The charms of this deceptively nifty record slowly revealed with each spin. [Feb 2010, p.107]

Their profoundly boring ninth album resembles sketches toward another unnecessary Stone Roses comeback. [May 2016, p.71]

The problem comes when you delve beneath the sonic experimentation and listen to Marela's whimpering lyrics--a litany of drippy, desperate neediness. [Sep 2015, p.77]

True, every song here is virtually identical, but at least it's a great song. [Apr 2008, p.94]

Forever so takes in spectral balladry, rousing stompathons and incursions into jazz and olde English madrigals, to consistently bewitching effect. [Jun 2012, p.74]

The result is a record that's primarily dedicated to beauty but with an engagingly playful spirit. [Sep 2012, p.83]

Guests like Emiliana Torrini and Shinehead help make this that rarity: an electronic album with personality. [Dec 2002, p.133]

Everything's The Rush plays it safer, eschewing the Cocteaus-esque material and dance-pop for a more route-one, stadium approach, hoofing it up to the big chorus. [July 2008, p.93]

It's seductive enough, but rather short on bravery. [Aug 2013, p.72]

It's the thump and clatter of a 1950s backbeat filtered through the boogie of 1970s glam-rock. [May 2015, p.71]

The musical themes are narrow and somewhat repetitive but Kubrick duly delivers on atmosphere. [Jan 2016, p.80]

It's not pretty but it's pretty effective, with tracks like "Radiant Mountain Road," "Volume Peaks" and the frantic "Babel" quickly finding a groove and then flogging it to an entertaining death. [Jun 2016, p.69]

There are Goat-like moments, but "Serenity" and "Meditasjonen" interrupt the party to introduce a more studied and austere note to proceedings. [Jan 2018, p.21]

The best songs here are the instrumentals. As a songwriter he relies on too many cliches, remains fiercely devoted to a stiff ABAB rhyme scheme and offers too few insights into his underworld characters. [Oct 2019, p.36]

This swift reimagining of the Protean Threat tapes launches into greater psychedelic flights. [Jan 2021, p.31]

The constant is Wilson’s fiery vocal, still powerfully passionate well into her seventies. [May 2022, p.36]

They're back to tacky autopilot, forcing Sean C and LV to save face with two rousing contributions. [Apr 2010, p.84]

Like the five LPs preceding it, Last Light is dominated by autumnal mood pieces--but it rocks harder, making for a pleasing contrast with Pond's poignant lyrics and vocals.

Their fourth album, self-produced and recorded in Berlin, finds the smart hooks and spiky lyrics all present and correct. [Apr 2014, p.69]

His leftfield takes on protest soul have been ditched in favour of pick'n'mix revivalism and banal inspirational platitudes. [May 2014, p.67]

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

The debut album by this French five-piece sends an icy wind cutting through their shoegaze haze. [May 2013, p.78]

Madly ambitious and deeply heartfelt, it's a grand folly in the great tradition of British rock. [Nov 2006, p.96]

Their best, boldest, most unashamedly poptastic album yet. [Dec 2018, p.28]

Lemmy's chief inspiration is war, and this leads to some lyrically sticky moments. Generally, though, high spirits prevail. [Nov 2008, p.109]

It might skirt the edges of twee but the follow-up to 2010's Die Stadt Muzikanten darkens and deepens as it unfolds. [Mar 2013, p.79]

Moments of menacingly forlorn Velvet Undergound-meets-Hank Williams beauty. [Aug 2004, p.98]

Crow sounds as if she's trying too hard to show us that all she still wants to do is have some fun. [May 2002, p.91]

The collection not only shows the unexpected range of Gano's songwriting ability, but leaves you humming and wanting more. [Oct 2002, p.104]

It contains fleeting proof of a band still capable of making sparks fly. [Jan 2018, p.29]

A New Found Relaxation promises much but never fully delivers. [Aug 2020, p.33]

Even as a covers band, Madness remain one step beyond. [Aug 2005, p.90]

Honey's intentions are noble but the results are mixed. [Jun 2016, p.69]

A flawed but fascinating follow-up. [Feb 2007, p.85]

Accept the general aura of legwarmers and it's fun. [Nov 2009, p.90]

On her second LP, Gothenburg's Sumie Nagano recites her depressive, wintry haikus in a soft, pure voice over some rather samey accompaniment. [Dec 2017, p.33]

Despite the references to Oxford Circus and the Northern Line, Smith's baritone voice often strays into mid-Atlantic territory, but the highlights see him lean into English pastoralism. [Jan 2026, p.35]

Addictive pop kitsch. [Apr 2005, p.99]

Chroma strikes a largely upbeat mood, producer Dan Carey foregrounding a McGuinness vocal that's more often irksome than endearing amid the skittering rockabilly beats and lively but derivative soundscapes. [Sep 2014, p.75]

For all their poppy ambition, the highlights are probably "Chemtrails," a wicked fuzz of gospel narco-bliss, and "Sunday Morning," a smacked-up take on "Penny Lane." [Aug 2011, p.89]

Heavy Blanket should weed out the part-timers. [Aug 2012, p.73]

He delivers 14 sweetly sombre neo-folk tunes that reveal just how subtly pervasive the man's influence really is. [Mar 2005, p.108]

If nothing here is quite touched by the hand of God, then maybe it's all the more engagingly human. [Apr 2005, p.104]

Everything here roars. [May 2006, p.108]

Ultimately, the record is a tribute to McClure's charisma and unswerving self-belief.

The stroke of genius was to persuade dreamer-for-hire Kelley Polar, Richard Davis and Paul Conboy to sing on this sparkling LP, resulting in a masterclass in soft synthetic soul. [Apr 2010, p.83]

The mood is melancholy, the voice crystal clear, the folk-based songs deadly direct. [Feb 2014, p.78]

The song themselves are thoughtful, ambling between folk, country and mid-paced roots-rock. [Aug 2009, p.100]

Oddly absorbing and surprisingly cohesive. [Apr 2003, p.120]

The greatest album ZTT never released. [Oct 2003, p.134]

[The single "If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)"] is sumptuous, sad and beautiful, as is the res of the album. [Jan 2014, p.73]

Unvarnished and unpredictable, then, but in the grand Slits/Raincoats tradition, Nash is no-one's little girl. [Apr 2013, p.74]

Cleverer and more talented people--say Clive James and Pete Atkin--have tried to make such collaborations work, and failed. Folds and Hornby join the line, a faint whiff of misogyny trailing behind them. [Oct 2010, p.97]

Potter's expressive voice leads the charge, but wouldn't make half as much impact without the tight and nuanced Nocturnals punctuating each quiver and wail. [Oct 2010, p.101]

There are reasons to cheer aside from survival--cultish single "Open Fire," "Mighty Wings" and the Rush-like title track. [Jul 2015, p.73]

Often stunning, but arguably also a little too knowing and shallow. [Aug 2008, p.108]

In general, the album's too bare, reserved and repetitive to be easily loved by many. But it is brave, from a man still in motion. [Oct 2005, p.104]

With Nashville stalwart Tony Brown co-producing, she flexes both empathy and interpretive might. [Jun 2016, p.75]

The tunes are stunning, her voice has never sounded better and she makes serious points few others would dare in a pop context. [Oct 2003, p.114]

Uplifting but ultimately lightweight. [Dec 2002, p.132]

Continues their quest to reunite as many of the myriad splinters of pop music on each track as possible. [Sep 2001, p.87]

Drift captures frontman Mark perro in an unusually subdued mood. ... Drift risks seeming incoherent; no-one can say The Men ever fail to surprise, though. [Apr 2018, p.30]

Too many songs sport frumpier styles. [Nov 2018, p.34]

There's a commitment here to melody as much as left-field wrapping. [Nov 2004, p.105]

All round, it's a remarkable electronic musicanship. [Apr 2010, p.124]

The group's ambition is admirable, but they come unstuck on the over-egged samba shuffle of "Lost Winter," while even Florence Welch might consider "Mellotron" to be a bit much. [Mar 2013, p.76]

Behind the abundance of route one hooks and rather beige, Gary Barlow-esque vocals, however, there's evidence of emotional heft in the lyrics. [Aug 2014, p.70]

Jarre's own pastel-shaded musical signature sometimes gets lost in the crowd. [Nov 2015, p.77]

Their second album is a little too comfortable. [Mar 2016, p.73]

It lacks a distinctive identity. [Apr 2019, p.31]

Justin Moore’s “Here Comes My Girl” and Brothers Osborne’s “I Won’t Back Down” both sound like expensive karaoke. The best tracks take more than a few liberties with the source material. [Jul 2024, p.41]

Laurie reprises his well-intentioned but essentially unconvincing bluesman shtick. [Jun 2013, p.75]

These days her winning innocence has turned to mature craft, but she's lost none of her integrity or emotional honesty. [Dec 2002, p.129]

A wearyingly one-dimensional 45 minutes. [May 2003, p.89]

A solid if formulaic record. [Nov 2010, p.94]

Fourth album time for Turin Brakes, and practice is edging the duo closer to perfection. [Oct 2007, p.113]

It's unlikely comfort is their aim, but that's the effect oif this over-familiar blend of woozy disaffection and slow-burning sensuality. [Apr 2010, p.83]

Skyscraper is largely drab, despite Banks experimenting with beats, samples and chamber pop orchestration. [Sep 2009, p.90]

The harmonies remain pretty, but the smoothness of those Nashville sidemen exposes the thinness of the songs. [Nov 2011, p.86]

Wildflower is more satisfying, less self-consciously searching for radio-friendliness [than C'Mon C'mon]. [Nov 2005, p.100]

The four players are able to design the tracks in architectural detail, each part locking into the rest with unerring precission, and this tautness keeps the album from sagging through its most challenging stretch. [Oct 2008, p.78]

Now 29 years on, The Devil You Know can't quite muster that kind of muscle [heard in Black Sabbath's "Heaven And Hell"]. [Jul 2009, p.88]

As a musical representation of physical and mental decline, it is morbidly compelling. But in the wrong mood, it's a bit of a trudge. [Feb 2016, p.75]

Amid this poor material, the Chili Peppers still manage t deliver a handful of very very good songs. [Sep 2011, p.86]

The whole thing tingles: you're in the presence of diamond-hard greatness. [Nov 2004, p.110]

Some delectable details pop up early on, like the swirling organ that shape-shifts "Thirsty Man," but the nearly unrelieved combination of Early's tang and the Cripple Creek cadences grows wearisome by the LP's second half. [Jan 2014, p.71]

At times it's hard to see the point of such a meticulous homage to motorik.... Nevertheless, [it's] DIV's most aesthetically satisfying album. [Dec 2004, p.145]

Yes, it's true--this is a great record. [Sep 2013, p.94]

Pierson's first outing without Fred Schneider and co is produced to sound immaculately (and blandly) like 1980s American new Wave pop; enough to make "Love Shack" seem cutting edge. [Mar 2015, p.80]

His vechile of expression alternates between acoustic confessional and clapped-out pub rock, leaving Dangerfield pootling down the middle of a fairly nondescript road. [Feb 2010, p.81]

Some of it sounds like coffee-shop background fodder. [Apr 2006, p.96]

Solid rather than eventful. [Nov 2005, p.111]

Fairly generalised misogyny pervades the album, though it would be churlish not to not that tracks like "White Trash Party" or "On Fire" both display flashes of Eminem's wit. [Sep 2010, p.92]

Musically, affairs lack Manson's customary anthemic poise, but tracks like "Heart-Shaped Glasses" draw on Berlin-era Bowie and Iggy's The Idiot with brooding panache. [Jul 2007, p.107]

Their equally unexpected return sees them back on full-tilt, pivot-on0a-penny form, with their own label and--judging from that title--hardened professional resolve. [Aug 2011, p.81]

On the whole, it's a little in hock to its influences, although the closing eight-minute title track is a fine exception. [Jun 2013, p.73]

The overall effect is both dark and playful. [May 2014, p.74]