Overall the glory years seem a long way off and metal fatigue sets in long before the end of its 63 minutes. [Aug 2014, p.108]

Shine is a work of subtlety and hushed intimacy that, at times, barely seems to exist at all. [May 2003, p.109]

Assured and dignified. [May 2002, p.119]

[There's] a raw, anxious quality reminiscent of '80s US cult favourites Violent Femmes. [May 2004, p.104]

All hail the new Johnny Cash. [Oct 2004, p.132]

It's when the rappers stand down that it hits its stride. [Jun 2012, p.108]

Ian Bavitz delivers some typically extravagant wordplay. [Oct 2007, p.101]

No One Is Lost is the closest they've come to fulfilling their potential. [Jan 2015, p.132]

The result may be less straightforward to dance to, but can play dizzying tricks on the ears. [Dec 2012, p.108]

It's quirky without being kitsch, and another fine addition to Smith's varied back catalog. [Aug 2013, p.105]

The only sticking point is frontman Carson Cox's vocals. He's so curiously low in the mix at times that it gives the impression of a man absentmindedly wandering through his own songs. [Sep 2014, p.111]

Comes across like a refresher of the best mood music of the last 40 years. [Aug 2006, p.110]

Battered by love yet ever hopeful, and with a fetching drawl to match, her story songs might occupy familar alt-country terrain, but surrounding herself with some top LA session men helps give Asking For Flowers that extra bit of class. [May 2008, p.130]

Short, but extremely sharp. [Feb 2010, p.104]

Infectious and effective as it is, Moderat II is never quite as overwhelming as it threatens to be. [Sep 2013, p.106]

It's on the conceptual pair of tracks 45s (c.69) and 45s (c.14), where he contrasts two generations of hipsters hanging outside the same club 45 years apart, that his imagination really takes flight, though, giving an exciting glimpse of where “tradition” folk rock might go. [Jun 2014, p.108]

A feat of ideas. [Nov 2014, p.117]

Overall Operator is headlong, upbeat and punchy. [Mar 2016, p.115]

There's something pleasingly nostalgic about this second LP from the Wirral's Hooton Tennis Club. [Dec 2016, p.1109]

There are moments on Could Be Worse and Money where melodic punch is lacking, but, overall, this new softer persona suits LTA well. [Apr 2017, p.115]

Williams and Hugo's unerring ability to transform a few notes into a sharply mesmeric riff laces their most experimental work yet with immediacy. Alive and well, N.E.R.D. have come back swinging. [Jan 2018, p.111]

A rousing debut. [Aug 2005, p.123]

When the formula gels, it can make for a potent cocktail, even if the arrestingly noirish production and twisted production often turn out to be more striking than the songs. [Aug 2014, p.112]

It's a welcome return. [Jul 2012, p.104]

Overall, Endless Scroll feels self-righteous and misses the crucial idea that insurrection can actually be fun. [Jul 2018, p.108]

This album [is] good fun. [Feb 2013, p.103]

Gary Clark, Jr merges smooth vocals with economical guitar wizardry and makes it all sound less wearyingly pub-rock by embracing the 21st century. [Mar 2013, p.95]

Overall Lionheart is an uneven listen, with some of the quieter songs blending a little too politely into the background. [Feb 2018, p.112]