None of it is in any sense inspired, and Hammond tries his hand at that Swiss-finishing-school skank once too often, but many tracks here could comfortably make it onto First Impressions of Earth.

In truth, though, there's not too much here to alarm the undergraduate population.

The lyrics cover some heavy subjects--feminism, Catholicism, corrupt Irish institutions-- so it's a pity that the hopelessly muddy production means that they might as well be singing in Icelandic. [May 2016, p.79]

Levi's eclectic debut strikes a winning balance between electro-glitch cacophony and shouty grrrl-pop. [Mar 2009, p.92]

Dark Night Of The Soul will probably be remembered more for the stunt with the blank CD-Rs than for the music intended to be burnt onto them.

On her opening 21st-century work she's still raging. [Jul 2009, p.97]

The listener is left longing for a change of texture and pace. [Sep 2015, p.81]

Metal-tinged stadium rockers like "The Machine," "Stand And Fight" and the Sabbathy "The Alchemist" still offer their strongest moments. [Dec 2020, p.27]

The Bride Screamed Murder channels the band's two-kit battery into intense percussion romps topped by burly call-and-response bellows, like a military drill conducted on strong hallucinogens. [Aug 2010, p.88]

The lo-fi production means it can all sound a bit shrill. [Dec 2011, p.88]

For all Keely's best intents though, Original Machines falls short of genuine enlightenment; simultaneously too much and not enough. [Mar 2016, p.75]

The results, while hardly ground-breaking, are moving and accomplished. [Sep 2010, p.102]

Their combination of new wave rhythms, with such conspicuous use if strings is impressive, but it falls a little short of grandeur. [Oct 2008, p.105]

Eventually Brad Hargett's depressive baritone voice will get you down, but not before it has demanded your attention. [Apr 2009, p.87]

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

This is urban-global rather than world music. [Mar 2012, p.92]

The Dead Weather is another slightly unsatisfying fling alongside The Raconteurs. [Jul 2009, p.84]

Still present is a populist edge that, while occasionally somewhat saccharine, shakes out some great choruses. [Feb 2010, p.90]

Quarters four 10-minute jams allow them instead to indulge their more experimental side. [Jul 2015, p.77]

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]

This is a very odd album. [Apr 2003, p.103]

There's not much here that departs from the blueprint Cobain establishment. Still, though, it's an undeniably exciting listen. [Aug 2015, p.80]

Fragrant but underpowered 10th LP. [Aug 2015, p.76]

It's uneven in places, but "OMW" - a twinkly 10-minute closer written with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig - is a low-key delight. [Mar 2021, p.25]

Over time, vocalist Aaron Ross stands out as the weak link, his voice merely shrill and average. [Apr 2007, p.102]

Too often, however, he's overshadowed by the phlegmatic vocals of pub rocker Roger C Reale, which means the most revelatory tracks here are the instrumentals. [May 2021, p.24]

Rumours of emotional maturity are exaggerated...but the reflective moments are best. [Dec 2007, p.98]

As his vocals wobble theatrically over synths, seasick sequencers and squelchy early-'80s sonics, Crush's component parts conspire to pack a considerable emotional punch. [Oct 2010, p.85]