The stripped-down, Muscle Shoals-style arrangements give Mavis space to do her thing, and the song choices are spot-on. [Oct 2010, p.106]

She's full of ideas on this sonically, adventurous effort. [Oct 2010, p.108]

Everything feels remarkably fresh and unforced. [Apr 2016, p.68]

It’s a rare pleasure to hear a band so at ease with themselves, playing with no obvious aim or agenda beyond having a good time and hoping you do, too. The best thing about Fits is imagining how incredible these songs will be when played live.

Fusing dub, psychedelic funk, prog, art rock and roots reggae with their native mbaqanga and township blues, they've fashioned a fresh (Afro) funky debut, politicized not sollely by colour, but also by their genre-bending vision. [Dec 2009, p. 87]

Brian Gibson and Brian Chippendale somehow manage to make a bass guitar and half a drum kit sound like a particularly loud avalanche, and then sneak in some tunes along the way. [Dec 2009, p. 103]

Fashions change, but Baird's music remains gorgeous, harbouring a kind of still magic without resorting to self-consciously wyrd affectations. [Jul 2015, p.71]

There are nine other unreleased tracks, of which “Why D’Ya Go To Cleveland” is the only entirely unheard thing. ... Not everything is unsalted. The B-sides and rarities – many from film soundtracks – allow Harvey to stretch herself into Brechtian oompah, Beefheartian discord, neo-folk. Some of these waifs and strays are excellent. [Dec 2022, p.42]

While some moments feel more familiar - the sneering delivery of "Leisure Activities" borders on John Lydon mimicry - they embellish this punk undercoat with rich textural and atmospheric explorations, as well as tracks that glide between moments of industrial, goth and new wave. [Feb 2023, p.29]

Hayden's nagging melodies and deadpan delivery occupy their own peculiar kingdom. [Sep 2004, p.102]

She uses her voice as well as she ever has, giving the moods light and shade. [Sep 2001, p.104]

The tunes are getting stronger. [Oct 2019, p.24]

It is really his unsurpassed ability to access tracks that time forgot that makes this album so great. [May 2002, p.96]

Cry Cry Cry is 21st-century rock at its most delectably omnivorous. [Nov 2017, p.39]

Even with Rubin dialling things back, the material grabs the listener by the collar and holds on tight. [Album of the Month, Feb 2006, p.66]

They situate their voices on a pillowy bed of experimental pop, freak folk and, best of all, the sax-enhanced exotica of the title track. [Jan 2017, p.31]

Post-Bush, post-9/11, post-financial crisis, they sound more like [a] documentary. [Jan 2013, p.77]

With Drew at the helm, however, it becomes a messier, less wholesome affair, seductively so on 'Lucky Ones' and 'Frightening Lives,' which scamper toward some grubby euphoria like a hal-cut Arcade Fire. [Oct 2007, p.87]

The biggest spiritual influence is The Kinks, another band adept at exploring London’s darker undercurrents. On Theatre Of The Absurd…, Madness gleefully peer through the net curtains of life, revealing the moth-eaten carpets and peeling wallpaper obscured by the elaborate facades we all hide behind. [Dec 2023, p.24]

The kids know where it's at, and so, in this career-high purple patch, does Paul Weller. [Apr 2012, p.69]

Seething electronic undercurrents dredge depths of barely concealed rage. .... And amid the storm, moments of tenderness. [Jun 2025, p.33]

A real beauty. [Nov 2022, p.38]

Anderson's voice keeps songs like "Smoulder" feeling raw and human. [May 2014, p.73]

Terrific stuff. [Aug 2002, p.122]

It's a surprisingly varied record, the mood darkening towards the close, the band ever occasionally busting their habitual one-minute barrier. [May 2014, p.78]

A definite return to form. [May 2012, p.77]

Joseph's craggy voice is perfect for such heavy-duty topics. [Sep 2020, p.28]

Although a few tracks lack bite, Mount keeps the senses stimulated with diversity and detail. [Aug 2016, p.78]