True, he sometimes overdoes the theatrical flourishes, but high drama is what this record is all about, so he can be forgiven for that. [Jun 2013, p.108]

A melange of preposterously angular guitar exercises, accomplished balladry and portentous doggerel. [Mar 2003, p.111]

DJ Babu looks to the old school for his mix of melody and beats, giving the whole project a fluid and classy feel with more than a nod to their heroes, Run DMC. [#184, p.130]

He acquits himself impressively as pianist and singer, his affinity with the material elevating it above mere expensive pastiche. [Jul 2013, p.106]

An intermittently potent album that feels unlikely to etch itself too deeply onto the world. [Aug 2004, p.104]

He's seldom less than wildly expressive, whether pumping out neon-lit disco or radically rewiring acid electro. [Aug 2012, p.108]

Subtle contributions from left-field electronic artists like The Books and Broadcast add variety, but at 21 tracks, it's still a marathon. [Apr 2005, p.126]

If Strange Creatures show a grander musical approach, then lyrically they're still fascinated by the bleak detail of everyday life, even if lads-night-out-gone-wrong vignette Bonfire Of the City Boys and sax-peppered deadpan horror story Prom Night flip the mundane into something more twisted. [Apr 2019, p.110]

Finn is sometimes let down by a ploddy production. [May 2017, p.103]

You Can't Go Back... holds no surprises. [Apr 2016, p.114]

Akin to Manu Chao backed by The Go Team!, fortunately it's no one-off. [Nov 2008, p.117]

His follow-up to 2010's From The Cradle to the Rave pulses with similar dancefloor rhythm, and again features a diverse roster of guest voices. [Apr 2014, p.119]

They've seemingly ditched their Wicker Man aesthetic for something altogether more contemporary, bringing in programmed with all the glitzy sheen of, in fact, an '80s revival. [May 2015, p.112]

The 11th Bunnymen album is a reminder that the elegiac guitars and uplifting choruses of indie rock were invented by this band way back in the ealy '80s. [Nov 2009, p.104]

It all helps to bring out a soul and spirit that is hard to deny. [Jul 2014, p.110]

Ultimately, while(1<2) is overlong and never quite the cohesive masterpiece it wants to be, but there's tantalising evidence of a smart brain ticking away beneath those big Disney ears. [Aug 2014, p.114]

Fine for a happy hour of poppy abstraction, but you may find it tough remembering much of it afterwards. [Jul 2004, p.113]

Hers is a mode that doesn't stray far from the pop status quo, but Glynne should still be applauded for mastering such a feelgood formula. [Nov 2018, p.106]

The frequently heavy subject matter is brightened musically by flashes of pedal steel and taut strings--meaning things never get too oppressive. When it's over though, you're left feeling you've been touched by something deeply elemental. [Dec 2017, p.109]

The only real issue is that at times the vibe is so laid-back there;s a slight danger of dropping off rather than simply blissing out. [Feb 2017, p.116]

Prong's no-rills approach is a far better fit than, say, Slayer's patchy Undisputed Attitude from 1996.... They're less sure-footed on a raucous stab at Husker Du's Don't Want To Know If You're Lonely that bludgeons all the magic out of the original, however. [May 2015, p.109]

Sparkly fourth set from Zero 7's Australian singer. [July 2010, p. 139]

Another dicey sell for the moshers probably happier to indulge in the record's belligerent breakdowns and build-ups. [Dec 2012, p.109]

In all, a most diverting, Frankenstein-esque collision of caveman demon worship and unhinged science. [Dec 2013, p.115]

Fallon's grizzly vocals are both his strength (they ooze commitment) and weakness (he'll always sound like The Gaslight Anthem) and they're Painkiller's strength and weakness too. [Apr 2015, p.105]

At times The Ship's Piano seems like one long love letter... laced with sentiment and heartfelt thanks for life's greatest gift. [Nov 2011, p. 135]

At times, it's too mellow. [Summer 2019, p.108]

For the listener wanting a more reflective experience, 50 sometimes enthralling minutes await. [May 2013, p.94]

LaFarge explores nooks and crannies left unfinished 70 years ago instead of merely replicating the bigger themes. [Jul 2015, p.108]

Isn't for the meek. [Mar 2004, p.110]

It's not an instant listen, but there's wisdom and loveliness to spare. [Jul 2014, p.110]

It's not a bad album, but In The Warzone lacks the broad allure of what made Transplants interesting in the first place. [Aug 2013, p.106]

Some of the more straightforward rockers show signs of fresh thinking. [Jul 2013, p.97]

It's the album's dream-like middle section where the real alchemy happens. [Sep 2013, p.102]

The attention does wander over two CDs... but vigorous renditions of Bring It On and Get Myself Arrested are reminders that Gomez's psych-blues revivalism really was quite special. [Aug 2005, p.128]

These songs are insufficiently distinctive and there is a surfeit of ballast in need of jettisoning. [Apr 2007, p.108]

The unruly palette endures throughout, with dirges, ersatz country and cracked pop variously suggesting Clinic, Throbbing Gristle and Blackpool cults Ceramic Hobs. Lyrically, trigger warnings may be necessary. [Feb 2016, p.110]

It's business as usual for Bad Religion, the US punk rock stalwarts recently restored to full power with the return of guitarist Brett Gurewitz. [Sep 2007, p.100]

Ghostpoet's empathy for his characters scarcely makes the narrow emotional bandwidth less oppressive. [Apr 2015, p.109]

Not quite a greatest hits then, but not short of a few crowd-pleasers either. [Jun 2018, p.106]

It's hardly surprisingly that it's less interesting musically than it is lyrically. ... That said, there's not a dull moment here. [Jul 2018, p.111]

The performances reflect his wind-down way. [Apr 2014, p.96]

Hoop's magic-realist folk idiom can veer a little too close to being the work of that free spirit who helps out at the health-food co-op, but here, the delicacy and subtlety of her songs is laid bare. [May 2014, p.111]

The band's ability to properly play together more than justifies the album's title, an archaic English word for feeling pleased. [Jun 2013, p.109]

This time around, though, she's more introspective, less shouty and the result is her most absorbing album since 2005's "Kidnapped By Neptune." [Mar 2010, p.106]

He's more class than charisma. [Jul 2015, p.111]

While he boasts none of the verbal dexterity of Eminem, he takes America's Dumb & Dumber obsession and has mighty fun with it. [Jan 2002, p.102]

Their sonic structures remain complex, and experiment still take precedence over entertainment. [May 2010, p.115]

Warped and touching, this is an LP for both higher and lower selves. [Oct 2018, p.119]

There is a danger it might all drift away in a haze of gossamer-light stylishness if it weren't for the interesting places they nudge these gentle songs. [Nov 2018, p.112]

Add some successful diversions and you'll find a gloriously grown-up spectacle here. [Jul 2012, p.108]

Between the unfinished and the clumsy, Pollard produces diamonds such as the wracked Give Up The Grape and sweetly breezy Boxing About. [Jan 2007, p.150]

A curious document, but one that serves as a reminder of Hegarty's ability to catch the light live. [Sep 2012, p.97]

At times the experimentation verges on the unlistenable but there's enough promising material here to make this an enjoyable debut. [Feb 2009, p.119]

There's nothing here to suggest Holtkamp should think about giving up his day job anytime soon. [May 2014, p.111]

They've taken their time, but this fine record suggests it may not be too late. [May 2011, p.124]

It's simple fare, true, but wholly enjoyable for it. [Jun 2010, p.124]

Immaculately crafted, and with a smattering of good songs, it's also disappointingly samey, with all too little standing out and demanding to be heard. [May 2010, p.125]

At first listen, To The Sea is more of the same: Johnson's warm voice wrapped around sweet, if hardly memorable songs. [July 2010, p. 133]

Like Talib Kweli... she mixes precise diction with writing that's high on observation and metaphysical promise. [Dec 2004, p.137]

When it works, it works brilliantly. [Dec 2001, p.120]

A return to form have they made. [Oct 2018, p.115]

Like its predecessor, In The Mode is a sprawling tour-de-force, and its 80 minutes contain much that is breathtaking alongside the pleasant if perfunctory. [Nov 2000, p. 112]

That [metal] grind is almost gone from Mutt in favor of a more mellowed mainstream sound, but his storytelling style has become razor sharp. [Aug 2012, p.95]

As with a lot of their work it can occasionally lack bite, some fire in their impeccably tasteful bellies. [Nov 2019, p.108]

Soulful debut from Omaha's answer to Duffy. [July 2010, p. 136]

Situatiion finds him returning to his roots, growling out stories like a hip-hop Tom Waits within the framework of an album very loosely inspired by momentous events of 1957, most effectively on the sinuous 'Lipstick.' [Dec 2007, p.112]

You Know Who You Are combines unpretentious lyrics of passing time, loss and the urgency of life with harmony-packed power-pop exuberance, recalling Teenage Fanclub, The dB's or, as on Believe You're Mine, Johnny Marr. [Apr 2016, p.112]

Hard Candy is the sound of pop's ultimate superbrand consolidating her success. [June 2008, p.134]

As ever, the subtlety and naturalness of his approach belies a craftman's attention to detail. [May 2009, p.110]

1990s show more ambition on the follow-up. [May 2009, p.107]

The bulk is what Placebo term "hard pop": lean, muscular movers shot through with melody. As unfashionable as it may be to say so, there aren't many bands that do it better. [July 2009]

They still sound a bit like a millennial Fleetwood Mac with a love of En Vogue--and they've retained a bit of sonic weirdness. [Aug 2017, p.104]

At its best it's irresistible.... Elsewhere, more conventional material, including bluesy Internet ruminator Atacama and the oddly inclusive, cutlery-rattling Galapagos, sound like they were more fun to make than they are to listen to. [Jul 2014, p.112]

It all has an airy charm, though it benefits hugely from a Daft Punk-y electro injection on Rick l'Adolescent and Aller vers le Soleil, both which transcend cheerful pastiche. But Tellier's opulence has limits. [Aug 2014, p.114]

Generic, maybe, but very nicely done. [Nov. 2000, p.117]

Ian Bavitz delivers some typically extravagant wordplay. [Oct 2007, p.101]

Graduation is mercifully skit-free, but it still feels insubstantial to West. [Oct 2007, p.95]

There is a slight foal-legged wobbliness to some of her allusions, some of the ardour, a roughness that prevents When Winter's Over or Come To Terms from being a too-mature blend of Cat power and KT Tunstall. [Dec 2013, p.115]

While Acolyte sounded assured, Collections occasionally projects a sense of strain. [Feb 2013, p.103]

Pitched somewhere between the Blues Explosion and Grinderman, it's an awesome racket, but the lack of time spent means the potential of 'Next Time' and the fevered 'New Meaning' have been lost in the rush to record. [July 2008, p.108]

Too many of the riffs sound flimsy and thin when they should suckerpunch out of the speakers. [Oct 2013, p.100]

The laser-guided synth-pop of The Natural World, hip-thrusting disco epic Like An Animal and Erosion's Invocation of early New order all pulsate with the excitement of a band discovering new capabilities, even if Cleverly's somewhat histrionic vocal style can take some getting used to. [Feb 2014, p.115]

The concept might sound dry, but Bertelmann's kinetic approach always sound alive. [Apr 2014, p.110]

Martsch's hitherto opaque lyrics are more revealing than normal, exposing sentiments of anger and loss. [Mar 2010, p.97]

Everybody is a sweet-voiced cross between Colbie Caillat and Lisa Loeb's fourth LP and, even without the stately strings on the genuinely affecting Sort Of, it would be her most accomplished yet. [Dec 2009, p. 119]

While it might have been kinder to leave Bury, Bury, Bury Another and Runnin' Around unreleased, much of the rest offers hints at just what a thrilling band they were becoming. [Jun 2013, p.113]

Up front, Island is punk-pop par excellence, while, toward the end, Dorian's a blissful medium pacer about carefree journey home. [Jul 2015, p.114]

A quietly accomplished record, just not the one people were expecting. [Jun 2011, p.125]

Still Corners show that they're not just marking time and counting sheep. [Jul 2013, p.110]

Monstrously heavy, full of tense, nervous energy. [July 2011, p. 120]

The album rallies at the halfway point, becoming a straightforward old-fashioned metal affair. [Sep 2002, p.102]

While it's not exactly beach music, his ear for uplifting harmonies as on So Lucky's lens-flared sonic rapture and Hand Over Hand's ecstatic evocation of bucolic landscapes, means the songs never fail to glow. [Aug 2012, p.95]

The main distinction is the relative lack of spellbinding melodies. [Nov 2019, p.108]

If this isn't Quite her own trip, she leaves intriguing tracks to follow. [Dec 2019, p.110]

It's all slick, sassy and infectious, but she's clearly capable of being much more besides. [Dec 2016, p.109]

Not for the faint-hearted, Kilo packs a bracing, powerful punch. [Jun 2013, p.108]

There's a luxurious, albeit sometimes cloying, warmth throughout. [May 2017, p.100]