It's not just the songs that have improved, but also their delivery. [May 2007, p.115]

Too often proceedings feel half-baked. [May 2007, p.123]

They appear to have found their level: one of rock's best-kept secrets. [May 2007, p.124]

Whether psychedelic riffing or crooning over strings, theirs is top-notch garage pop. [May 2007, p.126]

Who would want another version of We Shall Not Be Moved is, surely, debatable, but elsewhere the results are more persuasive. [May 2007, p.129]

A dramatic, wide-screen, expertly executed, even genuinely executed thrilling rock record worthy of an audience way beyond nu-prog’s regular constituency. [Apr 2007]

While elegantly arranged and rendered with passion, this is unlikely to convert those deaf to formulaic Americana. [Apr 2007, p.117]

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

It's about 15 minutes and three songs too long. [May 2007, p.117]

An impressive set. [May 2007, p.123]

Occasionally they stumble upon something magical... but they only highlight the paucity of ideas elsewhere. [May 2007, p.123]

Oozing with dark passion, Nux Vomica is very Nick Cave. [Oct 2006, p.127]

The old Jarvis Cocker is back. [Dec 2006, p.130]

While lyrically Kings Of Leon remain underdeveloped, how they've grown musically. [May 2007, p.119]

Both the Reid brothers' nice and nasty sides are represented. [May 2007, p.128]

Despite spicy production it's really all squeaky-clean. [May 2007, p.124]

Electronic music is seldom this engaging or characterful. [Apr 2007, p.121]

Tidy enough indie pop, though the glowstick remains unwaved. [Feb 2007, p.99]

For newcomers to Smith's wonderful and frightening world it's a good introduction. [Mar 2007, p.111]

This is serious fun. [Mar 2007, p.106]

It's all doom and gloom, and it ain't pretty. [May 2007, p.125]

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

Sloppy, emotion-free, chicken-in-a-basket ballads. [May 2007, p.125]

Even if she sometimes strays into down-home schmaltz, the world of alt-folk would be poorer without her. [Apr 2007, p.122]

It is, triumphantly, among the most camp mainstream pop records ever made. [Mar 2007, p.113]

This is hollow, pretentious and deeply dull music. [Apr 2007, p.116]

A mixed bag. [Apr 2007, p.117]

Not only do the rhythms here sound tighter and more intensely focused, Murphy's presence as a songwriter and frontman is a revelation. [Apr 2007, p.110]

A fantastic voyage. [May 2007, p.128]

A purely musical delight. [May 2007, p.126]

He retreats too often into dull AOR choogling. [Mar 2007, p.114]

It could be horribly contrived, yet Bird has the rare touch to make it sound as natural as breathing. [May 2007, p.125]

Headaches and nausea are a possibility, so approach with caution. [Apr 2007, p.116]

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

One thing that hasn't changed is Thorn's voice, which is as warming and mellow as ever. [Apr 2007, p.122]

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

Masterful and poignant, it reveals Mason to be a heavyweight talent. [Apr 2007, p.119]

The pair are so full of ideas, there's scarcely a dull moment. [Apr 2007, p.119]

As warm, strange and enchantingly off-key as the title suggests. [May 2007, p.127]

More often than not, The Ponys end up stranded in a morass of pointless guitar static. [Apr 2007, p.121]

Alas, the only memorable moment is a cover of Fang's Money Will Roll Right In. [May 2007, p.129]

This new-found worldliness comes in tandem with a noticeable musical maturity. [Apr 2007, p.118]

She's just as full of herself, but she now has a voice brimming with womanly promise. [Nov 2006, p.149]

So outstanding is 'Cinderella' that its siblings pale in its shadow. [Sep 2007, p.88]

Full of borrowed ideas put together in a not unpleasant or unoriginal way, their sound is still too close to the myriad other wannabes trailing in The Libertines' and Razorlight's wake. [Oct 2006, p.119]

There are some decent tunes. [Nov 2006, p.142]

Rather than working as a listening experience, Myth Takes feels more like a dry run for one of !!!'s compulsive live shows. [Apr 2007, p.116]

This is music so guarded it's all but impenetrable. [Apr 2007, p.117]

A magical kingdom of noise that's equal parts Disney's Fantasia and Echo & The Bunnymen's lavish Ocean Rain. [Apr 2007, p.107]

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]

The Search revisits the social commentary of Farrar's old band. [May 2007, p.129]

Where they were once a glorious mess, here they are simply a mess. [Apr 2007, p.114]

Another of Cooder's worthy experiments. [Apr 2007, p.117]

There's nothing radically different on offer, but fans will take heart from the sound of a band re-energised. [Mar 2007, p.112]

An unexpected treat. [Apr 2007, p.122]

There's nothing here that feels truly essential. [Apr 2007, p.122]

[It] mines a similar seam of hard rock to that pursued by countrymen Wolfmother, only without so many Black Sabbath influences. [May 2007, p.129]

It sounds twee and, in parts it is, but it's leavened by their unrelenting world-weariness. [May 2007, p.123]

There's... a core of tunefulness and celebration to their experimentation. [Apr 2007, p.118]

Bizarre and not a little perverse. [Apr 2007, p.117]

Mark appears disarmingly buoyant, his lyrics so humdrum that it's hard to take his pain entirely seriously. [Apr 2007, p.120]

Razor-sharp songs that do valiant justice to the desperate optimism of gutter-bound dreamers. [Mar 2007, p.115]

Think Mogwai at their loudest or a less willfully awkward Godspeed You! Black Emperor. [Apr 2007, p.118]

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

[It] is the stirring, rounded collection leader Glen Hansard has hinted at since they formed in 1990. [Feb 2007, p.99]

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

The problem lies in Conn himself, a mannered vocalist whose lyrics aren't as funny or provocative as he thinks. [Mar 2007, p.111]

He might be a man out of time, but his music's timeless. [Mar 2007, p.114]

Intriguing, unpredictable and far from ordinary. [Mar 2007, p.110]

This is laregly classic pastoral English whimsy at its best. [Apr 2007, p.119]

It's a long, hard haul, but this is an outstanding talent at the top of her game. [Mar 2007, p.116]

A great leap forward. [Jan 2007, p.148]

As ever... not everything comes off. But the good bits are very good indeed. [Apr 2007, p.116]

An album of palatable Radio 1-friendly alt-rock. [Mar 2007, p.110]

Not song-based, the album relies on mood... making its impact in a similar, slightly less accomplished manner to Brian Eno's early ambient experiments. [Feb 2007, p.102]

His high, thin voice won't grab everyone, but will generate a gentle glow for many. [May 2007, p.125]

Gleaming with instant hooks, this is a uniformly radio-friendly album. It's also a hugely addictive and likeable one. [Mar 2007, p.108]

Forget the usual, constricting alt-country tag, this is simply a wonderful record. [Mar 2007, p.116]

Sorrowful and stately, Griffin's voice is a startlingly expressive instrument. [May 2007, p.125]

Anyone expecting a lot of happy-clappy Bible-thumping best rethink. [Mar 2007, p.112]

It walks the line between indie and pop without stumbling. [Oct 2006, p.125]

Occasionally... it cloys. [Mar 2007, p.110]

The overall effect is not dissimilar to Sugababes, only with added adult content. [Aug 2006, p.111]

Though the results are less homemade-sounding than their debut, a mood of playful experimentation is evident throughout. [Feb 2007, p.99]

With a surfeit of samey country-rock ballads, Not Too Late ultimately proves rather a long haul. [Feb 2007, p.98]

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

Startlingly original. [Apr 2007, p.117]

Albarn seems bent on exploring unsettling moods and shuffling rhythms rather than gleaming melodies and addictive choruses. [Feb 2007, p.94]

Wincing The Night Away is super-smart pop music the way they (Brits, mainly) used to make it 20 years ago. [Feb 2007, p.100]

An extraordinary record. [Mar 2007, p.115]

Imagine David Axelrod producing The Beatles, and you get an idea of The Earlies' ambition and musicality. [Mar 2007, p.111]

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

Not the easiest of listens. [Feb 2007, p.98]

Predictable, but not unpleasantly so. [Feb 2007, p.105]

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

While The Sweet Escape is not as garishly over-the-top as its predecessor, Stefani maintains an admirably off-kilter sound, catchy yet electronically edgy. [Feb 2007, p.106]

A superbly consistent R&B collection. [May 2007, p.123]

Pusha T and Malice are deft wordsmiths who deliver lean, whip-smart couplets. [Mar 2007, p.111]