The likes of Los Hongos De Marosa glide by in a swirl of subtle beats and understated Spanish vocals, but nothing snags the ear. [Nov 2008, p.118]

With shards of melody poking through the noise, the overall effect is often stunning. [Nov 2008, p.117]

Too aimless for the initiated, the likes of 'Barfuss Durch Gras,' a cacophony of clocks unwinding will have dinner party dilettantes spitting their soup. [Oct 2008, p.142]

Atmospheric and richly layered, their best moments tap the same ecstatic eclecticism of fellow travellers Sufjan Stevens and Beirut's Zach Condon. [Nov 2008, p.114]

Bianchi drops his usual mix of samples and programming for traditional instruments, including banjo and glockenspiel to create a very modern, kind of folk music. [Dec 2008, p.133]

A worthy addition to the Clash canon. [Nov 2008, p.126]

Akin to Manu Chao backed by The Go Team!, fortunately it's no one-off. [Nov 2008, p.117]

Their ability to transport the listener to an imaginary Deep South truckers' bar in 1973 is peerless, while the deft funk-rock of 'Set In Stone' and 'Play the Fool' pay tribute to the slick musicianship and seemless meld of rootsy American music styles that The Doobie Brothers and Little Feat unleashed in their prime. [Nov 2008, p.110]

At times the experimentation verges on the unlistenable but there's enough promising material here to make this an enjoyable debut. [Feb 2009, p.119]

Occassionally the set suffers from too much studio polish and not enough grit. [Jan 2009, p.116]

Sawhney's gentle yet eclectic studio skills make everything agreeable enough but the opening song sets a standard he never tops. [Nov 2008, p.120]

He's better when he lets the words--and music--speak for themselves. [Nov 2008, p.120]

Musically, they could do with a few more gear changes, but it's churlish to complain when the overall effect is so spirit-lifting. [Nov 2008, p.123]

His humour counteracts the widely held assumption that Americans don't do irony. Folds does little else, and he never sounds less than terribly pleased with himself. [Oct 2008, p.142]

Ambitious, yes, inventive, sometimes, but waiting for those rare moments of clarity is like trying to catch a cloud in a colander. [Nov 208, p.118]

The result is something of a left-field classic. [Nov 2008, p.114]

A modern '70s Motown pastiche, that makes him a serious rival to John Legend. [Dec 2008, p.133]

While his big, piano-led MOR tunes are launched from a good place, they land in a fairly awful one. [Apr 2009, p.105]

This mixtape-style collection is more ramshackle than his most celebrated work, but it's still packed wirh inspired funk. [Dec 2008, p.127]

Koushik has crafted an album that glows like a California sunset, even though he's actually a Canadian now living in Vermont. [Nov 2008, p.118]

Victory Shorts makes art-pop by contrasting Michaelson's mordant lyrics and juanty, sophisticated melodies. [Oct 2008, p.139]

While it's hard to see them replicating the crossover success of their old friends, these cross-genre efforts at crafting similarly off-kilter pop are packed with intriguing details. [Dec 2008, p.128]

Their rock'n'roll commitment is beyond doubt, although casual observers might want to wait for their promised new album. [Dec 2008, p.142]

So while fourth album Shogun is impressive, Trivium continues ro make "...And Justice For All" when they could do with a "Black Album" instead. [Nov2008, p.107]

Luna is pleasing rather than groundbreaking. [Oct 2008, p.139]

There's nothing remotely new or sophisticated about any of it. Instead the album happily operates at the most instinctual gut level, oozing authenticity in a way that Jack White, say, would give his front teeth for. [Nov 2008, p.111]

Their debut, recorded in frontman's Ed Macfarlane's parents' garage, is a tuneful affair. [Oct 2008, p.142]

The Hawk Is Howling is similarly impressive [to "Mr. Beast"], the band's earlier experiments in noise more reined in, allowing a subtle and textured approach. [Oct 2008, p.149]