Blessed is a powerful, vivid, highly emotive record. [Mar 2011, p.92]

It does still summon some of the spirit and occasionally the joyfulness that should attend a first record. [Mar 2011, p.90]

These are brilliant songs; but they simply reminds us of too many others who got there first. [Mar 2011, p.100]

Marked by lovely, unobtrusive backing by various Lambchop alumni, the overriding impression is of Wagner and Tidwell serving the songs rather than playing out lingering Conway & Loretta Fetish. [Nov 2010, p.92]

The fall and Dead Kennedys are the key influences here. [Dec 2010, p.109]

They strain for transcendent, neo-religious euphoria; sometimes they get there. [Feb 2011, p.99]

It's a subtly affecting record, hushed, austere, grasping for simple peace of mind with gorgeously rendered standards. [Feb 2011, p.93]

Uneven it may be, The Palace Guards s just as often sublime. [Feb 2011, p.90]

With Ring, Mesirow concocts a fractured pop that accentuates the layers of electronic composition, though her voice is the guiding instrument. [Dec 2010, p.104]

The pervading mood of ennui and desolation begs for some light relief, but the title track speaks volumes for her poise. [Dec 2010, p.104]

The sound is rather dry, and James Murphy's vocals have sounded stronger, but the different nuances audible in "Us V Them" and "Drunk Girls" make this if not a bang, certainly very far from a whimper. [Jan 2011, p.93]

If Geldof had been able to restrain his instinct toward baffling over-production, he might have come up with something that fulfilled the promise of its title. [Mar 2011, p.91]

They've wrangled a tougher, just weird-enough synthesis, with "Trails" borrowing Yeah Yeah Yeahs' brio and "Perfectly Crystal" likely to impress fans of both Pet Shop Boys and Flaming Lips. [Mar 2011, p.83]

After tinkering with their lineup for this fourth album, Baltimore's Arbouretum have emerged heavier, moodier and better than ever. [Mar 2011, p.83]

With Lanegan, Nick McCabe and Ani DeFranco along for the ride, Dulli's roiling, captivatingly haunted songs detonate with incandescent splendor. [Mar 2011, p.

Lurching from inspired to confounding, it's ragged, erratic, but never boring. [Mar 2011, p.94]

His long awaited debut sees him adding endless waves of muzzy kosmische, softly burred guitar loops, Fripp-like trippiness and heavy psych/space-rock grooves to his arsenal. [Mar 2011, p.83]

The sounds on Smart Flesh may be muted, but there is power and daring in its pursuit of stillness. File under: a quiet Storm. [Mar 2011, p.84]

While no less intense, Ashore--a collection of 13 songs each connected to the sea--is both warm and alluring. [Feb 2011, p.99]

It feels like a step up in terms of songwriting. [Feb 2011, p.96]

An artfully dishevelled, emphatically Gallic racket. [Feb 2011, p.95]

It's a heavy trip, with the exotic/erotic minimal techno of Ricardo Villalobos overlaid to intoxicating effect with the eerie hauntological manoeuvers of The Focus group. [Feb 2011, p.82]

There is beauty aplenty in these 10 songs, but anyone yearning for the delicious ache of old will find it only fleetingly. [Feb 2011, p.92]

Sahel Folk pushes no boundaries, but it's a charming, lo-fi set from northern Mali, delivered by a man who has been a quiet force for some years. [Feb 2011, p.103]

The Broken Wave, her debut album, is refreshing folk-pop bursting with beautiful melodies and a production carefully designed to emphasise her memorably pristine vocals. [Feb 2011, p.95]

It's a stylish dark, literate affair. [Feb 2011, p.94]

This is a hugely varied set: the title track starts with a barrage of Missy Elliott-style clapping, "New Myth" sounds like a mournful colliery band anthem, while the gorgeous "Daphene" sounds like a folk-rock Fleetwood Mac. [Feb 2011, p.89]

Blue Songs journeys as great LPS should do. [Feb 2011, p.89]