Really, though, he's at his best when he tones down the act. [Nov 2019, p.108]

Jamie is a thrilling first step into her future. [Oct 2019, p.106]

OHMME add depth to the harmonies on seven of the 10 songs and the overall sense is of five people as excited by playing together as they were at their first rehearsal nine years ago. [Oct 2019, p.114]

There's something transcendent about the former hardcore kid and the musicians he assembles for Hiss Golden Messenger, this time featuring Aaron Dessner of The National and Jenny Lewis. [Oct 2019, p.106]

The Return may feel long and complex, but time and space reveal a unique new voice. [Oct 2019, p.113]

With Fender's vocals soaring over skyscraper guitars and choruses that accelerate into a surging, full-throttle blast, it's hard not to imagine the stadium potential of these songs. There's a power in their marriage of beauty and disgruntlement, towering moments that recall '80s U2 or Simple Minds. [Oct 2019, p.115]

It's all very pleasant, but a lot of it does drift past without leaving much of an impression. [Oct 2019, p.106]

A little too straightforward. [Oct 2019, p.110]

A record whose card-shuffling diversity proves to be its ace. [Oct 2019, p.113]

Despite its running time and the magpie-like pilfering, on this amusing and bemusing album Mount never seems remotely in danger of repeating himself--or, for that matter, anybody else. [Oct 2019, p.112]

It is a track or two too long. ... But that aside, Why Me? Why Not. is a triumph, one that proves As You Were was no fluke and that Lia Gallagher is well and truly back on track. [Oct 2019, p.104]

Gloominess is nothing new in traditional American music, but Wolfe layers the sorrow with a compelling sense of urgency. [Oct 2019, p114]

An interesting stopover on a journey marked by constant curiosity. [Oct 2019, p.110]

Devendra Banhart's singular world remains as intoxicating as ever on the earthy, analogue-sounding Ma. [Oct 2019, p.106]

The thumping drums and syncopated string throughout still channel the 1980s, while Good News (Ya-Ya Song) harks back to the summer of 1999, all clipped guitar and MTV beats. [Oct 2019, p.114]

This narrative of self-empowerment might be superficially uplifting but it can also be rather inane, recalling the tween-friendly messages of positivity spread by pop powerhouses like Little Mix. That lightweight lyricism is in contrast to Mahalia's sophisticated sonic palate. [Oct 2019, p.109]

Sorrowful dance and defiant house beats wind throughout, bringing unity to the scattered sounds. [Oct 2019, p.109]

Tinariwen's most intoxicating record yet. [Oct 2019, p.113]

Imperfect but never less than interesting. [Oct 2019, p.110]

This late-period curio isn't one for the purists. ... A patchy affair. [Oct 2019, p.117]

Her innate spikiness keeps the schmaltz in check. [Oct 2019, p.108]

Although at times Lost Girls' nostalgia feels slightly generic, the record does benefit from Khan's ability to weave nuanced emotional portraits--something that imbues an overused retro aesthetic with intrigue once more. [Oct 2019, p.109]

Olsen's approach often defies logic, but the result is a dizzying leap into the unknown. [Oct 2019, p.110]

While preachiness rarely flatters battle-trained MCs, roller-coaster wordplay here makes the 34-year-old's sermons fun to untangle, even on harrowing subjects. [Oct 2019, p.107]

Retro, sure, but all the better for it. [Oct 2019, p.109]

None of it will scare the horses, but it's certainly the right side of unexpected. [Oct 2019, p.113]

Forever Turned Around shares the warm textures that made its predecessor so endearing, but finds the band's fortunes looking up. [Oct 2019, p.114]

Beautiful and inscrutable, it runs very deep indeed. [Sep 2019, p.117]