Funny, and--beneath the psych flourishes--quietly devastating. [Jun 2012, p.93]

The rest of the album never reaches such heights [of The Big E], but there are enough noisy high-points, such as "Never Get Tired" and "Sit Tight," to make Laughing Party a significant step up. [Jul 2012, p.74]

This is a delightful and charming addition to the original body of George's work, which highlights the quality of his songwriting and presents the material in a fresh light.

Ya Know cuts deep, with the best singing and wiliest melodies of his career. [Jun 2012, p.96]

Separated from its era and the defensiveness which spawned it, Ram sounds great. [Jun 2012, p.96]

The two hours and four tracks of Love In Detroit capture the mood and excitement of a Fela show during this second phase of his career. [Jun 2012, p.93]

This is full of melodies that feel effortless and instantly classic. [Jun 2012, p.83]

There's a heightened atmosphere and sense of scale throughout. [Jun 2012, p.84]

The LP draws on old-style American folk but expertly remodels it for a contemporary audience. [Jun 2012, p.70]

While some of these missiles find their target, he is back with less of a bang than he might have hoped. [Jun 2012, p.70]

Mastodon idiocy it may be, but on "Honey From A Knife" and "For The Animals" at least, the fire in their eyes keeps them alive, [Jun 2012, p.71]

It doesn't always work, but when it does, it suggests a great artist finding new and surer ground. [Jun 2012, p.77]

The ingrained instinct for grandiosity can grate, but Gahan has never sounded better, his voice bringing power, purpose and unity to a project that's previously delivered less than thew sum of its parts. [Jun 2012, p.83]

It is the sound of a sweet soul contemplating deliverance; as mellow and fierce and fearful as that.

It could do with some Toe Ze-style danger, and it's a bit coffeetable--but a sun-dappled, rum-stocked coffee table to be fair. [May 2012, p.69]

Love Is The Plan sits just fine alongside his other records. [May 2012, p.67]

These make an effective pairing. [May 2012, p.72]

This is a beautifully executed love letter to the eternal pop rush. [Jun 2012, p.82]

Mostly, it's funky pop, half-deconstructed and relentlessly optimistic. [Jun 2012, p.71

Heroes may be elegiac, but it's as spirited as it is poignant. [Jun 2012, p.70]

He drifts boringly into pure pastiche on "Crystal Caverns 1991," but what keeps the rest fresh is the pace. [Jun 2012, p.77]

Like all luxury goods, there is a hint of the predictable. [Jun 2012, p.83]

It's hard to dispute that Ufabulum find him in the form of his life. [Jun 2012, p.84]

SBP always made a virtue of their limitations, but the results of their unshackling from penury are spectacular. [Jun 2012, p.84]

A Joyful Noise strikes a healthy balance between tears-on-the-dancefloor hi-NRG and Gossip's bluesy swagger. [Jun 2012, p.73]

Manson can still whip up an appealingly vengeful turn of phrase, but they retain a tendency to sound stiff. [Jun 2012, p.73]

Musically, it's business as usual as they follow up their 2010 debut with more indie pop infused with the melodrama of The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. [Jun 2012, p.69]

They have crafted an album that feels very much like the score for an imaginary film--an avant-garde French film, to be precise, an extended nocturne encompassing romance and its aftermath, the inexorable passage of time, and the preciousness of the fleeting moment. [Jun 2012, p.81]