It seems Paradinas' real talents lie behind the scenes.

A total car-crash of excess enthusiasm. [12 Jun 2004, p.49]

The album title promises much in the way of forthright antagonism and the Jessie J hair she sports suggests some kind of ironic statement on the chart mainstream, but the content fails to deliver, save for two isolated moments.

[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.

There are enough dreamlike melodies to sustain your attention rather than zoning out completely, but in reality it's all just very comfortable.

The shortcomings of Bainbridge’s own vocals, which sometimes lack soul and are rarely memorable.

A so-so album which suggests it may be time for Ms Fenty to take a holiday.

Many people who have heard Flamingo have said it sounds a lot like a Killers album. Wrong. It is more that The Killers' albums sounded like Brandon Flowers solo albums, with a bit of indie guitar on top to snare those Reading & Leeds headline slots.

Only on 'Caretaker' and 'Not Wing Clippers' does their third eye briefly blink; for much of the rest of this debut, the outlook's grey.

Cher's not proved herself nimble enough to be more than roadkill beneath its wheels.

While the overall sound is brighter, it's also largely rather weedy, and trading in the once colossal stoner riffs for languid neo-folk doesn't really suit this five-piece all that well.

The lows are low for sure, but the highs are largely absent.

If you scratch below the surface of 'See You On The Other Side' you'll find little of substance. [3 Dec 2005, p.43]

Occasionally... she does hint at her past genius. [2 Sep 2006, p.21]

John & Jehn probably imagine themselves as Serge Gainsbourg’s Bonnie And Clyde, when in reality they’re more like the indie-goth Richard & Judy.

Songwriting low on insight, high on moaning.

Famous First Words sounds less like a manifesto, more like a misguided step-by-step guide.

Dithers between drone rock and harmonica-driven indie-strut. [14 Jan 2006, p.33]

That cat-in-a-swing-coat yowl will still be a divider for many, but it's a snag of human individuality in a smooth, if mixed pack.

The spontaneous nature of this album isn't quite the asset it could be. [26 Nov 2005, p.45]

Sure, it has its moments.... However, things come unstuck when Joker swings for romance.

Unfortunately though, Fields never quite reach such dizzy heights on the rest of the album, preferring instead to apply their considerable talents to creating numerous prog-outs that lack the heroic factor of their first single.

Heroux may yet have an album in him that doesn't basically sound like his favourite '80s music stapled together, but this ain't it.

'The Altogether' adds weight to the increasing suspicion that Orbital's best work is, like their hairlines, behind them.

There's certainly a good ear for a melody in evidence (most noticeable of all on Imperial), but testicles are nowhere to be seen.

OK, their lightweight bossa nova songs grate, but when they go all funereal, you get great lines such as “We move like knives through scars on land.”

Too often, Thumpers fall flat.

As a reminder of Eminem’s vocal showboating, ShadyXV is impressive. The problem--and it’s a persistent one--is that where once his anger was energetic, now it simply betrays lethargy.