There may be more instant records, but a little effort reaps its own rich rewards. [Feb 2013, p.109]

McPhun's chirrupy high-register and a synth-pop gloss, which washes over the album from start to finish, only serves to ramp up the all-consuming mawkish tone. [Feb 2013, p.110]

For all its chiseled flirtation, what Anything In Return fails to offer is any real emotion. [Feb 2013, p.112]

The virtuoso musicianship largely eclipses Henry Tremain's insipid vocals. [Feb 2013, p.112]

This is a joyful and respectful collection. [Feb 2013, p.107]

All too often the joy is forgettable. [Feb 2013, p.106]

As homeopathic remedies for heartache and life's unkindness, these reflective songs are persuasive and when the group decide to fly with the moment-seizing, easy-psych These Days Are Mine, it's doubly invigorating. [Feb 2013, p.105]

This record passes right through you. [Feb 2013, p.104]

While there are few surprises, there is much to enjoy. [Feb 2013, p.101]

Fog is about as far from his work with Will Oldham as it's possible to be while still playing the guitar. [Feb 2013, p.101]

His ninth record is ramshackle and there's a lot of it, but it's always entertaining. [Feb 2013, p.101]

[The album] is a thing of unstated, fragile beauty. [Oct 2012, p.104]

A weapons-grade blast from start to finish. [Jan 2013, p.113]

This collection collects their best and worst. [Oct 2012, p.118]

The sheer variety of music is astounding. [Jan 2013, p.114]

These new songs sound like they came straight from a traditional songbook. [Jan 2013, p.102]

Throughout, quality doesn't waver; always sensually and intellectually rigorous, her songs touch on degrees of romantic disaffection and beyond with a sometimes uncomfortable gaze, and still sound freshly minted. [Jan 2013, p.119]

They're unpleasantly listenable. [Jul 2012, p.103]

It sets Vast Of Cheers up as just another cookie cutter indie band. [Jul 2012, p.96]

[Wrongtom's] meeting with East London jungle MC Deemas J is his most faithful homage yet. It's also his best. [Nov 2012, p.112]

The music is fabulous, a sublime pulse of Hammond organ, trombone and piano. [Nov 2012, p.100]

Nocturne hasn't shaken its overriding influences but Tatum gently pushes these songs beyond elegant pastiche. [Oct 2012, p.114]

At its best, Other Worlds is sublime. [Nov 2012, p.106]

An awe-inspiring experience. [Sep 2012, p.100]

A curious document, but one that serves as a reminder of Hegarty's ability to catch the light live. [Sep 2012, p.97]

When he dials down the combative cliches, he remains a powerful, compelling lyricist. [Jan 2013, p.110]

Musically, it's more straightforward, psychedelic metal in which the sound leaps from minimal guitars to maximal sludge noise. [Oct 2012, p.98]

An occasional over-eagerness for approval, though, can allow attention to wander. [Jan 2013, p.111]