There's an appealing innocence to their songs about the daily joys and troubles of tribal life, and the overall effect is as charming as it is arresting. [Jul 2024, p.41]

The album's only real flaw is a penchant for sketchy, banal lyrics that can jar with the imaginative and highly polished musical backdrop. [Oct 2012, p.71]

Overall, a triumph of assurance and tenderness. [Feb 2017, p.28]

A real joy, though it bears an inevitable sadness. [Feb 2020, p.25]

Confirming the band's Merseyside-'67 LA space-time portal, retracing familiar if melodically firm ground. [Oct 2023, p.26]

A second LP that builds on the promise of their 2009 debut, Harum Scarum. [Mar 2013, p.72]

Diligent cherry-picking makes this collection a decent illustration of their left-field charm. [Dec 2023, p.44]

Poetic ruminations largely accompanied by sparse piano and string quartet ("Coming Home", "Time To Go"), with the occasional curious detour. [Jun 2025, p.39]

Just as it's a struggle to name parallels beyond Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, it's equallly difficult to imagine why anybody would want to. [Jun 2018, p.24]

The pair became friends and, on this memorable acoustic show, a great double act. [May 2012, p.83]

The late '60s and early '70s serve as the band's natural milieu. [Aug 2020, p.39]

Thrashes to the classic American assembly-line rock of Springsteen and the choppy pop of early Nick Lowe/Joe Jackson. [June 2004, p.88]

An engaging exercise in psychedelic computer music that sees him exploring a more satisfying style of production after the itchiness of 2016's Unstepping. [Oct 2018, p.26]

Fans will be relieved to know that although it pulls few lyrical punches, slam-dancing is still possible. [Nov 2004, p.119]

Producers Todd Terje and Bjorn Yttling help effect a subtle but distinct shift, without sacrificing FF's Identity. [Sep 2013, p.89]

Live with it a little and Algiers reveals itself to be a warm and compassionate affirmation of the band's deep-rooted DNA, with enough fresh twists to keep this compelling story moving forward.

This debut is an enjoyable, wittily written selection of material that, in its desire for vintage feel, manages to be instantly familiar. [Nov 2015, p.80]

There's much to like, though the groovy, Frank Ocean-adjacent "Cherry" stands out. [Apr 2026, p.34]

There's no showboating and every classically nuanced arpeggio oozes with an elegant, crystalline beauty. [Apr 2021, p.32]

His wavering voice embraces sun-kissed pop on "Always The Right Time," twilight noir on "Leaving California"--and most emotions in between. [Mar 2017, p.28]

Sherwood's production is typically stylish - clear when needed, dubbed-out and spiraling when the music demands; heavy and uplifting. [Nov 2023, p.26]

These compact compositions inevitably risk straying into noodling self-indulgence at times. But in general, inspiration trumps masturbation. [Aug 2021, p.33]

[An] impressive solo debut. Largely focused on synths, it still leans on hypnotic, motorik rhythm, if more reflective than her band. [Jun 2018, p.37]

[Graves reinvents] himself as wistful purveyor of psych dream pop. It happens to suit him. [Jun 2018, p.27]

A starting point for rich exploration of the variety of American popular music by a veteran who has previously tried most of them on for size. [Aug 2020, p.37]

Hassell's immediately recognisable trumpet-playing--a tone that's feathery, flute-like, wheezing, weathered--binds everything together. [Sep 2020, p.31]

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

As ever, the single 44-minute track sis immersive; those coming to The Necks for a transcendent mindfulness session, however, may find it distinctly unnerving in places. [Dec 2015, p.75]