This intensely personal touch humanises his alien sound design, casting him as a kind of sensual mutant whose comradeship with Bjork makes perfect sense. [Jun 2017, p.23]

The more spacious likes of "Comanche Moon" and "Life Song" suggest an ambition to nail a headline spot at the UFO Club, which may not boast much novelty a half-century after the fact, but can still elicit a contact high. [Jun 2017, p.23]

The resulting appearances from the likes of Calexico, Mark Knopfler, Carrie Rodriguez and David Lindley are subtle and empathetic, blending easily into Brown's spare, atmospheric Americana. [Jun 2017, p.24]

Concrete Desert is a seductive set-piece. [Jun 2017, p.24]

Kelly's craftsmanship ensures Untouchable is a deeply satisfying 32 minutes. [Jun 2017, p.24]

Death Peak takes you on a journey of sorts. [Jun 2017, p.26]

Entirely self-written and beautifully realised, Americana is a deeply satisfying reminder that Davies remains a songwriter with a huge reach, but few equals. [Jun 2017, p.29]

Despite moments of discordance, as on "Narkopop 1," Gas continues to provide, for the most part, analgesic relief. [Jun 2017, p.30]

What once seemed an aesthetic springboard for the band to make truly great music now seems rather like retreading old ground. [Jun 2017, p.33]

Not for the first time, their presentation is inspired but the material can fall a little flat. [Jun 2017, p.37]

This follow-up to their 2014 debut blends antique-sounding folk tracks with glossier electronic numbers including "Die Young," which cocoons premature death in pretty harmonies, and "Kick Jump Twist," about the quest for instant fame. [Jun 2017, p.38]

Love Is Love really takes off when the brass comes out. [Jun 2017, p.38]

This second collection consistently zips along, taking in one exceptional single and a clutch of songs that mostly resemble overdriven outtakes from Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express (high praise). [May 2017, p.37]

The Last Rider is another warm collection of bittersweet pop songs, alternately wistful and playful, freighted with memories of time and place. [May 2017, p.39]

The lonesome trumpet-flecked "Sand," an easy-swinging "Laugh" and "Cali," with its late summer-in-Laurel Canyon vibe, prove this is no one-note set. [May 2017, p.35]

Gnod explore a cacophonous avant-garde rock music with elements of Swans, Spacemen 3 and country folk The Fall swirling in its DNA. [May 2017, p.30]

There may be too much on Electric Lines--including Jess Mills, American nwo R&B upstart Daniel Wilson and an uncharacteristically low energy Taylor on the title track. [May 2017, p.30]

Presley's righteous fury and mordant wit burn even brighter on this follow-up. [May 2017, p.28]

Kidal sounds like a high tide. [May 2017, p.40]

The expansively layered arrangements here are a testament to a bolder ambition than the acoustic troubadour shtick that once defined him. [May 2017, p.37]

[A] sumptuous, immensely pleasurable throwback album. [May 2017, p.25]

Too often, Belong manages the almost interesting feat of sounding both overcooked and half-baked. [May 2017, p.39]

Happyness gets more interesting when they dig deeper into rock history. [May 2017, p.32]

An album characterised by comically overwrought anthems and production-line lyrics. [May 2017, p.26]

The buttery groove of "Serotonin Rushes" and "Swoon" suggests F&Y are at the top of their idiosyncratic game. [May 2017, p.30]

Without notable emotional heft, however, the identikit cool and sub-Lana Del Rey poses prove wearisome, the cloying artifice insubstantial. [May 2017, p.39]

The belated follow-up is a massive upgrade. [May 2017, p.26]

Adios expands on 2014's The No-Hit Wonder by incorporating heaps of soul, a pinch of sprightly folk and swampy blues. [May 2017, p.25]