It's a strange, wonderful album, one that almost feels like Arctic Monkeys have embarked on their own full-band side-project. [Jul 2018, p.106]

A brace of new collaborations with Canadian duo Tegan And Sara, whose pop sparkle illuminates Bad Ones' nocturnal tech-house, reveal yet another facet to Dear's ever-changing modes. [Nov 2018, p.105]

Amazingly, this weird, consciously retro amalgam of Van Dyke Parks, Big Star and Queen actually works. [Nov 2016, p.111]

It's the most vital-sounding record he's made in years. [Dec 2016, p.110]

Perhaps not the best introduction to Gane's soundworld, but for fans Hormone Lemonade offers a familiar landscape dotted with enough new structures to make it worth exploring. [May 2018, p.104]

No Way Down mischievously demands to be consumed whole at hazy after-hours sojourns. [May 2009, p.107]

His fifth album is typically protean. [May 2010, p.118]

Surprisingly heartfelt. [Mar 2020, p.114]

Stick with it, though, as the last song, the elegant memorial Somehow The Wonder of Life Prevails, turns out to be a piece of quiet and hugely emotional brilliance. [Aug 2013, p.100]

Free of the shackles that hobbled his debut, Styles manages to show more of his personality here, especially on the Vampire Weekend-style Sunflower, Vol. 6. It's just a shame he can't quite keep up with his ambition. [Feb 2020, p.110]

Few rappers think to use words like "polyocular;" fewer still manage to make them funky. [Nov 2008, p.111]

She might not be as well known, but at times she really is that good. [Jun 2013, p.109]

Get past its duffel coat and its 14 layers of cardigan, though, and there's a warm and lovely heart at this record's centre. [Aug 2014, p.105]

The band make a powerful case for letting it all hang out. [Aug 2017, p.103]

There's neither a wasted note nor wasted word. [Sep 2017, p.110]

The best record he's [Saul Adamczewski's] done. [Apr 2018, p.111]

Sadly, Open Season's one-pace '80s guitar rock lags a bit behind the narrative. [May 2005, p.110]

Another way classy set they make. [May 2009, p.118]

Expect to be lulled into a contented sonic stupor. [May 2017, p.100]

Contentment makes Everett a less compelling narrator than devastation, but Eels still tailor songs rich in ideas yet stripped of unnecessary fat. [Mar 2013, p.109]

The Union has pulled off the canny trick of allowing Elton to revisit his past, while still sounding like a songwriter looking and moving confidently towards the future. [Dec 2010, p.106]

Not a straightforward journey, then, but still a rewarding one. [#361, p.108]

It's purging stuff, for sure, but clearly empowering and, as a listener, you're with him every step by highly emotional step. [May 2015, p.101]

The whole exercise has an infectious exuberance, even if it isn't quite the must-have document its title suggests. [Summer 2018, p.114]

Juke joint heaven. [May 2003, p.106]

It's the tender slow rollers that really clinch this supreme collection. [#180, p.97]

This may not be their greatest album to date, but Universal Truths and Cycles is a charming record that shows the Pollard production line remains in good order. [July 2002, p.114]

There's still enough synapse-jangling vocal invention and moments of great beauty to make it a worthy addition ot Bjork's singular ouevre. [Nov. 2000, p.99]