This four-CD box demonstrates Bedhead to be a band incapable of missteps. [Jan 2015, p.86]

Dripping with raw emotion, Tim Wheeler's solo debut is a moving memorial to his father George. [Jan 2015, p.79]

It's all very polite and reserved. [Jan 2015, p.79]

Rhythm is even more thrilling than the latter's recent Nikki Nack. [Jan 2015, p.78]

Those who like a little light and humour in their rock--or, indeed, an acknowledgement of the last 25 years of popular music--may find themselves unmoved. [Jan 2015, p.78]

Highlights dim somewhat, though, with the earnest and/or bombastic originals on the album's second half. [Jan 2015, p.78]

The crystalline sweetness of Jones' voice belies the dark melancholy that underpins songs such as "Sad Kid" and "Nobody Dies." [Jan 2015, p.78]

The Inevitable End is a bittersweet triumph. [Jan 2015, p.76]

Kykeon combines that knowledge [of Greek folk music] with freewheeling homeland psych. [Jan 2015, p.76]

Here he takes four songs from each album and adds a trio of covers to demonstrate their strengths, recasting them as campfire acoustic ditties. This allows some of their lyrical directness to shine through. [Jan 2015, p.76]

It is impressive on a technical level. [Jan 2015, p.76]

A first half of pop-punk nuggets.... The second half, though, is more reflective and psychedelic although still in thrall to Big Star and Teenage Fanclub. [Jan 2015, p.75]

It's less derivative than some current house revivalists, and perfect wallpaper for independent coffee shops, but you can't really get down to such studiousness. [Jan 2015, p.74]

Whether flirting with doo wop, mixing psych and a cappella gospel or channeling John Cage via TV On The Radio it charms at every turn. [Jan 2015, p.74]

Sea Island feels comfortable, perhaps a little overly so, though there are plenty of lovely moments. [Jan 2015, p.74]

Tame Impala/Pond and Unknown Mortal Orchestra are kindred spirits, but it's KG's hyperactive tendencies that distinguish them. [Jan 2015, p.74]

Much here feels underdeveloped. [Jan 2015, p.71]

Depending on your mood or generosity, these are either indulgently doleful or movingly ascetic in their dutiful repetitions--worth investigating either way. [Jan 2015, p.71]

An elegant, sculpted electronica that's cerebral of construction but robust enough to beat a dance floor into life. [Jan 2015, p.69]

Monuments To An Elegy constitutes an unexpected return to form. [Jan 2015, p.66]

Parallel Memories is, in places, almost too minimal.... But Mitchell's softness of touch leads to some moving moments. [Jan 2015, p.75]

Even at 25 years remove, Doolittle's lively morsels still taste startling fresh. [Jan 2015, p.89]

Not so much a last will and testament. More a case of business as usual, for as long as he still can.

There's a certain wonky charm to the title track, but elsewhere Creation is too clean and clearly aimed at a Radio 2 demographic to be much more than background noise. [Jul 2014, p.78]

An album of unexpected depth and originality. [Oct 2014, p.68]

This album is heavy because it's dense with detail. [Jan 2015, p.63]

In terms of unreleased material, the motherlode is the two-disc Live at The Matrix set, recorded on November 26 and 27, 1968 at the San Francisco venue. Of the 18 songs here, 10 are previously unreleased.... All are comprehensively bested by the 36-minute version of "Sister Ray." [Jan 2015, p.81]

Band Leader David Moore's piano lines are more definable, tinkling through the serene textures in a way that recalls Hans-Joachim Roedelius. [Nov 2014, p.71]

This electronica-centred return focuses on the power of love. [Oct 2014, p.74]

Palme finds Arnalds staking a strong claim to territory as uniquely precious as Dory Previn's. [Oct 2014, p.67]

While at times her guitar rages filthily. She branched out lyrically too. [Oct 2014, p.79]

As bootlegs from the period have shown, there's a good three hours of stuff out there from these and the so-called "Brown Star Sessions" for Clear Spot. On the fourth disc here, you can find the pick of it. [Dec 2014, p.85]

This set is a good primer for Cooder’s soundtrack work.

A bold take on martial oldie "We Want War" brings a fire and brimstone that the more sombre Field Of reeds material conspicuously lacks. [Dec 2014, p.81]

For Godard, it bridged punk and his Tony Bennett phase, with the band sporting knock-off Fred Perrys at the height of goth gloom-mongering. [Nov 2014, p.75]

The intent is admirable even if too many of the songs feel flimsy and pedestrian. [Dec 2014, p.81]

While the calibre of artists lining up to pay tribute to Macca on this two-disc set is undeniably impressive, there's little in the way of surprises when it comes to execution. [Dec 2014, p.83]

First Demo captures the band's first flush of creativity. [Dec 2014, p.91]

It ends up being a more nuanced guide to the Thompsons' flawed but just-about functioning dynamic, divorces, remarriages and all. [Dec 2014, p.82]

It doesn't always comes off, but there are plenty of inspiring moments. [Dec 2014, p.81]

The faster Avonmore goes, the better it sounds. [Dec 2014, p.70]

It can be hard to spot any difference, so instead bathe om the spare beauty of "Ode To The Morning Sky," the scrumptious "Womb Of Time" or the wise, glowering "Weird Woman." [Nov 2014, p.83]

Tunde Adebimpe's gorgeous voice guarantees quasi-spiritual uplift even in their more obvious moments, but there are a couple of wild cards. [Dec 2014, p.81]

There is unlikely to be a more distinctive album released this year, simply because so few artists would dare put out anything so gleefully deranged. [Dec 2014, p.74]

Only the most devoted Apple Scruff could truly love Extra Texture, or its two immediate predecessors, now. Wonderwall Music, however, documents an innocent optimism that will always be worth a listen.

Striped of the visual element, what remains here is sparkling Nordic synth-pop, uplifting and accessible, but increasingly conventional. [Dec 2014, p.77]

Aside from the pleasantly Britpoppy "50,000 Kilowatts" and "Drown All The Witches," This is fast, fun, and full of piss and vinegar than one might expect from such seasoned campaigners. [Dec 2014, p.71]

This reissue eschews context and explanation to let their catalogue stand as its won defiant rock monolith, And as it should. [Dec 2014, p.93]

Incrementally, Yorke's resilient gifts come into focus. [Dec 2014, p.83]

A substantive whomp on the butt to typical Nashville superficialities. [Dec 2014, p.83]

Skip the sanctimonious turns by vegan singer-songwriters and there's enough here to make it worthwhile. [Dec 2014, p.83]

The quality varies but certainly hits the mark here and there. [Dec 2014, p.81]

Things get increasingly glum and disenchanted as the album grinds towards the cop-out of "The Troubles." [Dec 2014, p.81]

Fragmented and diffuse, Wyatt's second official album is occasionally guilty of being merely decorative. [Dec 2014, p.81]

No One Is Lost does what Stars do: uplifting songs with catchy hooks and gorgeous arrangements. [Dec 2014, p.80]

At 32 minutes, the album doesn't hang about, but offers in that time Shellac's signature intensity and repetition. [Dec 2014, p.80]

More often Big Music reanimates the band's founding spirit of adventure. [Dec 2014, p.80]

We find their extreme metal interspersed with more reflective moments. [Dec 2014, p.80]

Night Surfer is a swashbuckling set of blasted guitars and rootsy grooves. [Dec 2014, p.80]

It's all a little too eagerly oddball at times, but generally avoids the trapdoor marked Novelty. [Dec 2014, p.78]

Surprises are reassuringly thin on the ground here, but the quality of Ubovich's psych-tinged ramalams, mostly delivered at Ramones speed, is high. [Dec 2014, p.77]

Bainsbridge's achievement is to take a style of music defined by its emotional directness and render it mysterious, aloof and enthralling. [Dec 2014, p.77]

The real leap here, though, is one of songwriting. [Dec 2014, p.77]

While there are a few too many round-the-campfire gloom-fests on I Forget Where Were, there are also displays of real musical background. [Dec 2014, p.77]

Not everything works as well, but its entertaining enough and a portion of proceeds go to charity. [Dec 2014, p.76]

This terrific mini-album signals the arrival of an unlikely new set-up. [Dec 2014, p.76]

Baxter's brilliance is varied. [Dec 2014, p.75]

Co-producers Don Was and Jacknife Lee bring an Orbisonian scale to Melody Road, surrounding him with ornate yet tasteful arrangements worked up by LA's top session cats. [Dec 2014, p.75]

A typically frantic burst of speed metal/punk, but underpinned with plenty of hooks and changes of pace to maintain interest. [Dec 2014, p.75]

A triumphant, ridiculous mess. [Dec 2014, p.73]

Recorded live: there's a twisting, doomy intensity to these 10 instrumentals. [Dec 2014, p.73]

Whenever his scorched Bill Callahan drawl appears, the effect is at once jarring and intoxicating. [Dec 2014, p.72]

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

Ultimately the Barrs sound like themselves. [Dec 2014, p.71]

It's a stunning showcase of his emotional, slippery, psychologically fraught production style. [Dec 2014, p.71]

Lost On The River is an album of good, sometimes excellent songs with a unique creation story which, in the end, adds little substance to the narrative of perhaps the most mythologised recordings in musical history. As footnotes go, however, it's an entertaining, energised and often fascinating one. [Dec 2014, p.64]

[Alex G] already shows a masterful handling of mischievous lyrics and beautiful melodies. [Dec 2014, p.69]

That it far surpasses its cut-up, protracted origins, and might even be the best thing the Floyd have released for over 30 years, is a welcome surprise. [Dec 2014, p.68]

The pair have come up with a finely crafted album that blurs the line between shoegaze, indie pop and goth-rock, and is as assured as it is atmospheric. [Dec 2014, p.69]

Like 2011's Tao Of The Dead, IX is a big thing, which sometimes rings rather hollow. [Dec 2014, p.71]

The duo seems to be pursuing a more focused vision than they do in the rambunctious, eclectic Men. [Dec 2014, p.75]

It's a muscular, Butch-Vig-produced behemoth that impresses. [Dec 2014, p.77]

A slightly sunnier and more melodic LP. [Dec 2014, p.77]

Rhubarb Rhubarb is scuzzy but smart, surging between primitive playfulness and something more malevolent. [Dec 2014, p.83]

The choral refrain of the title hook, meanwhile, imposes collectivity on the query--just about the only time on the whole of Storytone that the horizon stretches further than Neil's emotional backyard. [Dec 2014, p.79]

Doyle shines as a singer and lyricist. [Dec 2014, p.78]

There isn't another band who make creativity sound so intensely joyous. [Dec 2014, p.75]

A confident, more expansive--emotionally and musically--annexe to his impressive, soul-baring debut. [Dec 2014, p.75]

Mering's atmospheric second album is a masterclass in spooked melancholia, clothing her cool Nico-esque vibrato in spine-shivering folk-noir arrangements. [Nov 2014, p.84]

What their debut lacks in innovation it makes up for with emotional eloquence. [Nov 2014, p.76]

It's compelling from start to finish; if OW's main is simply "to slay," then mission accomplished. [Nov 2014, p.81]

Beneath the gliding surface lies Browne the politico, quietly raging at the legacy of imperialism and warning of impending eco disaster. The music occasionally matches such animated sentiment. [Nov 2014, p.71]

She sounds like a woman liberated, employing the services of Al Green's band, the Hi Rhythm Section, and cheerfully ratcheting up the soul textures hinted at on her 2010 debut, Obadiah. [Nov 2014, p.75]

As reassuringly familiar as it all sounds, the high point comes courtesy of an interloper, John Cooper Clarke shoehorning suitably rant-like poetry into the six-minute garage groove of "Let You Down." [Oct 2014, p.73]

Marianne's back on her feet theses days, fully recovered, and while reminding us that love is pain, doesn't entirely neglect the funny bone. [Oct 2014, p.70]

Phantom Radio feels like a real upping of the game. [Nov 2014, p.70]

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

The sound is low-slung, lugubrious Americana. [Jun 2014, p.76]