Back in 1970, this must have sounded like music from the future--over 40 year later, it still does.

For all its musical sophistication and all its lyrical heart, Ignorance is a confident, almost bolshy statement of intent.

Golden Hour is a bedazzled, wide-eyed rush.

It’s a master-stroke on a landmark record of staggering intelligence, depth and musicality.

At 70 minutes, False Lankum is definitely a demanding listen, but an extraordinary one.

Improbably, they've pulled off the rarest of feats: a middle-aged rock band who remain interesting and invigorated, going from strength to strength. [Sep 2025, p.101]

Not her best, but never dull. [Jun 2024, p.103]

On transferring the original tapes band archivist Cliph Schurlock realised that the original mastering had shaved off the mid-range frequencies, which he promptly restored, along with previously edited intros. So what we have here is a much warmer-sounding, fuller album, along with the contemporary B-sides, revealing demos and a raucous live set from Phoenix festival. It’s a psych-dipped, surreal set of infectious, concise pop gems.

Once you’ve finished playing spot the difference it’s a blast. .... And the mono mixes have a vitality and punch often lacking from recent remixes. [Christmas 2024, p.120]

Yep, that good. It's obvious we're in the presence of greatness, and the rest of the album doesn't disappoint. [Sep 2025, p.103]

Some of their best, most expansive music yet. [Sep 2024, p.132]

This welcome vinyl salutation probably won’t introduce the group to a wider audience, but it deserves to--these are lost treasures from a lost treasure.

It’s by no means intended as a “greatest hits” package--you may rue the absence of ringers such as Warm Leatherette or Do The Mussolini (Headkick) – but as a snapshot, you can’t fault its clarity.

Truly, this is the gift that keeps on giving. Aural aphrodisia.

Throughout the curation of his archives, all but two of these recordings – that slower Sedan Delivery and the regretful Too Far Gone – have already been released elsewhere, across original albums and newly restored collections, making this official Chrome Dreams an exercise in fan service that would have been a worthy Record Store Day title – or, we hope, an indication that the Archives Vol III box set is approaching.

The Venezuela-born, Indiana-based Rui has plenty to say here and delivers it with a compelling, articulate set. [Oct 2024, p.101]

At 121 tracks, a running time of nearly nine (NINE!) hours and 55 unreleased songs, it’s somewhat redundant to say this seven-disc boxset documenting the first decade of Fairport Convention’s life is strictly for the hardcore. Sadly – and herein lies the lament of the wallet-destroying boxset--in Come All Ye are songs that would convert a non-believer at 10 paces.

Song For Our Daughter is, well, so uncannily, unreasonably and astutely beautiful that it meticulously sets aside every last one of your emotional checks and balances to wrap your core in a firm embrace.

Divers is another meticulous masterpiece from one of the songwriters of her time, an album that’ll still be spellbinding generations from now.

The depth and breadth of this astonishing career compendium, comprising a colossal 189 tracks, will certainly surprise the uninitiated, but for long-time fans it’s a beautifully realised monument to a versatile musician whose genius is largely unsung.

A Moon Shaped Pool represents a return to the ambition and perfectionism that has characterised their best work.

One suspects Gibbons agonised over every word and note on Lives Outgrown, but the result is an album to fall deeply in love with. If you allow them to, these songs will envelope your soul.

Fans of the last LP will not be disappointed--yes, even with the ones that sound (whisper it) a bit too much like Muse. But there’s so much more here than artful innovation.

This is one of the most confident and charismatic debuts in years.

My Light, My Destroyer is the work of a master storyteller, capable of inhabiting characters with real empathy and noticing evocative details. [Aug 2024, p.104]

Never less than compelling, it confirms im as one of hip hop's most compelling stylists. [Aug 2025, p.105]

Those wanting a more authentic experience (whatever that means) will be glad to know the band’s psychedelic groove is still very much present (see the swirling Gabi or Assadja) while those wanting less retroisms should head to Pour Toi with its insane disco trucker’s shift. But at its heart, Optimisme deals in the same joyous protest music Songhoy Blues are known for, only now bolstered with a grit that matches the multi-lingual lyrics.

Michelangelo Dying, her seventh, is her most refined accomplishment yet. [Oct 2025, p.130]