They've never sounded this heavy or this pissed off. [Jul 2003, p.106]

His mutation into Hank Williams may be unlikely, but it also proves to be rather charming. [Aug 2005, p.126]

An album of some considerable beauty. [Sep 2005, p.118]

It's claustrophobic, neurotic and occasionally nightmarish. [Jan 2003, p.119]

You sense that once this entertaining diversion is done, it will be back to the real business. [Apr 2007, p.112]

It's the songs not the approach which set her apart. [Aug 2003, p.116]

The worthiest addition yet to her legendary status. [Nov 2004, p.119]

Absorbing. [Jan 2007, p.153]

Sex Change is the sound of a band having fun. [Mar 2007, p.117]

It doesn't always work. But overall, The Evens is an engaging debut. [May 2005, p.121]

Smart, sophisticated, noodly--what else would you expect? [Apr 2006, p.113]

Here it seems desperation has resulted in rockier, more rewarding work. [May 2006, p.130]

There's nothing here that's especially revolutionary, but Dressy Bessy... do power pop better than most. [Sep 2005, p.115]

They've still managed to convert their technological shortcomings into some fuzzed-out, genuinely energised rocking. [Jul 2003, p.113]

Their brand of ant music has matured and expanded noticeably since ANThology. [Sep 2003, p.98]

A rich seam of quality courses through the 11 tracks. [Oct 2005, p.116]

Were he only able to drop the naff drum machines, this would be a classier piece of classicism all round. [Sep 2004, p.117]

An ambitious and surprisingly accomplished album. [May 2004, p.104]

Drummer Jim White and guitarist Mick Turner lend understated support throughout, but it's Ellis's eloquent bow that captivates. [Mar 2003, p.103]

Fans will be baffled, but this is magnificently deranged stuff. [Nov 2006, p.147]

The sound of a band growing old comfortably. [Sep 2006, p.110]

A textbook case of college rock, performed very well. [Oct 2004, p.129]

Stevens is... smart enough to offset the egghead subject matter with a batch of deceptively simple tunes. [May 2004, p.108]

His most conventionally rocking album in aeons. [Nov 2006, p.143]

Utterly entrancing. [Dec 2006, p.141]

Now they are finally more punchy than punchable. [Nov 2006, p.140]

An otherworldly, richly cinematic adventure. [May 2004, p.98]

Extends the with-strings concept of last year's Lead Us Not Into Temptation and is equally arresting in its breadth of content and creativity. [Apr 2004, p.107]

A winsome, musically surprising outing. [Jul 2004, p.114]

Sweet, subtle and quietly insidious. [May 2005, p.111]

While never quite as fiendish as its title suggests, it's certainly sinister. [Sep 2006, p.112]

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

Frequently explodes with ideas. [Oct 2003, p.112]

While there are hints of tiredness, Grandaddy are not leaving us with heads bowed. [Jun 2006, p.116]

Their most mature album to date. [Jul 2006, p.118]

The bulk of the album is pure Kano--deft wordplay and a range of musical reference points. [Jul 2005, p.115]

One to watch. [Jan 2006, p.128]

Baffling, but exhilarating. [Nov 2006, p.144]

A welcome change of gear. [Jun 2005, p.118]

Those seeking more of the same will not be disappointed. [Dec 2006, p.128]

For the most part it's how you'd imagine: classy, laid-back, so lush it's a wonder the sleeve isn't made out of velvet, trendy beyond human experience and exceptionally well-sung. [Aug 2003, p.115]

This is the best yet from Kathleen Hanna's trio. [Nov 2004, p.130]

A triumph. [Jul 2004, p.124]

A winning collection of giddy, C&W laments. [Jun 2005, p.111]

Very New York and strongly redolent of the whole DFA/LCD sound. [Jul 2005, p.114]

As ever, when the beats go uptempo, things go awry... but there's life in the giant-haired lady yet. [Jun 2003, p.98]

Addictive R&B hooks and all-dancin', all-lovin' subject matter boosted with hot production tweaks. [Jun 2004, p.107]

More summery than a sombrero and probably just as unfashionable. [Sep 2003, p.112]

Even if... it never quite adds up to more than the sum of its parts, it's never less than a pleasure to listen to. [Apr 2006, p.119]

As always, fans will adore, everyone else will ignore. [Sep 2004, p.123]

Seventy minutes of mind-bending, head-spinning hip hop is a lot to take in one sitting, but this is nevertheless hugely inventive stuff if taken in smaller doses. [Jun 2005, p.116]

The twosome's sincere kitchen-sink music and lyrical pathos mean the tales of Chicago life unravel like a good Paul Auster novel. [Dec 2005, p.150]

A winning combination of party grooves and Bush-baiting politics. [Jun 2006, p.113]

Easier to admire than actually like. [Oct 2003, p.114]

Can be summed up succinctly: Damon Albarn sings The Smiths. [Nov 2004, p.130]

It's essentially easy listening for uneasy people. [Mar 2005, p.101]

A blistering song set with the playful spirit of '80s Prince. [Jul 2005, p.115]

Rarely has he sung this well. [Feb 2006, p.99]

Returns to the epic beauty that characterised their early work. [Aug 2004, p.116]

The record is righteously dominated by Gray's larger-than-life presence. [May 2007, p.127]

With repeated listens, [Geometry] grows in stature, full of intriguing neo-psychedelia. [Oct 2005, p.121]

Weird and wonderful. [May 2006, p.129]

Further proof of Hersh's glittering place in the rock firmament after two decades of making music. [Mar 2007, p.112]

The album heats up nicely, with songs like Line It Up far easier to warm to than former Pavement buddy Steven Malkmus' solo work. [Feb 2004, p.105]

What was once the musical equivalent of a blokes' night out has morphed into a proper gang. [Sep 2006, p.108]

Bell has an instinctive feel for sound but, as Freak's teeth-grinding acid house nostalgia underlines, he won't find a new audience with this. [Oct 2003, p.108]

Some songs haven't quite matured and a new mainstream polish sometimes dulls the emotional edge. [Aug 2003, p.102]

When it all gels, you can forgive the occasional bout of navel-gazing self-indulgence. [Jun 2005, p.120]

Recommended to any rap fan suffering from bling fatigue. [May 2004, p.110]

Subtle, suggestive songs. [May 2005, p.117]

Reaffirms her gift for big hooks and wry lyrics. [May 2003, p.100]

The result is somewhere between a Badly Drawn Boy and a strung-out Paul McCartney. [Dec 2004, p.135]

Strangely addictive. [Mar 2006, p.110]

The sound of a maverick band raging against the dying of the light. [Dec 2006, p.132]

It's the simple beauty that overwhelms here. [Sep 2003, p.98]

Engaging stuff. [Apr 2006, p.118]

Perfect rainy day music. [Nov 2006, p.147]

Imaginative. [May 2004, p.101]

Strong and melodic, atmospheric and creative... a powerful work. [Oct 2004, p.120]

They might have a shelf life shorter than a pint of milk but, with a good tune underpinning each over-egged slice of rock pudding, are all the more thrilling for it. [Aug 2003, p.104]

A perfeclty poised, richly textured set of light-footed psychedelic pop. [Sep 2003, p.101]

An odd mix, but a perfect setting for George's intoxicatingly sweet voice. [Apr 2007, p.117]

Sees WK adding a little more classic rock sensibility to his high-energy party metal. [Oct 2003, p.100]

Clocks in at less than 30 minutes, but you still feel you've been somewhere when it finishes. [Oct 2005, p.115]

Crackles with the cocky, hormonal exuberance of youth: it's a profoundly teenage album. [Aug 2005, p.126]

Their best since '95's Electr-O-Pura. [Oct 2006, p.127]

There's not much in the way of light relief. [Apr 2007, p.118]

Where once they clanged, Neubaten now purr, the pervading mood of restrained grandeur, leavened with itchy, almost pop touches. [Apr 2004, p.110]

It's startlingly spirited stuff. [Aug 2003, p.116]

A shadowy affair, overflowing with fractured breaks, amoebic bass and emotive, medieval chords. [Nov 2003, p.120]

Almost entirely instrumental, but full of a subtlety often obscured by words. [Jul 2005, p.114]

Beguiling, high-density productions. [Apr 2006, p.119]

A red letter day for fans of classic songwriting. [Aug 2005, p.132]

It's a truly haunting record populated by ghosts. [May 2005, p.116]

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

A commanding debut. [Jun 2005, p.113]

Well crafted, easy-on-the-ear janglepop which chugs along in a jaunty fashion. [Mar 2006, p.108]