This is a much more expansive and impressive affair [than his 2022 debut]. [Feb 2025, p.39]

These songs insinuate via a vaguely vintage sound that recall both Jonathan Donahue's spangled dreaminess and the (s)weary brio of Father John Misty. [Apr 2025, p.29]

A record as sonically rich as it is lyrically bold. [Apr 2025, p.35]

The effect is somehow lush and minimalist at the same time, and utterly immersive. [Apr 2025, p.35]

The quintet's most vibrant album in two decades. [Apr 2025, p.35]

Constant Noise is a majestic state-of-the-nation polemic, novelistic in scale, eclectic in sound, humane and lyrical even at its most nihilistic. [Apr 2025, p.28]

As ever, Lewis's lyrics are the standout. [Mar 2025, p.35]

Plenty of charm and style, not much originality or depth. [Apr 2025, p.29]

Polished but never bland, and comes dotted with a wealth of special guests. .... But a big part of what makes Tonky compelling is how he stitches his tales into a wider fabric of African-American experience. [Mar 2025, p.36]

Unashamedly shaggy compared to the sibling' meticulously crafted Lemon Twigs LPs. .... An illuminating look under the hood of the creative process. [Mar 2025, p.31]

It's unquestionably a more electronic record, but the band show that they still know how to make a racket. [Mar 2025, p.33]

The mix of prog, neo-classical and folkish influences, with Anderson's flute as ubiquitous as ever, is exactly as you'd expect, yet he has plenty to say of contemporary relevance in songs about Israel ("Over Jerusalem"), climate change ("Savannah Of Paddington Green") and the avarice of politicians ("Dunsinane Hill"). [Apr 2025, p31]

Beautifully harrowing music. A trove of demos, alternative takes, live cuts and liner notes, but the main draw are the Fundamentals, half-hour studio experiments that contain Tweedy's first stabs at so many familiar tunes. [Feb 2025, p.55]

It's all fairly dry, but listen closely and its charms emerge. [Mar 2025, p.41]

Showcase[s] the melancholic beauty of Zauner's songwriting, her storytelling skills honed across mediums. [Apr 2025, p.31]

Though this set is necessarily reflective, nostalgia and self-pity don't get a look in. [Apr 2025, p.33]

Once again ably embracing a broad range, from the knelling, Marty Robbins-ish "Death Of Bill Bailey" to the string-drenched Billy Sherrill-style ballad "This Crazy Life" to "Jamestown Ferry". [Apr 2025, p.28]

"South Coast" and "Albatross", especially, are the sound of a band growing no less peculiar and wonderous for their familiarity. [Mar 2025, p.41]

Her strikingly rich, four octave voice is the axis around which producer Andrew Broder has directed dark, ambient, degraded bassmusic, industrial pop and dungeon synth, with feedback and software fubars playing their part. [Apr 2025, p.28]

It's clever, surprisingly enjoyable and utterly insane. [Apr 2025, p.39]

Musically, the tunes blend pop stickiness with sonic experimentation, but there is a strong sense of place. [Mar 2025, p.24]

It's more of a halfway house, with both acts' distinctive styles diluted as they server up '90s breakbeats ("Kokiri", "Fleece") and light industrial spoken-word pieces ("Nowhere"). Only the jangly promise of "passerine" sung by Emma Acs, hunts at a newish direction. [Mar 2025, p.35]

Amid opiated baroque arrangements, Allison's impressive vocal abstraction stays the main attraction. [Feb 2025, p.33]

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

Commits to the craft, shooting through stadium-sized choruses with mischievous humour. [Mar 2025, p.37]

The music mirrors the persuasive charm of the narrator, hooking you in even as the singer boasts they're a bit of a heel. [Mar 2025, p.38]

Leithauser has worked solidly on his strengths - muscular and expansive, pop-rock songs with standout lyrics - to distinctive effect. [Apr 2025, p.33]

The somber mood is finally blown away by Crazy Horse-style closer "So Long" as The Lumineers churn into intriguing new territory while doggedly holding onto their entrenched melancholy. [Apr 2025, p.35]