Her repetitive riff in the early section teeters on the ponderous, and some of the electronic production is mere promotional muzak--but there are stunning passages here. [Apr 2013, p.65]

Some tracks feel throwaway, but goodtime vibes prevail. [Apr 2009, p.80]

The band's one weakness lies in the voice of Orkney folk obsessive Erland Cooper, a thin, plain instrument that fails to engage. But the unpredictable, symphonic arrangements of "Emmeline" and the title track make exciting connections between ancient and modern with a dark nonchalance, [Apr 2011, p.80]

A rich saturnine, baroque-pop set full of romantic drama. Strings, piano and keyboard combine with muti-textured guitar in songs that, though engaging, tend toward the florid. [Feb 2024, p.30]

Curdled cuts of lover's R&B are oddly beguiling, but best are the dancier cuts like "Warlord," a blissful excursion in strobing percussion and luxurious, frothy synths. [May 2011, p.88]

Ness' songs tackle his experiences with hard, unforgiving honesty. [Feb 2011, p.99]

Mondanile doesn't always have the songs to pull off the silver jacket. "Wearing A Mask" hints at band beefs past, much as "In The Hallway" does to the Real Estate mode, but these and the intricate guitar licks of "Mannequin" are the only moments where Ducktails make their fusion spark. [Nov 2017, p.26]

Hardly the most disciplined or versatile singer, Shaver gets over on the strength of his writing. [Aug 2012, p.79]

It only really comes alive with an alternate version of "Take Ecstasy With Me," which reminds us that original Magnetic Fields singer Susan Anway is still his definitive interpreter, the Ella to his Cole. [Sep 2011, p.91]

[Perry] rambles--incomprehensibly, as ever--over various trippy soundscapes from Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann. [Sep 2012, p.82]

A flawed but fascinating follow-up. [Feb 2007, p.85]

The resultant music is quite compelling. [Oct 2010, p.101]

Producer Hal Wilner again helms this follow-up but the chemistry proves more fitful. [Apr 2011, p.80]

They produce strong enough tunes to make their act more than just a celebration of kitsch. [May 2011, p.88]

The band remains essentially the same. ... Back then it was exhilarating. Now it's also a little exhausting. [Aug 2017, p.26]

Fine fully fledged songs share space with fragmentary 'interludes,' creepy half-songs, found sounds and noodlings. It could be irritatingly incomplete , but there's much to recommend it. [Mar 2010, p.107]

Moroder's first album in 30 years consists largely of generic pop-dance. [Jul 2015, p.80]

Several songs that aim for Springsteenian grandeur but land nearer to John Mellencamp before he dropped the Cougar. Thankfully, Goldsmith's level of craft elsewhere means there's still plenty here to savour. [Nov 2020, p.29]

None of these fall too far from the ZZ Top tree, defined by crashing riffs and a raunchy sense of humour. [Nov 2018, p.29]

Tracks here borrow from the likes of Breach and Disclosure, and, as on "Buffalo," can be weedily underpowered where they once impressively unhinged. [Sep 2014, p.69]

Musically, it can get a little one-note but there are some terrific moments. [Nov 2020, p.37]

The songs often seem over-anxious to build to show-stopping choruses. [Nov 2005, p.94]

Slight and derivative, but stylish when it works. [Dec 2017, p.29]

It's a sound that devotees of 'Crazy Horse' or 'My Morning Jacket' will find conspicuously pleasing, but fans of Band of Horses might just be disappointed. [Dec 2007, p.84]

This fifth album gets progressively less fuzztoned and more overtly tuneful as it progresses. [Mar 2008, p.85]

These Aesop-style animal-themed fables combine elegantly quirky orchestral chamber-pop arrangements with barbed and knotted lyrics. [Feb 2012, p.84]

This is a less than ideal introduction to the oeuvre of the usually intriguing 'Dolls. [July 2008, p.93]

There's brio and craft behind the cosmetic nostalgia. [July 2008, p.100]