Moth's incessantly hiccuping polysyllabic pop lacks soul and sticking power. [Feb 2016, p.73]

The vibe is darkly grandiose. [Feb 2016, p.83]

A lovely understated album. [Feb 2016, p.75]

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]

The Belfast trio revel in producing the sort of catchy, fuzzy pop exemplified by the hooky "Ordinary Daze" and "Down Dog," although they can also work in more expansive territory, like "I Won't Let Go." There's wit too. [Feb 2016, p.79]

Basar is marred by a couple of misguided forays into coffee-table trip-hop, but when Africaine 808 aim for the dancefloor, they usually hit the spot. [Feb 2016, p.71]

Not only a welcome "return to form" but sounds like a career pinnacle. [Feb 2015, p.82]

What the Jets might have lost in terms of their early quirkiness, they make up for in melody and emotional heft. [Feb 2016, p.78]

It isn't easy to pigeonhole, but it could just be one of the albums of the year. [Feb 2016, p.84]

The result: Meiburg's finest album to date. [Feb 2016, p.80]

They have at times found themselves mired in over-fussy arrangements, but here recapture something of the crisp economy of their breakout 2007 LP ...Are The Dark Horse. [Feb 2016, p.73]

It's a filthy, fun blend of stripped-back rock'n'roll, punctuated by zombie seventh chords, rasped blues vocals and an Old World punkish intensity. [Feb 2016, p.75]

Despite the familiarity, Infinite Summer has a heart, and could probably melt permafrost with a single playing. [Nov 2016, p.79]

He's been in this territory before, covering the Bunnyman's Crocodiles (2001), but never with such verve. [Dec 2015, p.79]

Tan remains aloof and introspective, still murmuring about lonely walks and cigarettes, but now there's a swagger and verve to his production. [Jan 2016, p.75]

It's perhaps the best introduction yet to the sometimes-confusing world of Sun Ra. [Feb 2016, p.94]

Overall, it's rather slight and inevitably rough around the edges.... But there's still considerable entertainment to be had from Segall's urgent renditions of "Cat Black: and "Buick Mackane" while his take on "The Slider" and "20 Century Boy" are magnificent reboots. [Feb 2016, p.94]

Not as violent as Hexadic but no less unsettling, this is a strange and fascinating album from an artist who continues to evolve. [Feb 2016, p.80]

Alternating between acoustic ballads and full-on roots rockers could have created a disjointed feel, but it works splendidly with the salty, blue-collar honesty of his dustbowl voice providing an emotional cohesion on vivid, affecting songs such as "Heart's Too Heavy" and the warmly nostalgic "American Flags In Black & White." [Feb 2016, p.78]

The record as a whole is an energetic, infectious romp through trap, Auto-Tune, West Coast soul and warm balladry. [Feb 2016, p.78]

His voice remains an effortless marvel, largely wasted on this slick but trite material. [Feb 2016, p.75]

This 3CD/5LP set ably performs the mixed blessing of making you feel that you are there, and annoyed that you weren't. [Feb 2016, p.74]

On his third LP he sounds closer to Smog's Bill Callahan, his forlorn baritone suffused with a world-weariness that suggests a singer twice his age and experience. [Feb 2016, p.77]

This one finds him plugging in and creating a doleful jangle that often feels like a bedsit Velvet Underground fronted by Lawrence or Ray Davies. [Feb 2016, p.73]

A set of songs that inscribe their intensities and their romantic visions directly on the listener's heart. [Feb 2016, p.76]

For every textured, tasteful track that evokes Tortoise's mid-'90s peak as a prime exemplar of US indie's brainiest strain, two deviate wildly. [Feb 2016, p.83]

Intense. [Feb 2016, p.78]

A finely crafted exercise in country-folk classicism: strong songs, given room to breathe, delivered with intense economy. [Feb 2015, p.78]

Emotional Mugger is as funky as it is twisted--a heavy rock record that truly groves in a way that heavy rock rarely does any more. [Feb 2016, p.85]

Santigold never flags in her campaign to capture the dwindling attention spans of modern pop fans. [Feb 2016, p.79]

Self-serious and low on humour, Suede sometimes mistake bigness for greatness, but they still generate enough lusty passion to set pulses racing and hearts aflame. [Feb 2016, p.83]

It's comforting and surprising, full of trad sounds electrified by the off-kilter vision of an artist whose recognition as one of Americana's finest voices is long overdue. [Feb 2016, p.67]

Their debut has a raucous charm that makes it easy to overlook their songs' emotional punch. [Feb 2016, p.77]

Hymns sounds refreshed. [Feb 2016, p.73]

It all takes a bit of getting use to.... [M:FANS} is yet another fascinating maverick move. [Feb 2016, p.70]

10 taut, white-knuckle songs. [Feb 2016, p.72]

Davis tends toward the archly self-conscious, and at times her music sounds oddly dated, but there is promise here. [Feb 2016, p.73]

Conor O'Brien's luminous, emotionally resonant songs suit the warmth and intimacy of a live setting. [Feb 2016, p.84]

Their latest leans Southern Gothic, in songs about death, drink and doing the hard thing. [Oct 2015, p.78]

If the songwriting at times falls into cliche, the performances--passionate, eloquent, spilling over with regal harmonies--are anything but. [Jul 2015, p.72]

A different male duetting partner graces each track, with outstanding contributions from Jackson Browne and Willie Nelson among others. Yet all take a back seat tot he preternatural clarity of Collins' own soprano voice. [Nov 2015, p.73]

This highly agreeable live set assembles some of the choicest bits, harnessing prog, slinky space-funk and vivacious free-form jamming. [Jan 2016, p.73]

Caroline's 2CD sampler of her moonlighting efforts features charming interludes from past lives. [Nov 2015, p.96]

On I Abused Animals, Leigh works with stretched song forms--the result is remarkable. [Jan 2016, p.77]

Ultimately the notion lingers that Wax Stag's gentle fantasy is more Bedford than Balaeric. [Apr 2015, p.84]

[A] sonically rich debut. [May 2015, p.77]

Happily, the overarching bleakness is sugared by Wells' brisk, sometimes cinematic instrumentation. [Jun 2015, p.84]

More straightforward.... Lovely. [Oct 2015, p.76]

Nadia Reid's impeccable debut will maybe set a wider orbit in motion. [Dec 2015, p.77]

Futures is just as lovely as his admirers could have hoped. [Jan 2016, p.73]

It's Wells' unorthodox vision that presides. [Jan 2016, p.81]

Safe to say Wild Winter is no Mariah-styled bauble-fest, but it's all the better for it. [Jan 2016, p.80]

Chorus shows that they are more than worthy of re-examination. [Jan 2016, p.91]

Substantial tranches of the Matrix Tapes have already appeared elsewhere. [Jan 2016, p.89]

Their defining touchstones remain intact. [Jan 2016, p.81]

As noise records go, it's a thing of relative restraint, and enjoyable in its own way. [Jan 2016, p.81]

It is a fitting tribute and resounding success. [Jan 2016, p.81]

Modern Dancing suggests they're just as smitten with Pavement's affably skronky early works as they are with any '80s touchtones. [Jan 2016, p.81]

Road-toned chops and anticipation of desert homecoming combine to evince a mighty set. [Jan 2016, p.81]

They never outstay their welcome or settle into anything as complacent as a groove, leaving nothing behind but a sugary residue and a feeling of faint violation. [Jan 2016, p.80]

A stylistic and conceptual vacuum. [Jan 2016, p.78]

With so many other similar vehicles available, there's not much reason to choose this one. [Jan 2016, p.78]

Brimming with visceral rock'n'soul that channels the spirit of The Replacements, The E Street Band and Alabama Shakes, and mixes them into an irresistibly tasty gumbo. [Jan 2016, p.77]

The record to funk up your festive period. [Jan 2016, p.77]

You can sense the deceptively complex Art Angels will only continue to yield further depths with time. [Jan 2016, p.76]

Now the songs are sharper and prettier. [Jan 2016, p.75]

Shuffle and skip for best results. [Jan 2016, p.71]

Mixed, but mostly positive results. [Jan 2016, p.73]

It privileges technique and texture over hooks, but as a pitch to be the next Danger Mouse, Aquaria is not a bad one. [Jan 2016, p.73]

A much more orthodox, plaid-shirted affair that draws heavily from the early '70s. [Jan 2016, p.73]

A satisfying, if not earth-shattering, experiment. [Jan 2016, p.73]

Coming so soon after Depression Cherry, it would be easy to dismiss Thank Your Lucky Stars as a mere postscript, but, if anything, it's the more impressive of the pair. [Jan 2016, p.72]

Silver Liner utilises a much more effective palette [than The Reckoning]. It's certainly brighter and looser. [Jan 2016, p.72]

Few More Days To Go is a strong statement of intent in its own right. [Jan 2016, p.76]

We Are Nots is an impressive, if punishing, introduction. [Jan 2016, p.78]

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

Not pretty, necessarily, but pretty good. [Jan 2016, p.75]

What are we left with? A handful of wonderful "new" songs, some interesting also-rans and alternative choices, and the sobering realisation an entirely different double album from The River: a work not quite of equal quality, but still of a remarkable standard. [Jan 2016, p.86]

It's a mixed bag in the best, revelatory sense. [Jan 2016, p.91]

A welcome comeback. [Jan 2016, p.73]

The results can be stirring. [Jan 2015, p.74]

Right On! casts its own seductively austere shadow. [Jan 2016, p.77]

Purple is a formidable show of power and resilience, the band--with the help of produce Dave Fridmann--achieving its most consistently thrilling fusion of metal, southern rock and the edgier end of '90s alt.rock. [Jan 2016, p.72]

Kannon will leave other neophytes feeling awed by the complexity and physicality achieved here. [Jan 2016, p.70]

After the crunchy riffs of The Next day, Blackstar has a more nuanced approach. [Jan 2016, p.67]

A pleasantly bitchy book gives all Ork acts their due, a raft of rare tracks completing the picture. Prix offcuts are essential listening for Big Star fetishists.

Loaded: Reloaded stands as a lavish sequel. [Nov 2015, p.92]

Songs are largely centered on shrill, surfy guitar and all of then are built to be absorbed, affixed to undulating rhythms that ebb and flow before they eventually slip into a groove. [Dec 2015, p.78]

There's a clear confidence in their third album. [Dec 2015, p.74]

The result is vast and apocalyptic. [Dec 2015, p.81]

Disappointingly, there's a lack of biting vocal interaction between the half-sisters, nothing ti match the delectable harmonies that graced the McGarrigles or less feted Roches. [Dec 2015, p.81]

AmERICa finds Wreckless Eric reborn in the USA, his home since 2011. Curmudgeonly, maybe, but a sly joy pervades. [Dec 2015, p.81]

Their latest dismantles the genre boundaries often used to pen them in. [Dec 2015, p.79]

At times, it's redolent in scope of Paul Weller's 21 Dreams. [Dec 2015, p.78]

As ever, the single 44-minute track sis immersive; those coming to The Necks for a transcendent mindfulness session, however, may find it distinctly unnerving in places. [Dec 2015, p.75]

Joining the fun are pals such as Ethan Miller, Stephen Malkmus and Cass McCombs, who add to the sense of chaos, but do not diminish the cohesion that make these diverse jams so stupidly, thrillingly rewarding. [Dec 2015, p.79]

Ultimately dissolves into a beautifully arranged and slightly sickly morass of curdled pop tropes, out of which spurt a bodacious riff or glossy rave arpeggio. Oddly no-one does this better. [Dec 2015, p.76]

While the orchestral flourishes on "Beloved Wife" and "River" are nice enough, it's when Merchant pares back the arrangements on "Wonder" and "Carnival" and focuses on her voice (which has become deeper and grainier with age) that these songs really soar. [Dec 2015, p.75]