Recorded as a tribute to former singer Beau Velasco, who died of a drugs overdose in September 2009, it's clearly a form of catharsis. Mercifully their sense of humour remains intact. [Apr 2011, p.101]

The twosome have cooked up something special. [Dec 2016, p.113]

While the bulk of Johnny Bramwell's songwriting attempts to match the gothic fairground swirl of their new sound, the best tracks... remain the most straightforward and acoustic. [May 2005, p.112]

Even if the songwriting... doesn't always match the musicianship, there's something addictively funky going on here. [Feb 2007, p.102]

An exhilarating melange of '60s-style close harmonies, unashamedly funky guitars and psychedelia. [Aug 2009, p.112]

Pete Wareham's group balances playfulness and tunes with rhythmic invention and experiementalism, arriving somewhere between punk and prog. [Aug 2009, p.101]

At times, the album merely provides a straight-arrow version of more twisted talents. [Jan 2014, p.124]

It's pleasing listening. [Feb 2016, p.112]

Baby filters modern life through psychedelia, early Beck and , on Graveyard Dawn, exciting imaginings of a Giorgio Moroder-produced Pink Floyd. [Jun 2017, p.105]

A blank regeneration. [Apr 2018, p112]

Fredo does little to soften the edges of his rough-cut persona for this solo debut album. [Mar 2019, p.115]

Elsewhere they veer off into roboid electro, but a certain lack of variety costs points. [Oct 2011, p.124]

For album number three he's assembled a trio of multi-instrumentalists and vividly succeeded in realising some of his early "Spectorian" ambitions. [Oct 2008, p.149]

His debut LP has tunes aplenty, though he toys with them, unwilling to commit to on sound, still less one hook, when he can duck behind twitchy beats, fleeting effects or double-tracked vocals. [Jan 2016, p.108]

Overseen by Butch Vig, there's a continuity to Sonic Highways, in spite of its on-the-road creation. At the same time, the band stretch themselves. [Dec 2014, p.117]

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

Votolato invokes real empathy with the drifters, losers and hard-done-by who populate his songs, not unlike a more folky Elliott Smith. [Mar 2006, p.110]

One shouldn't underestimate the achievements of this sturdy, confident record. [Nov 2007, p.131]

New York's O'Death are a breathless proposition for the most part. [Nov 2008, p.118]

Forward-thinking dance music for head and feet alike. [Mar 2014, p.121]

Quality control lets down power-poppers' fifth effort. [Oct 2011, p.117]

Ash & Ice isn't really a reinvention but it does triumph as a bold restatement of just what makes The Kills unique. [#361, p.109]

An uneasy hybrid of furious, three-minute punkers and would-be anthemic ballads in the time-honoured Ramones style. [Aug 2003, p.115]

A robust blend of anthemic choruses and electro-tinged riffing, it will appeal to fans of Depeche Mode and Metallica alike. [July 2002, p.112]

A perfect chill-out album for those of an acoustic inclination. [Apr 2002, p.122]

Oregon trio deliver harmonious indie bliss-out. [Oct 2011, p.127]

They try full blown techno, then revert to indie dance type, suggesting they are still too esoteric to cross over, but, even so, this record widen their appeal. [Feb 2012, p.111]

Its meticulously layered creations are hampered by both a pervasive aura of high seriousness and general lack of sonic variation. [Mar 2015, p.110]