There's probably a really simple answer, but most reviews of albums (traditionally) come out before the record is released. So why is this often not the case with DiS? For example, the Maccabees and Horrors albums have not been reviewed yet (despite them being all over the internet for weeks), the Belle & Sebastian BBC sessions review was put up a few weeks after the album came out... However the review of White Lies was posted about a week and a half before the record release!

Is it just about being "totally laid back, maaaannn, we don't care about deadlines 'n' shit", or is there a particular reason, as in a policy that important records are reviewed after people have had a chance to listen to it themselves and form their own opinions?

Just wondering.