Ultimately, with its emphasis on synths and beats over the sterling melodies of Love Letters, Summer 08 ends up coming over like a stopgap offering--or a Joe Mount solo record--rather than the next Metronomy album proper. However, those who miss the slightly demented groves of the pre-fame Metronomy are advised to dive in. [Aug 2016, p.112]

It's an impressive feat of engineering, but one that anyone other than ardent fans will struggle to find a way into. [Oct 2019, p.114]

Overall, there are more steps sideways than great leaps forward. [Oct 2018, p.112]

While predictable mall-rat anthems in praise of partying, one-night stands and nocturnal hi-jinks now come with a cathartic edge, their first album in almost a decade feels frustratingly shallow. [Aug 2012, p.104]

Woken By Noises [is] reminiscent of the third Velvet Underground record. Elsewhere, however, the songs come across as elegant but a little flat, with a noticeable dip around the middle of the album. [Oct 2015, p.116]

These songs display such moustache-twirling camp that they exert a lively pull despite the undead atmospherics. [Dec 2004, p.136]

It could all seem like an indulgence, an intimate late-night emotional overspill best kept at home, like crying in front of a mirror. It's testament to O's skills as both songwriter and performer that out in the open, Crush Songs still seems like an attractive prospect. [Oct 2014, p.102]

Oakland's finest [Green Day] won't exactly be quaking in their boots, but they may respectfully tip their hat. [Feb 2017, p.116]

There's a new post-punk, white-funk edge to their sound on the glorious 'Debbie' that surely comes from Bird's new locale, While 'Lazy (Lazy)' slinks along with Talking Heads-esque subtlety. [Sep 2007, p.88]

Gumption is slow, resolute, low on dazzling epiphanies but high on atmosphere and texture. [Mar 2016, p.119]

There are too few of the brilliant genre-blending moments that make SOAD so special. [Nov 2007, p.147]

His picture would be that much more moving if he spliced his peaks with the occasional trough. [Mar 2013, p.98]

Together Through Life is not by any yardstick classic Dylan. Even so, it's hard to imagine there's an item in his catalogue that he adores more. [Jun 2009,p.116]

Abnormally Attracted To Sin is a long haul, but among these 18 songs ate some of the best Amos has written. [Jun 2009, p.123]

In the time since OK Computer, Radiohead seem to have built up reservoirs of fresh bile and listened to a lot of Aphex Twin records.... Musically, the album's best features are its keening, lapwing guitars and a thin, atonal orchestral drizzle.... Kid A will still baffle and upset those who are disappointed that they don't do Creep anymore. [Nov. 2000, p.96]

Fans will appreciate Yo La Tengo reinventing their own The Ballad Of Red Buckets and Deeper Into Movies from noisy chaos to whispered, but still intense, quiet. [Oct 2015, p.117]

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

This follow-up proves a slightly less ramshackle but equally engaging electro-powered soundclash that even finds Bell adding the odd new twist. [Oct 2011, p.130]

Entering his maze of influences can initially prove a challenge. ... But over 13 tracks clarity slowly emerges. [Jan 2020, p.109]

The noisy blackAcetate is the work of a man who is not going to go quietly. [Nov 2005, p.123]

A charming lightness, the airy melodies and dreamy acoustic guitars gently folding into each other. If that makes these tracks sound like they're so breezy they could float away, singer Hollie Fullbrook's way with an arresting hook keeps them grounded. [Mar 2019, p.120]

The songs aren't quite up to the mark. You can't fault the performances though. [Dec 2007, p.121]

The general vibe is of music for well-upholstered hotel suites. [May 2020, p.104]

You could forgive the incoherence if every song punched its weight, but too often design-by-committee dilutes rather than enhances individual strengths, producing generic electro-pop filler. [Oct 2010, p.106]

By turns soothing and jarring, the tone suggests Death In Vegas with the neurosis replaced by a mood of ennui.

The result is a record that's more one-note wonder than fully-fledged triumph. [Summer 2018, p.109]

Ridha's focus here isn't on beauty but the beats. [Jul 2016, p.104]

A live document of his wildly acclaimed 2008 tour, Glitter And Doom further amplifies that uniqueness, backed up by an entire second disc of surreal storytelling. [Jan 2010, p. 126]