Several tracks are up with their best. [Jul 2006, p.88]

The period-perfect production is a little Dukes Of Stratosphear, though as with Partridge and co, the songs are so well crafted as to avoid any sense of prissy homage. [Nov 2013, p.79]

[Hames] combines the stately emotionalism of '60s torch singers with the all-caps exuberance of a particularly sharp garage-rock band and the eloquent twang of late-period Replacements. [Apr 2017, p.30]

Skinner's brightest, punchiest and most eclectic in memory. It's a welcome return. [Dec 2023, p.36]

The band's love of jamming bears fruit when they find a real groove on "Bulldozer Love." [Feb 2014, p.71]

The manic, galloping "Susie Mullen" proves Anderson's still got a nose for fun. [Dec 2023, p.31]

Nothing feels remotely ‘phoned-in’ here. [Aug 2021, p.28]

What sounds showy on paper is, in reality, a respectful, atmospheric tribute to the Bard. [Jun 2016, p.82]

Inspired concept, superlative execution. [Apr 2014, p.76]

The band's core strengths--Loz Colbert's hyperactive drumming, Steve Queralt's incisive basslines, Mark Gardener and Andy Bel's grasp of melody--are all intact. They continue to wear their influences with endearing frankness. [Jul 2017, p.36]

With an empathetic band featuring strings, keys and pedal steel, Castle alternative;y pulls the songs into focus with her clear, honeyed voice and lets it drift free inside them. [Jul 2018, p.24]

Tuscaloosa is an incredibly valuable document of Neil Young in 1973, battling his demons in front of thousands and delivering some of his most deeply felt music. [Jul 2019, p.42]

[A] neoclassical treat. [May 2015, p.78]

The Last Days Of Oakland is a polished--but not too polished--set of soulful blues. [Aug 2016, p.75]

Listening to the array of styles, from the Jim O'Rourke-like folk of "Psyche", laced with Martina Topley-Bird's cosmic incantation, to "Splitting The Atom"'s opiated rocksteady or Hope Sandoval's dusky ballad, "Paradise Circus", it's conceivable Del Naja and Marshall needed every minute of those years to concoct such alluring material.

Here [on "Yesterday Is Only A Song"] and on the best tunes of Interplay, Ride feel wonderfully, unexpectedly, younger than yesterday. [Apr 2024, p.36]

Mostly they don't sound like anyone except themselves, multiplied by a thousand. [Mar 2023, p.36]

This time the compositions are still thoughtful and exploratory and, although a tendency to emphatic angst dulls on the over-earnest, producer Mark Hutchinson is fully attuned to Dunlop's musical resourcefulness. [Jun 2014, p.75]

This is vintage Roberts, rich poetry couched in spare, beautiful, quietly adventurous arrangements. [Oct 2019, p.36]

Amid the murk, there are still magnetic, rough-hewn fight songs about heartache and ambition. [Aug 2013, p.69]

A weird and wonderful record. [Jul 2002, p.120]

Made for uncertain times, Optimism is funny, clever and elegant, but it’s not a record that seeks approval or constructs a tidy narrative.

The album, reminiscent of Jon Spencer at times, exudes a deep love of rock 'n' roll on each track. [Nov 2012, p.77]

Alive As You Are, then recalls a lot from the past, and recent past, but beyond that is simply crammed with great tunes like "Split Minute" and 18th Street Shuffle," the benign spell of which is more than the sum if the material's 1960s parts. [Sep 2010, p.91]

Tame Impala/Pond and Unknown Mortal Orchestra are kindred spirits, but it's KG's hyperactive tendencies that distinguish them. [Jan 2015, p.74]

You’d be even more surprised to hear that it features 'songs'--proper, beautiful, well-crafted songs.

The edges may be sharper, the outlook less austere and self-contained, but Villagers are still defined by songs which deliver hook upon hook. [Feb 2013, p.82]

This album is made with care, love and expertise and it shows on every song. [Mar 2012, p.80]