All Osborne's vocal and instrumental hallmarks--including enigmatic lyrics and track titles--are in place, so it's not really a departure, but it's also too good to be shrugged off as for Melvins fans only. [Jul 2014, p.100]

The sound is closer to the Boss' Nebraska--as Will Oldham would have done it--haunting, reflective and drowning in sorrow. [Oct 2006, p.200]

Admittedly, this kinder, gentler Half Japanese lack the shambling brilliance of earlier incarnations, but, hey, we all lose a step with age. [#155, p.76]

While The Menace isn't as coruscating as Primal Scream's funk-noise plasma wall, Exterminator, it does offer enough twists, turns and fractured sensibilities to make listening to music an active experience again. [#146, p.88]

The abundance of derivative electronic tricks diminishes Beautiful's successful updates of Garbage's sound. [Nov 2001, p.73]

Hi-Fi are catchier this time around, continuing to trip through their songs with the joy of a teenager who just learned the chord change from "Smells Like Teen Spirit." [Apr 2003, p.72]

Once the chuckle factor (unavoidable with kitsch) wears off, Pizzicato Five are guilt-free--non-rockist, non-tech-head--perfect 2000-01 listening. [Jan. 2001, p.98]

There's enough classic songcraft here to ensure Forgetting isn't forgotten. [Mar 2012, p.97]

In the case of the Used's fifth proper LP, the exact opposite could be said--we hear too many singles. Or would-be singles, that is. [Apr 2012, p.89]

Regardless of one's opinion on music that drawls, Changing Horses is worth your attention. [Mar 2009, p.106]

Powerful riffs and jangly choruses propel everything in between. [Mar 2012, p.94]

The Quilt expertly stitches together art and commerce. Every song has an insistent hook, but despite the high-profile hip-hop guests, nothing feels calculated. [Oct 2008, p.162]

The Empyrean ultimately proves that if things don't work out with his main gig, Frusciante as a healthy, slap bass-free career ahead. [Apr 2009, p.140]

The Southern-rock grit that used to make Band Of Horses spellbinding is in dangerously short supply, but there's nothing else there to replace it. [Oct 2012, p.84]

It's light, airy, soothing--and imminently forgettable. [Apr 2009, p.135]

It's clear that the Trail Of Dead we once knew no longer exists. [Jan 2007, p.139]

There's some decent stuff in the second half. [Sep 2005, p.164]

Their newfound nods to pop music... overshadow the expected balls-out rockers. [Apr 2006, p.220]

Much of the disc is business as usual. [Oct 2007, p.169]

Think the Postal Service, but with more instrumentation and experimentation. [Feb 2005, p.94]

The 13 tracks here are improbably edgeless, all love-me-do/love-me-don't plaints that evaporate on impact. [Sep 2001, p.91]

It's all very simple, organic and, best of all, easy on the ears. [Oct 2004, p.140]

Pierce's organic approach on Grace makes the album feel exquisitely intimate, personable and warm. [Oct 2003, p.138]

A sprawling, diverse affair. [Mar 2015, p.94]

A solid spin. [Sep 2013, p.84]

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]

Li(f)e's musical concept is great, but he's been better on the mic. [Jun 2010, p.105]

Tennis offer a solid but unspectacular album by a band capable of great beauty but one who seem to struggle translating that into great songs.

Doesn't make many lasting impressions. [Jul 2005, p.182]

It seems that Crooked Fingers have solidified their sound regardless of how schizophrenic Forfeit/Fortune may seem. [Jan 2008, p.124]

Mohager ultimately forgets there's a fine line between homage and aping, but if your dream gift is a time capsule from the Reagan Years get ready to discover your new favorite record. [Jul 2011, p.107]

It's an album's worth of lamentation for accidentally getting older, and it's one of Kasher's most affecting albums to date. [Nov 2010, p.114]

Despite the obvious fun Foxy are having, the darkness that comes from balancing life and career ebbs just beneath the surface, bringing a depth that isn't immediately evident through the copious gloss and glitter. [Feb 2012, p.82]

The best Def Leppard album "Mutt" Lange never wrote. [Feb 2006, p.126]

A great album, crammed with hooks and harmonies, goofball lyrics and the left-of-center melodic twists any indie-rawk geek would fly or die for. [Jul 2004, p.148]

This batch of cobbled-together love songs and lullabies makes for instantly likable pop regardless of its source material. [#155, p.77]

Herren's gift for finding order--and even melody--amid such chaos is too strong to allow this collection to be written off as self-indulgent. [Apr 2006, p.224]

When stripped back to basics the Brains are as brilliantly brutal as ever. [Dec 2012, p.88]

Thinking-person's Britpop. [Oct 2005, p.166]

This 18-song, one-hour compilation is a spawling, hit-or-miss affair. [Jan 2011, p.90]

Everyday issues like self-doubt and frustration weave their way through Christmas Island, but the album's prominent theme is also it's darkest: the death of Bonnette's grandfather [Jun 2014, p.107]

When partnered with visuals, these songs will probably be a lot more impactful and resonant. As it stands, they're still pretty great. [Dec 2014, p.104]

The disc Ryan Adams keeps threatening to make but never quite delivers. [Mar 2006, p.126]

The second album from the glorified solo project Babyshambles is a half-baked abortion. [Dec 2007, p.184]

Musically, Sky Full Of Holes is simply gorgeous. [Sep 2011, p.112]

An appealing album. [Sep 2006, p.214]

Bazooka!!!'s distillation of rock history roars with irresistible energy and zest, making the album an unabashed delight. [Oct 2003, p.138]

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

Filled with the sort of unprofessional, unpretty noodling this genre has been begging for. [Feb 2003, p.68]

As with everything in Tool's oeuvre, 10,000 Days packs enough beauty, heartache and triumph that it will be dissected, studied and envied by younger bands for years to come. [Jul 2006, p.196]

The riff-roaring arena anthems "Racon Eyes" and "The Firebird" are among the most infectious tracks Priestess have ever written. Elsewhere, the band's retro-fuzz machinations don't fare so well. [Mar 2010, p.98]

It's dizzyingly brilliant, and evidence of how tall these Lions have grown. [Sep 2009, p.102]

The disparate pieces of Melvins Lite don't quite line up. [Jul 2012, p.98]

Cemetery Highrise Slum provides 41 minutes of unsettled bliss. [Jul 2015, p.97]

Half this record sounds like a field recording from a daycare play room. [Mar 2002, p.84]

Mind-melting Indian-flavored strings... wispy vocal guest turns... and snarling, droning guitar riffs drench Rising in a pleasing psychedelic haze. [Jul 2003, p.124]

But under the ill-fitting vocals, Deep Down & Dirty has some dubby, dark tracks that work if only because they don't try so hard to be "Connected" sequels. [Jul 2001, p.85]

There’s enough inventive, Jamaican-inspired music on Free The Universe to make it worth hearing--but here’s hoping Diplo keeps things Kingston-centric again next time around.

Conduit proves that they still have that magic, albeit in a more hit-and-miss manner.

It's the perfect addition to their ever idiosyncratic and unpredictable repertoire. [Apr 2013, p.86]

The minimalist musical compositions on Situation force the listener to focus on Buck 65's idiosyncratic ingenuity. [Dec 2007, p.187]

As it stands, Barlow has only evolved in his mastery of subtle acoustic guitar interplay and flirtations with pop. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Turns out you can be the next hipster nuzz band and actually be good. [Apr 2010, p.123]

All in all, Levalle's got a solid effort on his hands with Night. [Jun 2010, p.108]

Goldfrapp’s skill at adopting and fully embodying different styles is what makes them distinctive, not necessarily one signature sound. If the album seems somewhat slight, it’s purposefully so: Head First is a love letter to the frothy, fleeting, but very vital joys of pop music.

The net effect is unsettling distance, not pointed commentary. [Apor 2009, p.134]

It's a shame that in those rare moments Lacuna Coil do stick out their necks, the results are the uninspired, tepid radio rock of Shalow Life's 'Unchained' and 'The Pain.' [Jun 2009, p.104]

Ellipse is balanced but doesn't break ground. Fans of her past work will likely find little to quarrel with, but they won't be challenged, either. [Sep 2009, p.105]

With primarily organic instrumentation and warm, low-fi production, nothing is forced--although in some instances, the tracks feel a little too barren, and overall there's not much to distinguish between the songs. [Sep 2009, p.108]

The first six songs include plodding modern rock that sounds like the Offspring's "Gone Away," an attempt at dark disco with clumsy lyrics and cheeseball pop. But if you stick it out, you'll be rewarded: Invented's second half features gorgeous "Littlething," Adkins' top-notch duet with Rachel Haden and Linton's punchy "Action Needs An Ambulance." [Oct 2010, p.112]

The Cave Singers find a way to remove the corniness from a jammy folk album, instead building Naomi with honest lyrics and a soothing ramble of guitars. [Apr 2013, p.86]

At times, Iwrestledabearonce could almost pass for In This Moment. Whether that's a compliment or not is your call. [Sep 2013, p.90]

If you’re in the market for something sullen, you could do a lot worse. But if you’re yearning for any of what likely drew you to Moving Mountains in the first place, you probably need to hope it happens the next time around.

The vicious "We're Not Good People" stuns with a pulsing, near-metal urgency that will lead you to act on your darkest urges - prior to playing the album again. And if you're not stupid, you will. [Sept 2012, p.88]

Dance fans--past and present--will be pleased. [Mar 2009, p.116]

It's something they've done better before. [May 2007, p.158]

The sextet deliver delightfully, dingy, wholly impressible rawk. [May 2012, p.75]

Ably backed by bassist Michael Cotterman (ex-the Loved Ones) and Andrew Black on drums, if there's any flaw to the Title Tracks formula, it would be that they could make a few moments more flawed. But that's just the Q And Not U fan talking.

I'm From Barcelona have already moved on from the instantly infectious sense of fun that made the better cuts of "Let Me Introduce My Friends" so endearing. But it's not as though they've turned their backs completely on the quirks that brought them this far. [Nov 2008, p.154]

There's no trace of the zany sass that made the Go-Go's an institution to begin with. [Jul 2001, p.68]

A perfectly pleasant background score for pasta-making, garden work, and other stuff 40-something yuppies waste their time on. Which makes it my definition of hell, actually. [Jul 2001, p.60]

A dozy dud. [Jun 2004, p.98]

Easy like a Sunday morning, and just as dull. [May 2004, p.110]

A raging slab of beats and sick samples accruing at a rate that may well cause motion sickness. [Dec 2002, p.86]

This is an album of spontaneous originality and should be appreciated as such. [May 2009, p.114]

With some pop, college rock, post-punk and even shoegaze thrown in for good measure, TV en Français is the most complete We Are Scientists record. [Apr 2014, p.94]

This five-track EP has the steamy, summery sound of a Jamaican club in full riot mode.

The net result sounds like a band trying--and mostly succeeding--to merge their youthful past and mature present. [Feb 2011, p.87]

Dogs Eating Dogs is a strong effort.

Pariah isn't without its merits, and diehard fans will likely find few flaws anywhere. But for the casual listener, the album might seems a little less "Of The Room" and a little more "Rent." [Jul 2009, p.126]

The proceedings sound loose, yet focused but never disappointing. [Apr 2008, p.160]

Sadly, the electro-plated Evil Heat is neither evil nor particularly molten. [Jan 2003, p.99]

Dominated by sparse instrumentation and lyrics that are merely good... relatively lifeless tunes. [12/2000, p.115]

It's rare for a band to channel the Velvet Underground, Nirvana, Dandy Warhols and the Beatles within the span of 45 minutes and sound unique, but the Vines have crept into that select category with Highly Evolved. [Aug 2002, p.86]

Not many albums make you smile so much your face hurts. [Oct 2005, p.156]

While he doesn't go too far into weeds with avant-garde tendencies, Aimlessness is still a daring collection of electronic pop. [Jul 2012, p.90]

Undoubtedly his catchiest record so far. [Feb 2007, p.122]

The Century of Self finds the pride of Austin, Texas, continuing to push baroque prog-rock to orchestral new heights. [Mar 2008, p.112]