The overall mood is slinkily, scuzzily surreal. ... It's a deep trip into Murphy's past and future. [Nov 2020, p.33]

Offers something for everyone. [Nov 2020, p.25]

It all feels quite timely. with Butler exploring the state of the world. [Nov 2020, p.27]

His tidiest folk-pop tunes to date. ... Irresistible. [Oct 2020, p.27]

Singing in a voice roughly as big as the Saskatchewan plains, the cattle rancher writes lyrics full of violence, darkness and death. [Oct 2020, p.39]

Inside there’s one masterpiece and three very fine records, all remastered. ... As on most of Hard Luck Stories, the remastering is barely noticeable, but the previously unreleased bonus tracks are more notable.

His music is now more about the deep, nuanced dig into established territory than striking out to plant a flag someplace new, plus exploring different contexts for his signature sound through continued collaboration. [Oct 2020, p.30]

The focus is on the sad-sounding uke and kohl-eyed vocals Simmons brings. [Nov 2020, p.34]

On this sometimes obstinate, sometimes sublime record, Stevens shows he contains multitudes. [Nov 2020, p.24]

This latest outing does suitable state-of-the-nation stuff on "Next Generation" and "American Crisis," but the big AM radio melodies in "Everything To You" and "Little Pieces" (plus the unusually lubricious "Leather Dream") show how much fun Mould could still have. [Oct 2020, p.34]

These are not times for ambiguity. Ultra Mono scours like bleach, its fury a purifier. [Oct 2020, p.31]

Sprout can get a little too earnest - greater distance might, perhaps counterintuitively, make these songs more globally affecting - but he's still a great pop writer. [Oct 2020, p.36]

Most divine is Knxwledge's production on "Make Ya Say Yie," with its twisted brass sample. [Nov 2020, p.27]

It's a record that begs for repeat listens. [Oct 2020, p.36]

Breach is an often quiet, hushed album, but its message - one of discovering happiness in solitude - comes over loud and clear. [Nov 2020, p.31]

Strikingly, Stevens' craggy baritone is virtually identical 50 years later; but whereas in 1970 he sounded prematurely aged, hearing him now we can't help but envision that innocent, introspective 22-year-old. [Oct 2020, p.39]

Unfussy poeticism abounds. [Oct 2020, p.27]

A darkly urgent "Saturnine Night" and "The Illuminator" with its wood blocks and linear beat pattern set the tone, but as "Red Sky" with its meaty, psych-folk swing shows, it's not all out with the old. [Oct 2020, p.31]

Glorious soundsuite. [Oct 2020, p.37]

John Dwyer returns to thrashing, galloping warped punk, albeit with a more pronounced funk feel. [Oct 2020, p.34]

Her latest is more remarkable for its beguiling softness as well as a sometimes woozy feel that befits the contents' absinthe-soaked origins. [Oct 2020, p.36]

Making avant-garde sound both formally inventive and somewhat otherworldly. [Oct 2020, p.29]

Another generous serving of sparklingly cinematic guitar rock, largely inspired by (and dedicated to) band confidant, producer and musician Richard Swift, who died in 2018. But this is no sombre remembrance, rather a full-throttle celebration of the unifying power of music. [Oct 2020, p.29]

Terrific follow-up. [Oct 2020, p.29]

Everything Everything continue on their quest to make intricate yet seamless electronic art pop. [Sep 2020, p.29]

Help is overloaded with tastefully spare sketches, but there are enough sublime soundscapes and rich ideas here. [Sep 2020, p.36]

Much like The Head And The Heart, it's all mid-paced, with subject matter also inevitably static. [Oct 2020, p.32]

Their fifth album comes with a cathartic feel. Densely layered - four of the 11 tracks are over five minutes - it's also as complex as a Rubik's cube, the elaborate arrangements owing more to progressive rock than contemporary pop. [Oct 2020, p.38]