Miran deep dives into ambient territory. [Feb 2026, p.102]

The ideas - hardly in short supply - fail to crystallise in the way they did on recent high-water marks Aulos (2000) and Multiversum (2002). [Feb 2026, p.103]

Ratboys have definitively made one of 2026's first brilliant albums. [Feb 2026, p.103]

Not Here Not Gone reaffirms Blackwater Holylight's status as metal elites. [Feb 2026, p.101]

The Buzzcocks are back. Pete Shelley is, sadly, no more but Steve Diggle does a rip-roaring job in reinventing the band, even if we miss the nasal vocals. [Feb 2026, p.101]

An endearing compendium of styles, if perhaps lacking any real headline-grabbing tunes. [Feb 2026, p,101]

I Know Where Mark Chen Lives and The Opossum, both of which race by in a blur of sawtooth guitars, spring-loaded basslines and earnest vocals. Yet there is dynamic range here, too. [Jan 2026, p.101]

It sounds like it must have already existed, but therein lies the appeal of a record that is tribute to perseverance and belief, and the power of truly, great timeless songs. Mark it down as the first great album of 2026. [Jan 2026, p.102]

The excellent PP Arnold featuring lead single Poison Vine is a good indicator of the move towards a very Stones-y type of uplifting soulful rock and blues; the swelling gospel rock of Don't Look Away is the most stirring thing they've done yet. [Jan 2026, p.101]

Adamson's score is suitably eclectic, reflecting both his mastery of film scoring as well as the broad range of content that once thrilled London audiences. [Jan 2026, p.100]

It's an energetic affair, a barrelling collision of Britpop and electro, lots of distorted vocals, the sort of thing you don't hear so much anymore. [Feb 2026, p.101]

World’s Gone Wrong may well turn out to be a landmark release in Lucinda Williams’ career. But it’s not only its uncompromising lyrical message but its musical direction that raises questions. You can’t recapture lightning in a bottle, and it may be that her future lies in a less quirky, more strident genre than previously. And that’s a choice she has earned the right to make. [Jan 2026, p.98]

A recording half the length would have been more pleasurably effective. [Jan 2026, p.103]

An ornate folk album that brims with rich orchestration and incisive lyrics. [Jan 2026, p.101]

They unleash 12 songs driven by earnest vocals, fuzz-tinged riffs and steady grooves. If there's a quibble, Selling A Vibe is often cohesive to the point of being monotonous. [Jan 2026, p.101]

The tunes are Tin Pan Alley, the lyrics a compassionate castigation of humanity. [Jan 2026, p.102]

Does a fine job of transmitting the spit and fury of their own shows, even o the studio setting. [Jan 2026, p.101]

Secret Love follows 2022’s Stumpwork, an album that pushed Dry Cleaning’s sound towards more expansive routes, a direction of travel that, with the help of Cate Le Bon’s expert production, has led to their best work yet. It is also their most direct. [Christmas 2025, p.130]

Enriched and incisive, expansive and introspective, The Demise Of Planet X never settles for second-hand goods. [Feb 2026, p.100]

Confident, confessional pop from masters of the craft. [Jan 2026, p.103]

Complements her poetic lyrics with intricate, arpeggiated folk guitar to haunting effect. [Jan 2026, p.103]

Westerman has crafted a collection of songs steeped in nostalgia and simplicity. [Jan 2026, p.103]

The luxurious strings are heavenly, while the twang of an electric guitar and understated drums push it gently forward. [Jan 2026, p.103]

There’s a taut, garage-like sensibility to the arrangements, a discipline lacking from the originals, in a satisfying, worthwhile salvage expedition. [Jan 2026, p.101]

The four Memento Mori outtakes included are sub-par, but the concert material turns moody introspection into a black celebration of life with thunderously affirmative power. [Jan 2026, p.101]

The nine studio rarities and 16 live tracks add light to the story. .... The live recordings from Los Angeles Sports Arena in April 1975 are a revelation. .... Wish You were Here 50, riding the gravy train or not, really does have plenty to delight. [Christmas 2025, p.120]

Ultimately. Black And White deserves this bells-and-whistles resuscitation (though collectors may be stretched by Zoetrope and marbleised wax incarnations!). [Christmas 2025, p.129]

Spira finds Arnalds' talent revivified, blooming to earthy, dreamy and transporting effect. [Christmas 2025, p.132]