It doesn't rate with the best of Clem Snide, but Bitter Honey is a pleasant diversion and a nice way to fill the space between the group's releases.

Even within the album's murkiness, however, hints of the promise and intermittent brilliance Doherty had in the Libertines can still be heard.

It's much more stripped-down and loose compared to the glossy polish of The Joy of Sing-Sing.

Feels comfortably familiar even as it rages to say something new.

Timeless is a mixed bag, but it's not because of Mendes. His own playing and arranging is utterly elegant.

The Veronicas are sassy and sexy, not trashy, and they show humor and heartbreak here, which helps elevate their debut to the top ranks of 2000s teen pop.

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

A moody, intense, dramatic, and orchestrated second full-length tour de force.

A smooth, delightful whole.

Mullins' most poignant, cohesive, and diverse album.

It's not a radical departure for Belle & Sebastian -- there are several intimate, folky numbers that would comfortably fit on their previous records. But having these tunes surrounded by songs that successfully stretch the group's sound gives The Life Pursuit an unexpected, wholly welcome vitality.

This is Electric Six's strongest work to date, and the fans who have stuck with them through their trials and tribulations won't be disappointed.

As artlessly lovely as a spring day, this is some of her simplest work, and simply some of her best, too.

A promising, satisfying debut.

If this is the relatively bummed-out Minus 5 album, it's still full of great songs played with genuine enthusiasm and imagination.

Every bit as compelling as contemporaneous efforts from likeminded electronic artists Daft Punk, Lemon Jelly, and the Orb.

The Prefuse of past years is replaced by plenty of airy distortion (reminiscent of his work with the Books and his side project, Savath + Savalas), and nods to the hip-hop beatwork of his early Warp records.

It may never fly in the conservatory, but the music of Clogs is sure to make the bar set feel a little more cultured.

More than a few productions provide the type of slick, West Coast grind that allows Aceyalone to play the Lothario but still sound like he's satirizing the lover-man archetype.

It is a more stripped-down affair compared to Broken Social Scene's more ambitious material.

Donuts just might be the one release that best reflects his personality.

There's nothing really new or earth-shattering about this album, but that's not a prerequisite for great rock & roll.

While Swearing at Motorists are clearly at ease in a variety of musical styles, it's tempting to yearn for fatter hooks, more fleshed-out arrangements, or just a cathartic chorus to sing along with at the top of your lungs -- which was what made the Replacements' similar tribulations ultimately so inviting.

The sound of For Me, It's You, is less strident than that of the band's previous offerings, but it's edgier and digs deeper into older musics and styles.

The album comes out as their most organic since 1998's Good Humor; even the tracks driven by programming are warm in comparison to vast chunks of both Sound of Water and Finisterre.

Generation's toughness rings hollow like a rerun.

For what it is, The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and people who have never heard of Cat Power before could very well love this album immediately. However, it might take a little more work for those who have loved her music from the beginning.

Clearlake got it right this time out. They have has never sounded as triumphant as they do on Amber.