Hypnophobia is enjoyably immersive while it lasts, yet like so many dreams it's hard to recall any of the specific details once it's been and gone. [Jun 2015, p.106]

Understated and slightly surreal, this could be dance music's answer to Pink Floyd. [Aug 2002, p.122]

This may not be their greatest album to date, but Universal Truths and Cycles is a charming record that shows the Pollard production line remains in good order. [July 2002, p.114]

Inventive arrangements and a strong supporting cast including Bonnie Raitt and the Blind Boys of Alabama mean these gumbo variations on obscurities and super-club standards come with added spice. [Oct 2014, p.108]

It's undeniably infectious, maddeningly so at times. [Oct 2011, p.120]

Its pleasures lie almost entirely in the storytelling, bolstered by Mueler's between-songs narration. [Dec 2012, p.110]

Fortunately, the game of spot-the-influences swiftly gives way to more complex pleasures. [Apr 2013, p.113]

Their second should eclipse even that [100,000 copies of their first album sold], given the songwriting strides they've taken since. [Apr 2009, p.97]

This impressive follow-up finds him lacing hard-edged techno beats with quirky shifts on tone and texture. [Jun 2009, p.121]

MG is a frequently intriguing set of intimate modernist atmospherics. [Jun 2015, p.108]

The Magnificent Tree is accomplished, just unsensational. It nails the neo-'60s trip-hop set down by Mono and Olive but then tries too hard to have a finger in other pies.

Sweet Sweet Silent is hardly the most strident listen, but it's not without grit. The choruses are understated but addictive and the fragile intricacies are beguiling. [Sep 2017, p.115]

On occasion, Ludacris fumbles the ball... but he can certainly mix it with the big boys. [Jan 2002, p.104]

It often feels a little formulaic, but, boy do they have that formula down to a fine art. [Nov 2016, p.107]

Liddle's earthy vocal wobble remains central, but this time it's married to such strident, straightforward rock that no one's going to compare them with Mumfords again. [Oct 2014, p.109]

It still comes from within a hydroponic fug of sedated beats and mumbled vocals. However, there's also a renewed sense of self. [Nov 2014, p.119]

A tough, focused, danceable album. [Jun 2006, p.113]

A collection of loose - in fact, very loose - rock-n-roll with at least one foot in the '60s. [Dec. 2011 p. 136]

This fourth album finds them repeating the nifty trick of simplifying Tool's complex musical equations. Math metal for dummies, anyone? [Jan 2009, p.113]

For all the craft she shows, for all her ability to move and for all the promise of the zinging, Indian-inflected Growing Pains, Birdy is undone by an unwillingness to change her musical pace. [Jun 2016, p.110]

This friskier, fresher take on Evelyn's previous fare is especially well judged bearing in mind that the last thing the world needs is another chill-out album. [Sep 2002, p.111]

A rather erratic affair. [Apr 2002, p.119]

The tunes come think and fast, but their geeky adolescent routine is wearing thin. [Jan 2010, p. 126]

Ten Thousand and One Injuries works best when the frenetic pace eases up a little. [May 2010, p.122]

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]

Gomez's future seems cloudy, but with these nine tracks, Ottewell has a fighting chance. [Mar 2011, p.112]

Heartstrings lacks the killer song that would bring Howling Bells the success they undoubtedly crave. [Jul 2014, p.109]

JPEGMAFIA's flashes of brilliance are obscured by a bloated tracklist, but they're worth digging out. [Nov 2019, p.111]