Experimental while always pop-oriented and engaging, Was I the Wave? is a great summer afternoon album for chilling at the beach or day-driving with friends.

Rebel Soul is appropriately rebellious and conservative, a dose of old-time rock & roll at a time when the style is starting to fade.

It’s a long journey through a track list that approaches two hours of music, but if time does indeed reveal it to be his final album, The Fall-Off is a worthy swan song.

Overall very little distracts from the qualities that have made him the most durable talent in commercial yet traditional R&B music.

Swift's young age may be a major point of interest in bringing listeners in, but by the end of the record she's succeeded in keeping them.

Pebble to a Pearl is a bit of a gem, a true blast of retro-soul that helps push Costa out of the nu-diva pack and into her own distinct groove.

It's a confident debut, bristling with energy.

This blend of the new and the familiar makes Disguises a refreshing entry in the Aiden catalog, and makes for an album that fans should have no problem losing themselves in.

Hardcore Perry fans will probably be divided on this one, but nevertheless, it's not difficult to conclude that Rise Again is one of his most satisfying releases of the past ten years.

The sound is standard-issue pop-punk in the Green Day/Blink-182 manner, with an echo of Jimmy Eat World in the contrasting vocals.

Chain Letters is an evolutionary step. Idiosyncratic, revelatory, raucous, it's a nasty, beautiful rock & roll baptism in pleasure, both carnal and spiritual.

The Del-Lords once embodied the spirit of the ragged, rootsy, New York rock & roll scene at the end of a magical era; but that culture has long since vanished into history, making most of these songs, no matter how well constructed or intentioned, feel like exercises in nostalgia rather than anything vital.

EVE has the undeniable edge in vitality when compared to More!, the duo's previous album, and there's much more depth and variety.

It's Alive is a debut that should appeal to both lovers of old-school surf pop and anyone who's into the modern "surf" noise-pop style, but always wanted more waves and less whine.

It may bear the mark of Venom, but it lacks the heart-stopping toxicity of its inception.

The band is undeniably tight and flush with ideas, and Hale is such a force of nature that the occasional foray into AOR snooze-ville can be forgiven.

Recorded their solo over a finished mix, which explains the presence of the late Jeff Healey and also how the guitarists don't necessarily seem fully integrated into the album. Nevertheless, that disconnect is ultimately a minor point because there's a gonzo energy to Bachman's originals.

What might be considered a sellout by some can sometimes be a positive move when handled with finesse, and Tonight Alive make a convincing go of it on soaring anthems of empowerment like "To Be Free," "Drive," and "Power of One."

On the whole, it's an engaging debut with memorable tunes that should be tried on by fans of any of the above-mentioned bands or melodic descendants of post-punk and Brit-pop.

The album's tempo could have been more varied, but that's a small complaint; there's plenty to enjoy here.

In shifting gears to stoke their creative flames, Within Temptation have created an immersive--if not wholly original-sounding--set of songs that play to both their strengths and weaknesses.

Swimmers is a flowing, peaceful listen that doesn't need to be broken into small bits; it works best as a unified 35-minute diversion from the stress and struggle of the daily grind.

Not quite as malevolent as the title indicates, it's a little more openhearted than Faiyaz's earlier output, but it does contain flashes of the cynical outlook and more of the remorseless (if sensitively delivered) slow jams for which he's known.

Where the Viaduct Looms is a daring and mostly rewarding undertaking, especially for Smith. Performing the songs of one of alternative music's most acclaimed acts with another backing her, she uncovers meanings and feelings that weren't fully present in the original material -- and that bodes well for what she might be capable of with her own songs.

While Tinariwen would hone their sound and achieve even greater sonic depths in the decades following their cassette releases, Kel Tinariwen offers a compelling and charming aural window into that development.

Seemingly willing to dip a toe in every genre. It's certainly interesting, and often successful, though a sense of continuity is missing from the album as a whole, which feels almost like an anthology. Still, there are plenty of highlights.

Evil Urges ultimately ends the same way it began--with a willingness to explore, to challenge, to poke and prod at My Morning Jacket's past work while creating something entirely new.

It all makes for a more balanced, arguably more enjoyable listening experience than the original Lost Themes, and with the triumphant yet suspenseful "Utopian Facade" suggesting a threequel, it's another must for Carpenter fans.