Showcas[es] Rufus as one of, if not the best songwriters of his generation. [19 Mar 2005, p.59]

If you don't mind flicking the fast-forward, there's enough hot shizzle to keep you returning for more. [20 Nov 2004, p.57]

The pedestrian half of 'Encore' only serves to underline how awesome the other half is. [20 Nov 2004, p.53]

Rule of thumb for this album: ballad good, uptempo shocking. [20 Nov 2004, p.57]

Often witty and always wise. [27 Nov 2004, p.61]

Size has merely moved from the coffee tables of the last century into the elevators of the next. [30 Oct 2004, p.65]

Sounds like helium-voiced rockers Rush discovering a social conscience. [30 Oct 2004, p.65]

His sleaziness is hilarious. [30 Oct 2004, p.65]

A titanic assault of monstrous proportions. [29 Jan 2005, p.59]

This is murderously good stuff. [25 Sep 2004, p.64]

At 60 minutes plus, it’s too long, and neither Cocker and Eno’s ambient doodle nor 3D’s ‘Invasion’ work. But, nonetheless, ‘Never...’ is sleek, deep and full of ideas.

Pleasantly tuneful pop-punk. [23 Oct 2004, p.51]

A sparkly, concise art-rock delight. [10 Jul 2004, p.47]

For all its flaws, 'Up All Night' bristles with passion, energy and, most importantly, amazing songs. [26 Jun 2004, p.53]

A demented, disjointed, delicious-as-human-rump-steak modern classic. [23 Oct 2004, p.49]

Firecracker mod-punk and allegorical political cut-and-thrust. [5 Mar 2005, p.51]

Another fine fusion of volcanic arena-rock and cherry-poppin' slow burners. [9 Oct 2004, p.56]

A shiny slice of mirrorball punk rock. [9 Oct 2004, p.57]

[A] groovily electronic, acid-addled collection of throat-tickling, Venusian rhyme formations. [23 Oct 2004, p.51]

While this is clearly not the record Smith intended to make, it's still an immensely gripping and cohesive piece of work. [23 Oct 2004, p.47]

It's a fine debut that hints at a finer future - and for their determined attempts to twist something new out of retro influences, we salute them.

Doesn't life already seem cruelly short? Do you really want to waste any of it ploughing through a new Duran Duran record? [9 Oct 2004, p.56]

It's full-on rock carnage. [6 Nov 2004, p.59]

It's not so much that [they] sound a bit like The Rapture so much as, occasionally, they seem to be running off Xerox copies of specific Rapture songs. [29 Jan 2005, p.58]

It's frustrating, because when they quit mucking about, The Hidden Cameras have the power to produce songs that tickle your heart. [10 Jul 2004, p.49]

What it shows is that if you're going to do the hits, the thing to do is pin them down, fuck them up and HURT THEM. [average of scores of 90 for Disc 1 and 70 for Disc 2; 16 Oct 2004, p.48]

Funny, heartbreaking and at glorious odds with the world. [4 Sep 2004, p.73]

Not all of it works... but the 'What's Going On'-sampling 'Modern Marvel', mumbling folk-soul of 'Boogie Man Song' and widescreen shuffle of 'Champion Requiem' prove that not all hip-hop albums come with an expiry date. [23 Oct 2004, p.51]