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

Yes, they're really that good. [Feb 2022, p.37]

It's a high-concept work that also stands on its own, radiating beauty, calm, comfort and energy. [May 2022, p.30]

“Mr Bojangles”, sung with cornpone syrup by Dylan, here earthily returns to the drunk-tank cell where Walker met its subject, a broken-down, alcoholic tap-dancer his song invests with heel-clicking magic. The tune defiantly climbs, strings waltz and Earle stores sentiment ’til the end.

It's a fabulous collection. [Mar 2023, p.36]

Moskowitz takes the role of wise guide, ruminating on life and the cosmos with a grandmotherly warmth. [Apr 2023, p.32]

The interplay between the two string players is as elegant as ever, but their new partners dramatically expand the range of flavours on offer. [May 2023, p.36]

They produce a whole lot of full-fat dance-pop joy. [Oct 2023, p.85]

The power of Cotton’s compositions for Engelchen lies in both its clarity, and its lack of affectation. She’s sensitive to the story, conveying it through simplicity. [Apr 2024, p.31]

The chugging arrangements are often overwrought, and the lyrics slightly too pleased with themselves, but Hawk's lusty baritone croons lend passion and swagger to salacious funk-pop confessional "Big Cat Tattoos" and the sardonic, self-lacerating "Questionable Hit". [Sep 2024, p.33]

There’s the customary minor-key acoustic lilt played out at a range of tempos somewhere between rumba and reggae, served with the occasional light garnish of bleeps. Far from being a problem, that’s almost certainly the way Chao’s fans like it. [Oct 2024, p.35]

The darkness of his vision remains unmatched. [Oct 2024, p.36]

An exploration of what common ground there might be between it and Prophet’s usual métier of deadpan country rock. It turns out to be substantial, as does this album, from the shuffling Colombiana of “Betty’s Song” to the drawling Tom Petty vibes of “Sally Was A Cop” to the near Glen Campbell-ish “Red Sky Night”. [Nov 2024, p.41]

In the past few years Hayden and McLoughlin have teamed up with Richard Chamberlain in Schisms. Their ultra-lo-fi fuzzball psychedelic improv can be exhilarating, but exists on a very different planet (or at least in a far muggier climate) than the exquisite acoustic snowglobe of Cold Blows The Rain. [Jan 2025, p.24]

On this hometown stop with his Quartet he parallels Monk's freaky, aslant piano attack in the serpentine stutter of his alto intro to "Rhythm-A-Ning", followed by quick, clenched phrases like compressed planets. [Jan 2025, p.32]

The closing "That Way My Garden" typifies playing of purposeful spiritual strength, crashing through into some great beyond. [Apr 2025, p.28]

A vivid, endlessly beguiling listen. [Mar 2025, p.34]

He reanimates blues standards like "Mystery Train", "Rollin' & Tumblin'" and "Bright Lights, Big City" with his knowing, tattered voice and economical licks. [Feb 2025, p.35]

There's an enduring warmth to the record that comes from the fuzz of psychedelia that holds everything together. [Apr 2025, p.27]

While the earlier albums had a rich dramatic and conceptual structure, things feel looser thus time round. [Sep 2025, p.39]

On Selenites, Selenites! they create a party anyone would want an invitation to. [Review Of The Year 2025, p.29]

Smart work all round. [Mar 2026, p,31]

Some tracks are more like art installation art. .... But the highlight might be closer "BY Absence", where a single-note drone is slowly orchestrated over the course of 20 minutes. [Mar 2026, p.34]

Hit singles are in short supply, but WIXIW has an atmospheric, immersive quality that puts one in mind of Kid A's soporific drift. [Jul 2012, p.77]

This is another unhurried set of expertly played FM gold. [May 2019, p.27]

Yawn is chilly and languid, the 35-year-old's penchant for sudden bursts if guitar noise giving depth and colour tot the Cure-ish gloom around "Recover," "John" and "No One's Trying To Kill You." [Dec 2018, p.30]

Mutt offers a terrific spread of styles. [Sep 2012, p.73]

The invigorating Downey to Lubbock, a record that speaks to both a lifetime of shared experience and the music that inspired them in the first place. [Jul 2018, p.26]