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Richard Dawson  End of the Middle

In the record’s beautiful climax, ‘More than Real’, he brings much-needed context to the entire record and hints at the potential heights of emotion the record could have reached had the other songs been backed by the same production Far Out

Richard Dawson  End of the Middle

End of the Middle is a more streamlined Richard Dawson album that’s no less engaging and perhaps more accessible than his previous work PopMatters

Richard Dawson  End of the Middle

One of his most accessible and oddly comforting records sports nonetheless an emotional edge that can catch you unaware musicOMH

Horsegirl  Phonetics On And On

This is special, timeless music that speaks equally to the heart and the brain and it positions Horsegirl as the keepers of the indie rock flame All Music

Bartees Strange  Horror

Horror doesn’t fall completely flat as a result of its skittish approach but is prevented from being its strongest self due to this lack of focus, and you have to wonder how good a Strange record would be if it tried half as many ideas Far Out

Bartees Strange  Horror

It’s always good to get an album of the year contender in early doors, and ‘Horror’ is just that. Expertly crafted and perfectly considered: this is music at its best Dork

Bartees Strange  Horror

It is forward-looking and backward-looking at the same time, in sound. It is a triumphant record, despite its sometimes-dark themes, something that convinces with both its humble honesty and its soaring ambition Northern Transmissions

Bartees Strange  Horror

Horror seems to ask the listener to face themselves in the way Strange has on this record, and not everyone will be ready The Line Of Best Fit

Bartees Strange  Horror

This union [with Lady Gaga producers Yves Tumor and Lawrence Rothman and Taylor Swift co-writer Jack Antonoff] pushes his emotional, sophisticated rock in vivid new directions. Print edition only Mojo

Bartees Strange  Horror

A multi-genre triumph from a musician confronting insular fears and a world at odds with eccentrics Clash

Bartees Strange  Horror

A fascinating statement: an impetus to stand fearless in a world that tries to keep you scared Under The Radar

Bartees Strange  Horror

Fear may have inspired Bartees Strange’s new LP, but the songs on Horror are some of his best to date. He is one of the key artists of this decade PopMatters

Bartees Strange  Horror

Exploring the concept of fear, the third album from Bartees Strange is a sonic odyssey The Skinny

Manic Street Preachers  Critical Thinking

They may no longer be generation terrorists, but on this evidence they can still deliver a witheringly bracing state of the nation address musicOMH

Horsegirl  Phonetics On And On

Coming early in the year, this one’s scruffy charm feels like it will age particularly well Under The Radar