A focus on electric violin adds a mildly jarring echo of Curved Air to the Canadians' seventh, but the apocalyptic "Austerity Blues" and wistful "Rains Thru The Roof At Thee Grande Ballroom" encompass their extremes of post-rock paranoia and Popol Vuh transcendence. [Mar 2014, p.83]

A deft patchwork of stories and impressions largely drawn from first-hand experience. [Aug 2015, p.72]

Saicobab whip up a sonic maelstrom that's every bit as intense as the shock tactics of Boredoms' early noise recordings or the polyrhythmic psychedelia tat followed. [Dec 2017, p.30]

Through its grooves she invites the listener inside her world without the glow of a screen, a much needed respite from Zoom. [Dec 2020, p.27]

In the end, it comes down to little moments of bliss, and those seven or eight words. "I don't know how I made it" Scott sings, as Taylor Goldsmith essays an angelic harmony. "but I made it". As a funeral march, it's a humdinger. [Apr 2025, p.22]

She alternates between fighting the current and giving in. That approach, coupled with vocals balancing despair and determination, lends "The Smoke", with its cathedral synths, and especially "Division", with its narcotised krautrock drumbeat, an unsettling energy that's both treacherous and cathartic. [Mar 2026, p.29]

It sounds timeless, and oddly familiar. But subsequent listens add intrigue. [Feb 2014, p.70]

At two hours, it could use pruning, but Belomancie has a visionary quality. [May 2014, p.80]

Through it all runs an ingrained psychedelic streak which is organic rather than synthetic, James and co tripping out on the glory of a sunset, a beach at dawn, a mile-high mountain view. [Jun 2015, p.68]

The album's palette feels broad, with electronics switching from twinkling and melodic to antagonistic industrial clangs. [Apr 2017, p.40]

Country Sleep will never get a party swinging, but if you're in the mood to have your heart ripped out, it does the job beautifully. [Mar 2013, p.75]

Guitars still sound like they were recorded in an igloo, while the singer's Dylan obsession only really pays off on woozy waltz 'Red Moon,' assisted by Matt Barrick's skeletal drum accompaniment. [Nov 2008, p.128]

The combo of an unadventurous set-list and cutting between several different shows makes Under Great White Northern Lights an oddly detached experience. [Jun 2010, p.111]

It fuses disparate cultures with such joyous irreverence that, for 40 inspirational minutes, entire notions of national borders and racial divides cease to exist. [Apr 2011, p.77]

Containing only nine lithe and varied songs, Multi-Love is anything but a whimsical indulgence. [Jun 2015, p.79]

VanGaalen's clear talent as a producer and arranger still shines through in even the less spectacular moments. [Oct 2017, p.40]

Sounds alarmingly authentic to boot. [Nov 2008, p.102]

It's a delicate, individual record, from the same neighbourhood as Paul Weller's recent excursions in rustic soul, but instead of Weller's creosotey vocals, the emotion is carried in a Minnie Riperton trill.

The Broken Wave, her debut album, is refreshing folk-pop bursting with beautiful melodies and a production carefully designed to emphasise her memorably pristine vocals. [Feb 2011, p.95]

Like Maja Ratkje, Jenny Hval and Bjork, Hukkelberg adds another to her already impressive catalogue. [Mar 2012, p.87]

The Glasgow guitarist's follow-up is more singular, placing Hubbert's spidery flamenco-influenced instrumentals alongside some less compelling vocal outings. [Oct 2013, p.70]

Best yet and then some from an artist whose vision continues to expand with every release. [Oct 2014, p.68]

The Haze is a good go at [spontaneity and sense of fun], maintaining the propulsion while tying songs to sharp pop hooks. [Apr 2017, p.37]

Metz, whose fusion of sludgy guitar tone, boiled-down hardcore attitude and smartly sardonic lyricism, if not quite outright throwback, certainly has the quality of a studious tribute. [Oct 2017, p.32]

All up, an(nother) apparently effortless hitting if the sweet spot. [Oct 2019, p.27]

Things Happen That Way isn’t an exemplar of his style, nor (clearly) is it a late-career blooming, but it is a richly resonant farewell from a maverick veteran. [Oct 2022, p.32]

The music is spectacular, of course. But if you want to know how the deal really went down, you'll still have to go under the counter. [Jun 2023, p.48]

The result is an album that bursts with life and invention. [Apr 2011, p.89]