This has its moments, notably the rolling break of '914' and heavyweight funk propelling Redman's tongue-twisting rap on 'Best Believe,' but it's one for the cognoscenti. [May 2008, p.136]

Lust Lust Lust is an accomplished set. [Jan 2008, p.109]

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]

These succinct, sparse vignettes could double as short stories, Darnielle's evocative imagery giving the likes of 'San Bernardino' a cinematic feel. [Mar 2008, p.108]

This remarkable album's impact resides in its sound; the lyrics, when they can be deciphered, are standard she-left-me stuff. [June 2008, p.147]

There's enough flickers of former greatness within to be glad he's stil there. [Dec 2007, p.120]

When they hit their still groovy '50s psychedelic rock stride on 'Second Sight' or the bonkers hippy wig-out 'Song of Love/Narayana,' the truth is that Kalu Shaker still aren't so awful after all. [Sept 2007, p.92]

The results may inevitably resemble a compilation, but the calm, luxurious and emotional Dive Deep is their most satisfying outing since they stopped being famous. [Mar 2008, p.107]

Grand Archives have been together for less than 18 months, but their polished debut suggests a far longer gestation period. [Apr 2008, p.107]

They often strain too hard to showcase their musicianship. [Apr 2008, p.112]

59:59 wanders prettily yet aimlessly through the atmospheric post-rock undergrowth. [June 2008, p.149]

When they stop bing so smart, Join With Us becomes more rewarding. [Mar 2008, p.106]

Tellingly, there isn't a weak song here, just 13 slices of original Pirate material. [Mar 2008, p.108]

The result is an album that balances intellectual importance with the simple pleasures if great melodies played on meaty guitars. [Feb 2008, p.94]

Simple Plan continue to plough forwards wuth a punk template of such box-ticking efficiency that they at times resemble automatons. [Mar 2008, p.111]

Free Somehow has its moments, but as ever, there's something missing. [May 2008, p.141]

For the most part, Made In The Dark pulses with an unusual intelligence and creative bravery. [Mar 2008, p.101]

'Love Is Free' ambles pleasantly, 'Gasoline' is 'All I Wanna Do' revisted and 'Detours' itself would grace any Best of. [Mar 2008, p.100]

Everytime they hit their stride, as on 'Weightless,' a delicious coupling of joyful guitar riffs and Matthew Caw's warm falsetto, it is quickly followed by a bog-standard indie jangle. [Mar 2008, p.108]

The self-produced Watershed is the best thing she's done since 1992's "Ingenue." [Feb 2008, p.96]

This won't alienate any fans--his voice is as soothing as ever--but it's pleasing to see him stimulating more than just a goofy grin. [Mar 2008, p.102]

As ever, there's not a hint of irony in the air. [Mar 2008, p.107]

This is his most pleasing solo album for a decade. [Mar 2008, p.108]

It's like being hit over the head by a giant hammer in a neverending Itchy & Scrathy episode. [Jan 2009, p.113]

Old Growth blurs mearly into a long yawn. [Mar 2008, p.103]

The 10-minute 'Midnight Surprise' is the album's sprawling, beguiling centrepeice, but 'Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk' is its bewildered, adorable heartbeat. [Feb 2008, p.96]

He remains a little too in thrall to these heavy influences, despite fashioning an album of melodious songs that deserve a wider audience. [Mar 2008, p.115]

This Gift rattles along in the finest punk tradition, even usefully recycling The Damned's 'Neat Neat Neat' riff on the title track. [Feb 2008, p.1000]

There's greater scope here [more] than ever before, with the gentle llyena providing space before Cavaletta's riot of detuned radios, car alarms and struggling internet connections. [Feb 2008, p.99]

Extremely inventive, a litttle uptight and slightly high on their own cleverness, Vampire Weekend are the musical equivalent of a Wes Anderson movie. [Mar 2008, p.109]

Rain revisits familiar Jackson themes of romantic disappointment and despair at the modern world with a pared-back immediacy that showcases his craftmanship to the full. [Feb 2008, p.96]

The Helio Sequence add lucioous electronic icing to their songs but too often this mearly masks predictable indie rock. [Mar 2008, p.104]

It doesn't work, such superior pop items as 'Just A little Lovin'' and 'The Look Of Love' being reduced to an uninspired yawn. [Mar 2008, p.107]

The sparse sound that he produces means it's more entertaining to watch his trickery than to listen to it. [Apr 2008, p.117]

Hey Venus! feels like a missed opportunity. [Sep 2007, p.94]

In The Future has enough ideas to last several albums. Mostly, they work. [Feb 2008, p.98]

Jukebox might not be the jewel in her crown, but it still catches the light and imagination. [Feb 2008, p.91]

The tragedy, once again, is that nothing here approaches greatness. [Mar 2008, p.103]

The punchy power-pop of Mission Control owes more to the Foo Fighters. [July 2008, p.113]

Oracular Spectacular is a triumph of conceptual ambition, a series of fantastic voyages that avoids any of the navel-gazing such notions normally provoke. [May 2008, p.138]

His second album is braver and more expansive and, in the case of 'Cigarette Eyes,' surprisingly angry. He's getting near to brilliant. [Feb 2008, p.95]

What works onstage doesn't necessarily translate to disc, and that'sthe case here. [Oct 2007, p.108]

Finn's sonic tricks and references to love gone sour undercut the prettiness and hook the listener in, again and again. [Aug 2008, p.142]

There is plenty to enjoy, although it never comes close to recapturing the eclectic brillance of 1999's career high, "69 Love Songs. [Feb 2008, p.99]

The major problems with his 14th solo studio album are Starr himself, and Dave Stewart. [Feb 2008, p.102]

While not yet distinct enough to escape [Lily] Allen's shadow, as an empathetic soundtrack to similar growing pains Nash's debut hits its mark. [Sep 2007, p.86]

Fuler sounds wonderful on the woozy 'Little Black Sandals' and Ray Davies's 'I Go To Sleep,' though she could do with more restraint and better tunes to sing. [Feb 2008, p.100]

Angels Of Destruction builds on the momentum of 2005's "If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry." [Feb 2008, p.99]

This doesn't disappoint, adding emotional depth to his complex rhyming and heft to the productions. [Mar 2008, p.103]

The lyrical flash and chop-socky samples signify business as usual, but at heart 8 Diagrams is a bold move into deeper, mellower terrritory, and certainly a vast improvement on 2001's "Iron Flag." [Feb 2008, p.93]

EVen without the Tron-like eye candy of their stage set it's a spectacular show, [Dec 2007, p.115]

He's still no Jay-Z, but the roll-call of guests reflects his savvy, anything-goes approach. [Dec 2007, p.124]

This doesn't quite match the delirious energy of 2006's "Fishscale," but it's packed with big numbers showcasing his maniacal rhyme style. [Feb 2008, p.95]

The results are very much a labour of ubercamp. [Feb 2008, p.102]

Nicole's tunes are so memorable you almost don't need to buy them. [Dec 2007, p.123]

It can be a little ponderous, but the unearthly dawn chorus of 'Jade Like Wine' or the ritual freakout of 'Goddess Atonement' leave you yearning ofr a solstice to celebrate. [Dec 2007, p.124]

The Black And White album plays their usual garage-rock game with no desire beyond loking hot and sounding cool. [Nov 2007, p.138]

There's nothing so prosaic as choruses, but there's warmth to spare. [Nov 2007, p.137]

Less impressive are the band's own art-rock statements. [Dec 2007, p.116]

System is a one-paced, staid affair, where almost everything suggests a tired version of Seal's first hit, 'Killer.'

Lacking the chutzpah of Beyonce or a signature voice to rival Mary J Blige, it's another curiously polite mix of soul and pop hip hop. [Dec 2007, p.118]

This ragbag of an album suggests the tying up of loose ends before impending reinvention. [Jan 2008, p.118]

The third album is equally uncompromising, atonal industrial noise offset with melodious crooning, never settling for predictable paths. [Dec 2007, p.115]

American Gangster sounds less like a last gasp than the possible start to a second act in Jay-Z's career. [Jan 2008, p.103]

On it's own terms--striving to be more interesting than the standard album--Hvarf-Heim is clearly a success. [Dec 2007, p.114]

I-Empire is so in thrall to Edge's guitar sound circa 1984 it could almost be the work of a /u2 tribute band. [Dec 2007, p.112]

Williams should inject more urgency to his sound. [June 2008, p.148]

Untrue lives in the present, its more complex moods showcasing the emotional range that marks Burial out as more than just another bloke with a computer. [Jan 2008, p.108]

This debut has enough catchy cheap thrils. [Dec 2007, p.124]

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]

'Piece of Me' is a blast at the paparazzi, but her principle target is, inevitably, ex-hubby Kevin Federline. Not all pop stars give up their secrets so readily. [Jan 2008, p.112]

Their anthem-filled fourth album's brazen swagger may prove irresistible. [Nov 2007, p.137]

Eagles may be victims of a world in which their signature sound has been distilled into oblivion. [Dec 2007, p.110]

Whether reworking Steve Earle's 'The Mountain' or the traditional heart-tugger 'The Blind Child,' it represents a small yet very real personal triumph. [Dec 2007, p.121]

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

Almost the equal of 'Ordinary People,' 'No Hidden Path' again demonstrates that when the contary old buzzard plugs in and really goes to work, it's still a thrill like no other. [Dec 2007, p.113]

The Brooklyn trio have delivered an impressively bonkers set comprising three EPs. [Nov 2007, p.134]

The New Yorkers' fourth album is grounded in frontman Claudio Sanchez's personal life, making it accessible and hugely appealing. [Nov 2007, p.137]

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

It's a vibrant affair. [Nov 2007, p.138]

It's often bleak fare, but it's also compulsive stuff. [Jan 2008, p.105]

Anyone believing that Bush betrayed grunge's punk promise will feel like reaching for a shotgun. [Aug 2008, p.135]

It's business as usual rather than a breakthrough. [Nov 2007, p.138]

Expansive opener, 'Crocidile' finds them locked into the pulsing techno groove that made 'Born Slippy' so maddeningly addictive. [Nov 2007, p.148]

Stylistically, it's all over the place, but he doesn't deserve to fall this time round. [June 2008, p.145]

Her music is much the same as on her 1999 debut "Black Diamond," dulled by a surplus of smooth, bass-heavy slow jams. [Dec 2007, p.124]

Crucially, her songwriting has deepened and matured. [Nov 2007, p.146]

Once again, Radiohead have proven themselves priceless. [Dec 2007, p.107]

There's commendable variety among these 17 tracks, but little that rises above the mediocre. [Oct 2007, p.98]

Any charges of cultural tourism are rebuffed by the magnificence of the music. [Nov 2007, p.142]

Its surreal mix of chamber-pop, electro-funk and avant-garde noise is well executed, but it's so scatter shot, that, ultimately, it frustrates. [Nov 2007, p.137]

There's little spark, despite her admirable willingness to take chances. [Nov 3007, p.147]

From the anthem-like 'Ode To LRC to the sanguine finale of 'Window Blues,' this is beautifully paced and utterly beguiling. [Dec 2007, p.112]

His knowing delivery is laboured and the relentless schmaltz proves difficult to stomach over a whole album. [Nov 2007, p.141]

A willfully dumb concoction of crotch-grabbing Southern rock workouts and boneheaded strip-joint anthems. [Dec 2007, p.121]

Comicopera is a cornicopia. [Nov 2007, p.148]

Though more than pastiche, it's not pop genius yet either. [Aug 2006, p.114]

This is easily her best album in 20 years. [Oct 2007, p.105]