This is a rock album for those whose idea of rock heroism is Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, or maybe Muse if they're feeling a bit crazy. If that's you, you'll bloody love it. Everyone else will have to hope Example's evolution is just the beginning.

Sparse, directionless and half-formed, Trans AM's eighth LP is nowhere near the radical transformation its title suggests.

At its best, 'A New Morning' sees Suede show off their vulnerable side again. It won't attract any new admirers but old fans will love them more for it.

Hidden under the pit floor, however, are frankly scarier prospects. Like AAF's toe-curling cover of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' or the awful sub-Police reggae lurch of 'Flesh And Bone'. Singer Dryden Mitchell over-emotes at every turn too, further slickening 'ANThology's pomp rock gloss.

A bit like playing Russian roulette in reverse: you spin the disc and pray in vain for something to stick in your brain. [19 Jun 2004, p.56]

Sex with a z – amusing but dull.

It does little to either push Turner forward or tell these stories satisfactorily.

The heavier moments refuse to act as a sledegehammer of alt-rock pastiche, which this record could so easily have been. Instead, it’s a showcase of songcraft that’s allowed to breathe and reveal itself. Bring on volume two. The dream lives on.

Unfortunately, this rarities compilation focuses on OM's 2008-until-now phase, and it grates heavily.

You hear a band capable of genuine prettiness as well as arch cleverness. [6 Jan 2007, p.26]

Made In Sheffield is a surprising record, lovingly conceived and beautifully executed.

It's unquestionably a beautiful (debut) album, and one that may be well-timed.

Though nothing is as memorable as Keys classics like ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ and ‘Fallin”, her melodies are undeniably lovely. ... ‘Unlocked’ isn’t strong enough to turn this into a top-tier Alicia Keys album, but it does make it a project worth investigating. With some judicious pruning and sharp sequencing, any Keys fan should be able to carve out a pretty satisfying playlist.

You could argue Wolfmother’s ballsy and carefree hi-octane music is all just innocent fun, ideally washed down with a six pack of tinnies. Yet it’s utterly devoid of soul and intelligence.

The key word is ‘almost’, because what could have been mawkish and naive is instead deliciously raw, an album for when all else fails.

It’s a shame that Quirk’s quirky vibrato is so prominent as it ruins an album that otherwise sits somewhere between untroublesome and mildly enjoyable

The record lurches between cliched harpsichord-driven ditties and cringeworthy soft-rock pop songs that rely on the inventiveness of their concept over the originality of their music.

The London four-piece have never had trouble creating pretty atmospheres though; it’s contrasting them with a bolder hook, lyrical or otherwise, where they struggle.

This sounds more like a new Gnarls Barkley album than an old Prince one. A genius on autopilot is still very clever indeed.

[The title track is] a fantastic storm-brewing, brass-stabbing, Nelson Riddle-goes-Tom-Waits, claustrophobic blues number.... It's not worth buying this album for, however, since the rest of it's made up of frustratingly minimalist snatches of music.

Lyrical gloom aside, though, 'Exciter' sounds like a band not just revitalised but reassembled from scratch. Not many long-running groups could make an album this fresh and confident in their 20th year, never mind one which bridges timeless soulman crooning and underground techno.

The true masters have finally awakened from their slumber.

This smartly dressed record may allow James to feel at least slightly relevant again.

Yet another Next Flaming Lips emerges from beneath the librarian's skirts. In the 'Neon Bible' section, of course.

Tracks such as "Excuses," "Animal Backwards" and, in particular, "Into the Mirror" caress the ears with hypnotic funk, yet these triumphs are only ripples against a stronger tide, as lyrically Omni is a damp blanket.

Expectations isn’t flawless, but it’s a compelling re-introduction to an underrated artist--one capable of putting her own stamp on current pop sounds.

It allows this album to coast through even its dodgy moments and emerge as a loose and easy proposition.

At times throwaway, at others raw, intimate and charming, there’s plenty here you’ll want to get your mate to ask out for you.