The problem here is Beans himself, whose verbosity too often resembles a limerick writer who tries to cram, as many syllables into the last line as he possibly can. [Mar 2011, p.83]

Highlights include the waltzing "About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All" and a breathless canter through the Broken Social Scene stylings of "Post-War Blues." [Jan 2012, p.93]

The Warlocks return with an album that intensifies their drifts into darker and experimental territory while also tipping a nod to some of their US inspirations. [Jan 2014, p.79]

The Luyas concentrate on sounding endearing rather than epic. [Mar 2011, p.94]

Their accomplished bluegrass, folk and country hybrid expresses the heartache familiar to fans of Will Oldham and Damien Rice. [Nov 2009, p.94]

It is difficult, however, to detect any Latin influence upon what is another collection of lilting, lulling Joni Mitchell Pastiches pitched largely between winsome and the twee. [Aug 2017, p.37]

The deep, pulled-back grooves of Critical Equation reveal the harnessed intensity of the songs and performances so deliberately that their myriad pleasures and embedded hooks will sneak up on you. [Jun 2018, p.27]

As daunting as its title suggests. [Jul 2006, p.114]

The themes are invariably dark but there's always a groove. [May 2013, p.67]

A 10-track masterclass in spectral, psychedelicised pop, it's awash with great tunes and soaring arrangements. [Nov 2006, p.117]

If only all music was this fun. [Nov 2008, p.102]

Here they continue their mission with bashes at Wilco, Pink Floyd, and a straight-but-great take on Yes' 'Long Distance Runaround.' [Dec 2008, p.81]

Tosta Mista fades like a film score and then hit you with a bang on "Clap." [Feb 2012, p.89]

It's one for the lonesome and broken-hearted, a great excuse to shut out the world and have a good cry. [Mar 2020, p.35]

Halo's assertive pieces, with Oliver Coates on cello, heighten the experience. [Jun 2020, p.29]

The LP's sonic cocoon bursts apart with the horn blasts and slashing guitar of the Lennon-like rocker "Easy To Love," rescuing the record from suffocating in whimsy. [Jan 2022, p.22]

The best tracks revisit some older collaborations: "Hildebrandlied" is an acid house belter while Belgian techno producer Fabrice Lig hits the synth-pop jackpot with the Pet Shop Boy-ish "Cinema". [May 2025, p.31]

They can do dreamy folk, they can also violently attack their guitars, but best of all is the opening track, 'So Messed Up,' a Neil Young-inspired ballad where the guitars rumble and flicker oiver Ryan Sawyer's Keith Moon-style perpetual drum solo. [May 2008, p.111]

Here, the Southern rock template of Modern Blues is embellished with loops and 1970s soul stylings. The mood is up. [Oct 2017, p.40]

He appears, so far as it's possible to tell, a competent ukulelist, and his parched baritone remains effective--but this doesn't to understate matters wildly, seems quite the best use of his skills. [Jul 2011, p.96]

Persson shows she is still a dab hand at melodic indie-pop, as she tackles floundering relationships, failing memories and new horizons. [Mar 2014, p.82]

While they could use a second tune, this has bags of vitality and personality. [Sep 2009, p.84]

By the end of the album, you crave some drama, what you're left with is actually pretty serene. [Apr 2015, p.69]

Though occasionally betraying signs of metal fatigue, mostly Hidden City is vibrant fun. [Mar 2016, p.72]

It's dark, powerful and groovy, but some more variety wouldn't go amiss. [July 2008, p.90]

The new line up and improved prodution give songs more space, but haven't hindered the jaunty, lo-fi, eclectic iindie that made "Moonbeams" such a treat. [Sep 2009, p.101]

Intrepid, but rarely satisfying. [Sep 2012, p.81]

This certainly feels like a rebirth. [Nov 2015, p.79]