Though Acoustic Recordings doesn’t quite offer a parallel discography, it is a reminder of some easily overlooked moments in White’s ever expanding discography.

By the time the album ends with a sprawling I Don't Live Here Anymore, which boasts sparkling keyboards and chiming riffs the emotional catharsis is deeply satisfying. [Dec 2024, p.109]

The storytelling is more linear and less elliptical than we might expect from Anderson, though any restraint in the storytelling services the cinematic scope of the project, where soundscapes segue with ease as vertiginous strings swoop and dive, and Anohni provides vocal interjections. [Sep 2024, p.130]

With these band versions, Oberst seems more removed, drowned out by unnecessary country embellishments that only dilute the passion and emotion of the originals. That’s not to say these are bad, but they just aren’t quite as heart-stoppingly, heartbreakingly brilliant. Less, as it turns out, can be much more.

On their 15th attempt, producer James Ford rides the faders and filters to shape Chris Lowe's synths into the perfect balance of modernity and timelessness. [May 2024, p.103]

It doesn’t always work: Lonely At The Top is a minimalist, spoken-word piece set to odd clicking noises that doesn’t really bear repeated listens. For the most part, however, this is a brave, forward-thinking collection that will be required listening for any fans of electronica.

Across the album as a whole he works towards a sort of mid-world territory, between air and water, dream and reality.

Particularly breathtaking are rafter-raising renditions of 99 And A Half Won’t Do, Out Of The Wilderness, Glory Glory Hallelujah and Move Upstairs, though everything is really ace here.

Arguably superior, its confident follow-up The Knowledge is again enriched with songs relating to Difford and Tilbrook’s old stamping grounds.

An album that's one long masterstroke. [Christmas 2024, p.132]

This anthemic approach will undoubtedly work in a live setting, tracks such as Flowers In The Rain ad=nd the Evocative I Will Set Fire To The House indicate a wide repertoire. Fascinating to see how they develop their sound next time round. [Jan 2025, p.105]

But whether or not Tower Block In A Jam Jar changes his fortunes to any great degree, as an introduction to Lawrence’s singularly weird and wonderful world, it’s an ideal place to start. [Nov 2025, p.100]

While there is little new ground being broken on this debut album – DJ Spinna and Onra have both pursued similar territory--Kaytranada adds a pop nous and Dilla-like beat-making precision to the equation.

Lateness Of Dancers has the unmistakable aura of a deep classic. It is a US masterpiece. A wonderful thing, for sure.

One of this set’s major strengths lies in the equal space given to fleeting names who made their statements then vanished.

Perrett’s mordant wit and laconic vocal delivery are happily intact and his current band (which includes sons Jamie and Peter Jr) sympathetically top and tail these 10 memorably idiosyncratic odes to love and despair. Highlights are heady and plentiful.

Monomania retains those same Deerhunter kernels if you’re willing to forage. You might get your fingers grubby, but the fruit, often deep inside the shell, is still delicious.

Overall, Source is a thing of wondrous beauty, revealing that the hyperbole accompanying Garcia patently isn't out of proportion to her talent. [Sep 2020, p.101]

At times the full band arrangements bring more muscle than we’re used to hearing from her, but songs such as Divine and the closing Worship Me are certainly in the vein of what’s come before.

The element of smoothness cloaking the emotions could either impress the listener with its beauty or wash over them completely. The hit rate here perhaps isn’t quite high enough for the former, but the album deserves some attention for illustrating the exuberant joy of the black dog turning away from one’s door and walking on down the street.

Only on the opening cut do they attempt anything that could be construed as radical, marrying The Two Sisters, a child ballad with roots stretching back to the 16th century, to a Scottish jig, A Fisherman’s Song For Attracting Seals. It works beautifully, as do all of the following eight tracks, delivered with reverence and entirely free of pretension.

While the Toy highlight Shadow Man introduces “… a man back a-ways/Who believes at where he is”, at this stage of his career, David Bowie could reflect on where he’d been with pride – including, as Brilliant Adventures shows, another decade of committing to himself.

Occasionally too impressionistic at the expense of a coherent song, Morton nonetheless races past standard traps of actors' musical diversions. [Jul 24, p.106]

Strike A Match runs the risk of becoming a little too chaotic as Aggs and Rodgers throw everything in at once; their flair for reflective lyricism sadly becomes a little lost in the crowd.

The comp is thoughtfully subdivided by mood/demeanour, with each disc respectively entitled Rock Off!, Tubthumpers & Hellraisers and Elegance & Decadence. The successfully realised intention is to demonstrate that there was more to glam than just implacable, sequin-shedding, mindless stomping--though some of us would be perfectly content with three discs’ worth of just that.

They’re a classic singles band, but Jason Williamson’s pit of needle-sharp, evocative lyrics seems bottomless, so here comes another meaty full-length selection.

An album precision-pitched between angst and optimism, tension and release.

There's a lot to admire about Hovvdy's quiet wonder - and a lot to skip over too. [Jul 2024, p.105]