To call this a promising debut would be an understatement.

Musically, the boys prove once again that grunge needn't be reduced to Black Sabbath meets Black Flag. [#13, p.94]

Georgia Gothic mixes the light and shade in equal measure and whilst it may wear its influences on its sleeve, the album deviates from an oft-ploughed furrow and takes things to new and interesting places with skill, guile, and heart.

While Running Out of Love may contain a bit less fizz than its predecessor, it's supplanted by evidence of the band's artistic growth over the past six years.

Sit back, preferably with some good headphones, and enjoy one of the finest albums of the year thus far.

No More Stories is the most intricate batch of songs they've produced but pratical enough for daily listening. [Summer 2009, p.61]

Woodhead is lost in the myriad sonic worlds he meticulously crafts throughout this sublime album.

[A] sensitively-written and fearlessly-recorded album.

Allen [is] one of the wittiest new voices in pop. [#16, p.89]

While the lyrical themes involve a complexity of things on For the Sake of Bethel Woods, their first album since 2013’s Antiphon, such as alienation and isolation, listen closely and the songs become instantly accessible and compelling.

With Sound of the Morning Pearson has conjured and fine-tuned a far more confident, almost irresistible song set.

This is a confident and assured debut that demands a sequel.

The New Pornographers have never sounded more like a band than on Together, and it's one of the best records they've ever made. [Spring 2010, p.65]

Eight manages to balance ’90s nostalgia with a hatful of great contemporary tunes which should please the faithful and silence the critics who have nailed The Boo Radleys forever to 1995. It proves you can peep over your shoulder occasionally, as long as you keep moving forward.

Goths is vivid and light on its toes. [Apr - Jun 2017, p.84]

Words & Music, May 1965 slots in somewhere between “for completists only” and “for more serious listeners” of Reed’s works. Having a chance to listen to early renditions of Velvet’s classics and getting a taste for Reed’s knack for writing a compelling lyric are well worth experiencing.

Even though Animal has some second-half fits and starts, the album’s opening salvo and last half highlights place the album squarely in the running for year-end best of lists.

Olsen makes the EP feel both familiar and brand new. The singer is keenly aware that the best cover versions are those where the artists put a distinctive spin on the song, rather than producing a straight facsimile of the original. Angel Olsen confidently accomplishes that with this thoroughly enjoyable EP.

Although Most Normal is every bit as obtuse as one has come to expect from Gilla Band, it represents more of a short sharp shock than either 2019’s The Talkies or 2015’s Holding Hands With Jamie, yet remains every bit as exhilarating.

It’s an album that demonstrates that following your artistic instincts rather than what’s “on trend” can lead to work that is much more rewarding, powerful, and enduring.

Broadcast might be the most fully realized electronic band out there. [#5, p.105]

They have achieved the almost unachievable in 2019, a rock album that is required listening from start to finish, rather than being a collection of singles and skippable filler. They ought to be applauded for this, and the record ought to be lapped up by a public longing for depth and heft in its music.

It's an album of great depth and poignant melody and one that certainly rewards the listener after repeated plays.

The whole of Good Mood Fool is pervaded with a sense of apocalyptic dread, yet Temple never wallows.

On Real Emotional Trash, Malkmus and the Jicks' most recent offering, they manage to bring both tendencies (to indulge in classic rock and play loose) together into a coherent whole without getting too polished or boring. [Spring 2008, p.83]

Sakamoto has sought opportunities for avant garde composition his whole career and with comparable enthusiasm, engaged collaborations with composers of like sensibilities. The Revenant satisfied both criteria for him and he delivered an epic score to Iñárritu.

Tindersticks have proven themselves to be a rare exception to what feels like a general rule of let-down albums by reunited bands. [Fall 2008, p.84]

This act continues to create work that is consistently worth consideration. [Spring 2009, p.75]