Hieroglyphic Being's unrecognizable, incongruously mechanical mix of "Satellite Sniper" is the only real misstep (albeit a minor one), and all told this is one of the most rewarding remix albums in recent memory.

All this hurly-burly camouflages the essential truth of The Hot Sauce Committee: that the Beasties could sit on an album for two years to no ill effect to their reputation or the record's quality.

Given her promotion to the Paula Abdul seat on American Idol, there's a distinct irony in having the first sounds on Jennifer Lopez's Love? all twisted through a vocoder: she may be judging the pop purity of legions of hopeful singers, but even she can't resist the siren call of the computer.

In Your Dreams winds up capturing the essence of Stevie Nicks, which -- as her previous three decades of solo albums prove -- is no easy feat.

At its best, the album is bracing, capable of winning over the cynics who are not particularly open-minded about crossover dance music.

Overall Moment Bends is a return to form, if not quite as inspired as Architecture in Helsinki's best moments.

Sonny Smith will never be Buddy Holly, but if Buddy were around, he'd recognize a kindred spirit. So would Rick Nelson, Bobby Fuller, or Marshall Crenshaw (who isn't dead but still...), or anyone else who made simple but powerful pop music with brains, guts, and hooks sharp enough to cut glass. Hit After Hit is that good.

Harvey's music has never been more self-assured than it is here, and this album marks the dawn of a new era for him as an artist.

Fortunately, it's a warm and fuzzy gloom that sounds just right all the time. You won't want to miss Secret Walls, another step in the band's progression.

This is Quik in top form and pointed at the future, ignoring all fads and focused on what is real.

James Farm offers real compositional depth and spirited, sophisticated improvisation, making for a deeply satisfying listen and a promising debut.

On Helplessness Blues, he's just as interested in the landscape of the human heart. Still, it's the music that stands out, and the band's acoustic folk/chamber pop combo makes every song sound like a grand tribute to back-to-the-land living.

It's not markedly different, better, or worse than previous BFS albums, with the main distinguishing factor being that there's nothing with a killer hook along the lines of "1985," but for the legions of faithful fans, more of the same isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So while Walls generally finds An Horse treading water, enjoyably enough for the most part, it also suggests that they've arrived at a slight impasse as to how to proceed from here; how to balance artistic development and expansion with the youthful urgency and directness that has marked their best moments, at least so far.

With plenty of hiss and maxed levels, Live Forever is hardly perfect when it comes to sound quality, and the laid-back show doesn't stand up against Marley's live masterpiece Babylon by Bus, but fans who want their reggae party a little less "punky" will find this a great, chilled alternative.

Tindersticks' fans will simply have to own this package as it offers an equal but different dimension of their pop persona.

It's a mix that works like a charm and if they can find it, fans of scruffy, dirty, and not very nice rock & roll will take to Xray Eyeballs like squirrels to a birdfeeder.

Born with Stripes, is a quietly enjoyable listen, something where emotions get expressed with often restrained energy--but, crucially, never lacking that core energy to start with.

This self-titled offering is monster; a masterpiece of tough, psychedelic soul.

Despite this lingering scent of stale nicotine, alcohol, and leather, The Taking does make a brute impression, McKagan's Loaded playing with a vitality that almost compensates for how they fetishize the past.

A tribute to the late P-Funk guitarist Garry Shider and an appearance from Bootsy's older brother Catfish Collins -- who died before the album saw release -- add poignancy to this rich and funky success.

ATE doesn't shy away from their debts to the Killers and the Strokes, they brandish their influences so brazenly the echoes reverberate upon themselves and turn into something not quite their own but not quite recycled: it's insistent mood pop designed for its moment, getting enough momentum from its bounce and melody to be something of a pleasure.

Ultimately, a full album based around relaxed, Rhodes-based ballads is probably too bland for thrill-seekers, but Start & Complete is the type of one-off that might be of considerable interest to fans.

No Help Coming is an improvement over Golightly's previous work with the Brokeoffs, but this music still doesn't capture this gifted artist at her best.

What doesn't make a direct hit on the hips and heart is, at the least, well constructed.

At the age of 64, Emmylou Harris has made an album as fresh and distinctive as any in her catalog, and Hard Bargain is a reminder that her evolution into a songwriter is one of the most pleasant surprises in a career that's produced rewarding music for nearly 40 years.

He pushes the notion further on the brilliantly melodic, ennui-ridden baroque pop ballad "Anti-D," in which Blur's "karaoke songs" from "The Universal" have been replaced by the Wombats' own songs, which are better than "citalopram" and "to be prescribed as freely as any decongestants." The song, like the rest This Modern Glitch, makes the case for the Wombats as both rock stars and fools in their own pop star sitcom.

I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive's lone downer is Burnett's unnecessarily heavy-handed production. That said, Earle's vocals front and center in a brilliant song cycle transcend it.