Feminist Sweepstakes is a clever, catchy Day-Glo riot that anyone can join. [#184, p.140]

Contains a clutch of crowd-pleasingly brutal anthems...

While the lyrics portray only stereotypes - whore, ladyboy, hick - the music is a tumble of racing rhythms underlying slow, reflective vocals with empathetic groans, sighs and howls of matching emotion from violin and cello.

It's still not exactly crossover material. But the twitchy, Four Tet-like epic Thousand Yard Stare would slot perfectly into one of Yorke's after-hours DJ sets. [Jan 2017, p.108]

It sounds twee and, in parts it is, but it's leavened by their unrelenting world-weariness. [May 2007, p.123]

What distinguishes New Build is their lyrical inner monologue, which speaks of a reflective mind given to philosophical enquiry. [Dec 2014, p.114]

Essentially, it's another Dixie Chicks record with Robison's more expressive vocals replacing Maines's twang. [July 2010, p. 129]

Delights in filtering classical motifs through electronic effects. [Mar 2018, p.104]

A very professional job, then, even though it feels as if Levi's wilder instincts have been tamed. [Apr 2017, p.115]

A solid, tribal-sounding collection of dramatic, literate rock with cello, brass and hints of frosty country. [Dec 2013, p.111]

There's greater scope here [more] than ever before, with the gentle llyena providing space before Cavaletta's riot of detuned radios, car alarms and struggling internet connections. [Feb 2008, p.99]

It combines psychedelic elevation with a curious sense of order. [May 2018, p.107]

Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere is often weigted with doom, though there's an intoxicating impetus to the tar-like bass and woozy funk. [Aug 2008, p.140]

So many genres collide on Aa it can feel like being trapped in a virtual karaoke machine. [Apr 2016, p.102]

Fake is rearranging his sound rather than reinventing it. [Jul 2020, p.109]

The parts here still speak louder than the whole. [Mar 2015, p.110]

The sleek return from Swedish indie-pop collective. [Dec. 2010, p. 104]

This has a more expansive, almost pop feel. [Dec 2008, p.132]

Some newer tracks while still enjoyably bleak, play straighter with acoustic guitars and a lot of vocal noodling, though it never feels like Radio 2-friendly folk pop is where Parker's strengths lie. [Jul 2017, p.112]

The problems are compounded by the sheer awfulness of some of Jones’ lyrics.... What often redeems them is the music. On that front, Stereophonics have undoubtedly progressed...

Entirely instrumental, it retains the band's elasticated, rhythmic approach but stretches and softens it to create something much more atmospheric and evocative. [Aug 2015, p.105]

It's relentless, totally one-paced, but somehow oddly refreshing. [Aug 2012, p.105]

A record that perhaps only Dylan fans need apply for. [Aug 2012, p.110]

With Mariachi El Bronx II, the Mexican wing of The Bronx have moved swiftly to reinforce their authenticity. [Nov. 2011, p. 136]

There are moments on Could Be Worse and Money where melodic punch is lacking, but, overall, this new softer persona suits LTA well. [Apr 2017, p.115]

Rain revisits familiar Jackson themes of romantic disappointment and despair at the modern world with a pared-back immediacy that showcases his craftmanship to the full. [Feb 2008, p.96]

Rarely makes for easy listening.... though the album's second half is notably more harmonious. [May 2016, p.104]

Only on closing track Myth Me does he give into temptation and step up to the mic, unfurling a quirky, lisping ballad that shows he still can't quite play it straight. [Apr 2015, p.102]