All you can do with oaklandazulasylum is dive in and hang on to the moments of true beauty, the shards of shattered folk songs, synth-pop and multitracked harmonies that litter--or decorate--why?'s mindscape. [Sep 2003, p.118]

It's sometimes an odd fit, but the friction sparked from these mismatched traits lends Detrola an eccentric charm. [Apr 2006, p.222]

No new ground is broken, but it's enjoyable, cathartic mosh pit fodder. [Feb 2013, p.88]

A meticulous, flashy electronic-rock opus that doesn't come close to meeting its rock-star aspirations. [Sep 2001, p.76]

The band's desire to branch out from the pop-punk scene has served them well in working to develop their sound, and Tonight Alive have certainly made some strides. [Oct 2013, p.82]

The result is an urgent collection whose creative spark burns brightly. [Dec 2014, p.104]

Slow and achingly graceful, L'Altra's mellow moods are welcome any time of day. [Jul 2002, p.76]

Hazardous and hostile. [Dec 2003, p.152]

A few throwaways aside, Beacons is a welcome kick in the tush. [Jul 2009, p.131]

While such eclecticism usually plays better across the pond, it's hard to resist the nimble melodies and kinetic enthusiasm the Scientists put on display, even if the authenticity is somewhat suspect. [July 2008, p.158]

Many songs have a steady drum-machine thump to keep the listener's attention focused, even as the low-key vocals nudge toward narcosis.

Honkey Kong exhibits Hughes' versatility as a songwriter and performer, but it's at the expense of sonic continuity. [Oct 2011, p.106]

Some may quibble with the sparse nature of the album; but it feels like a natural destination in Fink's songwriting travels. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Amid the highlife guitars and percussion that give Sea a delightful Afro-pop sheen... it's impossible to ignore the creeping conventionalism of the disc's best tracks. [Jun 2006, p.178]

There is some filler, particularily within the latter half, which despite the inspired riffage, isn't as memorable as the former. If Fight was a smidge more consistent, it would certainly be receiving a higher rating in this review. [Apr 2009, p.131]

Penny feels both sculpted and spontaneous. [Oct 2010, p.112]

If you're prone to enjoying the epic recall in rock, All Is Dream will be your momentary ticket outta here. [Oct 2001, p.82]

Original, brilliant and so avant-garde that less than one percent of the population will be able to sit through it. [Jun 2003, p.110]

Fresh and interesting. [Mar 2006, p.138]

The album can't sustain the energy of early tracks like "Bird" and "Scribble," but while the blaze lasts, it's definitely worth warming yourself up on. [Oct 2010, p.120]

The shimmering showcase for singer/songwriter Shara Worden--frustrates somewhat, retreating from the rocking thrust of her debut. August 2008, p.162]

A way more direct, danceable and fun album. [Jan 2003, p.104]

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.

A more ambitious, punchier take on that electro-pop retro fetishizing at which Brits excel. [Mar 2006, p.138]

Head shows Eve 6 tweaking and perfecting their sound to become even more consistent and solid. [Aug 2003, p.104]

There's a slickness to the sound as well-not to mention a pop sensibility, which could combine to give the band a shot in the Anglophobic US market. [May 2009, p.122]

What keeps these 10 songs honest is the audible influence of another genre: shoegaze. [Mar 2014, p.92]

It's hard for many Brand New superfans to admit, but it's entirely possible that the band simply wrote a good album this time around, not a great one.

It may not pack as firm as a punch as previous Viva Voce albums, but when they get their shots in you'll feel the sting. [Jul 011, p.112]

Hot Cakes, the band's surprisingly strong third album, certainly reaffirms their glammy cred. [Sep 2012, p.88]

Saturated with stark realism, her confessionals and fictions mark the grueling aftermath of pop's lovey-dovey daydreams. [Mar 2007, p.136]

Being bent out of shape never sounded so good. [Mar 2007, p.142]

The best comparison for April is Neil Young. [June 2008, p.131]

This is a great record for staring out the window of a train on a sunny winter day. [Jan 2008, p.125]

A strong sense of flow and cohesion also bolster Dark Adrenaline, giving fans 12 solid reasons to fall in love with the band all over again. [Feb 2012, p.84]

All told, this is hardly a bad addition to Eisley's burgeoning catalog—their development is obvious, and there are enough quality songs present to improve that theoretical "greatest hits" collection for their live show.

Azure Ray have traveled even further down into the next level of the dreamscape. [Oct 2012, p.84]

How We Operate shuffles between exuberance and wistfulness like a drunk stumbling through a crowded bar--and yet, oddly enough, it's also onoe of the more coherent albums in Gomez's career. [Jul 2006, p.192]

FYS are still trying to figure out just who they are and who they want to be musically, and ISWSOF accurately represents that struggle.

Doom Abuse is great, if only as a reminder of how good Blank-Wave Arcade was way, way back in 1999. [May 2014, p.91]

Enon proves once and for all that spooky does not necessarily mean quiet, and being goofy doesn't make you a joke. [July 2002, p.80]

Public Enemy remain fiercely independent and definately revitalized. [Nov 2007, p.176]

The U.K.'s Lo Fidelity Allstars are having the genre-smashing time of their lives. [Apr 2002, p.78]

This is as good as emo gets in 2015, and one of the most consistently stunning records of any type this year. [Oct 2015, p.98]

When it works, it’s great; when it doesn’t, it feels clunky at best and skippable at worst.

These six songs offer moments as heavy as P-Tree have ever been, but are wistfully, sprawlingly melodic as well-sometimes in the same tune.

C'mon, which was the band recorded in an old church in their hometown of Duluth, Minnesota, has moments of slowcore brilliance. [May 2011, p.93]

This time, the heartfelt stuff sounds more sugary than before, while the hate vibes sound even more caustic. [Sep 2002, p.73]

There's no absence of strong material here, although the sequencing feels awkward. [Oct 2002, p.94]

Yuck probably aren't mourning Blumberg's loss, but Glow & Behold--though more scattershot and less striking than Yuck--would be an ambitious and creative coping mechanism. [Nov 2013, p.94]

So despite some standouts--thw more energetic and melodic "Dissolve" and "Swoon"--the Brothers' latest, trippiest trip is best taken as a whole. [Jul 2010, p.123]

Their fifth full-length Showroom Of Compassion shows Cake's key ingredients surviving their 20-year career unscathed. [Feb 2011, p.86]

They're not doing anything they haven't done before, but the triumphant unpretentious anthems on The Power Within area as fun as metal gets. [May 2012, p.75]

A little more focus in that department [including everyone's vocals in each song] would have gone a long way toward giving some ballast to this soupy, stormy effort. [Feb 2016, p.102]

This is no-frills, passionate hardcore with a purpose. [May 2014, p.93]

"Waves" may boast a certain post-punk urgency, but Dulli's on to something more seductive here. [Mar 2011, p.99]

Underworld are dancefloor outsiders humble enough to leave the 12-inch stuff to the kids, but good enough to be the Yes of dance rock without turning into Jethro Tull. [Oct 2002, p.82]

9BA have a sense of urgency that should appeal both to Anglophiles and to punk scenesters who also inexplicably like Oasis. [Apr 2006, p.216]

Voxtrot's biggest fault is that at times its understated strings, burbling keyboards and retro-fitted guitars sound almost too pretty and distant. [Jul 2007, p.170]

While the influences haven't fully melted, the hooks are particularly strong, abetted by a decorator's touch for texture and tone. [Mar 2011, p.99]

Naturally focuses its atention on catchy, trashy rock, but this time, the seams stitching the riffs to the Automator's programming are less prominent. [Aug 2008, p.174]

The sprawl of such tracks will take some listens to process, but the incentive is the band's melodic sense, undiminished from their early days, and sometimes immediately sublime. [Mar 2014, p.88]

If there's a fault with Ikara Colt, it's that they can't rock steadily for more than a few measures without getting self-conscious about it. [Jan 2003, p.94]

This music has aged well, and nearly transcends nostalgia.

The Valley is an overall pleasant--and occasionally riveting--debut for the newly independent family. [Apr 2011, p.118]

Bubblegum electronica with enough experimentation to keep things interesting. [Oct 2001, p.86]

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]

The anger is what makes The People's Key's best moments so vital. [Mar 2011, p.98]

While he's a better songwriter than a singer, Eitzel definitely knows his way around a tune. [Jun 2002, p.82]

Shape Shift With Me doesn’t offer a lot in the way of answers, but watching her fumble her way through the questions is a pleasure, regardless.

Less production allows the songs to breathe, but while the arrangements are often clever, the melodies aren't all that sticky. [Mar 2014, p.93]

While the album may not move you the way their first album does, maybe it'll just take a minute for the second one to sink in, too. [Apr 2011, p.120]

A playful retro-pop event full of shifting moods. [Nov 2001, p.77]

Despite plenty of subtle charm and wistfulness, the band's implicit pursuit of warmth occasionally veers off course to flirt with surprising sterility. [Feb 2007, p.115]

While melodic skull-kickers like "In Person" will hook fans of the band's later work. It's when Hamilton overreaches--a cover of the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" and the string-driven "LA Water"--that things take a turn for the weird, but mercifully, the schizophrenia is short-lived. [Oct 2010, p.113]

As the songs lengthen the transitions grow more subtle, their epic weight intensifies. [Mar 2015, p.92]

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

It's clear the band have grown up. [Apr 2009, p.135]

It's right in line with the band's natural progression; so much so that it's almost difficult to believe it didn't come out a decade ago.

If there's a downside to the rumbly growl emerging from the twisted minds of Chicago's Bloodiest, it's the sextet's unwillingness to push tempos beyond a snarling, hammer-slams-nail, mid-paced plod. However, when a gold-standard knuckle-dusting that’s part Swans churn, part Neurosis’ tribal stomp with Unsane’s propulsive groove is employed, does a lack of temporal variety matter? Probably not. [Feb 2016, p.102]

Too Much Information has just the right balance of depth, maturity and consistency to ensure success. [Mar 2014, p.93]

Just beacuse they've moved toward a more organic sound, doesn't mean no fire remains in their bellies. The melodic themes and Dave Davison's vocal phrases may draw Beatles and Country Joe McDonald comparisons, but angular guitars still skitter in the back ground of "Israeli Caves" and "Solid Ground" while fleet-fingered complexity drives "Pigeon." [Jul 2010, p.127]

What matters is The Futureheads have made significant artistic and personal inroads to make sure their fans' enthusiasm rises to match theirs. [July 2008, p.158]

Fever Ray is most reminiscent of the Knife self-titled debut--which means it's merely fantastic rather than transcendent. [May 2009, p.114]

It's impressively well-wrought music, though no longer as instantly engaging, requiring several listens before its charms truly take shape. [Apr 2011, p.122]

The songs don’t have the immediate impact of the band’s heavier work, but it’s nice to see The Sword break from their mold.

As elements of dark pop fuse seamlessly with dance beats, Every Open Eye will convert even the staunchest non-believers. [Oct 2015, p.98]

The fun carries all the way until the album's lengthy psychedelic jam, "Captain Ace," which bursts with wild saxophone and shows how to capture a brilliant act of Tape. [Oct 2012, p.92]

It’s hard to fault them for sticking to that template since it was what helped turn the band into superstars around the world. But as Simple Plan moves outside of their musical comfort zone, it would be great to hear them mess with the formula a little more.

Smoke is a pleasant pastiche of David Bowie's "Berlin" period--with a lab-coated synth freakout at disc's end for all those Morton Subotnick fans out there. [Dec 2007, p.188]

It doesn't push the envelope. [Jan 2012, p.97]

El Bronx simply didn't go far enough, as only a handful of the album's 10 tracks mesh that inspired modernism with the traditional Mexican soulfulness they obviously hold dear. [Dec 2014, p.107]

With an occasional chest-bursting "yeeeeeeah", Vile avoids letting his most straightforward, circular songs fall into a stupor. [Apr 2011, p.115]

So the Furnances are up to their usual tricks, making unexpected mash-ups of their own ideas. [Nov. 2007, p.160]

Awash with sweet bass grooves, tasteful psychedelic guitar action and the occasional Indian tone, the album nonetheless maintains a mostly melancholy quality. [Nov 2008, p.162]

In spite of the repetitiveness, Fucked Up Friends comes out gold and crispy and ready, for you to get your hands on it. [Nov 2008, p.164]

RJD2 has taken a lot of different paths in the past, but here he's found a way to make his diverse tastes blend into one cohesive effort. [Feb 2010, p.97]

Call it two EPs of material from two gifted frontmen combined into one LP--nothing more, nothing less.