Sunny melodies abound, even if the results are more pleasant than thrilling. [Aug 2008, p.139]

Tracks such as the arresting Human League-meets-Georgio-Moroder fusion 'One Day' and the gloriously uninhibited finale 'Happy House' remian an irresistible invitation onto the dancefloor. [May 2009, p.113]

An LP of sleek, sophisticated and teasingly soulful tunes. Eerily introverted one moment, warm and open the next, Essence demands attention but makes for an intriguing, rewarding experience.

IRM proves suitably unconventional thanks to the presence of co-writer and producer Beck Hansen, who plays fast and loose with Gainsbourg's breathy chanson, skipping from spiky percussion (Master's Hands) to lush orchestration (Vanities) even joining her at the mic for jaunty, '60s-flavoured duet Heaven Can't Wait. [Feb 2010, p 107]

Vol. Two will please Everclear's long-term fans with a return to their harder roots.

Stein sounds like she's coming of age on this album, addressing both her past and future, and mostly liking what she sees. [Aug 2017, p.112]

Is Indie Cindy good enough for the Pixies to keep going? Pretty much. [Jun 2014, p.113]

Wisely, Bloodflowers is every crotchet a Cure album. True, there's no blatant hit single - one of those sudden shifts into gloriously barmy pop frenzy - but there's still ample compensation to be had...

Though the pace is a little too consciously measured at times, and there is a certain sameyness about the arrangements, it's a record that, given time, yields up great rewards. [Nov 2002, p.100]

So There seems far more a compositional exercise for Folds rather than an album for the wider public. [Oct 2015, p.108]

It strips away their epic rock to reveal something more direct and emotionally satisfying. [Dec 2015, p.115]

For a marriage of new ideas with old traditions, look no further. [Mar 2016, p.108]

At times they meander a little too much, as on the ponderous Fool Thinking Ways, but this is far from the work of beginners. [Jun 2020, p.105]

They may have no defining sound of their own, but they're admirable recyclers. [Oct 2008, p.141]

Their sixth album uses the same unbending template as ever, but does so with the best songwriting since 2005's Howl. [Apr 2013, p.95]

While The Singles offers a skewed perspective on their career, the real attraction lies in the rarity of some of the material, such as Turtles Have Short Legs. A must for diehards, then. [Aug 2017, p.113]

A record that is a highly-concentrated shot of sound. You might lose your mind, but Black Dice never lose the plot. [May 2012, p.91]

None of their new album will be remembered in a few years' time. Yet, like most fast food, there's very little wrong with it right now. [Dec 2003, p.130]

Starsailor, then: not very exciting, but damned reliable. [Oct 2003, p.117]

The Ghost Of The Mountain is the sound of a band trying to settle on a style. [Sep 2013, p.105]

What's missing is a sense of Glover himself as a defining character. [Feb 2017, p.112]

In Rolling Waves' most successful songs benefit from restraint. [Nov 2013, p.112]

It's an impressive art-rock construction, just not one that easily fits into every space. [Mar 2019, p.118]

Their second album is high on brio, if short on innovation. [July 2008, p.102]

Everyone, while unsurprised that his vocals are unobtrusive and his lyrics unspectacular, will seek that greatness in the guitars. [Mar 2013, p.94]

The ambition is still there. [Jun 2016, p.114]

The songs become more conventionally meaningful, but less mysterious [on the disc of English interpretations]. [Jun 2016, p.108]

A credible effort, then, but not so groundbreaking as to prompt deep re-evaluation of their place in the world. [Aug 2017, p.109]