If we force ourselves inside American Head, we find it full of intimate details that eschew social distancing. Breathe it in. [Sep 2020, p.86]

It's moving, cathartic and achieves new levels of sophistication. [Jun 2020, p.94]

The guests never distract from or overshadow the Malians. [Oct 2020, p.88]

Tricky's 14th long-player somehow matches anything in his catalogue. [Oct 2020, p.91]

A late-onset triumph. [Oct 2020, p.92]

Since 2010's Old Punch Card, he's added opulent modular synthesis to his armoury, a pursuit that reaches an accessible apotheosis here. [Aug 2020, p.89]

She ensures these songs keep it together. [Sep 2020, p.88]

A resounding and concise restatement of core values. [Jun 2020, p.93]

While the guitarist's chops are impeccable and his tone as fiery as ever, the stiff, unyielding charts tend to stifle him, hindering his spontaneity and that of his fellow fine musicians. [Jun 2020, p.95]

Great punk-funk (Faith), but the real triumphs are her alliance of Le Tigre-level sass and superior tunes. [Oct 200, p.94]

A charm offensive, rewarding casual observer with a supreme precis of Pollard's genius: the bombastic rock anthem rationalised into naive-pop jewellery. [Sep 2020, p.92]

Penn returns with a rare album, mightily played and poignantly sung. [Oct 2020, p.86]

Callahan's cast on Gold Record are notable for their kindness, and for the dignity of their discretion. [Oct 2020, p.85]

Shaman! strays from predecessor An Angel Fell's dark politics to explore more sprawling, introspective territory. [Oct 2020, p.87]

She sounds like a full band as vamping pianos, rubbery double basses, freeform vibes and skittering beats collide. [Sep 2020, p.85]

The 13 tracks of this marathon double-album offer surprising rewards. [Oct 2020, p.86]

Though the battering ram thrust of Sad But True takes some beating, other highlights are James Hetfield solo with orchestra on The Unforgiven III, and on (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth, SFS principal bassist Scott Pingel paying tribute to Metallica's Cliff Burton, who died in 1986 aged 24. [Oct 2020, p.86]

Occasionally, you yearn for Disclosure to take a rasp to Energy and roughen its edges, but their knack for canny hooks guarantees they won't be retiring back to Surrey any time soon. [Oct 2020, p.84]

A joy. [Sep 2020, p.84]

Despite these songs' sensuous abundance, deepened by McEntire's lush, chlorophyll-rich voice, there's a sharp modernity here. [Sep 2020, p.89]

Lina bringing the tradition, Raul Refree adding experimental soundscapes for her to play in. [Sep 2020, p.89]

In all, far more touching than we've been allowed. [Oct 2020, p.92]

Well-served by the sparse guitar-and-vocal arrangements and intimate, reverb-y ambience. [Oct 2020, p.84]

Melt!, a twisted dancefloor lament for the polar ice caps, is a reminder of Owen's ability to mine techno gold. But the highlight is Corner Of My Sky, a memorable collaboration with compatriot John Cale. [Jun 2020, p.91]

Simple, homespun arrangements shift between folk pop and folk rock with an emphasis on bittersweet. [Sep 2020, p.85]

Bold and absorbing set. [Sep 2020, p.82]

The Caribbean funk that results, however, sounds unpredictable, i,possibly human and imperfect. Oh, and fun. [Sep 2020, p.89]

The Consuming Flame is rich, intense and deftly woven into three hour-long suites. [Oct 2020, p.91]