Over the course of an album even dogs will find the whistle register wearing, but taken individually these are sublime cocktails of post-geographical orientalism. [Apr 2012, p.79]

It all adds up to an album that is as satisfying as it is unexpected. [May 2012, p.79]

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 gradual brightening of "Living" feels like some form of private epiphany; "Streetlights And Stars" and "Friend Zone" take on a pale cinematic grandeur. The latter proves Shires' playfulness is still intact. [Nov 2025, p.32]

It's terrific, lively fun--soulful, even--as long as nobody tries to tell you there's something radical about it. [Sep 2004, p.101]

Spewing more words per inch than an IRS vault, the effect is like primal scream therapy set to incidental music. [Oct 2002, p.101]

This promising debut proves they're proficient at penning ragged Buzzcocks-ish pop... but also exposes the limitations of [Masters]. [Feb 2005, p.79]

For Mnestic Pressure, his first for Hyperdub, Gamble again draws on themes of memory and perception to inform his shapeshifting arrangements, which curdle and collapse with familiar irregularity but don't necessarily build on past achievements. [Oct 2017, p.28]

No Tourists positively benefits from its echoes of past glories. [Dec 2018, p.30]

An essential half-term report. [Nov 2005, p.94]

The likes of “Casting A Spell” and “You May Leave But This Will Bring You Back” reassure that Burnett’s formidable facility for waspish wordplay remains intact. [Oct 2022, p.26]

Untamed talent still. [Jun 2020, p.37]

River is deeply embedded in a historical continuum. [Jun 2015, p.71]

old Friends... flows as a set piece but there are standouts. [Feb 2022, p.25]

The music adds majesty to the industrial primitivism which purports to be the output of the fictional band, Memorial Device, with Pastel ensuring period veracity by revisiting cassettes of his teenage jams. [Jul 2024, p.38]

More intimate but still privy to occasional bursts of discordant, unsettling energy. Several tracks are exceptionally brief. [May 2023, p.38]

While there are moments when you pine for Pete Shelley’s distinctive whine, subtle wordplay and clever vocal melodies – for variety’s sake but also straightforward nostalgia – Steve Diggle is clearly committed to maintaining the Buzzcocks’ story and pushing forward into the band’s 50th year. [Feb 2026, p.32]

Playland is pretty much "The Messenger Part 2." [Nov 2014, p.77]

Their terrific Wilco-esque third album, the emphasis is on storytelling. [Nov 2012, p.73]

His fourth album features no immediate bangers in the vein of "As It Was" or "Watermelon Sugar", but Styles does take some interesting risks. [May 2026, p.37]

The belated follow-up is a massive upgrade. [May 2017, p.26]

Much of Agora recalls his 2001 breakthrough album Endless Summer: long, processed guitar drones engendering an atmosphere of extreme, if rather familiar, calm. [Apr 2019, p.29]

There will doubtless be more varied shades on future records, but for now, this pensive debut gives notice of a fine new talent. [Apr 2012, p.80]

[Producer] Wally Gagel, who helmed the 2013 EP "Fade Away" and now California Nights, gets it right, cranking up the reverb and multiplying Cosentino's vocals to achieve the Spector-esque wall of sound the duo has been aiming for. [Jun 2015, p.71]

Woodland concepts aside, the band are most arresting when knocking out groove-locked rhythms with bursts of spluttering electronics. [Oct 2021, p.33]

He combines a fondness for Lou Reed-style New York street theater with anti-folk and '80s out-of-tune jangle to scintillating effect. [Aug 2013, p.76]

An album of well-crafted discreet songs. [Oct 2015, p.76]

Lynne is at his best as the world's greatest Beatles tribute act. [Dec 2019, p.26]