What makes this record so impressive is how effortlessly he has claimed his big pop moment without sounding compromised, and how easily he makes his producers bend to his strengths instead of vice versa. [Jan 2011, p.132]

Sure, there are some moments of taxing weirdness but generally, it's good, albeit eccentric fun.

At once elegant and enigmatic, only he willfully prosaic title strikes a jarring note. [Mar 2016, p.111]

Another rewarding helping of tuneful art-rock that moves their initial Sonic Youth fixations into far more expansive fields. [Feb 2020, p.108]

A much stronger set of songs. Her debut album's primary coloured backdrop having been swapped out for a richer, more nuanced palette. [Jul 2018, p.119]

Go places they do, whether its Comin' On's sweetly dumb pop, the garage chug of Lose Myself In Sound or the dense yet loose Crazy Horse-style feedback and riffing of Crow and Dropper. [Oct 2014, p.112]

There's always something clever going on over the rhythmic chug. [Mar 2013, p.102]

Davies's melodic gifts remain bulletproof/ In fact, he hasn't sounded more creatively alive in years. [Jun 2017, p.106]

It might feel too in thrall to their heroes at times. ... But Bdrmm's world of noise is so artfully constructed it's hard to not find yourself lost within it. [Aug 2020, p.102]

There's nothing here for Jones to be ashamed of. [Sept. 2010, p. 115]

Excellent from start to finish. [May 2020, p.103]

Experimental yet entirely accessible, Transference proves that Spoon are of America's finest bands. [Feb 2010, p. 111]

Musically, it's still dense and intense, with funk, jazz and electronics rubbing up against bumpy hip-hop. But the heavyweight line-up brings with it a welcome focus on songs. [Jul 2019, p.110]

An inescapable sense of conviction makes it transcend nostalgia. [May 2016, p.106]

Campbell's gorgeous, heartbreaking and--well--maudlin songs deserve to be heard by an audience far wider than Camera Obscura's current cult- indie-pop devoteees. [Jun 2009, p.119]

It's an invitation that's hard to resist. [May 2017, p.113]

Somehow nothing appears to be missing from the tantalisingly brief beats and blues of 'There Is No Light,' while 'Chain Of Steel's' tick-tocking marimba adds spooky variation. [May 2009, p.119]

He is a great storyteller and Still Fighting is littered with broken war veterans, bruised lovers and others thrown on to life's scrap heap. [Aug 2013, p.95]

Eitzel's own understated standards, 'All My Love,' 'The Sleeping Beauty' and Who You Are' show signs of a more optimistic, softly rocking side. [Mar 2008, p.100]

My Finest Work is definitely a high watermark, and one that deserves to reach a bigger audience. [May 2019, p.117]

Her voice is a thing of wonder. [Apr 2005, p.123]

One for heartbroken dreamers. [Jan 2013, p.105]

Their prog-packaged second LP, split between six duo tracks and nine augmented by stellar sax, trumpet, harp, tabla and drums maestri, will indeed unite you with the cosmos but you can't help moving to the groove too. [Sep 2017, p.106]

A glorious reminder of Perry's unique musical gifts and unhinged imagination. [Jul 2019, p.115]

High Risk Behaviour is about as enjoyable as the sound of bored small-town kids thrashing around with guitars gets. [May 2020, p.107]

22 miniatures serving up sliced funk, jazz and soul with all the dexterity and precision of a sushi chef. [Jun 2020, p.102]

Lies somewhere between Kate Bush and a deranged Divine Comedy. [Apr 2005, p.124]

Witty, gritty punchlines abound, maintaining the energy level even on those tracks where the beats are somewhat routine. [Feb 2013, p.103]

Throughout, The Hum is a thrilling testament to Hookworms' single-mindedness and conviction. [Dec 2014, p.112]

Kline's disclosures are striking because they feel genuinely homespun, less rallying cry than cheery counsel from a friend perched on your bed. [May 2018, p.107]

Even if the arrangements can stray toward the vintage, the sisters' sublime voices ensure their songs always shine with startling clarity. [Jul 2014, p.107]

Such is the man's zest and pinballing musical imagination that it's hard not to be wildly entertained. [Mar 2007, p.115]

Shows little departure from the Malkmus formula. [Apr 2003, p.108]

Baduizm was a remarkable starting point... It may have been too much to expect her to emulate it, but there's not quite enough here.

At times slightly overdone, but on the whole enormous fun. [Jul 2003, p.111]

By digging deep The Charlatans have made their best album in a decade. [Feb 2015, p.111]

[She] remains comically kooky. [Aug 2006, p.116]

The odd electronic twist sugars the pill, but it's mostly relentless if brutally effective stuff. [Nov 2010, p.105]

Throughout, Crutchfield maintains a seething, triumphant line in catharsis that she channels into gruff college rock ad dreamy introspection. [Aug 2017, p.112]

Slavishly retro, but done with infectious enthusiasm. [Oct 2010, p.112]

While Reflektor isn't so flawed as to strip them of their sash, it's a wobble on a podium, a needless error of judgement that could have been easily avoided had they heeded that other old truism. [Nov 2013, p.100]

This good-humoured set is sometimes a little too comfortable, but it's hard to gripe when they play Hoagy Carmichael songs 'Stardust' and 'Georgia On My Mind.' [Aug 2008, p.140]

IRM proves suitably unconventional thanks to the presence of co-writer and producer Beck Hansen, who plays fast and loose with Gainsbourg's breathy chanson, skipping from spiky percussion (Master's Hands) to lush orchestration (Vanities) even joining her at the mic for jaunty, '60s-flavoured duet Heaven Can't Wait. [Feb 2010, p 107]

If you can cope with the intensity, tracks such as Done and the almost unbearably sombre $20 draw a mesmerising beauty from their anguish. [May 2011, p.119]

Despite the familiar palette, it's brutally effective. [Oct 2012, p.94]

There's something almost rave-friendly about their effervescence at times. [Aug 2014, p.102]

It's enjoyable inventive stuff, although the world music influences and Perry's scat singing style can make him sound unnervingly like Sting at times. [Dec 2016, p.106]

As haunting as it is enchanting. [Aug 2019, p.111]

Her most natural fit. [Feb 2006, p.102]

This is spectacular. [Jul 2015, p.115]

All through, the harmonies are urgent, uplifting and unspun, a reminder that not everything needs a recoat to look perfectly at home. [Nov 2017, p.104]

Stronger than SFA's last outing Love Kraft, this will appeal to those who appreciate the gentler aspects of Rhys's day job. [Feb 2007, p.106]

Director's Cut succeeds, however, by axing the star cameos and thrusting some of her most powerful songs back into the spotlight. [Jun 2011, p.115]

It's so alluring you have no choice but to follow. [Oct 2007, p.98]

It is a precious reminder of Wagner's quietly incisive gifts. [Mar 2012, p.105]

While his left-field turn may sharply contrast with what he initially promised, he's sacrificed none of his mystery. [May 2016, p.111]

It's the best thing either has done in a decade. [Apr 2008, p.116]

By the time he gets to the whiskey-soaked lament 'Whispered Words' you'll be wishing you had a back porch. [Mar 2009, p.93]

This superior debut from Alberta rapper Roland Pemberton cuts adroitly from Oliver Square's booty shaking electro to the spare funk of Black Hand. [Oct 2007, p.101]

You can take the boy out of the working man's club but yo can;t take the working man's club out of the boy. [Summer 2019, p.111]

Beast Epic arks a surprising loop back to the more insular feel of his earlier material. [Sep 2017, p.110]

It feels hungry, modern and thrilling. [Nov 2019, p.111]

A collection of vastly moving songs that will render stadiums as intimate as bedrooms. U2, Radiohead... Coldplay? It would seem so. [Sep 2002, p.98]

Supported by appearances from My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Neko Case and kd lang, Veirs still manages to find the magic and wonder in the big bad world. [Oct 2013, p.112]

It's a delight. [Jun 2015, p.110]

Midnight Organ Fight more than delivers on its promise: tons of spiky energy, proper tunes and a real lyrical bite to the likes of The Modern Leper. [June 2008, p.149]

This is a quietly adventurous coming of age, as languorous and fuzzy around the edges as a summer afternoon.

The usual barrage of angry cello instrumentals. [Dec 2002, p.103]

Though the pace is a little too consciously measured at times, and there is a certain sameyness about the arrangements, it's a record that, given time, yields up great rewards. [Nov 2002, p.100]

A refreshing, bracing detour. [Jul 2004, p.121]

Perhaps in time she will dig deeper, but it's an assured start. [Summer 2018, p.114]

Pushes the DBT envelope a little further and for a band whose catalogue boasts more double-albums than single ones--at 43 minutes it's extra punchy, and fully fit for impeachment-fuelling purpose. [Mar 2020, p.117]

Reminders of a great talent lost, and what might have been. [Sep 2020, p.111]

A most pleasant surprise. [Jul 2005, p.122]

All told it's a captivating listen that's proudly individualistic, heart-warmingly intelligent and beautifully intonated. [Nov 2013, p.102]

The enveloping crescendos of "Albatross" define the album's blend of beauty and pure power in a record that puts "classic" back into classic rock. [Apr 2010, p.106]

This record... is brimming with character, easily surpassing their debut, its energy level like a battery charge. [Sep 2004, p.108]

An astonishingly moving distillation of Eastern European melancholia with elegant histrionics a la Rufus Wainwright. [Dec 2006, p.141]

For all the familiar qualities, the songs here never fall into pastiche or predictability. [Nov 2015, p.112]

Its tight-wound electronica is perfect for anyone wanting a visual-free sensation of mounting suspense in the comfort of their own home. [Sep 2017, p.113]

Intriguingly mixed bag. [Oct 2018, p.116]

It's a mode that can feel pedestrian in the wrong hands, but Muncie Girls capture the sound's uncomplicated euphoria in style. [Oct 2018, p.115]

Compliments Please may be spirited, but it isn't the most cutting-edge take on poptimism. [Apr 2019, p.116]

An oddly affecting collage. [Dec 2006, p.132]

It's the vocals of Jana Hunter, an apprentice of freak folk luminary Devendra Banhart, that provides Nootropics' bewitching focal point, the group's gothic meld of gliding guitars and spectral synth noises resembling the Cocteau Twins on a comedown. [Jun 2012, p.107]

A winning combination. [Jun 2005, p.120]

Intricate and precise, Be Small doesn't demand attention--but slowly and very smartly, it secures it just the same. [Dec 2015, p.108]

He may not have stepped totally outside his discomfort zone, but Blake here reveals himself as an artist at the peak of his powers. [Mar 2019, p.113]

As the final stitch in their sprawling psychedelic tapestry ... Universe is a perfectly haphazard send-off. [Jun 2012, p.111]

It's less of an album. more of a grand seduction: sultry, beguiling and entirely irresistible. [Apr 2015, p.98]

Even when it perilously strays into minefields of muso, Side Effects is never forbidding math rock, thanks to its playful and sterling grooves. [May 2019, p.116]

An album that's consistently mind-melting and often brilliant. [Feb 2012, p. 106]

Their fifth album is another step up the ladder. [Apr 2008, p.117]

A perfect late-summer soundtrack on a par with their 2009 masterpiece Fits. [Sep 2018, p.114]

The key track is We Can't Have Nice Things, envisaged by its writer as a George Jones lost love ballad, an turned into a gripping country soul psychodrama. [Aug 2012, p.96]

Frequently the music here sounds unhinged and stretched out to the limits of endurance, but it's exactly this lack of sanitisation that makes this such a thrilling listen. [Jan 2015, p.129]

He still keeps the listener at arms-length, though, strung-out drones and an odd lack of projections suggesting this remains a work of intense introspection. [Jul 2014, p.118]

Freighted by unflinching lyrics, Manic is a magnificent - and magnificently raw - pop confessional. [Apr 2020, p.110]