The album finds them hamming up their debauched image to the point of self-parody. [Oct 2008, p.149]

As strident as the MC5 yet as playful as Pavement, White Denim sound like the best rock'n'roll party you've ever gatecrashed. [July 2008, p.111]

Compared to the Puppets' ornate '60s pop, Rascalize is straight Arctic Monkeys indie-rock, with echoes of The Coral. [July 2008, p.108]

So some bad habits die hard, but on every other level Viva la Vida... is an emphatic sucess--radical in it's own measured way but easy to embrace. [July 2008, p.95]

It seemed as if they'd perfected the balance of 2002's glowing "Neon Golden," but here manage to continue the evolution. [July 2008, p.108]

At Mount Zoomer finds them making a giant leap forward, its surfeit of innovation defying easy categorisation. [Aug 2008, p.145]

Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond sings like a female Jeff Buckley on A Thousand Shark's Teeth, a blend of Tom Waits-inspired weirdness, ambient rock and neo-classical textures. [July 2008, p.113]

This is a catchy, cocky, Avril Lavigne-y debut, its surface gloss making up for an ultimate lack of depth. [Nov 2008, p.118]

In the end, though, to fixate on these 33 songs' serial flaws and occasional bad odours is to miss the essential point. The music amounts to a compelling period piece. [July 2008, p.116]

The Brummie veterans' 16th studio album is every bit as gloriously over-the-top and ludicrous as you might imagine. [Aug 2008, p.135]

It's a heady, exuberant mix, although the mystifyingly reduced vocal contribution of Jamie's husband Derek in turn reduces their uniqueness. [Nov 2008, p.123]

Silent Cry replaces genuine poise with serviceable pose. [July 2008, p.104]

It's an oppressive brew of heavy rock with pounding Kasabian beats, but Harvey, sounding agitated throughout, makes heavy weather out of it. [July 2008, p.108]

Adele's songs possess an ageless classification. [Mar 2008, p.105]

Once again, then, it's a case of could do better. [Apr 2008, p.115]

There's a welcome freshness here. [June 2008, p.137]

It's the bolder likes of 'In the Middle of the Night' and 'I Wish I Were' where she really leaves her mark, somewhere between Patti Smith and ghost of Edith Piaf. [June 20008, p.148]

The Fleetwood Mac-tinged 'Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2' overcomes the overall air of pastiche. [July 2008, p.108]

Morissette is rarely dull, but she can occasionally be wearying. [July 2008, p.107]

Restrained, graceful and poised, the lady remains country music's finest ambassador. [July 2008, p.103]

Rather than sounding like musical magpies, The Fratellis are always their own men. [July 2008, p.100]

Though the younger Dylan hasn't the gravitas of those old masters, his best songs such as 'Will It Grow,' have an easy downbeat charm. [Aug 2008, p.135]

To Survive, however, ignites enough fireworks of its own. [July 2008, p.1112]

Orb nostalgists will find much to savour. [Mar 2008, p.108]

The subtle rhythms of Nigerian percussionist Lekan Babalola giving something new to Wilson's versions of great old songs. [Aug 2008, p.145]

Another almost note-perfect recreation of the same pre-Beatles R&B world, this follow-up smoothly mainstains the good work with songs that recall the likes of The Drifters and even early James brown. [July 2008, p.102]

His best since 2001's Here Be Monsters. [Jul 2006, p.114]

The creative tension between the two is their main strength. It's when one or the other gains the upper hand that things can go awry. [June 2008, p.143]