This Is Why, like After Laughter, suffers slightly from front-loading imbalance. The back half of the album feels tonally different from the front, more personal and relational and coming closer to their pop punk roots. It’s all well executed, however, and offers a glimpse into the ways we’ve all had to deal with the universal and the particular simultaneously in these last few years.

Here she simply stopped trying to impress and simply assembled through feel and intuition, and, taken as a whole, it feels perfect. [Jul 2011, p.82]

With Welch's most forgettable set of melodies and tasteful but well-trod arrangements adding up to a generally disappointing return. [Jul 2011, p.92]

Most interesting about this set is the huge amount of extra material (B-sides, demos, and sessions) included, impressive even if one had been keeping up back then.

The musical language of Ryuichi Sakamoto is esoteric and also innately relatable. Ultimately, it is beautiful.

While it may feel like there's no more to say on the subject of R.E.M.'s music, there's certainly plenty more that's worthwhile to listen to here.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore is truly successful as an arena-ish rock record. It’s perhaps their most accessible record, yet never sacrifices the core elements that have made The War on Drugs one of the greatest rock groups of the last decade.

Lucky Me is an unquestionably accomplished debut and certainly marks Green out as singularly talented songwriter who isn’t afraid to confront her demons and if not actually beat them at least come to an uneasy truce, and reach a place of equanimity.

High Violet is a fine album, a very, very solid effort that contains some marvelous storytelling and near perfect execution. There are no faults to speak of. But that electricity, that fly by the seat of your pants thrill is something that eludes The National.

Miss Universe is a hell of a debut, with Yanya proving herself a powerhouse of songwriting especially, not to mention her pristine vocals and unique guitar voice.

Some of the finest [songs] from the band's musical jewelbox - infectious, modern yet timeless, and wrought with a thoughtful complexity buried within the harmonies and song structures. [Mar 2012, P.91]

While there are songs that will work as singles, overall, this is Beyoncé at her most experimental and, yes, risky.

Stylistically patchy but a sincere and winning catalog of his songwriting and vocal repertoire. [#10, p.106]

The pandemic seems to have freed her, given her the space to breathe, and has allowed her to produce her most elegant and sophisticated work to date.

There is plenty of good poetry waiting below the poverty line; R.A.P. Music ain't it. [Jun 2012, p.161]

Stacked with radio-friendly earworms aplenty, this is no empty-calories pop. It's filled with inescapable themes--spirituality, life after death, addiction, loss--you can sink your teeth into, commiserate, and then sing along; hopefully through Meryl Streep-type tears.

He does everything well. [Oct 2011, p.111]

Before Today, while easily his best album to date, still feels like it's just the tip of the iceberg for this staggeringly talented songwriter.

Parklive offers perhaps the best case yet for Blur's work to be seen as an admirable whole. [Jan-Feb 2013, p.92]

The real treat here, however, is in exploring the galaxy of obscure names. Johnny and the Self Abusers may have morphed into Simple Minds, but Some Chicken's frantic glory and Lockjaw's snarling "Radio Call Sign" are among the many gems deserving of a new day in the sun.

Brett's arrangements are usually dead-on, emphasizing the acoustic guitar and vocals while accenting with an organ or singing saw. [#5, p.113]

This is another revelatory view from Mount Eerie. [Fall 2009,p.64]

From unforgiving seas to rain-drenched walks through the evergreens, he ropes you right into a very particular, personal experience.

Crushing is raw. Jacklin and the band aren't playing new sounds, but the groove is locked as she tells her story of heartbreak to her final breath.

Sure it's a little pretentious, but poetic license feels more like a savage gift in Bejar's hands. [Year End 2010, p.69]

They have maintained their passion at its most rollicking, but the huanting 'Cooperstown' shows the band at the peak of their powers. [Spring 2009, p.78]

It's not quite a concept record, but a record stuffed with concepts. And at its high points, it's brilliant.

Any Human Friend is Hackman's most attention-demanding work to date, and positions her as one of the most refreshing voices in British music right now.