Gossip have been a force of nature - in no small part down to charismatic vocalist Beth Ditto and her dancefloor-quaking voice. Real Power, the Portland trio's first album in 11 years, plays on that reputation, but tenderly. [Mar 2024, p.26]

Lee's overarching theme is loss and despair at the damage done to the natural world, but with an approach that is emphatic rather than abrasive, the anger palpable but not overbearing. [Mar 2024, p.29]

The tracks play to the strengths of Dion's guests. [Mar 2024, p.25]

While Waxahatchee has never sounded more suited for mass approval, Crutchfield has never seemed truer to herself. [Apr 2024, p.30]

Lenker collects vivid details and lets them amplify each other, until the deeply personal becomes somehow universal. [Mar 2024, p.29]

Rockmaker's rude vigour and bounty of hooks will reassure the faithful, as should the ample supply of snark from Courtney Taylor-Taylor. [Apr 2024, p.31]

A sparkling set recalling the mid-century tipping point of folk revivalism into rock. [Apr 2024, p.38]

Its themes are plainly evident in the earworm metal stomp of "Many Doors To Hell" and gothic menace of "Fingers In The Wounds", although more subdued (but equally sombre) hues inform the portentous, piano-led power ballad "Shadow Of The Gods". [Mar 2024, p.25]

This is a marvellous collection of hooky acid rock that nods to UK '80s indie as well as '70s classic rock. [Mar 2024, p.32]

A surprisingly lively and assured comeback. [Apr 2024, p.29]

He also plays an agreeably skronky, Jeff-Beck-style electric on several tracks, but it's when unplugged that Lage is at his most extraordinary. [Apr 2024, p.38]

Her piano work enviably deft, she still opts for just guitar and brass on the title track, but "paradise" offers the easy-going charms of early Diana Ross, while producer Leon Michels helps lighten the mood further on "Running", adding sax and drums. [Apr 2024, p.35]

Moody shades of The National and Tunnel Of Love-era Springsteen abound, though the whole thing never quite manages to fully convince. [Mar 2024, p.25]

Moments feel somewhat bombastic, but where Scope Neglect hits, it certainly hits. [Mar 2024, p.26]

He's one of the few guitarists around who can make a guitar solo an article of faith. [Mar 2024, p.25]

While the latter's [drummer Gavin Harrison's] rhythms can overcomplicate at times, more often they add to the edgy atmospherics and heighten the contrasting rush when broader rock strokes are applied. [Feb 2024, p.34]

Weird details stud essentially conventional songs by a band who sound energised, and in many ways The Coral's true kin. [Apr 2024, p.31]

A voyage in time and space - exploring the Amazon rainforest and transversing the African Diaspora. [Apr 2024, p.32]

William and Jim Reid remain as defiantly out of time as ever. [Mar 2024, p.29]

There's little identifiable guitar until track five, by which time anxiety and menace have taken hold thanks to the lumbering mien of "Bye Bye" and "I'm A Man"'s monstrous grind. "Shelf Warmer" lets in some air but it too is fabulously foul. [Mar 2024, p.26]

As bleakly dystopian as that sounds, the music is colourful and bursting with joyous melodies. [Mar 2024, p.26]

The mess is the whole point. It's a fascinating place to be, largely because she finds so much meaning in everyday observations and mundane ironies, in the small moments many other songwriters might overlook. [Mar 2024, p.30]

Matt Korvette is a misanthropic force of nature whether ticking off the negatives of cities from Boston to Rome ("Everywhere IS Bad") or addressing adult responsibility ("Helicopter Parent"). [Mar 2024, p.33]

It may not be fuelled by as many immediate hooks and gnarly grooves as The Overload, but it's a bold progression both musically and lyrically. [Mar 2024, p.24]

If the tunes and attitude don't grip as strongly as they did in either man's era-bending pomp, both parties still sound better for getting together. [Mar 2024, p.27]

At times Sheer Mag are miraculous pop hustlers, still pulling off the most absurd trick shots on the scuffed three yards of stained green baize. Which isn't to say that they're not above a little experiment. [Mar 2024, p.22]

The quick-take, live-in-the-room approach serves these songs well. [Feb 2024, p.30]

The south of France motorik and funk bass of "Protéïformunité" similarly reassure, before "Don't Forget You're Mine" charts choppier waters and communication breakdowns. "The Inner Smile" returns to Sadier's central quest, propelling her mantras of sexual and global reg=integration with eruptive, flute-heavy prog grooves. [Feb 2024, p.35]