Hebden has a rare ability to make his delicate instrumentals engaging and unpretentious.

Molina and cohorts turn their limited resources into an exercise in compelling minimalism. [#184, p.144]

Go Forth is addictively oblique stuff, veering joyously between budget Gary Numan, scene elder statesmen Fugazi and the Pixies in their surf-rock period. Shredding instinct and convention along the way, Harrington has forged something compellingly original here. [Nov 2001]

Sharp, seductive music from a band at their peak. [Oct 2001, p.119]

The prepetually gruff Rule, a second division DMX or Redman, and producer Irv Gotti leave no cliche unturned. [Dec 2001, p.124]

Lacking the strangely compelling shambolic glory of his first solo album Unfinished Monkey Business and the crisper soul-warrior posing of second solo set Golden Greats, this album isn't going to fulfill Brown's hopes of bettering The Stone Roses' debut.

A simple, often stark record reminiscent of her eponymous 1985 debut.

What at first, certainly compared to its startling predecessor, feels like a retreat from modern music’s radical frontline (nasty jazz, electronica, noise) gradually unfolds to offer equally interesting new ways of hearing.

By absorbing some of the best bits of The Beach Boys, Super Furry Animals and, at times, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have made the perfect album for a breezy, summer afternoon.

Change Is Coming is piled high with Beastie trademarks.

The only life in these monochrome songs comes from some feedback on Lazy Rain and squalling jazz horns on Revanchism. [Oct 2001, p.130]

It is only when she tries something a little different that Macy comes unstuck.

Unfortunately, Kowalczyk's conceited couplets belong to the dark ages. [Nov 2001, p.124]

An intriguing listen...

Though not without merit, the reliance on other people's melodies (and words on the Caroline Says-pilfering Distortions) can become trying after a while.

It's hard to listen to this deeply disappointing record for long without wanting to revisit Vertigo instead.

This is little short of a treat: a rambunctious dance through the more sepia-tinted corners of US musical history. [Oct 2001, p.122]

In truth, there are unexpected delights at every turn here, not least in the realisation that Mercury Rev may only just be hitting their collective stride. [Sep 2001, p.115]

This time, there's a bankable chorus or barbed sentiment for every mirror-ball moment, not just on the singles. [Sep 2001, p.112]

Sure, it sails close to novelty record territory but Folds demonstrates exceptional skill in marrying wryly observational lyrics to upbeat piano-driven craziness.

An effortless melding of Stones and Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield and computers, all topped off with Tim Burgess's fetching new falsetto.... With every track a winner, Wonderland is a truly thing of wonder.

The Convincer slots in smoothly behind 1998's Dig My Mood. [Oct 2001, p.126]

As feral and ferocious an album as they've made in years. [Oct 2001, p.130]

Glitter continues her slump from gifted to grievous via gratuitous power ballads, dismal disco/R&B and criminal covers of '80s classics. [Oct 2001, p.117]

Matches Slipknot for manic intensity while employing a freeform approach to songcraft which invites comparison to the lunatic-fringe rock of the late '60s. [Sep 2001, p.122]

In stark contrast to their finest work (1993's "brown" album, 1999's The Middle Of Nowhere), the magic moments never add up to an epic, morphing whole.

Not only do Kannberg’s vocals sound more robust than previously, but the whole record has considerably more colour in its cheeks than Malkmus’s own recent solo effort.

Their best yet. [Sep 2001, p.120]