The guitars are gorgeously recorded, the vocals are gently understated and the occasional keyboards are carefully mixed into the background with a simple, earnest warmth. [#49, p.79]

A near-perfect record to hold onto with all the might you can muster. [#58, p.103]

His artistic sophistication and derring-do has reached a new (and, frankly, unexpected) level of maturity. [No. 115, p.56]

The music, co-created with producer Patrick Leonard, is sparse but energetically diverse, with dips into Memphis soul, country, cabaret and jazzy funk. [No. 115, p.58]

A treasure trove of unheralded, largely unheard, completely unselfconscious pop music that bravely led post-punk out of the gloom and into its rose-colored romantic future. [No. 117, p.51]

An embarrassment of riches. [#58, p.91]

Smashing. [No. 159, p.57]

No, we haven't heard this Cave before, and though magnetic, emotive and tenderly merciful, one prays for his sake that we never hear it again. [No. 137, p.51]

What makes the album exceptional is its thematic unity and storybook approach. [#67, p.85]

The first great album of '99. [March 1999]

After the actors have their poignantly emotional say, it's Bowie's own tremolo-rich, baritone voice and the noir-art-industrial-jazz band he employed on Blackstar that top off Lazarus stage-songs. [No. 137, p.53]

Defend Yourself is virtually filler-less. [No. 102, p.52]

On release, a collection of singles over the band's career, its stability takes these years-spanning pieces and forms them into coherence, it's also one of the year's best listens. [No. 115, p.55]

Monomania is stacked with track-to-track unshakable, albeit twisted, pop melodies and an atmosphere of unrest that will stick with you between repeated listens. [No.99, p.52]

A phenomenal recording of sonic and lyrical depth. [#53, p.69]

You get something that's very lovely and poetic and melancholy and vulnerable and unspeakably beautiful. [No. 100, p.54]

Capacious, intimate and brimming with both whimsy and tension, Recording A Tape is what classical music might sound like from some advanced alien civilization. [#70, p.86]

All at-once nauseating, delectable and habit-forming. [No.90, p.55]

A gorgeous record brimming with unhurried songs. [#61, p.108]

This minor genius from Gothenburg hurdles over [the heartbreak record] as effortlessly and charmingly as his livelier material. [No.91 p.58]

The songs on WWSFTC all hint at loss, limitation and aging, with Spektor's poetic sensibility and passionate singing giving the LP a wrenching sense of vulnerability. [No.88 p.59]

It all comes out pure, 100-proof Godfathers, as hard-rockin', contemporary and fresh-sounding as ever. [No. 139, p.55]

Sexsmith doesn't succumb to a single false move or note. [#51, p.112]

The members of Fugazi exercise a controlled intensity that exudes grace, their concise-yet complex songs experimenting wisely. [#52, p.87]

A staggering masterpiece. [No. 125, p.55]

Alone's as good a Pretenders record as has been made. [No. 137, p.59]

Takes a baby step toward the mainstream. [#69, p.108]

A brilliant pastiche of styles. [No. 125, p.57]