It might be the best album Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill have put together since 1984's "Sparkle In The Rain." [Jun 2009, p.131]

An extended celebration of shopping, partying, and exercising youthful hormones. [Dec 2010, p.114]

Their boldest and best album for years. [Jan 2012, p.124]

The Magnificent Tree is accomplished, just unsensational. It nails the neo-'60s trip-hop set down by Mono and Olive but then tries too hard to have a finger in other pies.

The only area in which JC tops Justin is cheesy double entendres. [Jun 2004, p.96]

Cull the arrogance, the laziness, the ill-considered ignorance, the (that word yet again) sneering, and there wouldn't be a better album than Know Your Enemy, and not just of this year. Cull the brave lyrics, the moments of inspiration, the songs to treasure and the moments of honesty and, were it available in dogfood form, you wouldn't feed Know Your Enemy to your hounds.

Aided by Pixies producer Gil Norton, they've audibly thrown everything at By Default. [#361, p.107]

Sadly, anybody hoping for Pavement's off-kilter melody and cryptic lyrics will be disappointed. [Dec 2009, p. 126]

Attempts to obscure the paucity of decent songs with endless guitar wittering. [Apr 2003, p.102]

Stereophonics have never sounded so brooding, mysterious and -- dammit -- sexy. [Apr 2005, p.122]

And while there's no escaping the notion This Is War would be easier to love could Leto decide whether he wanted to be in U2, Linkin park, or Marillion, one can't help but admire his style. [Jan 2010, p. 117]

Whether that relatively small selection of highlights justifies buying this package is a moot point. It may depend on whether there is something of interest in the sound of great talent stuck in a deep rut. [Nov 2016, p.116]

Not much helped by their enervating vocals, debut release Native To is lo-fi '80s-influenced synth-pop that simply comes and goes, serving no discernible purpose at all. [Jul 2011, p.120]

It's his intermittent, embarrassing rapping [that is the problem]. [Oct 2011, p.113]

Nu-metallers try to recapture former glories. Fail.

As ever, there's not a hint of irony in the air. [Mar 2008, p.107]

Hardly essential, but brimming with late summery charms. [Nov 2009, p.101]

A return to their roots. [Aug 2006, p.113]

While these acoustic poems are often twee and contrived, the woman remains ultimately unpretentious. [Jul 2006, p.114]

They may still want to party every night, but it would take a Kiss Kasket full of Viagra to animate this limp cock rock. [Dec 2009, p. 116]

[Several songs are] saved by Walsh's unerring ability to produce a wonderful guitar solo from the bottom of the pack. Sadly, it's not enough to transform this into the great comeback album you keep willing it to be. [Aug 2012, p.111

The Music generate their songs like a smoke machine--vaguely atmospheric but ultimately lacking in substance. [Oct 2004, p.124]

It's the gritty funk of the title track and production turns from Mark Ronson and Donae's that make this an outstanding hip hop album, establishing Bizzle as a worthy rival to the similarly eclectic Dizzee Rascal. [Nov 2009, p.109]

The wan disco of Sugar And Bullets and Another Land's sub Depeche Mode pastiche show a fatal lack of creative daring. [Sep 2013, p.106]

It's all resolutely urbane and largely unmemorable. [Dec 2013, p.110]

Grouplove need to strip their whole schtick back and start again. [Mar 2014, p.113]

If iPods came with a button that randomly spliced tracks together it would sound like this. [Dec 2004, p.137]

There's a slightly dated stadium-house feel to th rest.... Still, when he thrills, he truly thrills. [Apr 2008, p.108]