To make warm, immediate pop music that sounds so out of the ordinary is a rare feat. [May 2017, p.106]

Show Yourself and Steambreather prove that its possible to perform challenging, complex material without being self-indulgent. [May 2017, p.108]

Silver Eye's strength lies with its strong sense of mood rather than any truly memorable material. [May 2017, p.104]

There is little that feels dull or predictable. [May 2017, p.107]

The switches from retro punk to camp stadium rock are seemless, and Creeper prove themselves worthy heirs to the bombastic rock bands of the past. [May 2017, p.103]

It's his most enjoyable music in two decades. [May 2017, p.112]

Only some odd choices of collaborators--like actor Joe Pesci on The Nearness Of You--mars what could have been a beautiful swansong. [May 2017, p.111]

There's scarcely a moment here that doesn't light a fire. [May 2017, p.100]

There's a luxurious, albeit sometimes cloying, warmth throughout. [May 2017, p.100]

Expect to be lulled into a contented sonic stupor. [May 2017, p.100]

A wealth of imaginative arrangements make for a genuinely unique debut album. [May 2017, p.103]

Finn is sometimes let down by a ploddy production. [May 2017, p.103]

Two good albums, then--but more editing could have produced a single excellent one. [May 2017, p.104]

Two good albums, then--but more editing could have produced a single excellent one. [May 2017, p.104]

Any nuance is stomped by hectic drums and background chants, but it's hard not to warm to people acting on the very human compulsion to make their presence known in case they spin out of reach forever. [May 2017, p.107]

Unfortunately, the old pop standards--including two popularised by Brenda Lee--are all syrup and no spark. [May 2017, p.107]

Solid, but a little more derangement would have been welcome. [May 2017, p.107]

It's an album that's trying very hard--and succeeding. [May 2017, p.108]

As a statement on where the UK's urban scene is headed in 2017, it demands to be heard. [May 2017, p.109]

It's an invitation that's hard to resist. [May 2017, p.113]

Voice-over clips from the movie aside, you'd assume this was a middleweight urban angst flick rather than about a fistic comeback-too-far. No matter, a job well done. [May 2017, p.112]

It's not a record for anyone who likes subtle character development, but it hits the visceral spot. [May 2017, p.112]

Their near-ambient sound abides. [May 2017, p.111]

The more Pulled Apart By Horses yield to their chaotic instincts, the greater they become. [May 2017, p.111]

His approach provides an intriguing adjunct to other boundary-pushing talents from further down the coast such as Vince Staples. [May 2017, p.111]

It works exceedingly well. [May 2017, p.108]

A rip-roaring busman's holiday. [May 2017, p.108]

This is impressive stuff. [May 2017, p.108]