The resulting jams throw up a wonderful ragbag of styles, the highlight being a tribal drum stomp called "Metal." [May 2015, p.83]

You can't help but be charmed by the sincerity of these beautifully crafted homages. [May 2015, p.81]

Foil Deer is catchy, exhilarating and smart. [May 2015, p.81]

The debut LP by Elias Bender Ronnenfelt's new project feels more daring still. [May 2015, p.77]

Some of the vocal numbers feel like cluttered indie-dance throwbacks, but they are outshone by pure electronic creations. [Apr 2015, p.80]

Generally these doomy, comatose soundscapes all sound drearily similar. [May 2015, p.78]

Even if the attitude feels snarly and confrontational, the craftsmanship speaks of deep love and high-level musicality. [May 2015, p.81]

Only those with blind faith could love everything here, but dipping in randomly produces gems. [May 2015, p.91]

No Sad Songs is close to their masterpiece, each song lovingly rendered, drenched in harmonic rainfall, corralled with sympathetic, gentle arrangements, each song poetic. [May 2015, p.76]

Disparate but cohesive. [May 2015, p.69]

Infinite House sounds like a less precious Dirty Projectors swagger toward that rare place where unashamed intellect meets accessible pop. [May 2015, p.69]

Nine luminous, clean0lined songs focus on love's myriad complexities. [May 2015, p.84]

The best cuts have staying power. [May 2015, p.80]

The result is pure pleasure as Black takes the trademark Brewis sound and ramps up the funk on groove-driven art-pop gems. [May 2015, p.81]

This appears to be a case of limited resources and/or dubious decisions undermining a potentially captivating album. [May 2015, p.76]

Another illustration of the breadth and generosity of this remarkable group's vision. [May 2015, p.72]

They pull off shifts in mood and tone with routine aplomb. [May 2015, p.83]

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

Charms abound. [May 2015, p.73]

John Darnielle shares Haines' nostalgic affection for the stars of Martial pantomime, and deploys his deadpan indie rock and trademark wordiness to fine effect. [May 2015, p.78]

Wilson's chord changes are as heart-wrenching as ever, and bathed in heavenly harmonies. [May 2015, p.84]

His debut LP married experimental electronics and alt.pop. Now, he takes a giant step closer to the latter. [May 2015, p.73]

After a promising start, the LP soon defaults to a brand of quirky, over-stimulated electropop that doesn't really do justice to Woodhead's smart, conceptual lyrics. [May 2015, p.72]

Recording in an African village with a laptop and local musicians lends a more organic feel than previous releases. [May 2015, 84]

It's odd to praise a record for lacking assurance, but her avoidance of contrived resolution feels appropriate. [May 2015, p.84]

This fourth album owes obvious debts to classical cerebral dream pop. [May 2015, p.83]

At its best, The Magic Whip thrums with ideas and possibilities. [May 2015, p.65]

A couple of bratty, clunky bursts in the vein of the self-titled first album spoil the mood slightly. [May 2015, p.72]

Boz and co get under the skin of consistently evocative songs from the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Charles, Al Green and Bobby Charles. [May 2015, p.80]

Malin would've been wise to trim the 13 songs down to 10, thus eliminating the soggy middle of this otherwise crisp platter. [Apr 2015, p.80]

It's an understated yet absorbing work, full of delicate arrangements that are elegantly swept along by Stables' gloriously tender vocals. [May 2015, p.83]

A solid set of songs. [May 2015, p.81]

If these 13 tracks recorded between 1996 and the early 2000s can't match the perfect cohesion of the parent album, the collection's calling card is its diversity. [May 2015, p.93]

The record is as intimate and low-key as an evening home with friends. [May 2015, p.84]

The resulting batch of picture-perfect recreations reveal Tuxedo as a one-trick pony, but it's a wicked clever one. [May 2015, p.83]

[The album] follows a familiar trajectory: martial climaxes and blackened ambient passages, bombast and afterburn. Rarely, though, has that trajectory been charted so effectively. [May 2015, p.82]

Freedom Tower showcases three men who grasp that great rock'n'roll can be at once rudimentary, virtuoso and preposterous. [May 2015, p.80]

A follow-up on which original members Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife seek only to reanimate the spiky, sparky spirit of '78. They mostly succeed. [May 2015, p.80]

The music is mid-paced pummel of snarling electronic bass and beats through which Liam Howlett's nutty synths occasionally sail like a haunted bumper car. [May 2015, p.78]

There's always a sense of menace, but it's surprisingly restrained. [May 2015, p.78]

This is more Wilshire Boulevard than Cyprus Avenue, trading largely in a kind of light Vegas-y swing. [May 2015, p.77]

Froot is another big, unabashed pop album astutely balanced with sufficient melancholy and restraint to stop it from all getting too Katy Perry. [May 2015, p.77]

A (rap-free) triumph. [May 2015, p.77]

[A] flat-out sensational album. [May 2015, p.77]

Escape From Evil is a record about grief, and at times hits hard. [May 2015, p.76]

[An] utterly wonderful record. [May 2015, p.76]

There are missteps--the tinny horns of "fanfare," or the mantra of "Vitriol," which is silly in the same way Kula Shaker were silly. Straighter Moments hit, though, largely thanks to drummer Greg Fox's athletic disposition and some mighty crescendos. [May 2015, p.76]

The Great Pretenders inhabits that dreamy lysergic terrain staked out by The Flaming Lips and early MGMT. [May 2015, p.77]

They're best when dialing it down a few notches. [May 2015, p.75]

Despite this gaggle of helpers, If I Kill This is a surprisingly muted affair. [May 2015, p.75]

The washed out pastel shades and electronic frills on the likes of "Doctor M" and "Cross Off" help ensure that any latent familiarity with Johnson's influences is outweighed by reverberant production reminiscent of Broadcast's spooky psychedelia. [May 2015, p.73]

This third album also boasts that customary lazy Australian twang, but allied with some fine songwriting and a deft lyrical touch. [May 2015, p.72]

A usefully pungent backstory enlivens this decent collection of head-nodders. [May 2015, p.73]

Semi Detached is stuffed with perverse gear such as acid shanty "Deep In The Mine." [May 2015, p.71]

When Sexsmith does finally pull a heartbreaker out of the bag, it's a doozy. [Apr 2015, p.83]

It could all feel a little too knowing were the songs not so exceptionally strong. [Apr 2015, p.73]

Their sixth album is their most direct and uplifting yet. [Apr 2015, p.83]

It's exasperating at first, but the rewards are there for the dedicate dreamer. [Apr 2015, p.77]

Evocative, but with plenty of open spaces. [Mar 2015, p.75]

It’s astonishing that they managed to come up with several of the most thrilling pieces of primal UK R’n’B, before going on to invent the rock opera, following one of the more creatively intriguing examples of ’60s pop’s transition from mod to psychedelia.

A highly assured debut. [Apr 2015, p.75]

Their sound has nonetheless developed in intensity and sophistication.... Beautiful. [Mar 2015, p.83]

[An] unassumingly seductive set. [Apr 2015, p.80]

Some of Wold's tracks here with a full band don't descend into pub-blues mediocrity. [Apr 2015, p.83]

Drum machines and brass add a little range to the prettily strummed ethereal balladry. [Apr 2015, p.77]

Gonzales' conceptual stunts never detract from the music's inherent prettiness. [Apr 2015, p.76]

All she lacks is a really killer song. [Apr 2015, p.72]

Rousing epics "Dull Care" and "Genuflection" are soaked in hearty man tears. [Apr 2015, p.75]

Primrose Green is disorientating, casting new light on modes you thought you knew well. [Apr 2015, p.65]

If it all seems a little too familiar, the hooks here are undeniable. [Apr 2015, p.76]

A kaleidoscopic trawl through formative memories, cascading with melody and intimate reminiscence. [Apr 2015, p.83]

It's honest and immediate, but predictable. [Apr 2015, p.73]

Courtney Barnett has managed to expand her lyrical preoccupations and musical interests outwards and upwards, while still retaining the magic of her past peak. [Apr 2015, p.68]

For all the ideas and juxtapositions that illuminate these songs, none feel jarring or tokenistic. [Apr 2015, p.79]

The result is unmistakeably LB. [Apr 2015, p.78]

Out of the pain and anger, Moorer has fashioned the finest album of her career. [Apr 2015, p.80]

Ambarchi and O'Rourke bed their extended compositions down in richer tones, with glassing electronic hums and roiling organs moving on shifting sands. [Apr 2015, p.71]

His eighth solo album will no doubt satisfy dedicated fans, but for those lulled into inattentiveness somewhere along the way, Tracker also makes an excellent case for re-engagement. [Apr 2015, p.70]

A hugely accomplished and banging debut LP. [Apr 2015, p.76]

Eskmo's sweet, pop-toned vocals add an unexpected element to his expression of the sublime, although he lets his club-floor impulse rip on "The Sun IS A Drum." [Mar 2015, p.76]

Michael Nyman's elegant, pulsing scores are evoked on "Requiem" and "Black Madonna," while "Coat Of Arms," with soft vocals and mournful oboe, moves with quiet dignity. [Apr 2015, p.72]

Its glowering landscape is reminiscent of Actress' Ghettoville, but without a similar supporting mythology Pearson Sound can feel rather cold. [Apr 2015, p.81]

This set combines recordings from a number of indie EPs, and while the ensemble always combines a bemused, tongue-in-cheek quality with a rock'n'roll fanatic's mindset, Dungeon Golds spinning out smart, graceful pop hooks and hard, Dukes-Of-Stratosphear-type psych--gazes hard at mortality. [Apr 2015, p.80]

Spaces Everywhere has arch, but craft aplenty. [Apr 2015, p.80]

Marling's fifth takes vast steps forward musically, as ever. It's more defiant and distinct than anything she's done before. [Apr 2015, p.74]

The tautly controlled power of the performances meshes with the barely harness emotion of Ban Gibbard's impeccably sculpted, tortured lyrics. [Apr 2015, p.73]

A gorgeous confection. [Mar 2015, p.77]

A heavy trip indeed. [Apr 2015, p.71]

It takes some skill to make these sentimental songs sound this effortless. [Apr 2015, p.77]

It is a more energetic, and in places darker, record than its predecessor. [Apr 2015, p.82]

It's strong but uneven. [Apr 2015, p.71]

The departure of bassist Alanna McArdle to front Welsh noiseniks Joanna Gruesome doesn't seem to have dented the band's bruised vitality and pleasing lyrical spikiness. [Apr 2015, p.75]

Far greater than the sum of it's parts, Vulnicura can be a challenge but, once immersed, it's hard to tear yourself away. [Apr 2015, p.85]

The dream-logic mixing is a strength, where folk songs from Adele Diane and Songs Of Green Pheasant tumble to the forefront, but most tracks are limp, effete and boring. [Mar 2015, p.84]

While After lacks the appealing chaos of predecessor Ripely Pin, it compensates with bright choruses that contrast with a dark, decaying lyrical scheme. [Apr 2015, p.78]

A ramshackle, frequently over-the-top barrage of familiar rock tropes appropriated in the service of an unmitigated romp. [Apr 2015, p.72]

Spedding's ever-luscious quiff a measure of his stylish, if eternally backdated MO. [Mar 2015, p.83]

By the end of the album, you crave some drama, what you're left with is actually pretty serene. [Apr 2015, p.69]