At times, borders on unlistenable. [Nov 2004, p.146]

This is a sensational place to get acquainted with the immortal wonder of drones. [Aug 2005, p.178]

The resulting album is, at its best, ambitious and teeming with ideas and, at worst, one heck of a mish-mash of sounds.

A nearly flawless album full of rocking pop songs that sound instantly timeless. [Oct 2005, p.156]

An Object is another great volume in the experimental duo's catalog that feels more colossal than their comparatively small eight years together. [Sep 2013, p.90]

It's apparent it takes deft skill to sound this simple. [Jun 2007, p.159]

Sound[s] equally as interesting, but rarely as essential, as the studio material from which it's drawn. [Feb 2006, p.120]

Russian Circles certainly haven't lost their edge. [June 2008, p.133]

Featuring 14 songs that fly by in what feels like no time at all (32:47, to be exact), Rancid’s eighth album doesn’t sound forced, which for a traditional punk band is often very hard to pull off.

Robert Pollard breaks with several of his own traditions--fewer songs (only 10), and of those, eight break the 2-and-a-half-minute barrier. [Aug 2008, p.163]

The 10 drone-y songs on Brightblack Morning Light sound more like a soundtrack than a traditional album. [Aug 2006, p.206]

A beautiful example of what "heart-on-sleeve" music should be. [Nov 2004, p.148]

Their best record in years. [Apr 2006, p.218]

Pleasant, if not very gripping... [March 2001, p.70]

Given the collection's remarkable cohesion, No Virginia works as a proper third album, instead of merely being a companion piece to the previous disc. [July 2008, p.170]

Bitter Clarity, Uncommon Grace makes it clear Verse are among the finest hardcore bands existing today. [Aug 2012, p.92]

They drench Great Divide in both attitude and dirty fuzz, making for a record that draws from timeless arena rock while sounding fresh and new. [Sep 2014, p.110]

Happy To You's charm does wear off in repeated listens, though, resulting in an album that's enjoyable, but far from life changing. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Knives Don't Have Your Back is like the soundtrack to an excellent Alfred Hitchcock film. [Oct 2006, p.200]

In the Pit of the Stomach is a fine achievement, but one that feels counter to the usual trajectory of your average rock group. [Nov 2011, p.98]

A compelling spin. [May 2006, p.164]

Crystal Castles is gloriously danceable and hopelessly chic. But really, it's... hearing only...judging is... you know? [Apr 2008, p.162]

It starts off strong... While the slow chug of "Divide" and the somewhat MOR jangle of "Teen Rocket" might have worked better as B-sides, they get it spot-on with "Wnat Would You Do." [Jul 2014, p.102]

The shift toward less discord and more opportunity for a listener to sing along may initially throw off a seasoned HEALTH fan, but it is sure to introduce new ears to one of the most accessible noise bands of the last decade. [Sep 2015, p.98]

We All Belong is phenomenally consistent.

The majority of the tracks on Tomorrow's Hits feel like they were cooked in the backyards of Laurel Canyon with ambling rhythms, the lilt of lap steel guitar and an air of stoned desperation lingering over it all like smog. [Apr 2014, p.92]

Fuse[s] the best parts of '60s rock and '90s rock without sounding dated (see Oasis) or contrived (paging Franz Ferdinand). [Jan 2005, p.113]

More Light... burns with a raw intensity, albeit sandwiched between moments that recall Mascis' acoustic and goofy backwoods major-label work. [Jan 2001, p.94]

Your Majesty comes off as less gooey and precocious than your average Vagrant Records paramour. [May 2002, p.78]

The subject matter may be a bit heavy, but the beats keep it bouncing along. [Jul 2001, p.73]

Geller's keyboard-fueled squiggles and quirky effects are effervescent but never cloying, thanks to the seriousness in Dykes' aloof, melancholy voice. [Oct 2001, p.84]

Closely approximates what Tears For Fears' The Hurting would have sounded like if Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith had grown up in Georgia. [Apr 2004, p.84]

Filled with laid-back, intelligent electronica equally suited to dancing and chilling, Production ultimately succeeds through its deft combination of strikingly disparate elements. [#153, p.79]

It's the most solid album in the group's discography, haunting with moments of near perfection. [Mar 2008, p.140]

The songs of whiskey drinking, pretty girls and heartbreak are certainly Lucero's bread and butter, but stacked up against their back catalog, Women & Work plays it just a little too safe.

Meticulously orchestrated by frontman Conrad Keely, Tao Of The Dead hits a full-on prog rock pose with seemless transitions, classical movement structures and lunar background flourishes scraping the Dark Side Of The Moon. [Mar 2011, p.92]

For a young, non-jaded Pantha Du Prince fan, though, this could resonate yet.

Pussy's Dead is Autolux at their most intriguing--and was definitely worth the wait. [May 2016, p.80]

The real reason narrow Stairs works so well is that despite the band's more esoteric experiments, they still contribute standalone pop hits. [June 2008, p.125]

Thermals don't aim to shock. They don't aim to please, either, and their dynamic punk spirit is as smart and infectious as when they began in 2002. [May 2013, p.92]

A bit too cleverly loaded with cultural critiques, winks and nods. [Apr 2006, p.207]

Too big for the shallows, White Whale are at their best when pushing out into the depths of dense melodies and sea-breezy lyrics. [Sep 2006, p.216]

Ladytron suddenly sound evey bit as awesomely eclectic as, well, "Softcore Jukebox." [Aug 2008, p.174]

Second-rate Shins. [Aug 2005, p.164]

Fresh, funny and unpredictable. [Apr 2002, p.72]

In mood, style and tone, Riot Act sounds like every other Pearl Jam record, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. [Dec 2002, p.89]

This journey to Nocturama's not to be missed. [March 2003, p.88]

Thanks to such marked songwriting growth, Wolf's Law cements the Joy Formidable as a ferocious rock act and as a band with plenty to say. [Feb 2013, p.89]

Matsson's third LP is a wide-eyed exercise in water testing, adding counterpoint and pathos to his road-worn sneer and elegiac melodies. [Jul 2012, p.100]

Davies' tone has the ironic air of a cockney calypso, while the music anchors his musings in familiar surroundings. [Mar 2006, p.88]

While no Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, [it] will still placate fans excited to see where Tweedy takes Wilco next. [May 2006, p.174]

Considering how much it costs to get Rick Rubin in the producer's chair, it's no surprise Gogol Bordello aim for something beyond full-throttle drunken mayhem on Trans-Continental Hustle. Those worried the party is officially over can rest easy, as "Break The Spell" and "We Comin' Rougher (Immigraniada)" show Gogol Bordello haven't completely forsaken four-on-the-floor folk punk. [June 2010, p.105]

Thanks in part to Alan Moulder's always-nuanced mix, Hitch balances the band's bombast with restraint. [Apr 2016, p.102]

Provides enough thrilling moments to make sense on or off the dancefloor. [Sep 2005, p.168]

This record possesses a contagious energy that exists not in lieu of a hook but actively as the hook. [Feb 2013, p.90]

While Apocryphon might be the band's push toward the future, let it also exist as a funeral dirge for the band's more vibrant and rule-breaking past. [Nov 2012, p.94]

By making a record that solely lives up to the standards they've set themselves, Rancid have maintained their dedication to the punk ethos with a resonance that will shine longer than the dozen rewrites of "Ruby Soho" some fans want from them. [Jul 2009, p.121]

There's generally more of the same here, but Doves' alternate influences this time around... don't exactly add up to a great band "stretching out." It's more like they're grabbing at straws. [May 2005, p.134]

The songs on ANother Fine Day are almost good enough to appear on any of the records made during the band members' day jobs. [Sep 2006, p.226]

While her songwriting is strong enough, it's Hayes' love of smeared guitar noise and other wordless joys of progressive production that are really on her side for this album. [June 2003, p.96]

Seven's Travels ultimately nods to the mainstream as much as to the underground. [Nov 2003, p.116]

Ratatat seem harmless, but these melodies will seep into your brain. [Jun 2004, p.111]

Solid pop sensibility... [Nov 2001, p.89]

Unlike earlier efforts, the Capitol Years steer clear of the lo-fi aesthetic and indulge in some studio time to craft a hushed acoustic affair like "Let Them Drink" or to get the right sound on the slowed-down sludgeworthy riff of "Nothing To Say." [Apr 2005, p.124]

A great summer album. [Oct 2005, p.170]

Rogue Wave now resemble a more earnest Flaming Lips. [Dec 2005, p.204]

This album isn't going to change the way you think about metal, but Killswitch Engange aren't Mastodon; they just want to get the pit going, and this album will surely acomplish that. [Aug 2009, p.108]

It's one of their strongest albums, which is saying a lot for a band who've been workhorses for the past two decades. [Aug 2009, p.106]

The bulk of Somewhere Gone brings to mind a bummed out, burned out Neko Case. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Those fond of musical risk-taking will find Light Chasers to be a thrilling experience. [Oct 2010, p.113]

From the snarling romp of "USA" to the loping crawl of "new Low" or the rockabilly-tinged stomp of "Alive Or Dead", MC Rut are riveting, the rawness of their performance drenched in the pints of sweat they undoubtedly shed at every show. [Nov 2010, p.116]

Future self displays enthusiasm without overstaying its welcome, and its daring moments are its most satisfying. [May 2011, p.93]

An adventurous, forward-thinking collection.

The collection is loosely held together by vintage production, making many tracks feel like distant AM radio transmissions. [Apr 2013, p.86]

Young New England may not define Transit, as it's wildly uneven and sometimes oddly raw, but there's enough good here--the missteps, you'll listen and forgive. [May 2013, p.91]

Moreno's breathy vocal soar over the backbone of guitarist Clifford Mayer, bassist Jeff Caxide and drummer Aaron Harris, as melodic and uplifting as they've ever sounded, and the end result is absolutely beautiful. [Jul 2013, p.102]

Everblack won't disappoint anyone looking to hear TBDM do what they've always done. [Jul 2013, p.96]

The Maine have written another impressive album, proving once again they're a damn good rock band. [Jul 2013, p.100]

You’re Always On My Mind is a cohesive pop-rock album that sees the band in top form.

The connecting factor between the songs is the laconic, melancholy spirit Margot have perfected. At times the weight can feel too heavy and risk putting the listener into a lull.

Chamberlain and Bowman know where they are going, and it’s a trip music fans should climb aboard to take.

This album takes time to settle into, but once you are acclimated, it will leave you tingling. [Jan 2015, p.94]

This could-be landmark is dragged down a few notches by a grating singer. [Apr 2015, p.90]

Catchy, clever, no-frills fun. [Apr 2015, p.94]

The [concept album] format doesn't overshadow the songwriting. [Jun 2015, p.100]

For a band who ultimately decided to soldier on, the album can feel unbalanced, but still delivers all the belting feel-good choruses that made you fall in love with the Arizona crew back in 2009. [Mar 2016, p.100]

This is a band with no bullshit, no frills--just consistent, hardworking musicians putting out music that continues to push the boundaries of what the possibilities of punk can be.

Sure, this sound has been kicking around in various forms since the early 2000s Drive-Thru and Vagrant Records eras. But rarely has it been done so well.

Bloom feels less like the work of a persona than an authentic attempt at sorting out a sometimes messy life--far from perfect, yet perfectly compelling.

Ryan Adams asserts a distinctly Americana ethos into dynamic, woven layers of rock on Cardinology, showcasing the diverse range of this prolific songwriter nd his backing band. [Jan 2008, p.129]

Give this three plays and it'll stay imbedded in your autumn playlist. [Nov 2013, p.90]

It is a solid, exciting and ambitious album that proves is still a lot of mileage left in the band.

While not much of a departure from 2013's Feast Of Love as it is a second helping of their best bits, for Pity sex, refining what works has never gone down smoother. [May 2016, p.80]

Skinner's delivery is as appealing as ever. [Jun 2006, p.192]

Merritt's singularity just feels awkward, and Realism is another album in a catalog more concerned with quantity than quality.

For better or for worse, Grohl replicates each band's musical style with remarkable accuracy. [Mar 2004, p.98]

This is Sleigh Bells at their most adventurous. [Dec 2016, p.102]

Heady Fwends has racked up about one song's worth of decent material-only none of it is in the same song.