Every song here is an exquisitely constructed, shimmering pop gem, and jam-packed with Folick's unique perspective and clarion voice. A special thing. [Jan 2019, p.109]

Everywhere you turn there is something beautiful. [Apr 2020, p.114]

For all its moodiness, Careful is a glorious coming-out. [Mar 2019, p.112]

[The Mavericks'] sound refreshed, recharged and better than ever. [Feb 2013, p.106]

Bang Zoom Crazy... Hello is their best version this century. [May 2016, p.107]

A rich and varied album, fans of Sonic Youth's less abrasive, song-based output of recent years will find much to savor here. [April 2012, p.102]

Seal The Deal opens with a rollicking piano intro that's longer than the rest of the song, guitars are abandoned in favour of exhilarating keyboard riffs, and the background use of birdsong and bagpipes is commonplace in Quasi's world. And it's a better place for it.

There may be a lack of tub-thumping choruses, but he has an unerring ability to craft a warm, welcoming atmosphere. [Jun 2019, p.111]

Sigur Ros's second album proper features this astonishing opener ["Svefn-G-Englar"] and 10 others which, while surprisingly diverse, each reflects their penchant for apocalyptic serenity, overdriven guitars and teenage singer Jonsi's Birgisson unique Hopelandish language.

The Long Journey Home and God, I'm Missing You might look back at the past, but Crowell's best years are right now. [Jun 2014, p.107]

By simultaneously preserving the intimacy and honesty that made her initial work so striking, Any Human Friend sees Hackman wholly uncensored, and al the better for it. [Sep 2019, p.111]

If the instrumentals can occasionally feel a little lounge-comfy, Turn To Clear view is ample proof of why UK jazz's horizons keep expanding. [Nov 2019, p.108]

A rich quilt of Americana, as if the folk, country and rock strands were brought together in a starlit saloon somewhere near the border. [Jun 2003, p.106]

The Toronto group's grunge underworld is floodlit by stadium-sized drums and vast, airborne melodies. [Oct 2018, p.108]

At times, a work of considerable beauty. [Jun 2005, p.108]

A deconstruction of heartbreak pulling out all the emotional cogs and catches with the precision of a watchmaker. [Dec 2018, p.110]

Imagery and music intertwine elegantly on Small Plane and The Sing and if it's not up there with Callahan's very best work, Dream River still runs deep. [Nov 2013, p.102]

This warm and busy album pursues pop as a democratic ideal. The uplift isn't subtle--the tracklisting looks like something you'd come up with after a wrap of MDMA-- but it's infectious. [Jan 2016, p.110]

Out of disappointment and distress, Elbow have crafted another brilliant album. [Mar 2017, p.104]

Their sound has never been fuller. [Mar 2019, p.112]

Troy and Edwards bring some bite to the Lips' experimentation, keeping their more wayward indulgences in check while they do it. There's still a stellar breadth of sound and colour on offer. [May 2020, p.104]

Hits? Smoke + Mirrors bristles with them. [Mar 2015, p.116]

Essential to anyone searching for modern folk's head waters. [Feb 2012, p.101]

Her lyrics are folk-like in that they seem ancient yet new, delivered by a voice that's both angelic and sharp as a whip-crack. [#361, p.112]

Someday World is a joyous blend of busy rhythms and bright, surging melodies with fleeting hints of Hot Chip and Talking Heads. [Jun 2014, p.108]

While preachiness rarely flatters battle-trained MCs, roller-coaster wordplay here makes the 34-year-old's sermons fun to untangle, even on harrowing subjects. [Oct 2019, p.107]

This is a very good album. The Kooks sound like a band rejuvenated. [Oct 2014, p.105]

Sometimes, the groovier, mellower tracks dull the clarity of the MCs' densely witty lyrics. But when the pair's smart humour and indignant ire is given room to shine, as on the chilly grime of I Spy, they live up to their reputation as two of the UK's foremost rap maestros. [Jan 2020, p.107]