-
Try not to embarrass yourself by laughing in public.
-
An essential purchase for anyone yet to call this album their own.
-
A journey to exciting territories beyond the beats-and-pieces norm.
-
An apposite live companion to their best-of collections.
-
An era-defining emo release expanded and remastered.
-
Best appreciated by fair-weather followers and absolute beginners.
-
An unheard live set makes this album worth investing in again.
-
A quaint, quietly enchanting third solo album from ex-Ash guitarist.
-
Easily exceeds expectations despite some throwaway moments.
-
One hopes this inspires a new generation of investigative listeners.
-
Kids, get exploring these acts. This is your foot in the door.
-
A bittersweet collection that’s stood the test of time.
-
This mix will only further his already admirable reputation.
-
Perhaps the most enjoyably varied pop album of 2009.
-
Prepare to be left breathless.
-
The singer’s voice can’t compete with the scale of the music around him.
-
The ego has landed, again, but he’s a lot more endearing this time around.
-
They’re back at the forefront of the instrumental rock field.
-
Zesty indie with a lyrical sharpness impossible to fake.
-
An album with many moments of startling beauty on show.
-
A tough listen, even at its comparative prettiest, but an essential one.
-
This collection sounds like tomorrow’s hits, today.
-
Just the beginning of a career that would eventually eclipse Take That’s.
-
Little he’s produced since has seemed quite so times-defining of content.
-
Robbie’s first truly international hit, but at a cost.
-
It may be their best album, even if singles are conspicuous by their absence.
-
Aims for an awkward middle ground between tested styles.
-
Perfectly decent indie-rock, but not a patch on New Order’s finest albums.
-
They could become the pop world’s version of the Flaming Lips
-
A pleasurable, albeit distinctly predictable, listening experience.
-
Little more than pastiches of past successes.
-
Powerfully cacophonous but melodically muscular – amazing stuff.
-
Album eight finds the singer striking out with a proper 'band' album.
-
Remarkable only for its why-even-bother mediocrity.
-
Too slight to encourage repeat plays, but occasionally charming enough.
-
Perhaps she’s playing up, but one can’t fault the performance.
-
Proof positive that studious revision can pay serious dividends.
-
Too schizophrenic of design to successfully sell its positives.
-
Fans of inoffensive, pop-soaked Caribbean vibes: step right up.
-
A perfectly sumptuous celebration of one of the UK’s most important labels.
-
A vital, invest-now compilation of non-LP favourites.
-
Perfectly pleasant fare for the undemanding listener.
-
Music alive with dissonance, but equally enthralled by elegance and experimentation
-
Birmingham band gets stuck between the rock and a hard-to-play place
-
Continues to surprise several plays after any cursory investigation
-
Its narrative is arranged to achieve satisfying finality
-
The Sheffield four-piece's hugely influential debut reappraised.
-
The brother-sister duo continue to puzzle and thrill in equal measures.
-
Moments of magic that point the way to a better-realised vision next.
-
Every bit as exploratory and expansive as fans old and new have come to expect.
