[They] now sound more immediate, but seem to have forsaken some of their delicacy for caffeinated fuzz-pop, minus hooks. [Jun 2006, p.120]

"Greetings From Mars" touches on Lana Del Rey's desolately pretty Americana, with Nagler's voice reserved yet reaching ecstatically high. [Apr 2026, p.36]

The lyrics to these songs are themselves sketchy, enigmatic, quietly rousing, windily romantic, redolent of majestic vistas, vast horizons, a landscape of personal liberation.

This is one of the heavier and more accessible entries in their labyrinthine discography. [Jan 2009, p.102]

Nathan Williams and his brat-punks have reverted to the DIY route--surely the natural seedbed for their scattergun sonic brainstorms. [Jun 2017, p.38]

Nothing is a strong as 'Hey Lloyd...' and Traceyanne Campbell's lachrymose croon is struggling to find new melodies, but on tracks like 'French Navy' and 'Honey In The Sun,' CO remain heartbreakingly lucid. [May 2009, p.80]

A cycle of slushy but well-written R&B ballads which pay tribute to his soul heroes. [Feb 2011, p.84]

It's less dynamic, but the prog-folk flavours remain intact, with penny whistles and acoustic guitars central to its two sentimental, sometimes meandering halves. [Feb 2017, p.33]

There's an elegiac beauty to these tracks. [Oct 2007, p.114]

Dig beneath the murky punk riffs (“Chinese Dogs”) and difficult time signatures (“Buzzards And Crows”) however, and you uncover a lyricist of rare promise, at his best when he’s on home turf.

Ultimately, though, it's another Squarepusher album you don't really need. [Oct 2009, p.112]

It's an abrasive sound. [Aug 2003, p.99]

Despite some inventive electronic tinkering, the pose wears a bit thin through repetition. [Sep 2003, p.98]

The outcome never exceeds the sum of its parts. [Feb 2013, p.73]

Rockferry is almost a very good album, but, for all the classic hallmarks, there's little insight into the soul of Duffy herself. [Apr 2008, p.84]

There's some interesting things going on here.... Sadly, Bernard Butler's production often feels thin and tinny, which isn't just sad, but avoidable, too. [Aug 2008, p.92]

Brave and bonkers. [Mar 2012, p.94]

What's remarkable though, is the seamless way in which they carried on from where they left off after their two-decade hiatus: although this sounds modern, it still has enough of their early urgency, once more balancing the anthemic ("SSL83", "One Day We Will Live There") with a thrilling sense of a band about to career off-course at any moment. [Jan 2010, p. 121]

Throughout, her lyrics betray a convincing world-weariness. [Oct 2017, p.24]

Nowadays they're of more select appeal, and Where You Stand suggests they're actually quite comfortable with that. [Sep 2013, p.95]

On Reflection can't make any grand claims to originality, but charms with its clarity and light. [Jan 2019, p.25]

Flats look to be stranded between hipster grunge and true hardcore. [Jul 2012, p.71]

Her split personality makes for an oddly polarised debut. [Feb 2011, p.84]

It's all far more familiar than might be expected. [Nov 2005, p.111]

For an album that strives to articulate the youthful pleasure-rush of love, drugs, and power, this is a worryingly pedestrian effort. [Mar 2007, p.75]

There are moments where gusto, melody and thunderous guitar riffs meet to powerful effect but there are some tired moments to wade through to get there. [Feb 2019, p.27]

This is different (from his last studio album) again, the rhythms of Afrobeat now cleved to an ambitious jazziness. [Dec 2008, p.100]

These are good songs, but they're so boldly signposted, you can see them miles away. [May 2011, p.85]

Orfeo's spare soundscape can sometimes seem a bit frugal, but Hield proves a versatile frontwoman. [Aug 2012, p.73]

Champ sees TPC breathing deeper and taking a wider view. [Aug 2010, p.102]

It's pleasing to come across a record that not only sounds old-fashioned, but whose author seems like a man of principle. [Nov 2007, p.108]

And though it sometimes plays safe, Hard Candy could be her most unpretentious and consistently enjoyable pop record since Like A Virgin.

The band are now reactivated for their seventh, and pick up pretty much where they left off, the strum and twang now augmented by strings, but with the same determinedly old-school indie happysad heart. [Jul 2009, p.81]

There have been worse ideas, it's true. All round, though, it feels like a man with a gun in his back, being forced to be upbeat. [Sep 2009, p.79]

On the likes of "Said And Done" Frahm conjures up a mood of melancholic introspection that makes this accomplished, genuinely pretty set a serious (if rather less extravagant) rival to Gonzales and Andrew WK's recent piano excursions. [Feb 2010, p.84]

Not easy listening, but a reminder that to evolve, we must first emerge from the slime. [Apr 2010, p.91]

If this is indeed, as rumoured, LCD's final bout, it finds them a little heavy and tired, but occasionally deceptively light on their feet. [Jun 2010, p.82]

Admittedly they hit a few soaring peaks, but none that haven't already been conquered. [Nov 2017, p.39]

For the most part it works, the innate simplicity of the originals lending itself to makeovers, although country purists are advised to steer clear. [Oct 2013, p.77]

A set of atmospheric trance-like improvs that touches only tangentially on conventional song structures. [Mar 2017, p.32]

The mourning is palpable, but only on a few tracks is it tuned into art. [Jun 2016, p.71]

Despite the epic pretensions of the 16-miniute finale, "Tao Of The Dead Part Two,", sadly, this sort of tribute to rock's historical hinterlands yields fewer surprises each time. [May 2011, p.77]

There’s a suitably euphoric rush to tracks such as “Sun Come Up” and “Golden Hour” as McAlmont’s vocals soar gloriously over Dickson’s layered synths, the banging dance rhythms and surging choruses evoking Ibiza rather than California, Faithless rather than The Beach Boys. [Aug 2024, p.35]

Jean plays a mean guitar and the trademark rockabilly romps of "fate" and "trouble", or heavier numbers such as "Godmother", are perfectly fine. ... The wild, carnivalesque cover of Enya's "orinico Flow" - a novelty but a thoroughly enjoyable one. [Jun 2023, p.31]

The funk-noir backing means that Dulli is able to purr lyrics about "sexy ladies", debilitating cocaine habits and your standard-issue emotionally violent love affairs without sounding as trite as he perhaps should. [Mar 2006, p.104]

It must be said, [Rip This] lost some of the garage band magic that made [the debut] so memorable. [Dec 2014, p.71]

The over-shiny, repetitive beats and the carefree, happy-skippy persona soon palls. [Apr 2007, p.120]

Wreckorder;s main virtues--decent songs, solidly played--are also its downfall, and you end up wondering why Healy bothered taking a vacation only to stay at home. [Nov 2010, p.90]

Old Money is rather more sharply honed--indeed, only the lack of vocals distinguishes this from a Mars Volta record. [Feb 2009, p.93]

The BFB have constructed thier new LP around the theme of "being nice to people," although their lyrics drip with irony and thier musical tone is gruff. [May 2009, p.79]

Make the most of these subtly funked-up arrangements with their horns and clarinets and bebop percussion. [Jun 2003, p.104]

As usual, Lewis' rocking material doesn't compare to his softer fare, but the likes of "pirates Declare War" and "Klutter" plot a fun that's infectious. [May 2010, p.85]

[An] unapologetic throwback to straight-assed songs about guns, girls and drugs. [May 2003, p.109]

An erratic mix of mundane, London-centric Skinnerisms and out-of-focus political ire. [Sep 2005, p.100]

Swirling and malevolent, "I&I" and "Beneath The Concrete" are compelling enough, but wading through so much posturing becomes a slog. [Jun 2016, p.76]

Five years on, New Orleans' Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones return with nine rather more conventionally structured songs than the nebulous, shapeshifting drones of their debut, Orange Language. [May 2011, p.79]

The best tracks put a unique stamp on these improbable hybrids. [Sep 2012, p.75]

Magic Time ultimately reveals itself to be the sort of strangely mixed bag that will be all too familiar to those who've hung on with patient, fervent belief through the '90s and beyond. [Jun 2005, p.114]

A record that feels massive without tipping into bombast. [Nov 2006, p.106]

A more stripped=down approach. [May 2021, p.28]

Fidelity's default setting of mid-tempo, mid-'80s rock isn't remotely revolutionary, but there's no mistaking the power and passion driving it. [Nov 2010, p.93]

Baez's worn voice retains its majesty, and also the sanctimony that has set so many teeth on edge over the years. [Oct 2008, p.81]

His debut as a solo artist is no grand break from past form, while confirming that age shall not wither him. [Feb 2009, p.101]

The Enemy's trademark enormity--not to mention their rampant tunefulness--lifts this out of the ladrock morass. [Jul 2009, p.86]

Intricately layering a wide array of sounds, from piano to field recordings, over seven dreamlike pieces, the duo's third album is at times pacific (in every sense), at others deeply unsettling, especially when they run tapes backwards over the end of the 11-minute "Daydreaming So Early". [Dec 2009, p. 108]

Although Autechre;a futristic manifesto has remnianed largely static for tow decades, the xylophone massacre of "O=0" and trippy space-carnival collage "d-sho qub" provide welcome glimmers of pleasure and humour during an otherwise rigorously intellectual labraroery experiment. [Apr 2010, p.81]

On the first LP, the 60-piece Brussels Philharmonic adds top-heavy accompaniment to his melodic playing. .... On the second LP, however, the 11-member Umbria Jazz Orchestra sounds simultaneously nimbler and heavier. [May 2024, p.32]

Sassy power ballads such as "Before I Sleep," "Sweet Love Of Mine" and "Not Good Enough" sit somewhat uneasily between Celine Dion and Stevie Nivcks. Yet as the album progresses, there's just enough to retain the interest of former fans. [Aug 2015, p.83]

It's exuberant dorkiness, as well as fluidity of playing, that makes !!! stand out. [Jul 2004, p.106]

Not even tight productions from Eminem and Dre can stop things from flagging midway. [May 2005, p.95]

Some fascinating music but... you suspect Parish's talents are best utilised as a collaborator. [Oct 2005, p.111]

A moody and restrained affair. [Oct 2005, p.108]

All the elements are there, but somehow 5:55 doesn't gel as it should. [Oct 2006, p.124]

Stack with drivetime anthems such as "Big Giirl Little Girl" and "Bring Night". Less overbearing is the feelgood disco of "The Fight" and "Clap Your Hands," which may finally make Sia a household name. [Jul 2010, p.120]

They could do with adding a bit of mystery to their armoury--there's a clarity and earnestness to some of Wolves Of Want that can underwhelm--but the group come with a clutch of great songs that would sit nicely on a long-awaited third volume of Modern Method's compilation series A Wicked Good Time! [Apr 2016, p.69]

While sticking well within their comfort zone, electro-pop veterans Vince Clarke and Andy Bell sound a little more restrained and reflective than usual on their 17th studio album. [Jun 2017, p.28]

Beginners is sweet and sorrowful with a writerly eye. [Sep 2020, p.31]

Warpaint does, however, fall somewhat short of the triumphant comeback The Black Crowes set their 10-gallons at.

While this album is furnished by post-rock's brittle, metallic sound, Prewitt's songs are full of chamber pop's gilded warmth.... A fine, if overlong, album. [Jul 2002, p.118]

The narcotic haze of early singles is missed, but their knack with a loping pop hook is still ever-present and thier euphoric harmonies find new perches in "Back Where We Started" and "Twit Twoo." [Aug 2009, p.109]

The best bits of Whoosh! blend lofty sentiments with earthier delights. ... The album would benefit from the 13 tracks being trimmed to single figures. [Sep 2020, p.28]

Ryan Sambol, with his nasal drawl and ready harmonica, is perhaps rather too into Dylan for comfort, but the title track is dispatched with skronky brio, and "The Unsent Letter" is a heartfelt piano ballad all cracked with emotion. [Apr 2010, p.100]

Like all luxury goods, there is a hint of the predictable. [Jun 2012, p.83]

Shiver sometimes feels like a glitchcore sound collage, where ambient passages are ruptured by harsh beats and clamorous noise. [Nov 2020, p.31]

There are too many sleepy stretches and not enough memorable songs between these handsome bookends, as a talented young band dredges the past in search of an identity. [Jul 2013, p.81]

Revolverlution is part-skewed retrospective and part-flawed experiment. [Jan 2003, p.126]

The demos for Be Here Now don't reveal much in the way of nuance or additional texture. You have to dig deep to find genuine curios. [Nov 2016, p.51]

Booming Back To You is palatable enough. [Apr 2008, p.93]

It's no drastic reinvention, but the PRS cheques keep on coming. [May 2018, p.37]

Opener "Satellite 15" might hint at something dark and abrasive, but they're soon back on track, rattling through robust, enjoyable nonsense like the multi-part epic "When The Wild Wind Blows." [Nov 2010, p.93]

He always wants to explore idiosyncratic digital terrains: admirable but, as his 24th LP shows, not always convincing. [May 2015, p.80]

Despite the 28-year gap since they first disbanded, this lineup resumes as if it were only yesterday, in a joyously abrasive, renegade reggae style with lyrics that don't mess about. [Dec 2009, p. 113]

Although at times it's a little too knowingly shambolic, the band nail the mood on "Peace Of Mind", while the outstanding Stonesy number "Anyway I Find You" finds a great bridge between their two styles. [Mar 2023, p.32]

Occasionally a little too meandering. [Oct 2019, p.26]

Booth's increasingly Morrissey-esque voice has a richer and more expressive timbre these days, even if the band's loose, liquid melodies sometimes lack focus. [Oct 2010, p.97]

Delrey loves rock'n'roll, but fuses it with drum machines, vintage synths and mischief. [Jan 2012, p. 84]

The likes of the title track and "Sleep On The Floor" are pleasingly Ryan Adams/Gaslight Anthem-ish; elsewhere, as on "Gun Song" and "Angela" it all gets a bit Mumford & Sons. [May 2016, p.76]

Cherry's still youthful voice and angsty lyrics feel somewhat disconnected from these dubby rumbles and dirges. [Mar 2014, p.73]