Skeleton Tree is an extraordinary piece of work, one that might impact upon you profoundly if you choose to bed-down in its dark corridors of hurt. [Nov 2016, p.84]

Courageous, wilful, fractured and something of a triumph, 22, A Million will move you, though you may struggle to explain how, or why. [Nov 2016, p.87]

She still meanders between electronic-infused pop, Eastern-tinged R&B and AOR balladry, but crisp production and Spektor's pliant, atypically measured vocals keep things focused. [Nov 2016, p.89]

The understated widescreen desolation of their eponymous second album marked a breakthrough for Warpaint, their artfully washed-out funk-punk making more sense than ever. The follow-up, Heads Up balances that downbeat vibe with more upbeat, poppy elements, creating a tension that's electric. [Nov 2016, p.91]

[A] blissful orchestral new age soundscapes, to suggest lapping waves on late summer beaches with just the occasional cloud of gloomy dissonance to add to that authentic 2016 holiday experience. [Nov 2016, p.91]

This is a protest album and a damn good one. [Nov 2016, p.93]

The pleasantly chaotic backdrop is heavy on analogue synths and vintage space echo, and though far from the reggae idiom, Perry is at home warbling his curses and magic spells in multi-tracked triplicate. [Nov 2016, p.93]

The album features psychedelic guitar, heavy percussion, priests, deep gumbo and the main man's peerless drumming. [Nov 2016, p.93]

Intriguing melodies, immersive arrangements and a haunting choral climax. [Nov 2016, p.96]

Warm, understated third LP. [Nov 2016, p.96]

Nuanced lyrics and striking melodies. [Nov 2016, p.96]

Not even the most Boss-eyed would claim the world needs another Springsteen Best-of, mostly comprising songs available elsewhere and built around a clutch of repeat offenders. Yet Freehold, NJ's famous son is barely recognisible on Chapter And Verse's first five track. [Nov 2016, p.104]

All its [The Gouster] tracks have been released before, though it's interesting to hear them in their original sequence. And the most obscure songs certainly merit more exposure. [Nov 2016, p.104]

There are points of similarity here with Kraftwerk, particularly on Clockwork, the electro and house styles of '8-s Cabaret Voltaire, the pumping bears if Front 242, and also the percolating sequencers of Favtory Floor. [Oct 2016, p.99]

Brought To Book starts off as a classic Hammill Piano ballad, but like many songs here it goes through metric convolutions while still keeping its melodic coherence, crashing through the hedges of its own maze to get from A and B. [Oct 2016, p.97]

Rosenberg's gently-rendered songs too often rely on stock images. [Oct 2016, p.96]

The French singer renders smoky blues. [Oct 2016, p.100]

It's testament to his long-time dedication to the drone dirge and dark pop sweetness of the VU, JAMC ect. that it all fits seamlessly. [Oct 2016, p.100]

What makes The Complete BBC Sessions so compelling is that it's mostly work-in-process, and Zeppelin veer played a song the same way twice. [Oct 2016, p.107]

A palpably open and free atmosphere underscores these songs, on which the same exotic and dexterous musical arrangements Rostam honed with his old band allow Leithauser's sandpaper Sinatra to truly swing. true dream team. [Oct 2016, p.96]

Nothing nosebleedy in its warm, evocative patchwork. [Oct 2016, p.100]

He likes to throw an occasional hot coal into your lap, such as The Pugilist’s angry strings, and Comfortable Love’s rock torrent, somewhat Jeff Buckley-esque. Yet the naked, tearful Alright and Good Lust cut the deepest, when time seems to stand still in the face of Keaton’s suffering.

[Michael Christmas's] relentlessly goofy and incredulous tales about everyday absurdities crown an unconventional marriage made in alt-rap heaven. [Oct 2016, p.97]

A colourful, catchy and quietly impassioned record. [Oct 2016, p.90]

The presence of four hired songwriters dilutes the duo's offbeat DNA. [Oct 2016, p.96]

Ultimately, Future Echoes is a dark pop album, as joyful as it is unexpected. [Oct 2016, p.95]

Dense and dark as always, but with new light seeping through the undergrowth, Unseen is The Handsome Family's masterpiece. [Sep 2016, p.95]

While focus isn't really his thing, when Presley and his minimal combo cohere, they're scratchily persuasive. [Oct 2016, p.97]