The autobiographical lyrics on offer here make for intimate listening. [Jun 2006, p.108]

A bewitching record. [Aug 2006, p.96]

That he is reunited with producer Mitchell Froom only partly accounts for the likeness this album shares with his '90s work. [Jun 2006, p.111]

Every generation needs an Art Brut. [Jun 2005, p.100]

A loose lyrical thread (mental instability), an unrestrained creativity and an enviable sense of musical freedom are the only things holding it together. [Jun 2006, p.104]

And the songs? Urgent, instant, bolshie mostly, with a stronger individual melodic sense than, say, Greendale, but without the intense beauty of, say, Ohio. [Jul 2006, p.112]

[A] confident follow-up. [Jul 2006, p.106]

Its music holds a refreshingly naive (if ridiculous) charm. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Fambly Cat's highpoints... stand with their very best. [Jun 2006, p.102]

One off-putting aspect: a vague sense of cocky over-cleverness. [Jun 2006, p.108]

A record sensational only in the best ways. [Jun 2006, p.103]

It's the sound of a band on a roll. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Though couched in arrangements that sometimes camouflage their immediacy, the tunes are dependably strong. [Jul 2006, p.100]

Eyes Open hardly furthers Snow Patrol's rote one guitar attack, and repetition exposes Lightbody's interpretations of love's little hiccups as a tiring experience. [Jun 2006, p.108]

Never less than inventive. [Jul 2006, p.110]

This one's got a whiff of the Stones' Black And Blue about it. [May 2006, p.98]

With no weak link, you can drop the needle anywhere. [Jul 2006, p.106]

Many are banal love songs, devoide of narrative impact, or even identity. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Pearl Jam sound reborn, vital. [Jul 2006, p.112]

Wolfmother have a canny knack for a tune. [Jun 2006, p.98]

Capture/Release's clanking guitars and shimmering melodies meld the abstract and the earthy with a Mark E Smithian panache. [Sep 2005, p.102]

There are some beautiful moments. [Apr 2006, p.94]

Although some of his lyrical tricks might sound a little familiar this time round, he remains one of Britain's great storytellers. [Jun 2006, p.104]

Many who don't like Springsteen may love this. Many who love Springsteen may hate this. [Jun 2006, p.100]

Smart, sensual, self-loving and self-critical, pissed-off and hilarious. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Belle Starr and... Red Staggerwing finds [Knopfler] reaching for a goodtime clambake feel that ends up sounding kinda grating and twee. [Jun 2006, p.98]

Business as usual. [May 2006, p.104]

It's in essence a wordless, monochrome Television. [May 2006, p.104]