You could praise individual moments... but it's the overall weave, the daydreamy drift, that impresses. A 40-minute swoon of a record. [Jul 2004, p.112]

Aside from the odd burst of medieval flute, their fifth album is unlikely to scare the horses, striking a neat balance of darkly powerful and whimsical. [Jun 2013, p.70]

It's the gravitational pull of Williams' great jowly voice that remains the defining feature of an often vitriolic set of songs that veer between snake-hipped R'n'B and blasted soul'n'roll.

It's a world away from their introspective acoustic work... but [Producer Mitchell] Froom's airbrushed studiocraft... suits their well-crafted songs. [Apr 2007, p.105]

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

Tracks like "Reticence," "Chrome Rose," and "I Was You" don't quite live up to their off-kilter introductions, but "Exploit Me" is a magnificent mix of Krautrock drones, sluggish tom-toms and a drunken vocal pitched somewhere between Mark E Smith, Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan. [Nov 2015, p.76]

The alleged political subtext is pretty opaque, while the rich sonic mix strays into tasteful inertia in places, but the prevailing mood is eclectic and energised. [Mar 2017, p.37]

What makes Friendship different, though, are Wriggins’ striking songs, minted in the sort of conversational poetry at which Lucinda Williams excels. [Aug 2022, p.26]

It's no drastic reinvention, but the PRS cheques keep on coming. [May 2018, p.37]

Having coloured in right up to the edges in previous projects, it's a pleasure to hear Ruscha exercising restraint on "Lights Passing By" and "Gravity Waves." [Apr 2018, p.35]

If there’s something odd about an authentic Southern girl reworking a singer from Ealing who longed to emulate her American heroes, then it’s perhaps best to judge this record on its own merit. Which, as it turns out, is very high indeed.

The results go beyond folk, with flurries of orchestration and discord adding rusty grandeur to Flemmons' pained vocals. [Jun 2013, p.69]

Translated From Love utterly captures Kelly Willis' oft-wayward talent. [Oct 2007, p.115]

There's a dash of Yeah Yeah Yeahs about the opening scenes of this Brirtsh Columbia band's vivacious third album, which should have them gracing bigger indie dance-floors. [Jun 2010, p.109]

Lux works on a pragmatic and egalitarian level as more or less the ideal ambient record. [Dec 2012, p.66]

Anyone who's enjoyed a fruitful encounter with Ariel Pink's home-recorded oeuvre should also find plenty to love about John Maus. [Jul 2011, p.91]

When the adrenalin stops pumping, the reality is that labelmates The Constantines do this stuff much more effectively. [Dec 2006, p.118]

This great LP is best seen as their Desert Island Discs, a statement of things the band can't do without. [May 2009, p.79]

Together, Harvey and Parish sound confidently experimental, like two soldiers daring each other to ever more stupendous feats of history.

The disguises are so convincingly worn that which one is the "real" Joshua James matters not one whit. [Jun 2012, p.74]

A perfect summer record for those who found the last Beach House album too wintry. [Sep 2013, p.94]

A different, more elegant affair. [than 2014's Mosaic]. [Feb 2017, p.38]

An eccentric collection that only adds to his mystique. [Dec 2017, p.26]

Lofgren's voice is crackly, but plays perfectly. [May 2019, p.30]

This time the material is vivid and freakier. [Jul 2020, p.30]

The result is a deeply eclectic yet remarkably cohesive record that unfurls in pleasingly unpredictable ways. [Oct 2020, p.32]

The album come out riffing, with a packed list of guest guitarists. ... Ozzy sounds world-weary, sometimes a bit knackered. [Nov 2022, p.35]

For all its space-oddity trimmings, Feorm Falorx mostly sticks to Plaid's home planet, boldly going where they have been many times before. [Jan 2023, p.24]