Unashamedly retro, yes, but delivered with out irony--and at ear-ringing volume. [Dec 2012, p.105]

Last Night is a welcome return to the dancefloor following 2005's patchy rock-dance experiment "Hotel," though it still feels as if Moby is struggling to live down the 10 million-selling "Play." [Apr 2008, p.112]

[A] coolly unnerving full-length debut. [Apr 2015, p.102]

It's bold and gimmick-free--proof there's no shame in covering old ground. [May 2009, p.116]

If Not Now, When? sounds like a band operating admirably in the present tense. ;[May 2015, p.100]

His stentorian baritone adds emotional depth and there's a world-weary rue to the lyrics. [Jun 2014, p.114]

Surrounding themselves with wise old heads clearly helps, but The Days Run Away shows Frankie & Co have plenty ideas of their own. [Jul 2013, p.103]

Sticking largely to the budget yacht rock, hazy indie sounds of its predecessor, Another One finds our hero circling the plughole of heartbreak, with stop-offs into anguish, pique and confusion. [Sep 2015, p.110]

A wildly inventive, often sprawling opus, comprising a multitude of styles from boisterous guitar rock to psychedelic nonsense.

It's on the quieter moments--the lovely Wild, closer I Tried--that Champion finds its emotional sweet spot. [Jan 2020, p.106]

It lacks variety, but with a debut this clear-eyed they earn enough musical credit to stay in the black until next time. [Nov 2013, p.111]

It works best when these elements are brought to the fore--the shadowy-voyage-into-the-unknown atmosphere of opener Rising or Rain's floating, dream-like synths--creating an eerie, retro-futurist soundworld to get lost in. [Feb 2019, p.112]

This 11-song Lp is less freak folk than freak scene, as the trio balances lo-fi guitar crunch with Chris Weisman's adenoidal vocals. [Jul 20120, p.93]

Stylistically, it's all over the place, but he doesn't deserve to fall this time round. [June 2008, p.145]

Deviations aren't needed when you can enjoy Hidden City for what it is: a Cult record. [Mar 2016, p.108]

It's a finely textured, quietly hypnotic collection showcasing her guitar chops inside mellifluous, complex songs. [Aug 2008, p.139]

The first few tracks are like The Black Crowes without the cosmic sophistication. [Apr 2015, p.104]

The melodies running through City People, City Things and Julie, with their hints of Paul Simon at his most wistful, are the measure of anything from Rouse's 2002 purple patch. The rest is charming if sometimes sugar-sweet and a little too inoffensive. [May 2013, p.109]

While there are some fine original songs, it's Harvey's choice of covers and collaborations that are most telling. [Jun 2013, p.98]

If there's nothing on Lovers Rock as naggingly memorable as past triumphs Diamond Life or Your Love Is King, then the refined ache and minimalist chic of By Your Side and Somebody Already Broke My Heart are persuasive enough.

While opener C'est La Vie's French title is as experimental as it gets, there's still plenty to savour. [Oct 2015, p.114]

A dense sci-fi metropolis, rich in atmosphere, but light in the edge and unpredictability of urban life. [Nov 2013, p.111]

Hence the London outfit's second album is an all-acoustic, bucolic affair. [Aug 2010, p.116]

These songs' surfaces are fastidiously arranged - but in his delicate vocals and allusive, nervy lyrics, Westerman still stirs up darker, less elegantly curated depths. [Summer 2020, p.107]

The results are mixed. [Apr 2013, p.94]

["Cadillac Walk" is] a refreshing change of pace on an album whose smoothness palls just a little over 12 songs. [May 2013, p.110]

[Fat John's] hyper-literate, cosmically inclined stylings can't help but humanise -- and eventually soften -- the hard burn of circuitry. [Aug 2003, p.111]

Whatever Port O'Brien went through over the last 12 months was evidently painful, yet it's upped their game considerably. [Nov 2009, p.111]