It's a bittersweet study of fate and circumstance that resonates long after it's over. [Apr 2016, p.70]

A set which is at times whimsical, and frequently dark--sometimes managing to combine these sensations. [Apr 2017, p.39]

Great stuff. More please. [May 2021, p.27]

The music is tight and telepathic. [Nov 2011, p.90]

It is his most beguiling release yet. [May 2010, p.85]

This is the album Lynne should've made after I Am.... [Nov 2003, p.120]

In just over 35 minutes, the Bonnie Prince's mastery of form, blend of gentle awe and trembling sweetness are distilled to their essence. [Album of the Month, Feb 2003, p.74]

A sinewy mix of punk, dub, soul, good tunes and classic guy-rock. [Mar 2004, p.87]

The sharpest, most imaginative and downright listenable album of Blur's career to date.... A grown-up alt.rock album of breathtaking potency and invention. [Album of the Month, June 2003, p.90]

This third album is even better, his voice smoother, more assured, and the tunes equally as confident. [Nov 2010, p.92]

While the recitation by guest Moor Mother lends form and force to “Our Mother’s Lights” and Fujita’s saxophonist father adds Jan Garbarek-like lines to three other tracks, the album is otherwise distinguished by the music’s shimmering beauty and other sounds that glide overhead like the birds evoked by the title. [Sep 2024, p.33]

Adopting Franz Ferdinand's arty edginess and the raw energy of the Pistols, Art Brut tilt at everything from the ephemeral nature of popular culture to erectile dysfunction. [Jun 2005, p.100]

The Grinderman hat seems to have tilted the basic Bad Seeds stance brilliantly on its side, bringing out a new humour and a grumpy-old-rocker gravitas. [Apr 2007, p.102]

Mountains' skillful manipulation of texture and space creates a sound that stealthily envelopes you like an Appalachian fog. [mar 2009, p.92]

Generous of spirit and cutting-edge sound, Hopelessness is a statement for our times, and one that will not be easy to dismiss. [Jun 2016, p.63]

It's a record that begs for repeat listens. [Oct 2020, p.36]

The overall mixture of anger and longing, fierceness and calm, is breathtaking. [Nov 2014, p.68]

A mini-masterpiece. [Jun 2012, p.82]

It's a typical cyclical riff and chant but, unlike other Tuareg bands, driven by full drums. Elsewhere, the quieter "Achaka Achail Aynaian Daghchilan" comes complete with subtle blues flourishes. [Nov 2013, p.79]

This is a melancholic album, but a determined, thoughtful one. [Mar 2015, p.80]

Sounding emphatically Icelandic on every note, sister act Ásthildur and Jófrídur Ákadöttir coo gorgeously flinty, frosty, intertwined harmonies over stark, piano-led chamber-folk arrangements. [Sep 2016, p.78]

Wasteland retains a wilful catchiness. [Dec 2018, p.33]

As is usually the case with archival material of this kind, nothing here is any improvement on the finished product. These tracks are, however, humbling reminders that what we end up hearing as astonishing lightning-in-a-bottle transcendence is very often the result of repetitive, labour-intensive hackwork. [Aug 2024, p.46]

He’s on top form for the slow-burning, “Wish You Were Here”-ish title track and the wonderfully dreamy “Sings”. .... A hidden gem is the bonus track “Yes, I Have Ghosts”, a harp-led Celtic waltz that’s as affecting as anything in Gilmour’s canon. [Oct 2024, p.34]

Lower fused dream-pop, experimental hip-hop, indie sludge and illbient, with texture and production effects crucial. ... Best are the wonky blues-hop of "Pompeii Statues" and "Hope For The Night Time", which suggests the raspy-voiced Booker joining a lo-fi Mercury Rev on Spacebomb. [Feb 2025, p.33]

Poet Joshua Idehen adds desperate, apocalyptic testimony to the opening of "All That Matters Is The Moments," while "The Lifeforce Part I" and "II" gradually dial up the intensity, Hutchings blowing with dervish energy as drums and synth lock into a spiraling groove. [Jan 2020, p.25]

Richly textured music. [Apr 2020, p.35]

The mood of Expert In A Dying Field is yearning and reflective, as Stokes picks over the bones of relationships on mournful janglers like “Your Side”, punky rocker “Silence Is Golden”, the shimmering “Best Left” and terrific closer “2am”. [Oct 2022, p.25]

Singing exclusively in Turkish, it's hard to judge her message, but her voice is a gloriously expressive instrument full of mystery. [Nov 2018, p.23]

Ayewa always makes ambitious albums, but Jazz Codes feels like her richest yet, her Lemonade, her To Pimp A Butterfly. [Sep 2022, p.28]

The use of reverberant instruments such as marima, bells and steel drums--as well as, on "Stick To My Side," the ethreal vocals of Noah 'Panda Beear" Lennox--give a real depth to his ambitious productions, and yet despite the elemental yearning, they retain a clubby toughness. Breth-taking stuff. [Mar 2010, p.90]

As strong as this record is, there's a way to go to make good on the promise of its title. [Nov 2005, p.92]

A compelling new chapter in their long history. [Jun 2020, p.39]

It's a record of passion and richness, with a hoard of memorable songs, that demands to be treated the equal of its inspirations. [Sep 2003, p.102]

The result is typically elegant and--perhaps surprisingly, given the circumstances--uplifting work about the affairs of the heart. [Mar 2016, p.80]

Visiter suggesting both a rhythm-centric Shins and a more hard-bitten Feelies. [Aug 2008, p.90]

The production is beautifully OTT, with everything stretched and digital, zeroes and ones working binary overtime to warp some of Herrema and Hagerty's greatest anthems into robotic rock mantras. [Feb 2013, p.94]

Aching pop-soul bathed in nostalgic warmth of another era. ... Yet Atkins is also possessed of a singular, torchy voice that floods these songs with genuine fervour. [Aug 2017, p.25]

He's gone full pastoral, the birdsong and countryside imagery matching the dreamy, sunny major-sevenths. [Sep 2017, p.30]

A beautifully languid collaboration with three members of his Lighthouse band. [Dec 2018, p.23]

Like much of Kent's work, the mood is melancholy and the focus is on her intricate production. There's plenty to admire in Kent's elegant phrasing, her cello longing and mournful. [Feb 2019, p.27]

As a back-to-the-roots album which at the same time packs a vital contemporary relevance, Mira does everything you could ask and more. [Mar 2019, p.28]

Though they're all pushing 40, Hot Chip have seldom sounded as youthful and carefree as they do on seventh studio album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. [Jul 2019, p.29]

Bryant spins vocal somersaults over a deliciously slow-burning, spartan accompaniment, while several Memphis veterans add some Allman-style rock wigouts. [Jun 2020, p.27]

There’s always a risk with these kinds of collaborations – too many cooks, watering down the essence – but that’s largely avoided on Where’s The One?, thanks to the openness and playful spirit of the music. [Jun 2022, p.25]

All necessarily mood but never morose. [May 2023, p.32]

There’s avintage, spooked quality to the dreamlike “Woke Up And No Feet” and “What Doesn’t Work What Does” as she layers and edits her vocals, filling in gaps with piano and guitar, to create ahighly alluring portrait. [Jun 2024, p.30]

The opening, “Sky Hooks” is beguiling, too, while “Hooked Paw” amps up the dub and woozy quotients to unique effect. [Sep 2024, p.39]

The Mirror is, in many ways, peek Meek - a batch of candid and deceptively affable country/folk-leaning songs that occasionally kick up dust and whose lyrics are an unfussily poetic pleasure. [Mar 2026, p.32]

When it's glorious, it really is glorious. [Jul 2018, p.18]

You'll be hard pushed to find a more adventurously self-assured debut this year. [Mar 2021, p.27]

If I'm New Here was a triumph for Russell and Scott-Heron, We're New Here reveals a maverick production talent in Jamie Smith that his band's records have only hinted at. [Mar 2011, p.95]

The Boy Named if is a thunderous, furious reconnection with the more splenetic chapters of his catalogue - though if there's a difference between this and Blood 7 chocolate or This Year's Model, it's that Costello here sounds like he's thoroughly enjoying himself. [Mar 2022, p.26]

The further [Darnielle] drifts from his lo-fi allegiances and into lush studio environments, the more autobiography intersects with the dramatic storytelling which has always been the Californian's forte. [Jun 2005, p.98]

Uber-angsty but hugely exciting. [Jun 2016, p.74]

Songcraft conventions - choruses, recurring riffs - are daringly absent. On repeat listens, though, the meandering strands - from the dreamy acoustica of "Two Horses" and choral harmonies on "Mary" to the Philip Glass-like horns of "Nancy Takes The Night" - begin to stick, aided by frequently arresting lyrics. [Apr 2025, p.28]

An album bursting with adventure and originality. [Jul 2014, p.83]

Burke... intuitively transforms a bunch of country tunes into gospel rave-ups and secular hymns. [Nov 2006, p.101]

That Jarak Qaribak manages to combine that respect - for the songs, the singers and their various cultures - with a free-flowing, light sense of exploration that feels joyfully current, is its triumph. [Jul 2023, p.31]

Confirms Lewis's now crucial role in their pummelling yet emotional propulsion. [May 2026, p.33]

Noisy but thoughtful, and frenzied but melodic. [Feb 2018, p.32]

The Smile take Radiohead’s privileges seriously, rewarding our attention with music that demands and – crucially – holds it. No frills, no distractions. A little like Radiohead, then; but there’s nothing wrong with that. [Feb 2024, p.29]

The result is the most accessible Scott Walker album since Tilt, perhaps even longer. [Nov 2014, p.74]

Royal Headache's second album oscillates between slightly unconvincing punk throwback and much more effective complex numbers. [Oct 2015, p.81]

You can choose to interact with this theme [an alien visiting Earth] or let it drift to the background, instead sinking into ¡Ay!'s gently shifting moods of innocence, curiosity and delight. [Nov 2022, p.28]

Martin’s work as The Bug has always dealt in heaviness, but Machine is particularly inspiring for its lethality, its intensity. [Dec 2024, p.32]

There's an inherent creepiness in his frequently audacious work that makes it hard to connect with on an emotional level. [Jul 2018, p.33]

Multidimensional. ... This rotating playlist of styles and sincerity will rankle with some--it's very earnest about addiction, love and our internet selves--but rather that than banal conformity. [Feb 2019, p.23]

It's an invitation to peer into the hidden spaces of an extraordinary modern songwriter, where calm and quiet moments prompt superlative work. [Nov 2018, p.32]

Appealing collection of African folk songs played on curiously tuned guitars and percussion fashioned from farm implements by a trio of survivors from Rwanda's ruinous genocide. [Dec 2019, p.27]

It's a deeply ambitious debut offering. Musically, it ducks and weaves like the shape-shifters that populate its world. [Feb 2021, p.30]

A sumptuous feast. [Sep 2023, p.24]

Thurston Moore’s ninth solo album might begin with a weirdly angular nursery rhyme set to sparse plucked strings but he’s soon bending his guitar into all sorts of freaky shapes on an album that stands among his best solo works. [Oct 2024, p.37]

Beautifully curated collection. .... It's rare for familiar work to be re-contextualised in such a way that you hear it with new ears. But that's exactly what happens here. [Oct 2025, p.48]

One of its overarching joys is its relative directness, very much a conscious deciaion on the group's part. This is Deerhoof we're talking about, though - they still play it like they're hurtling towards collapse at breakneck speed, before pulling everything together with a fantastic flourish. [May 2023, p.28]

The lovely songs have such a languid unity of purpose. [May 2016, p.75]

Another Szunny delight. [Oct 2018, p.34]

For the most part, though, this is the Manics as you'd want them to be--thrilling, bombastic and sometimes ridiculous, but still raging. [Aug 2014, p.75]

It's their angriest, jitteriest and most aggressive album since their early-90s heyday, and on "Reagan Youth" and "All For You" Superchunk sound like a hardcore band half their age. [Mar 2018, p.32]

The Sleaford Mods we hear on Spare Ribs sound more comfortable in their own skin, relaxed enough to explore their eccentricities. A tart, sometimes topical edge remains. [Feb 2021, p.35]

The big swings taken here serve them just as well as the coiled intensity of their first releases. [Jun 2021, p.27]

It does feel [like] a somewhat softer collection than its predecessor. [Feb 2012, p.84]

Slick and seductive. [Nov 2014, p.78]

These are thoroughly modern songs--and very much Harding's own. [Jun 2017, p.30]

The 11 original compositions here are full of warm compassion and ripe wisdom. [Sep 2020, p.27]

With their abundance of charm and good cheer, the performances ensure the patchier numbers still satisfy. More genuinely impressive are "You Get The Feeling" and "Hell On Earth", corkers that demonstrate the creative chemistry that was there since moment one. [Mar 2026, p.37]

It's evolution not revolution, putting its author's sound deeper into her own context. [Aug 2020, p.32]

The whole is a total joy, a triumphant demonstration if the virtues of the music celebrated in the rollicking "It Came From The South." [Sep 2018, p.29]

Transience might just be his late-career peak--a deliciously sour, sarky and occasionally moving study of modern life and his place in it. [Jun 2019, p.37]

Finger-poppin' fantastic. [Jul 2023, p.36]

The irresistible “It’s Mine Now” cheats tragedy by taking ownership; “Siren Song” finds its folkloric sea legs after flailing; “Grand Final” grabs the moment with jubilant pop panache. [Oct 2024, p.40]

A bewitching album. [Mar 2025, p.31]

Plenty of musicians have subsequently tried to channel that weirdness. Rose, though, always seemed to explore ancient territory with vigour and good humour on his records - and Luck In The Valley, his last, is one of the best.

If you lost touch with Cowboy Junkies some time ago, perhaps taking their unhurried grandeur for granted, All That Reckoning presents a brave, beautiful and timely opportunity to pick up the thread. [Sep 2018, p.24]

Though occasionally guilty of easy-listening tastefulness, the Haikus rarely sound less than gorgeous. [Oct 2021, p.28]

There is something about this music that is warming, aqueous, immersive and endlessly engaging. [Mar 2024, p.18]

It is short--just over 30 minutes--but it feels sprightly and substantial. [Oct 2015, p.84]

Opener "diaphanous" appropriately shimmers, its murmured refrain like a private pep talk as the song builds around it. [Sep 2020, p.31]