [Sep 2017, p.91]

It's a long time since Kelly drank at this well, and Life Is Fine is a deep, deep draft. [Sep 2017, p.90]