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Apr 22, 2011On the whole Start And Complete is a singular and fearless album that conveys significant emotion, rewards repeat listens, and shows what can be achieved when a band's approach to music is defined by bravery and vision.
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Apr 22, 2011A marvellous little record where improvisation rubs shoulders with immediacy.
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May 3, 2011It would have been great to hear Hayward and Coxon bring more of their distinct voices to the table, but with songs as charmingly off-kilter and sweetly understated as this, it's hard to complain.
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Apr 28, 2011Start and Complete ultimately achieves what it sets out to do, which is to place a song-oriented frame around another off-the-cuff session by these four disparate talents, who will no doubt spin off in a completely different direction should About Group reconvene.
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May 3, 2011While Start And Complete happens to have been recorded in just one day, lo and behold, it turns out to be album of relatively straightforward songs, staying largely within the musical and lyrical conventions of the pop/rock universe.
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Q MagazineMay 31, 2011Alexis Taylor teams up with Spiritualized guitarist John Coxon and Charles Hayward, drummer with post-punk originals This Heat, for a charming diversion that draws freely on '70s jazz, Southern rhythm-and-blues and vintage synths. [Jun 2011, p.107]
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May 13, 2011Somehow, with an expansive medley of guitar licks and swirling organ solos, everything clicks into place here and the band settles into an irresistible groove. Unfortunately, though, that isn't enough to stop one from hoping Taylor returns to his day job sooner rather than later.
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May 4, 2011At the end of the day, Start and Complete is hardly essential listening, but it is what it is: a dalliance.
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Apr 27, 2011Ultimately, a full album based around relaxed, Rhodes-based ballads is probably too bland for thrill-seekers, but Start & Complete is the type of one-off that might be of considerable interest to fans.
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Apr 22, 2011Essential only for Alexis Taylor's fanbase? Yes, but an intriguing and easily loveable record for many more.
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Apr 22, 2011Unfortunately, those songs are slight, unfocused things.
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UncutApr 21, 2011It has a peculiar charm. [May 2011, p.77]
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May 18, 2011Many of the tracks start out promising, but they don't have the excitement needed to keep listeners hooked.
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Under The RadarMay 27, 2011These four hanging out and jamming is to be celebrated, no question, but a slightly less ad-hoc endeavor might elicit more spins. [May 2011, p.75]
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MojoMay 18, 2011The possibilities of "first ideas" is fatally undermined by a lack of ideas. [May 2011, p.110]
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May 10, 2011Taken in small bites, there are great moments here, but you're unlikely to clean your plate and ask for seconds for all 14 courses. I for one will be hanging out for dessert, but I don't imagine I'll be invited for dinner again.
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The WireMay 3, 2011Hayward sounds bored, Coxon throws out Clapton-ish licks, and Taylor's milk-and-water vocals make him sound like the younger brother of The Beautiful South's Paul Heaton. Only Thomas seems willing to inject any imagination into the songs. [Apr 2011, p.52]