Reassuringly, life is good once more. [#361, p.107]

Despite Styles' self-conscious references, his debut avoids indulgence. [Aug 2017, p.110]

The conveyor belt of vocalists means an album-long identity crisis, but there are good things here. [Feb 2011, p.117]

Voyage, ironically, takes us nowhere we haven't been, but has a blast revisiting Vitalic's favourite haunts. [Feb 2017, p.119]

For his eigth studio album he's gone over the top politically. [Feb 2009, p.116]

Far from being aural wallpaper, this is ambient music that's both engaging and engrossing. [Mar 2012, p.112]

The 11-strong-Mex ensemble's Latinised arrangements are intricate but lifeless. [Apr 2016, p.111]

Guided by a love of '80s synth-pop, but feeding in elements gleaned from Chicago house and Italo disco, they come across like a Nordic Junior Boys. [Oct 2017, p.107]

Looose's invocation of early '80s New York, complete with squeaky sax solo, is less compelling, but when they hit their groove with the aptly titled Heavy Meditation, it really does sound as if there are superhuman powers at work. [Jan 2018, p.114]

He's still more lyrically adept than most peers, with a warm, lilting voice that skips across the tracks; he still get diverted by the occasional flaccid soul tune, as on the dreary No Place To Run; and he can still spark up a tune. [May 2018, p.114]

Despite the gentle, plaintive Sticks Not Twigs and the lugubrious Dead At The Wheel, it's Albini in excelsis: a super-fast, super-loud cathartic howl, but this being The Cribs, it's leavened by their trademark way with a manly melody. [Sep 2017, p.106]

Until they learn to absorb their influences more cleverly, all this good work might be undone. [Jul 2005, p.119]

His fourth album finds him backed by a band for the first time, and collaborating with songwriters. The result sit somwhere between Buck 65 and Everlast, alebeit more erudite lyrically. [July 2010]

Her sweet vocals and country-ish musical tilt recall Cat Power, but with a fresh and affirming, rather than jaded, worldview. [Oct 2009, p.112]

Despite the relaxed setting, these songs have a restless urgency. [Summer 2018, p.106]

Her collaborations, from Foo Fighters to Ray Charles. [Jan. 2011, p. 151]

Nearly, but not quite. [Jul 2009, p.117]

Genuinely ear-popping... utterly mesmeric. [Apr 2006, p.119]

Added to this unlikely musical melting pot is singer is Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild's falsetto, occasionally reminiscent of both Arthur Russell and Antony Hegarty. [Aug 2013, p.107]

A great concept, but there aren't enough ideas here to prevent it running out of steam. [Jul 2015, p.108]

It's not that Audio, Video, Disco isn't on several occasions, a blast; it's that it's a blast from the past.[Nov. 2011, p. 132]

Tennis' obvious strength is in their constant stream of deftly-executed melodies. [April 2012, p.105]

The sort of tunes The Beautiful South mislaid on the nation's pub jukeboxes years ago, often tinged with a soulful alt-country lilt. [May 2005, p.116]

Alas, they undermine themselves with a weedy production which too often gives proceedings a demo-ish air. [Mar 2005, p.99]

Unlike the singer, the songs need to project a little more, but Beauty Already Beautiful sounds an intriguing first note. [Jul 2016, p.114]

There's nothing here to quicken the pulse, but like an uneventful beach holiday it's the perfect place to pause and refresh. [Jun 2018, p.114]

While it's hard to see them replicating the crossover success of their old friends, these cross-genre efforts at crafting similarly off-kilter pop are packed with intriguing details. [Dec 2008, p.128]

In small doses, it's insightful and infectious, but after a whole album's worth of introspection Kasher starts to sound like a bit of a whinge bag. [Jan 2011, p.138]

They're one of European techno's most respected names, a status enhanced by this elegant follow-up to 2006's "Movements."

The Canadian synth-pop duo are still partying like it's 1984. [Nov. 2010, p. 106]

With a too-clean production job and some filler... Origin (Phase 1) falls short of the categoric statement of greatness needed to install the group in the major league. [Nov 2004, p.122]

The same album, only more so. [Dec 2005, p.146]

Revitalises originals such as Hejira and For The Roses while staying faithful to them. [Jan 2003, p.120]

It's often fascinating only in the details. [May 2004, p.110]

All very creditable though, for a man who once oozed vitriol, a tad bloodless. [Oct 2003, p.103]

It's good, but he's better as part of the Gang. [Jan 2014, p.119]

Cinematic, crammed full of literary allusions, odd time signatures and mature-in-wood musical textures, Nightingale is a record that will haunt you if you let it. [Mar 2011, p.110]

Intricate yet funky, it mostly comes together to mesmeric effect. [Mar 2006, p.111]

A curio, for sure, but worth saddling up for. [Dec 2018, p.114]

It's all very pleasant, but a lot of it does drift past without leaving much of an impression. [Oct 2019, p.106]

Recorded as a tribute to former singer Beau Velasco, who died of a drugs overdose in September 2009, it's clearly a form of catharsis. Mercifully their sense of humour remains intact. [Apr 2011, p.101]

The twosome have cooked up something special. [Dec 2016, p.113]

While the bulk of Johnny Bramwell's songwriting attempts to match the gothic fairground swirl of their new sound, the best tracks... remain the most straightforward and acoustic. [May 2005, p.112]

Even if the songwriting... doesn't always match the musicianship, there's something addictively funky going on here. [Feb 2007, p.102]

An exhilarating melange of '60s-style close harmonies, unashamedly funky guitars and psychedelia. [Aug 2009, p.112]

Pete Wareham's group balances playfulness and tunes with rhythmic invention and experiementalism, arriving somewhere between punk and prog. [Aug 2009, p.101]

At times, the album merely provides a straight-arrow version of more twisted talents. [Jan 2014, p.124]

It's pleasing listening. [Feb 2016, p.112]

Baby filters modern life through psychedelia, early Beck and , on Graveyard Dawn, exciting imaginings of a Giorgio Moroder-produced Pink Floyd. [Jun 2017, p.105]

A blank regeneration. [Apr 2018, p112]

Fredo does little to soften the edges of his rough-cut persona for this solo debut album. [Mar 2019, p.115]

Elsewhere they veer off into roboid electro, but a certain lack of variety costs points. [Oct 2011, p.124]

For album number three he's assembled a trio of multi-instrumentalists and vividly succeeded in realising some of his early "Spectorian" ambitions. [Oct 2008, p.149]

His debut LP has tunes aplenty, though he toys with them, unwilling to commit to on sound, still less one hook, when he can duck behind twitchy beats, fleeting effects or double-tracked vocals. [Jan 2016, p.108]

Overseen by Butch Vig, there's a continuity to Sonic Highways, in spite of its on-the-road creation. At the same time, the band stretch themselves. [Dec 2014, p.117]

There are too few of the brilliant genre-blending moments that make SOAD so special. [Nov 2007, p.147]

Votolato invokes real empathy with the drifters, losers and hard-done-by who populate his songs, not unlike a more folky Elliott Smith. [Mar 2006, p.110]

One shouldn't underestimate the achievements of this sturdy, confident record. [Nov 2007, p.131]

New York's O'Death are a breathless proposition for the most part. [Nov 2008, p.118]

Forward-thinking dance music for head and feet alike. [Mar 2014, p.121]

Quality control lets down power-poppers' fifth effort. [Oct 2011, p.117]

Ash & Ice isn't really a reinvention but it does triumph as a bold restatement of just what makes The Kills unique. [#361, p.109]

An uneasy hybrid of furious, three-minute punkers and would-be anthemic ballads in the time-honoured Ramones style. [Aug 2003, p.115]

A robust blend of anthemic choruses and electro-tinged riffing, it will appeal to fans of Depeche Mode and Metallica alike. [July 2002, p.112]

A perfect chill-out album for those of an acoustic inclination. [Apr 2002, p.122]

Oregon trio deliver harmonious indie bliss-out. [Oct 2011, p.127]

They try full blown techno, then revert to indie dance type, suggesting they are still too esoteric to cross over, but, even so, this record widen their appeal. [Feb 2012, p.111]

Its meticulously layered creations are hampered by both a pervasive aura of high seriousness and general lack of sonic variation. [Mar 2015, p.110]

Second time around their disco shtick remains paramount but they've added traditional songwriting craft. [Dec 2015, p.106]

He mostly enchants, squaring literary pretensions with the band's happy fate as indie-rock comfort food. [Jun 2018, p.113]

Beans is also in eclectic mood, delivering word association freestyles over a dizzying array of instrumental backdrops. [Mar 2011, p.101]

Dan Mangan here serves up the welcome alternative [to other alt-folkies.] [Jan 2012, p.123]

Yes, he's a magpie--like, is My Girl really not a Ramones cover?--but Willy Moon is classy, forward-looking and 100 per cent on the money. [May 2013, p.100]

So far, so US-obsessed, but scratch below the surface and there's a charismatic quirkiness to Tinie, that makes him an artist apart from his contemporaries. [Dec 2013, p.113]

Though still intermittently thrilling, even they must be beginning to feel like it's time for a change. [Jan 2014, p.127]

Marcus Mumford's wearied vocal keeps the mood honest, rather than histrionic, and he finds a gentle beauty on 'After The Storm's' lonely walk home. [Nov 2009, p.115]

If Bob Dylan can do it, so can Tori Amos, whose own nod to the festive season, Midwinter Graces, is a rather more palatable, ornately arranged selection of self-penned songs and such carols as Star Of wonder and Emmanuel. [Jan 2010, p. 126]

Thankfully, there are no extraneous Latino musical quirks tacked on, instead she is at er best at her most intimate, albeit with a new gust of openness from her far-flung adventures. [Aug 2017, p.110]

Not every song is a slow ride--True Love and Heart Killer are bluesy folk stompers--but on the likes of the luxurious Buzzing In The Light and Critical Equation they allow themselves to revel in dreaminess. [Jun 2018, p.110]

This fourth album finally hits the spot. [Jun 2013, p.93]

Montreal's Preistess are more holy smokers than divers, to the point where this engrossing second album recalls the potent psych-rock of the early-'90s-era. [Apr 2010, p.106]

He's not so much turning into his father... as his wimpy half-brother Julian. [Nov 2006, p.143]

Years & Years may not be with us for the long haul. But right now, they're picture perfect. [Aug 2015, p.110]

It's not as electric as some performances, but it's no wondder he had a heart attack soon after and retired...for now. [Apr 2010, p.126]

It's beguilingly slapdash, but its brevity - seven songs in 23 minutes - nonetheless makes this a frustrating listen. [April 2012, p.98]

Rateliff is writing about his own vulnerability again, rather than telling other people;'s stories, all delivered in a hog-calling bellow that helps set him near the top of the enormous singer-songwriter pile. [Apr 2020, p.113]

Halo's score is detailed and meticulous - but far more sombre than her usually playful, exuberant records. [Jun 2020, p.100]

Scott can't help but overcook things occasionally but fans will gorge on this rich feast of country, soul and downhome rock'n'roll. [Oct 2017, p.111]

His second solo effort succeeds largely because its titular novelty never overshadows the bittersweet folk vignettes, driven by his affecting baritone. [Jul 2011, p.119]

As a singer, Kylie still sounds about 15 and her voice sometimes struggles not to be engulfed by the swells of strings and legions of backing singers. Nevertheless, for the most part, this is quality stuff. [Dec 2012, p.101]

Here the melodies are a forum for a lovely, charismatic voice and some artful, memorable lyrics. [Mar 2014, p.119]

This is music which feels as though it needs to be tethered down, lest it slip its moorings and float higher than the sun. [Mar 2015, p.115]

Deviations aren't needed when you can enjoy Hidden City for what it is: a Cult record. [Mar 2016, p.108]

While it makes for an impressive sound, it's hard not to yearn for more than the occasional flirtation with a second dimension, such as the sitar-driven 'Deer-Ree-Shee ' or the heavy riffed Krauturock-inspired groove that serves as the second half of 'Never/Ever.'

There is the sense that with 25 tracks on offer here Hughes is spreading himself slightly too thinly. [Jan 2009, p.118]

A secret deconstruction of normative notions of romance, with early tasters handed out ribbon-wrapped in Mills & Boon novels. [Feb 2016, p.107]

Mostly their ebullient sixth LP is clever and kooky enough to be cherished on its own terms. [Jul 2019, p.110]

Often the orchestra feels under-used on what, for the most part, are some disappointingly inert reinterpretations. [Nov 2012, p.89]