With no track under six minutes in length, some editing wouldn't have gone amiss. [Jan 2013, p.107]

The most impressive moments are when he shifts away from his comfort zone. [Jan 2013, p.111]

Such willful awkwardness means they're never likely to rise above cult status, but this is still a very welcome form. [Jan 2013, p.105]

No flame then, but her light shows no sign of going out. [Jan 2013, p.112]

producer Don Was has tried to capture a country legend in his veteran state, but he's missing all the tricks. [Jan 2013, p.106]

Reconstructed stands as a compelling snapshot of an artist who can't be considered a real game-changer. [Oct 2012, p.118]

His first album in seven years is vigorously diverse. [Nov 2012, p.90]

If you lock The Flaming Lips, Kanye West and Rustie in a studio together, they might well emerge with something sounding like this. [Dec 2012, p.112]

It's a highly evolved, sometimes claustrophobic take on warm but angular Scandi-pop. [Oct 2012, p.103]

Maynard is clearly being primed to take on Bieber. Hence the ultra-pop, super-slick confections he layers his not altogether unpleasant (but not utterly spellbinding voice all over. [Sep 2012, p.105]

When they really hit their Ultravoxian stride on Clipped Wings or the piano breaks through the wall of synthesizer on Migrating Clay Pigeon, they're really quite spectacular. [Jul 2012, p.107]

As impressively deep as the music's pile may be, however, it's Marshall's towering voice that most recalls Elbow. [Dec 2012, p.109]

Even Faith's super-powerful voice never elevates the material above the decidedly everyday. [Jul 2012, p.100]

Rework is a must for toe-dippers and Glassheads alike. [Dec 2012, p.120]

Unashamedly retro, yes, but delivered with out irony--and at ear-ringing volume. [Dec 2012, p.105]

Overall this is never less than an engaging listen. [Dec 2012, p.112]

This improbable return could almost be a relic excavated from their mid-'70s heyday. [Dec 2012, p.110]

This collection by 18-year-old Chicagoan David Davis makes footworking beats accessible. [Dec 2012, p.106]

Field Music honor these songs by bringing the same bold commitment they bring to their own writing. [Dec 2012, p.105]

Cells remains more a collection o would-be club anthems than an album. [Dec 2012, p.104]

Blue Lines doesn't need [extras]. It was a classic in the truest sense, and unimprovable template that sound like it was recorded yesterday--or tomorrow. [Dec 2012, p.118]

There's certainly enough thrills to go round, even if Idea Of Happiness is sometimes lacking the killer chorus that would take it to the next level. [Dec 2012, p.115]

Thoughtfully conceived and carefully executed, it's a record worth braving. [Dec 2012, p.122]

Things perk up on the lovely Where There Are Pixels and the choired-up I Must be Jesus but it's one for the fierce-hearted and, as such, highly recommended. [Dec 2012, p.111]

Vague prog touches and thrash influences soon emerge, offering breadth and depth. [Dec 2012, p.109]

The fact remains that Take The Crown is a disappointment. [Dec 2012, p.99]

Streamlines their punk blasts as they aim for a wider audience. [Oct 2012, p.98]

More often than not, this is pop punk as it should be: direct, streamlined and raucous but of enough substance that preachy points are made within nagging, urgent choruses. [Oct 2012, p.93]