The whole, though, is surprisingly cohesive and always uplifting, linked by knowingly sultry vocals and veteran innovator Bill Frisell's typically oddball guitar work. [Apr 2016, p.114]

Stuart Murdoch's lyrical muse is a touch subdued but Come On Sister's moreish synth-pop and the gleeful bubblegum, of Stevie Jackson's I'm Not Living In The Real World prove their sense of indie wonder remains undimmed. [Nov 2010, p.114]

Magnificent Fiend recycles a lot of hairy late-'60s/early '70s rock moves. [June 2008, p.149]

It's the curveballs, rather than the reliable Lanaganisms that make Blues Funeral such a powerul return. [Mar 2012, p.101]

If his vocals sound phoned in on those, when he does engage, his half-spoken, half-threatening drawl on the homesick America! and Universal Applicant evokes Gil Scott-Heron, but it;'s not enough. [May 2011, p.112]

The nostalgia would be overwhelming were it not for Bayley's ability to offset it with woozy, elastic beats. [Aug 2020, p.102]

Somewhat laid-back for a record made by an ex-punk, even one in his mid-50s. [Apr 2013, p.96]

Impressively, she pulls off both sympathy and empathy. [Oct 2008, p.138]

All [the tracks] are powerfully intimate. [Aug 2006, p.114]

Its highlights pick up where the EP left off, the likes of Bad Friend and 4AM fizzing with energy and seemingly perpetually on the brink of collapsing into thrilling chaos. They're less sure-footed when they try to broaden their palette, however. [Mar 2019, p.118]

This debut full-length channels abrasive energy akin to early SoundCloud rap. [Summer 2016, p.111]

[The album] is in turns seething and sweet. [Nov 2014, p.115]

Owens is still lyrically overblown and adolescent with his themes, but his band have found a way to make their progressive intentions fit their punk rock. [Jul 2014, p.104]

Ward continues to set a standard few other artists can match. [Jun 2020, p.106]

There are curveballs along the way--an unexpected bagpipe riff on Hey Ma, for instance--but largely this is a fast, furious record that sounds startlingly vital in these worrisome times. [Aug 2019, p.116]

It's an occasional return to their punk roots, more often smoothed over by the glistening pop production they've been known for more recently. [Nov 2019, p.116]

It's their artless harmonies and feel for rhythmic space that lift the songs to another level. [Aug 2017, p.107]

Refreshingly free of focus-grouped compromises, Sucker is certainly full of character. It's just that the character is a cartoon. [Feb 2015, p.114]

The follow-up to 1997's Lipslide proves worth the wait. [Jul 2015, p.104]

It's an album that makes you feel the real Florence Welch is only beginning. [Aug 2018, p.106]

Move over, Devendra Banhart: there's a new bunch of bohemian music kooks in town. [Apr 2008, p.115]

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

Exuberant party-banging love songs. [Sep 2015, p.116]

Jewellery is an extraordinary introduction to a unique talent. [Mar 2009, p.101]

It's like 10 years of treading water never happened. [Jun 2006, p.118]

Kwaito beats and highlife guitars mesh with hip hop and dubstep, while love songs crash into mordant political satire. [May 2012, p.102]

A tad more focus and she'll be there. [April 2012, p.102]

Almost classic Green. [Jan 2004, p.114]