Not every song hits the mark, but the Monkeys should be applauded for spreading their wings and not dropping like stones. [Sep 2009, p.100]

There are few hooks to grab the ear or inspire repeat listening. [Apr 2002, p.86]

It's hardly the pop album the liner notes indicate, but it's sweetly spellbinding, slouching toward another corner of the underground. [Mar 2003, p.92]

An exhilarating album... [March 2001, p.88]

Runners in the Nerved World serves as a transitional record for a band who continue to figure out who they are and what they want to be. [Feb 2015, p.92]

Although there;s wnough kicky keyboard-pop to satisfy long-time fans, the darker nuances are a welcome evolution. [Mar 2010, p.98]

One of the brightest and catchy offerings for Sub Pop all year. [Nov 2006, p.188]

'Part 2' is the album's most intense track, 'Part 3' is it's most intriguing. [Sep 2008, p.150]

I Bet On Sky can feel a bit sleepy--although noise-cracked solos and psychedelic-quicksand riffs ultimately keep things lively. [Oct 2012, p.88]

For the most part, the band's jagged guitars and bludgeoning backbeats play by the punk rulebook. [Jul 2006, p.186]

A schizophrenic collision of sound that's so expertly arranged, it still sounds utterly musical. [Nov 2005, p.226]

Exiting Arm is another step forward in the brillant career of a group unafraid to switch it up. [June 2008, p.137]

Thankfully, the electro-bleeped post-punk "All Night Disco Party" and buzz-band piss-take "Heard About Your Band" aren't just dead-on scenester satire; they're damned entertaining too. [Jan 2006, p.142]

Although the circumstances surrounding these songs' creation are undoubtedly tragic, Walker has been able to spin that sorrow into arguably the best material of his career. [Mar 2015, p.91]

It's still familiar emotional portraiture, but these scenes often appear through a high-powered telescope instead of a magnifying glass. [Jun 2014, p.106]

If you’ve shied away from drone music because of its sonic inaction, here’s a good remedy.

Admittedly, it takes a few listens for Save Rock And Roll to click, and some songs (“Alone Together,” “Miss Missing You”) are notably weaker than others. But overall, Save Rock And Roll is a blast of an album.

Control's exhilarating high points take Pedro's brooding, hesitantly melodic indie rock closer to Ozzfet than they've ever been. [Jul 2002, p.94]

Consistently intriguing, haunting and above all, very good. [Dec 2001, p.94]

More often than not, Amnesiac finds a balance between twiddling and transcendence. [Jul 2001, p.79]

If bastard of ceremonies Nic Offer would shut his piehole, Louden Up Now! would improve 50 percent. [Aug 2004, p.106]

[A] thrilling trip to the sold-out stadiums of inner space. [Jun 2006, p.190]

While DJ Shadow keeps us hanging for a return to form, Blockhead picks up the slack with a fantastic disc that's solid throughout. [Mar 2010, p.90]

With strata of classical strings, reverbed guitars, epic piano chords and seemingly every piece of Yasunori Takada's drum kit simultaneously being hammered in salutation to the happy medium between tender, childlike phrasing, and grandiose movie soundtrack. [Oct 2012, p.90]

It's already the most riveting album of 2005--provided you're ready to carve a wide enough hole in your consciousness to accept it. [Mar 2005, p.130]

Hesitant Alien has enough requisite cool and clamor to insure he stays both relevant and remarkably vibrant.

It is a more assured and catchier effort and showcases far better songwriting [than its 2011 debut], and though the quality wavers on a few tracks, overall it justifies those who passed on them before taking another look.

More lively and consistent than 2006's "Rabbit Fur Coat," Lewis's second solo disc builds like a whisky buzz. [Nov 2008, p.155]

Producer Dave Bottrill has molded Chiodos’ vision into a cohesive arc of power, finesse, quirks and accessibility in equal measures.

It's a testament to Starlight Mints' kitchen-sink approach that each listen yields varied results. [Jun 2006, p.180]

Molina & Johnson's treasures are there, as long as you listen closely. [Jan 2010, p.95]

The band come up with hooks aplenty, delivering anti-pop gold on the guaranteed-to-disappoint-no-one Expo 86. [Aug 2010, p.156]

A snow globe of an album that's sparkling, brilliant and only held back by gravity. [Aug 2004, p.106]

Dangers' music remains remarkably fresh and adventurous. [June 2002, p.80]

P.O.S. has raised the bar again. [Mar 2009, p.114]

Xerxes debut LP is a solid take on the burgeoning Pg.99/Modern Life Is War hybrid. [Apr 2012, p.99]

They are definitely good enough to keep fans of modern heavy music pleased with the genre's continued vitality. [Aug 2013, p.83]

As the title suggests, REAL. is the genuine article.

Though highly polished, nothing comes across as cynical or contrived, and Mikey Chapman’s delivery has never been more heartfelt.

The Cribs manage to keep enough of their edge while dishing out another pile of consistently great pop songs. [Dec 2009, p.112]

Some of the band's most gut-wrenching and powerful melodies to date. [Mar 2007, p.133]

When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes sounds like less of a comeback and more of a homecoming. [Apr 2011, p.113]

Their last release, Meanderthal, was one of the finest records of 2008, and the eight-track Songs For Singles makes a glorious follow-up. [Oct 2010, p.116]

Rot Gut, Domestic's melodies are still strong, but Edward's world-weary tenor to the bedeviled characters and prickly distortion, anxiety rules. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Golem works best when Wand finds a way to split the difference via proto-prog face peelers like "Cave In" or the Hawkwind-like "Planet Golem" where the sweet and acrid combine to make something particularly intoxicating. [Apr 2015, p.94]

Dianogah's hypnotic grooves and continuous dynamic shifts make Millions of Brazilians ideal background music for hipster housecleaning. [July 2002, p.78]

The real strength of The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten is the album's inherent variance--and the fact that droning waltzes like "Days Of Wrath" are able to seamlessly co-exist with ambient experiments like "The Threshold" make the album sound like a complete musical statement instead of a genre exercise.

Too much of Human Hearts feels like a retread of what they've already done on previous LPs. [Apr 2011, p.115]

With Wreck, established fans have great reason to maintain their faith, while newbies may well have just found their new favorite band.

Though they change direction with almost every track, Doomriders maintain an ominous and almost sleazy air throughout, and by the time it's done you just might feel like you need a shower. [Nov 2013, p.88]

The Physical World is a triumphant statement that the two musicians have moved forward artistically. [Oct 2014, p.97]

At times, it lacks focus, but this is still a perfect soundtrack for lonely nights at home with your demons. [Jun 2015, p.98]

All the broad-shouldered indie pop and big city folk we've come to expect, but so meticulously refined and consistently pleasing that its crossover ploys seem forgivable. [Sep 2004, p.124]

Braid have delivered a record as nuanced, vitalizing and brilliant as anything in their already storied back catalog, reemerging as strong as any of the numerous bands that have popped up to critical notice in their wake.

Hymn's soft-loud spectrum stretches uncommonly far, yielding rare rewards at each end. [May 2009, p.114]

Where "Hexes" reveled in a sludgier sentiment, all the while anchoring Wasif's emotional yearnings, The Voidist opts, for the most part, not to disguise anything. It arrives bare-chested and howling

Fans of extreme metal will find Unearth's latest release a tad too light, but anyone who likes metal in their 'core should go completely bat-shit over this album.

With so much fertile ground to cultivate, though, Wolves Like Us seem less like copycats and more like proud bearers of a new tradition. [Oct 2011, p.112]

The Connecticut-based band have truly outdone themselves. [Feb 2013, p.92]

An engaging disc. [Mar 2005, p.122]

If vocal distortion is to indie rock what the vocoder is to commercial pop, then Pleasure Forever's Alter is Sub Pop's answer to Cher's "Believe." [Jun 2003, p.97]

Better than anyone could have predicted. [Sep 2003, p.112]

The only thing missing is Gibbard's unique voice--well, that, and the solid songwriting that made the Postal Service's Give Up a classic, rather than just a pleasant listen. [Mar 2005, p.122]

The New Orleans duo have crafted another epic album--this time, though, it's a more organic affair. [Feb 2009, p.107]

The band focuses on their strengths while proving they're still evolving and moving forward. [Oct 2010, p.114]

The underwhelming title cut underscores the superiority of the first four Black Kids songs, but their transition from MySpace to major label is an overall success. [Sep 2008, p.162]

They decided that they could completely renovate their brand and rely on their fanbase to follow; lucky for them, it’s working. It’s a new era, and the 1975 are taking you with them.

The real pleasure here is hearing what Jack White can do when he's away from the confines of the White Stripes. [Jul 2006, p.202]

The 79-minute runtime will undoubtedly turn some casual listeners off, but those patient enough to stick it out until the end are in for the Used’s most soul-wrenching, creatively daring effort to date.

A scappy but lovable collection of power pop. [Oct 2008, p.152]

Finds the outfit in fine form, but it seems unlikely that the casual fan will fully appreciate what Everett has done with his songs here. [Apr 2006, p.214]

Enter Shikari prove that they have something substantial to say and a creative way of saying it.

Romance may be boring, but this ambitious triumph is anything but. [Feb 2010, p.96]

Practically seamless in execution, the worldly Sound Kapital reaches its peak with the anthemic "Repatriated," an upbeat track ready for dance floors from Brooklyn to Bangkok. [Jul 2011, p.110]

Frontman Colin Newman's pointed lyrics can be gloriously dry and the measured melodies of the songs are fine. [May 2015, p.102]

It is perhaps three songs too long, but A Wasteland companion is, nonetheless, a welcome return to form. [May 2012, p.85]

The result is Gogol Bordello's best album in their 14-year career. [Aug 2013, p.94]

A romantic, self-referential collection of songs that, even though we've heard this inimitable voice singing the same old tune for years, manages to avoid staleness. [May 2006, p.174]

As ever, Martsch prove capable of anthropomorphizing a bent string and imbuing it with more emotion than many bands' vocals and lyrics. [Dec 2009, p.112]

Art Brut Vs. Satan is compelling for three crucial reasons. First: Black Francis--a guy who knows something about charging guitar rock--produced the sessions. Second: The guitar subterfuge of Jasper Future and Ian Catskilkin, drive home these songs with a renewed enthusiasm. Lastly: Frontman Eddie Argos' sing-speak ruminations are inspired once again. [Jun 2009, p.108]

On Song In The Air, they rock harder than ever. [Jun 2003, p.96]

Deliciously out of touch, Ladybug Transistor are sly, simpering and irresistible. [Nov 2003, p.99]

Alternately pounding and pining, it's "faceless techno" at its very best. [Sep 2002, p.96]

Murder By Death have created their most dramatic and symphonic work to date. [Oct 2012, p.90]

The record’s high peak, “Upstate Blues,” displays more Kinsella influence (this time Owls) in its jazzy bursts. But the clever wordplay is all Weiss.

Bigger production values and more group playing than her previous piano/vocal introspection. Haines delivers urgency and depth without having to shear off her throat lining, and can convey vulnerability and uncertainty with a brave face. [Oct 2017, p.81]

The Mountain brings a new rhythm section to town--a rejuvenating transfusion for the band--and Appalachian banjo and high-art violin swirls. [May 2009, p.121]

Murder By Death are tentatively stepping outside their comfort zone, abetted by a new member who already seems to have made them more dynamic and adventurous. [Mar 2015, p.90]

It's a bit frustrating that Woodruff is still rehashing the lyrical doom-and-gloom of the band's early work. [Jun 2010, p.105]

What ultimately matters is how vital they’ve managed to sound coming off of a break while pushing the experimental envelope in ways that go beyond a guest appearance by Kool Keith as Dr. Octagon.

Off! is ferocious and unforgiving. [Jun 2012, p.76]

The Afterman: Descension almost manages to stand alone, but because of one key element, it doesn't. The lyrics aren't literal or married to a narrative--the theme explored through metaphor. [Mar 2013, p.87]

Your best bet is to just let go and enjoy this long, schizophrenic ride through his candy-colored, drug-addled musical subconscious. [Dec 2014, p.107]

These eight songs are as strangely catchy as they are desperate. [Feb 2004, p.92]

The first De La Soul full-length lacking a consistent vibe throughout... [#147, p.81]

Riotously catchy pop songs that fall somewhere between boisterous pub anthems and artsy bursts of haphazard punk. [Jun 2006, p.190]

Close To The Glass resembles ice-skate carvings on a frozen lake: jagged, cold but filled with fractured, ambient beauty. [Mar 2014, p.93]

Business as usual: Swervedriver create beautiful noise without breaking a sweat. [Apr 2015, p.94]