Deliciously dark and yet full of an elegant lightness, this is Hersh at the top of her considerable game. [Oct 2023, p.29]

The theme of lost innocence is ideal for the sad sweetness of Conor Deasy’s voice, which has never sounded better than on 'This Year,' a rush of noise which restores the busked immediacy of their debut.

Many of the covers are of recent blues songs, such as Joe Bonamassa's "Distant Lonesome Train," Gary Moore's "The Hurt Inside" or "Evil And Here To Stay" by John Headley, but Mayall is able to locate them firmly within an older blues tradition without ever making them sound like hollow tributes. [Mar 2019, p.30]

The Golden Age is the real thing. [Feb 2008, p.72]

Losing Sleep is a great record, period. [Oct 2010, p.102]

A cameo from run The jewels is a final treat on an album full of them. [Apr 2016, p.76]

A deceptive simple, calm record, Love Letter... sounds both intuitive and direct, and any wrangling along the collaborative way is undetectable. [May 2016, p.80]

Even when the sonic mood broods on "Radical", the optimistic sentiments (quoted in the album title) reflect a creative force in rude force. [Jul 2025, p.27]

New guitarist Matthew Simms has refreshed Wire's sound. [Apr 2013, p.79]

There's a winning mix of mist and muscle on this debut. [Jul 2016, p.69]

A terrific, laidback, sleep-headed dose of minor key psychedelia, which has something of the flavour of Spiritualized at their finest. [Jul 2016, p.79]

Simply gorgeous. [Jul 2015, p.80]

Beck appears on half the tracks –his deadpan gospel is especially discernible on “Beautiful People (Stay High)” – Noel Gallagher on three songs, and an invigorating hip-hop influence is contributed by Juicy J, Lil Noid and Dan The Automator. The sum of these disparate parts is an album with that infectious quality of sounding like it was a total blast to make. [Apr 2024, p.29]

Characterised by a laid-back, full-band sound, this heartfelt music exudes the warm thrill of catching up and looking back among old friends. [Apr 2024, p.35]

The veteran New York trio draws from synth-pop, to pomp rock, yet somehow turns the wildly disparate source material into a coherent album that doubles as a tribute to their own roots in The Byrds and Big Star. [May 2010, p.99]

Jain often subverts the placid mood with playful details, like the fractalised vocals that fill "Our Touching Tongues" or the synth arpeggios that add a sprightly energy throughout. [Apr 2024, p.35]

The Mods return with fury unabated. [Apr 2023, p.36]

Gedge hasn't sounded this belligerently broken-hearted since 1987's "My Favourite Dress." [Mar 2005, p.100]

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

A joyous, uninhibited and painlessly adventurous ride. [Oct 2005, p.124]

Fu Chronicles is further proof that Antibalas is the best Afrobeat group in the West. [Mar 2020, p.23]

New collaborations from Noah & The Whale to Conor O'Brien, are worth the price of admission. [Dec 2011, p.82]

His most visceral album in years. [Jun 2021, p.28]

It's an inspired rather than gimmicky conceit. [Feb 2015, p.71]

It's halfway between Kim Wilde and truly wild, and, as such, hugely entertaining. [Oct 2010, p.97]

If the dark intensity leans close to self-parody at times, there are enough musical surprises to bring some light to Lanegan's darkness. [Jun 2020, p.33]

A cracking selection of scuzzy, fuzzy, psych-rock songs that recall Royal Trux and Sonic Youth. [Apr 2013]