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]

A masterpiece in any time zone. [Dec 2023, p.26]

A riveting debut packed with ideas and invention. [Jul 2003, p.126]

Ranging from explosive Afro-funk workouts by Petelo Vicka et Son Nzazi and Les Bantous de la Capitale to more psych-influenced stunners by Abeti et Les Redoutables and Zaiko Langa Langa, these rediscoveries are thrilling enough for Congo Funk! to deserve a place next to African Scream Contest among Analog Africa’s most indispensable collections. [May 2024, p.53]

A Dolby Atmos mix deepens the sound of the album and a steven Wilson makeover of a legendary 1975 live bootleg from Los Angeles is another welcome inclusion. [Review of the Year 2025, p.40]

Age seems to have deepened his poetic faculties, these rootsy narratives scarred by experience, but all the richer for it. Crowell's best since The Houston Kid. [Apr 2017, p.26]

It’s the work of a focused artist who is consistently attempting to stretch out the parameters of their own ever-expanding sonic world. ... Yet another late-career highlight. [Oct 2022, p.22]

The Pylon Box is filled with moments that are equally exhilarating; evidently, what was feasible for Pylon was extraordinary by anyone else’s measure.

For the fourth album in a row, they've moved the goalposts, challenging themselves to apply their whooping idiosyncrasies to a new aesthetic framework. [Mar 2014, p.70]

Striking successor to 2021 breakthrough Pohorylle. .... Her phrasing is exquisite throughout. [Oct 2023, p.26]

One of the most adrenalising albums you'll hear this year. [Sep 2002, p.110]

This is the most approachable and therefore unexpected Osees album for some years. [Sep 2023, p.32]

McMurtry's flair for the cinematic shines brighter than ever. [Apr 2015, p.78]

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]

A sun-dappled, idiosyncratic delight, flooded with warmth and vitality, yet weighted by an undefinable sadness. [Aug 2003, p.108]

Telescoping the timeline and illustrating The Beatles' progress with new selections, delivering in an impressionistic, nouvelle vague rush. [Review of the Year 2025, p.103]

Like any new city, this album may take some getting used to--there's beauty everywhere, but the streets are far from a neat grid. But as you walk them, Holter's genius as a sonic town planner reveals itself. [Sep 2013, p.96]

A record which transcends any scene's fleeting credibility. [Oct 2003, p.122]

Sometimes the honesty gets close to discomfiting, but it's always compelling. [Mar 2018, p.47]

It's an extraordinary set. [Feb 2014, p.92]

As with all of Le Bon's projects, the claustrophobic, wonderfully awkward whole is very much her own. [Mar 2022, p.31]

Yes, it's largely tuneless, the guitars and drums about as co-ordinated as a set of blindfolded square dancers, but the sisters' naive approach yields endless wonder. [Nov 2016, p.52]

The gravity of his subject matter finds a contrast in Swift's playful musical settings. [Dec 2018, p.33]

A startling, inspirational comeback. [Dec 2012, p.68]

In a recording career that stretches back more than four decades, Ry Cooder has never before made an album as immediate as Election Special.

Every song here has its merits; there isn't a dud among them. [Oct 2019, p.40]

Inspired song choices further deepen the spell in a beguiling instant classic from a masterful soul stylist. [May 2013, p.78]

A strange, rich and global journey in sound--lasting just 37 minutes, Bon Voyage begs to be put on again, each listen revealing more of the myriad ideas that make up its weird majesty. [Jul 2018, p.22]