[She] remains comically kooky. [Aug 2006, p.116]

Throughout, Crutchfield maintains a seething, triumphant line in catharsis that she channels into gruff college rock ad dreamy introspection. [Aug 2017, p.112]

Slavishly retro, but done with infectious enthusiasm. [Oct 2010, p.112]

While Reflektor isn't so flawed as to strip them of their sash, it's a wobble on a podium, a needless error of judgement that could have been easily avoided had they heeded that other old truism. [Nov 2013, p.100]

This good-humoured set is sometimes a little too comfortable, but it's hard to gripe when they play Hoagy Carmichael songs 'Stardust' and 'Georgia On My Mind.' [Aug 2008, p.140]

IRM proves suitably unconventional thanks to the presence of co-writer and producer Beck Hansen, who plays fast and loose with Gainsbourg's breathy chanson, skipping from spiky percussion (Master's Hands) to lush orchestration (Vanities) even joining her at the mic for jaunty, '60s-flavoured duet Heaven Can't Wait. [Feb 2010, p 107]

It's enjoyable inventive stuff, although the world music influences and Perry's scat singing style can make him sound unnervingly like Sting at times. [Dec 2016, p.106]

This superior debut from Alberta rapper Roland Pemberton cuts adroitly from Oliver Square's booty shaking electro to the spare funk of Black Hand. [Oct 2007, p.101]

The usual barrage of angry cello instrumentals. [Dec 2002, p.103]

Though the pace is a little too consciously measured at times, and there is a certain sameyness about the arrangements, it's a record that, given time, yields up great rewards. [Nov 2002, p.100]

Perhaps in time she will dig deeper, but it's an assured start. [Summer 2018, p.114]

Its tight-wound electronica is perfect for anyone wanting a visual-free sensation of mounting suspense in the comfort of their own home. [Sep 2017, p.113]

Intriguingly mixed bag. [Oct 2018, p.116]

Compliments Please may be spirited, but it isn't the most cutting-edge take on poptimism. [Apr 2019, p.116]

It's the vocals of Jana Hunter, an apprentice of freak folk luminary Devendra Banhart, that provides Nootropics' bewitching focal point, the group's gothic meld of gliding guitars and spectral synth noises resembling the Cocteau Twins on a comedown. [Jun 2012, p.107]

The key track is We Can't Have Nice Things, envisaged by its writer as a George Jones lost love ballad, an turned into a gripping country soul psychodrama. [Aug 2012, p.96]

He still keeps the listener at arms-length, though, strung-out drones and an odd lack of projections suggesting this remains a work of intense introspection. [Jul 2014, p.118]

They pack in an astounding brutality reminiscent of Napalm Death's grueling grindcore. [May 2013, p.99]

There's a little too much in the way of filler, but this is a promising start. [Feb. 2011, p. 113]

The breakbeat-based tracks offer obvious comparisons with like-minds such as Prefuse 73. [Jun 2006, p.113]

Oddly, for an album inspired by the blues, there's not much misery, and what vocals are there get looped and treated beyond storytelling. [Oct 2012, p.103]

Despite the pluming black-metal geyser of Death Drop, it doesn't have the evil heft of 2017 predecessor World Eater. [Sep 2019, p.108]

Clocking in at a shade over tow hours, there's room for fans of all vintages to find something of value. [Apr 2013, p.94]

With Mariachi El Bronx II, the Mexican wing of The Bronx have moved swiftly to reinforce their authenticity. [Nov. 2011, p. 136]

A collection that delves deeper than her previous albums. [Mar 2015, p.111]

Heightened emotions stop Keepsake's soft-focus textures from slipping into the background. [Aug 2019, p.111]

Instead of intense rock, it's a more atmospheric piece of work. [Nov 2005, p.123]

It often feels as if Aitchison's nasal croon and counter-intuitive toplines are the least interesting bits of her own project. [Nov 2019, p.116]

The mood is one of eerie dread as the music slowly unfurls in stately fashion, the rhythms frequently mimicking a horse's trot. [May 2014, p.119]

An interesting stopover on a journey marked by constant curiosity. [Oct 2019, p.110]

He's more class than charisma. [Jul 2015, p.111]

While the songwriting draws heavily on bigwigs such as Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson, albeit ckloaked in layers of woozy production. This is its chief asset, providing a dark undertow. [Oct 2009, p.111]

It's playful rather than facetious, and the combination of sweet pop tunes and mean distorted guitar is as winning as it ever was. [Nov 2012, p.104]

His sixth album has a political slant, but the message is subtler than his controversial 2000 ditty, 'Bill Gates Must Die.'

The primitive beauty of Matt Pike's dense riffs and Des Kensel's tribal rhythms should ensure that the Foo Fighters' frontman usn't the only one falling in love with the Oakland trio.

It's the amped-up riff in the middle of Offspring Are Blank that best sums up their playful approach. They often flex their muscles without feeling the need to land a killer blow. [Aug 2012, p.97]

A66 is made thrilling by the gear change midway through, ditching its Sabbath crawl for a brutal climax. Nothing else quite succeeds in cutting through the downtuned murk, although riffs are uniformly monolithic and frontman Matt Baty's throaty bark is never less than entertaining. [Nov 2018, p.112]

A draining, rewarding journey. [Aug 2008, p.143]

There's a mesmeric quality to the layering of divergent sonic textures. [Mar 2009, p.98]

Fever Dream's AOR and folk stylings see Watt picking over the bones of his life, ruminating on such themes of love, loss and family in a wry, wise and unsentimental manner. [Jun 2016, p.117]

Built To Spill sound as if they're trying too hard, and ultimately both The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev do this sort of thing with far more panache.

The Grocery [is] riveting. If Manchester Orchestra are guilty of being a tad too serene elsewhere, it must also be noted that sounding beautiful is a good problem to have. [Sep 2017, p.113]

Occassionally the set suffers from too much studio polish and not enough grit. [Jan 2009, p.116]

Only the very dedicated need apply. [Jun 2009, p.119]

Precisely assembled, melodic songs that shiver with emotion. [Sep 2006, p.107]

Akin to Manu Chao backed by The Go Team!, fortunately it's no one-off. [Nov 2008, p.117]

A rugged, roaring listen. [Oct 2011, p.117]

The spark that made initial albums such as Bug so special is still missing. [May 2007, p.123]

The whole thing is a bit of a grower and a tentative flex in a new direction with just about enough of their old sound to keep fans happy. [Mar 2017, p.111]

Trying to find a sense of humour amidst the walloping woe is exhausting. [Aug 2009, p.107]

What makes it even more interesting is that the themes and execution are unashamedly grown-up throughout. [Oct 2014, p.116]

Despite moments of brilliance, at 15 songs long the self-obsession sometimes grates. [May 2012, p.108]

They have turned in their most conventional set of songs yet. [Sep 2007. p.95]

Was [Nothing's Real] worth the wait? At points, yes. [Aug 2016, p.117]

It was produced by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, a fact evident within five seconds of opener, "Worker Bee." [May 2010, p.126]

A cut high above your usual tankard-on-the-belt stuff. [Jul 2014, p.103]

It's hard to imagine Jurvanen can outpace his boss, but he's doing just fine. [Oct 2014, p.103]

For better or worse, this is exactly how you'd expect the third Leftfield album to sound. [Jul 2015, p.107]

At its worst (Jealousy Is A Powerful Emotion), he's overwrought and stodgy. More often, though, Draper is an unceasingly self-lacerating lyricist unafraid to deal with his past. [Oct 2017, p.103]

While taken individually each song has its merits, as a whole, Spook The Herd is disappointing musically, with nothing rising out of the politely artful haze to truly engage. [Apr 2020, p.111]

Fake is rearranging his sound rather than reinventing it. [Jul 2020, p.109]

What Mew have come up with here is a gently twinkling Mercury Rev-ish album of experimental percussive nonsense and occassional jazz-like noodling that somehow manage to hypnotise even while they irritate. [Oct 2009, p.114]

Desperation proves that only modest mellowing has taken place in the interim. [Aug 2013, p.103]

By absorbing some of the best bits of The Beach Boys, Super Furry Animals and, at times, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci have made the perfect album for a breezy, summer afternoon.

There's a thin line between quirky powerpop and being They Might Be Giants. [Feb 2004, p.106]

Like its predecessor, In The Mode is a sprawling tour-de-force, and its 80 minutes contain much that is breathtaking alongside the pleasant if perfunctory. [Nov 2000, p. 112]

A live document of his wildly acclaimed 2008 tour, Glitter And Doom further amplifies that uniqueness, backed up by an entire second disc of surreal storytelling. [Jan 2010, p. 126]

The mood of their music often feels a little stuck, though. [Oct 2012, p.100]

This is an almanac for the chronically inert, best when bottling the sparks that fly as misery meets fine company. [Dec 2017, p.111]

It's Prince, it's Eno, it's PiL, it's The Coasters and all at once. At times, that jars. At others... it's as exhilarating as a kiss. [Jul 2004, p.124]

Inevitably there are moments that would benefit from smoothing out, but part of the appeal is getting to ample Giannascoli's talent when it's still raw. [Dec 2014, p.110]

Not so much a wholesale reinvention as an impressive readjustment. [Feb 2018, p.112]

Without enough killer hooks Leo seems unlikely to claw his way much beyond cult attraction. [Mar 2005, p.100]

He's shot truer and more heartfelt arrows than these. [Jul 2004, p.122]

In the end, the try-everything approach works out: if only because Girls' scatterbrained classic rock patchwork is so idiosyncratically odd. [Oct 2011, p.124]

They've never sounded heavier, now delivering songs without compromising their complex songcraft. [Apr 2914, p.103]

The overall effect is not dissimilar to Sugababes, only with added adult content. [Aug 2006, p.111]

The fifth album from New Jersey's The Dillinger Escape Plan is another step back towards the math-metal that made their name. [Jul 2013, p.103]

It was a smart move [to enlist Tim,] Goldsworthy's attention to detail forcing the band up a gear. [July 2008, p.101]

The highlights are outweighed by tracks such as Glitter Gold Year, a half-formed sketch of jabbing bass and meandering riffs. [Jan. 2012 p. 120]

For all its feverish bluster, this... is patchy at best. [Sep 2003, p.102]

There is plenty to enjoy, although it never comes close to recapturing the eclectic brillance of 1999's career high, "69 Love Songs. [Feb 2008, p.99]

Although his monotone becomes a little wearing over an entire album, this is still his best work in a long time. [Oct 2012, p.106]

It occasionally delivers the eccentric, giant-chorused rock that made Faith No More so great. [Feb 2013, p.107]

A starkly modern folk record centered on a narrative of a mother leaving her family. [Jul 2018, p.114]

Occasionally there's a little too much going on... Overall, though, Gartside remains intriguing. [Jul 2006, p.116]

The two have a great dynamic--potentially even a special one--its just not fully realised here. [Jun 2016, p.108]

It's pretty good. Production values have been upped in the intervening period but rather than smooth out their edges, they only serve to accentuate their fierce, angular approach. [Aug 2015, p.110]

It's by no means a classic but there's enough personality to suggest Hozier will be with us for the long haul. [Oct 2014, p.110]

What's lacking from the Oakland native is the kind of fresh approach to a retro sound that elevated Amy Winehouse above straight homage. [Apr 2009, p.110]

it ens up a tie between waffling self-indulgence and occasional moments of inspiration. Definitely not predictable, though. [Apr 2011, p.110]

A lot of the goofy teenage kicks have been replaced with more tiresome sex raps. [Sep 2005, p.115]

Potent, and strangely noble. [Nov 2009, p.112]

There's the brisk cover of Sparks's 'Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth,' plus a huanting, piano-inspired run through Harry Nilsson's drunkathon 'Don't Forget Me,' but she blows it at the death with the hideous 'Marais La Nuit,' 31 torturous minutes 38 grisly seconds of forest noises. [Apr 2009, p.102]

Maybe it's simpy the case that, Cash and Rubin having done similar things together so often in the past, the magic and power ro move have worn off, only to be replaced by an uneasy feeling of exploitation. [Apr 2010, p.108]

Pitched somewhere between Lauryn Hill and Alanis Morissette, Furtado's songs - sung nasally in a style which occasionally recalls a less hysterical Gwen Stefani - are playful, unaffected and full of little surprises.

This one feels more grounded, less frantic and, despite that constant pulsing movement, more at home. [#361, p.109]

The more Khan sets the pace, the more all three fly. [Jun 2017, p.112]