What emerges contains much that's familiar but it's presented in revitalised new settings, with grit, urgency and delicacy in abundance. [Mar 2015, p.117]

The Ballad of The Kingsmen is just about the best distillation of free speech and the delusion of democracy ever recorded, while Mushroom Story will have you laughing and crying. [Apr 2011, p.98]

Occasional voyages into proggy oddness (Future Crimes)bring some esoteric intrigue to their indie insouciance, but, ultimately, this band wants you to have as much fun as they so clearly are. [Nov. 2011, p. 143]

As mesmerising as it is innovative, Swim is a record you want to dive in to. [May 2010, p.120]

A stark record that showcases her unsettlingly direct vocals. [Dec 2003, p.132]

Stylistically, Lynne steps out in several directions and gives the impression that she could succeed in any of them: the warm caress of her voice and the cool, cutting edge of her songs suggest great things.

As musically dazzling as Midnite Vultures often is, the one criticism that can be still levelled at Beck is that his songs remain strangely soulless, failing to ever really grip the emotions or stir the soul.

His most poignant and accessible work to date. [Feb 2003, p.96]

Reveal[s] a finely tuned pop ear setting them apart from the noisier kids in the punk playground. [Feb 2004, p.98]

There are guitars, but they are rarely central. The beat-driven tracks veer towards the arty, white boy-with-beatbox line of Talking Heads and The Clash. [May 2003, p.96]

Steve's boy finally finds his voice on this third record. [Dec 29010, p.104]

Classic thrash gets proper remastering for 25th birthday. [Sept. 2011, p. 123]

This is essentially a couple of singles spread way too thinly. [Jun 2005, p.110]

You sense that once this entertaining diversion is done, it will be back to the real business. [Apr 2007, p.112]

The Mountain boys at the--ahem--peak of their powers. [Apr 2009, p.107]

This all-original 20-tracker works even better as an intimate, end-to-end, night-drive companion than a snack tray despite Williams's often grueling vocal intensity. [Nov 2014, p.119]

Chatma is a polished set. [Nov 2013, p.116]

This all Peters's show as she shines a light under some very dark roots. [Mar 2015, p.114]

It all points towards an altogether shinier future. [Dec 2018, p.114]

A work very much bigger than the sum of its parts. [Feb 2020, p.108]

The songwriting is more direct. [Jun 2020, p.105]

It's the multi-layered harmonies and busy, overlapping rhythms that stick. [Jul 2020, p.104]

You Could Have... doesn't take you on the journey of highs and lows that the very greatest albums do. Its Greatest Hits feel is both its major strength and its major weakness. [Oct 2005, p.108]

A guest spot from scene legend Greg Hetson confirms Eyes And Nines as the real deal. [Jun 2010, p.120]

More varied stylistically, it offers a powerful reflection of the band's consistently bleak worldview. [May 2014, p.116]

Finds their meld of expansive rock, country melodies and myriad other elements scraping truly inspirational heights. [Oct 2003, p.111]

SVIIB is a memorial, yes, but it's a glorious one. [Mar 2016, p.107]

An album that dares to tackle life's big questions head on. [Jun 2020, p.101]