It's self-improvised and often raw, but bursting with vim and surprise. [Jun 2014, p.80]

Black Hours knowingly and passionately charts a journey through make songwriting archetypes, from doomed fatalist to well-adjusted realist. [Jun 2014, p.84]

Her second proper LP is a full-on pop-reggae confection. [Jun 2014, p.75]

The promising flourishes of "Burn It Down" and "Explosions" give way to "Meteorites" and "Is This A Breakdown," mediocre indie rock plods. [Jun 2014, p.75]

Overall, Butler's pedestrian appropriation of the clunky beats, tinny handclaps and squelchy vocoder effects of yesteryear sound stale and repetitive. [Jun 2014, p.78]

It's hard-going at times, but "Nolan" and "Soda Fide" are oddly stirring. [Jun 2014, p.78]

A complete rethink has resulted in the most uninhibited and visceral album of her career. [Jun 2014, p.78]

Wrangler's LA Spark is textbook industrial electropop--nothing wildly new but at its best on "Lava Land" and "Space Ace" it's a compelling listen. [Jun 2014, p.85]

It seamlessly blends his classical talents with an avant-garde flair and experimental rock dynamics. [Jun 2014, p.83]

Five long pieces allow for the tussle of improv. [Jun 2014, p.71]

Lighght is a giddy rush where the 38-year-old's innocent pursuits and guilty pleasures collide head on. [Jun 2014, p.79]

The results have fire in the belly and attitude to spare. [Jun 2014, p.78]

Their fourth album is reassuringly familiar. [Jun 2014, p.73]

One to file alongside Second Attention (2006) in Toth's vast and increasingly noteworthy catalogue of cliche-free Americana. [Jun 2014, p.85]

A clutch of the group's best songs are strangely omitted from the setlist, while slower numbers like "Beneath Wild Wings" tend to expose a lack of subtlety. But at full pelt, Howlin Rain are a match for anyone. [May 2014, p.76]

The results, restrained, immersive and quite beautiful. [Jun 2014, p.71]

Aldred's third album as Cherry Ghost is so unashamed in its embrace of the warm croon, the twinkling keyboard, the swelling orchestra and the poignant chorus that its 10 songs might stretch the patience of anyone who wants some jagged edge in their melancholy MOR classicism. [Jun 2014, p.73]

Stripped back to voice and piano, it's difficult not to recall early Kate Bush, but Amos' lyrics maintain a multi-layered depth that is uniquely hers. [Jun 2014, p.71]

There's nothing here that is likely to offend or amaze but it's a classy affair from start to finish. [Jun 2014, p.79]

Mulvey brings virtuosity, intelligence and a lightly experimental agenda to his rich and crafted solo debut. [Jun 2014, p.80]

Martyn's voice has taken a few knocks, but the weathered quality adds character. [May 2014, p.77]

With III, they shift their intense focus on '70s motorik rock, psychedelia and heavy drone to admit furious post-punk, industrio-dub grooves and the odd open space, [Jun 2014, p.72]

The songs are more direct and arrive with a harder edge [than 2012's Blood Speaks]. [May 2014, p.80]

An entertaining oddity which manages to recall both Bobby Gillespie and (late) Julian Cope in its reverence for over-the-top rock'n'roll excess. [May 2014, p.78]

The Mexican duo aren't quite in the Jansch/Renbourne class, but they create memorable tunes full of clever variations of timbre, texture and tone. [May 2014, p.78]

32 years on from Swans' formation, Michael Gira is not only still moving forward, but making some of the albums of his career. [Jun 2014, p.81]

The arrangements are reserved and understated throughout, gently cradling Merchant's strident but intimate voice. [May 2014, p.77]

If the acoustic backdrop sometime slacks texture, there are no such qualms with the songwriting that demonstrates a novelist's eye for detail. [Jun 2014, p.83]