Both sides [metal and pop] work well individually, but bolted together it sounds confused. [Sep 2013, p.100]

Deacon's score is all subtle mood shifts and intriguing instrumentation. [Nov 2017, p.108]

It's the heart of the matter, and the song that sets the bar. [Oct 2011, p.122]

It won't give the Foo Fighters sleepless nights, but it's fun while it lasts. [Jan 2020, p.109]

There was always more going on inside that pretty head than met the eye. On his first release since disbanding My Chemical Romance, you may struggle to hear what that is. [Nov 2014, p.120]

Emotions are high, though their impact could be heightened if the band's post-hardcore sounds was less generic. [Nov 2012, p.103]

Curious rather than essential. [Feb 2018, p.112]

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]

Enjoyable but not exactly exciting. [Mar 2018, p.108]

DeVotchKa's preference for songs that don't necessarily result in feverish fopsweat actually serve to highlight much mongrel charm. [Apr 2008, p.107]

Over six albums in nearly 20 years, Connecticut's Hatebreed have yet to deliver a record that sounds different from the last. [Feb 2013, p.107]

Hamilton's languid, Hope Sandoval-style cooing occasionally struggles to keep pace.... But when they're aiming true, Widowspeak strike gold. [Mar 2013, p.111]

The gloomy beats prove best suited to Pusha's own sinister drawl. [Feb 2012, p.104]

Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand's label is an unlikely home for these militant lesbian rappers who screech sex-filled rhymes over tough, minimal beats, although thheir punky energy should appeal to Messrs Turner and Kapranos. [Oct 2008, p.152]

Luna is pleasing rather than groundbreaking. [Oct 2008, p.139]

While they chug along merrily, they lack the great songs that would distinguish them from the herd. [April 2012, p.98]

His first LP of originals since the '80s is thrillingly belligerent, bassist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe supplying a muscular foundation to Johnson's machete guitar, a combination more than compensating for the star's lack of vocal prowess. [Summer 2018, p.110]

They sand down their raucous edges for a more playful psych-pop sound. [Jun 2014, p.103]

While there's nothing on here that feels quite as urgent as Nichijyou, last year's track recorded with Jehnny Beth from Savages, it's still a beguiling collection of songs. [Jul 2014, p.103]

It's a punishing listen. ... But this is not a record for the faint-hearted. [Nov 2019, p.111]

A mostly stylish mix of indie nous and Hollywood glitz. [Nov 2014, p.120]

Where David sometimes fall short is on lyrical content. ... Such disposable fluff aside, David's triumphant return is otherwise still going strong here. [Mar 2018, p.107]

There's preciousness here, but so what? Craftmen out to care. [Sep 2011, p.114]

The Voyeurs' determination to peer through the capital's sleazier keyholes should be applauded. [Jan 2015, p.132]

A giddy blend of nostalgia and invention that'll do just fine for starters. [Dec. 2011 p. 136]

On ONIFC he tilts the balance back--slightly. [Mar 2013, p.111]

A functional quality is leavened by guest voices. [Feb 2012, p.104]

Their second studio album does have a strange charm, in short doses. [Jun 2016, p.108]