A big record, but one that leaves little mark. [Jan 2016, p.88]

Baroness have delivered their masterpiece: an album grounding their cosmic heaviosity with earthbound, compelling drama. [Jan 2016, p.88]

Right On! seesaws between spectral moments of introspection and bristling passages of electric activity. [Jan 2016, p.88]

Halfway through and it's breathtakingly apparent that David Bowie isn't so much back on the horse as riding bareback towards a cliff-edge. [Jan 2016, p.86]

Sunn O))) devotees will find satisfaction, but newcomers should start with 2009’s igneous rock classic Monoliths & Dimensions.

This second outing is an exercise in documenting a much beefier, hot-blooded sound. [Nov 2015, p.87]

Never one for youthful giddiness, her third album is strikingly authoritative, tending towards the imperious even when expressing vulnerability yet rarely coming over as soullessly efficient.

With a voice now dry and shaky, Friedman nonetheless revels in his novelist knack for tall tales. [Dec 2015, p.86]

At their most affecting and cohesive to date. [Dec 2015, p.91]

The Miraculous is complex and provocative. [Dec 2015, p.87]

An album drenched in familiar swathes of charm, pathos, elegance and black humour. [Dec 2015, p.90]

It's over-reliance on Nine Inch Nails atmospherics and Boots's far from distinctive Bowie-lite croon could benefit from further tweaking. [Dec 2015, p.92]

This is Lopatin's most cogent record yet. [Dec 2015, p.91]

These transformations prove entirely worthwhile. [Dec 2015, p.92]

Only two original members remain--David Thomas, also of Pere Ubu, and bass guitarist Craig Bell--and their approach feels oddly inconsistent. [Dec 2015, p.90]

Younghusband's second LP pushes bittersweet melodies from under a reverb rug. [Dec 2015, p.94]

Mehldau is never bereft of imagination, using his source material as a vehicle for sublime musical storytelling that results in some of the most beautiful piano playing you'll ever hear. [Dec 2015, p.87]

The LA quintet still sound like 16-year-old boys.... Musically, though, their slick soulful pop-R&B is far more refined. [Dec 2015, p.94]

West Kirby Country Primary declares the vivid flowering of a great talent. [Dec 2015, p.84]

Atmos aplenty then, but more melodies like Magdalene's would be nice. [Dec 2015, p.94]

Unreconstructed rock thrills (produced by Jeff Lyne). [Nov 2015, p.96]

[A] perfect symbiosis of mournful brass and life-giving rock. [Dec 2015, p.92]

His self-titled debut falls a little short, but Son Little has potential. [Dec 2015, p.89]

Jones sounds like he's in his element. [Nov 2015, p.94]

[An] extraordinary beautiful debut. [Dec 2015, p.87]

This is Joe Ely at his rugged best. [Nov 2015, p.94]

The recurring hallmark is Ritter's literate storytelling. [Nov 2015, p.94]

Hi Honey ultimately triumphs thanks to its creator' perfect chemistry. [Aug 2015, p.93]