His first proper UK release is a treat, at times conjuring the beautiful, stark bleakness of Nick Drake, elsewhere not afraid to crank things up. [Feb 2009, p.119]

[He's tempered] his earlier frat-boy laddishness with some gentler introspection and a keen ear for beats. [Sep 2013, p.107]

Old and new reflect off each other, their currents and clashes creating an intriguing weather system that's Anno's alone. [Oct 2018, p.115]

The a capella tracks remain their USP, but when they stretch out into the acoustic guitar balladry of the Joanna Newsom-sih Fish, they shine even brighter. [Oct 2018, p.115]

Newton's ups and downs might not always be fun, but they make for gripping listening. [May 2019, p.108]

While there's plenty to admire, Magic Chairs feels like th work of a band who can't quite allow themselves to make the anthemic indie-rock of which they're clearly capable. [Mar 2010, p.101]

Mulberry Violence is uniquely unhinged. [Sep 2018, p.117]

Her giggly peers will find she speaks their language, while grown-ups will prefer her to keep quiet. [Apr 2009, p.110]

The musical collage approach, is the starting point for a captivating album of pop electronica. [Mar 2013, p.101]

A dense, innovative follow-up to Canadian MC Rollie Pemberton's promising 2005 debut. [Apr 2008, p. 112]

Bibio's Warp debut, Ambivalence Avenue, is one of the stealth albums of 2009, its pastoral psychedelia reminiscent of Super Furry Animals idly punting with Boards of Canada. [Jan 10, p. 118]

There's a focus here that would have your average Grateful Dead fan running screaming for the hills. And that in itself is a triumph. [Oct 2010, p.112]

Their [stardom] has been a slow rise. The ascent continues apace. [Mar 2014, p.108]

Sadly, bland harmonies and bloodless production blunt the impact. [Oct 2005, p.117]

Their forays into electronica work best.... Sadly, there are too many one-dimensional guitar-pop songs that expose Jackson's flat, robotic voice. [May 2008, p.136]

It's difficult to sit through, yes, but that could well be Herbert's smartest reflection of the times. [May 2019, p.112]

With songs this weak, Randall's Norfolk-flat voice has nowhere to hide. [Oct 2013, p.107]

Previously hushed, hymnal recordings are twisted into warming rock'n'roll. [Dec 2005, p.149]

Mostly it's quality urban pop that achieves its goal, but by sacrificing her personality. [Apr 2008, p.107]

The fluid blend of tracks makes it more of a single piece than a series of highlights and also-rans. [Feb 2013, p.108]

For all the troubled lyrics, these songs pack punches. [Jun 2011, p.111]

Though bereft of the drama and surprise with which a top production can transform a song into cap-R Record, her ninth album is a ton of fun. [Feb 2013, p.104]

They retain enough of their own identity to sound fresh. [Nov 2013, p.114]

At times, effortless winsome... yet it comes with enough textural twitches and scuffs to underline its well-developed sense of wary melancholy. [Feb 2015, p.106]

Starcrawler might be known as a great live band, with de Wilde spitting, screaming and high-kicking her way through their confrontational gigs, but with Devour You prove they're every bit as impressive on record too. [Nov 2019, p.116]

Legrand and Scally have wisely not radically tinkered with their hypnotic formula. Everything is dreamily understated. [Mar 2008, p.100]

[Myela] descends into a bit of a toe-curlingly worthy WOMAD sing-along. More subtle and far better are gentle ballad When the Body Is Gone and lovely closer Infinite Trees. [Oct 2017, p.107]

The lyrical flash and chop-socky samples signify business as usual, but at heart 8 Diagrams is a bold move into deeper, mellower terrritory, and certainly a vast improvement on 2001's "Iron Flag." [Feb 2008, p.93]