The Church's languid melancholy sedates rather than seduces. [Feb 2004, p.88]

Though there's little here to entice newcomers, fans should rejoice. [Mar 2002, p.77]

The good news is that in their quest not to make fly-away pop, Air have unearthed a bizarre and dark sense of humor that allows them to subvert and celebrate their new gloomier chops. [Jul 2001, p.59]

The cumulative effect is a widescreen collection that seems destined to win a broader audience for the duo without sacrificing the intimate I-feel-you-fucked-up-life atmosphere of their best work. [May 2008, p.144]

It's an LP that finds the band in complete comfort with in their place in the musical universe and willing to stretch out here and there into slightly uncomfortable postures.

Bland and undistinguished. [Aug 2005, p.178]

One can only wonder how Sinners Never Sleep would have fared had it been more consistent. [Nov 2011, p.98]

The Ghost Inside are one of hardcore's brightest lights, and Get What You Give is a perfect example of heavy music with a high IQ.

Run is a quality listen. [Apr 2015, p.90]

Things reach such a fever pitch on this album that you can't help but laugh at times. [Sep 2001, p.75]

Lysandre proves the chameleonic Owen can say the same thing over and over and never run out of inspiration. [Feb 2013, p.92]

Some songs' lyrics feel a bit too rote ("Makeout Party," "Lazy Bones") but that's when you realize Green Day never really had all that much to say in the first place, and they function at their best with hook-filled songs that are typically three minutes or less. Luckily for us, ¡Dos! is full of those tracks, and is definitely the highlight of the band's ongoing trilogy to date.

The 15 songs here chart a typical course through the American songbook, with paradoxically straight-faced camp, morose show tunes and orchestral chamber pop without the aid of an actual orchestra. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Cut Copy may not hit the same cloud-bursting heights as a masterpiece like Primal Scream's Screamadelica did, but their attempt still provides devilish delights. [Dec 2013, p.94]

Though lifeless songs such as "Estranged" still remind you of LeMaster's yawn-inducing past, the rest of Dark Light Daybreak suggests he should've stretched out like this a long time ago. [Nov 2006, p.200]

You’re unlikely to hear a more earnest album than Bleachers' Strange Desire this year, nor are you apt to find a release more faithful to the spirit and sound of Top 40 radio in the late, great ’80s.

Self Entitled benefits from his [Fat Mike's] more honest lyricism. [Oct 2012, p.90]

[Makes Me Sick] creates enough slight sonic diversions to give longtime fans something new to enjoy. [May 2017, p.82]

Forget imperfect--this bold reinvention is anything but. [Oct 2010, p.117]

There are more detours, from austere acoustic avenues to vocodered pop to '80s disco, to fill you with hope for the next decade's offerings. [Feb 2010, p.94]

Packs enough bite to nourish a Third World country. [Mar 2003, p.96]

James Jackson Toth's solo debut has the depth, energy and character of a great comedy. [Sep 2008, p.151]

Though their sometimes generic juddering occasionally dulls the impact, it's still clear the Color Morale are trying to be more than just "another one of those bands." [Apr 2013, p.88]

Instead of cleverness, the polished songs indulge here sentimental broken heart. Bandmate M. Ward is mostly content to stay out of the way vocally, but he builds up a castle of retro-instrumental heartbreak for Deschanel. [Jun 2013, p.102]

Today, yet another album filled with introverted hip-hop instrumentals--even one with occasional moments of beauty radiating from the murk--is doomed by comparison to the more innovative work the label has been offering lately. [Mar 2006, p.138]

There's nothing here that will lead Disguises to be hailed as a masterpiece, because there's nothing here that hasn't already been done before--either by other bands or by Aiden themselves--but it's nevertheless a solid piece of work that demonstrates the power and passion of their dark melodies.

It falls just a smidge short of the amazingly high bar set by their peers. [Oct 2011, p.107]

The result is a collection of gutsy, grizzled blues that pirouettes with broken-hearted defiance. [Feb 2013, p.88]

It's rad that Finch are back together sounding sharp, but the creative differences that led to this album being nearly a decade in the making remain apparent. [Oct 2014, p.100]

Limitless might not be the album their fans all completely agree on, but it does mark a maturing band. [Mar 2016, p.96]

A brave and defiant effort. [May 2017, p.80]

The Blood Of Gods strips away unnecessary studio wizardry and presents GWAR in its rawest sonic state, opting for a rough-and-tumble attitude. Nearly every beat and riff on the record screams for listeners to pay attention.

Throughout the album, Face To Face continually prove they're the same melodically minded kids they always were, mixing crunchy guitars, gang vocals and catchy guitars leads to build a record that stands proudly alongside the rest of the band's catalog. [Jun 2011, p.110]

For those who like their sweetness a little sour. [Jul 2011, p.110]

This music has aged well, and nearly transcends nostalgia.

Like Wilco, it's what SA do with what they've borrowed. It helps that the duo stitch it up Frankenstein-style and move on to the next idea fast. [Aug 2008, p.162]

Sounds rather pedestrian. [Jan 2006, p.142]

They've evolved into a leaner and meaner rock machine. [March 2003, p.98]

Things get a little dicier when they dip into the ’60s, as Deschanel doesn’t have the pipes to match up with the likes of Maxine Brown and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.... Throughout the rest of Classics, though, Deschanel is a delight, at times coy and romantic, and in other moments, moody and pensive.

Everybody's Coming Down is a spacey rock record with noisy guitars and plenty of dynamics, with all of the endearing alcoholic romanticism that we have grown to love. [Sep 2015, p.97]

There's no question Biersack and the boys are making an active decision to go after the Rock On The Range crowd with lunkheaded hard rock and painfully bland ballads that are just dull enough to strike a chord with middle America. [Jul 2011, p.106]

It's one hell of a ride.

The least pretentious--and most accessible--thing AYWKUBTTOD have ever released. That's probably because it sounds a lot like your record collection. [Feb 2005, p.92]

Laid-back and largely instrumental glitch-pop. [Jul 2005, p.186]

The Singles is over too quickly. [Nov 2008, p.164]

This restless, rootless disc suggests Cex hasn't settled on his future destination just yet. [Aug 2006, p.222]

The vocals occasionally become rhythmic and robotic, as if filtered through a demonic Vocoder, but there's no denying this album's rich humanity. [Nov 2008, p.158]

Powerful drum beats user along the sometimes-Jack White, sometimes-Mick Jones vocals, while the guitar croons expressively throughout these low-key, lo-fi songs. [Aug 2003, p.96]

If the wordplay occasionally misses the mark, the music (which includes calypso, funk, '40s jazz, and chamber pop) invariably carries the day. [Aug 2001, p.76]

God Says No is the sound of a band heading toward the charts, full-speed.... This is a disappointing record for longitme fans; maybe new ears will dig it. [#153, p.81]

Like "Paul's Boutique," the results are as unexpected as they are lethal. [Nov 2007, p.176]

Teetering between genius and madness, Repo is a few hooks shjort of a successful fishing trip for experiemental music, left mostly with "experiemental" and not much in the way of traditionally defined "music." [Jun 2009, p.102]

What remains on Night People is anthemic enough to keep people listening. [Feb 2017, p.82]

While it's enjoyable for what it is, you can't help but wonder where all the songs went when after an half-hour or so, you recall literally nothing. [Oct 2012, p.92]

A dispirited, half-baked record. [Jun 2007, p.156]

When the twins harmonize, the results are sweeter than sugar-dipped honeysuckle. What they really need, though, is some fire in their bellies. [July 2008, p.151]

There’s passion cooked into each Antemasque song, but it is curiously unmoving.

When compared to their debut, the maturity of Sounds Good is evident. [Nov 2015, p.95]

Pussy Cats reveals facets of the Walkmen's personality that their originals haven't explored. [Dec 2006, p.189]

Warm acoustic guitars and spookily ethereal vocals add up to understated soundtrack music for a road trip through the Scottish countryside. [Jan 2007, p.134]

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]

Even Westerberg knows that he can do better. [Jan 2004, p.108]

On Brilliant! Tragic!, Argos has channeled his inner Johnny Rotten, seemingly vacillating between contempt and boredom. Fortunately, the band play with a similar sense of toughened rawness. [Jun 2011, p.106]

Much of Dust is nearly indistinguishable from the British trip hop Muggs' tripped-out productions helped inspire. [Apr 2003, p.82]

His best release ever. [Apr 2007, p.190]

Lyrically introspective, musically tight and vocally resolute, Fade Away is Best Coast’s best work to date.

Miracle Mile is a danceable record on its own, but also a reminder to revisit STRFKR's previous albums for a deeper submersion into their cosmic dream world. [Mar 2013, p.93]

It's as beautifully patient and thoughtful as anything else in Dallas green's expanding catalog, while carrying the same sort of modest insecurity and self-doubt that's made the project so warm and personable. [Jul 2013, p.98]

While James Murphy's production skills are missing this time, the songs themselves are still strong. [Feb 2013, p.90]

Gone are the Mary Poppins samples and the rest of the duo's anything-goes ethos; Breakfast is filled instead with Cap'n Crunch-y nuggets of pure, sweet, mainstream hip-hop. [Mar 2012, p.97]

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

While there are moments of buzzing, high-flying bliss on Githead's third LP, one can't escape the sensation of horizon-hugging deja vu. [Jan 2010, p.94]

Perhaps the strangest and most successful finale ever. [Nov 2003, p.116]

One of the most bizarre things ever released by Sub Pop. [#154, p.80]

An album full of songs so lethargic, it sounds like it needs a nap halfway through. [Apr 2002, p.71]

This smartly sequenced album casts a cumulative spell. [Oct 2005, p.156]

While there are some nice moments of orchestral pop here, that's hardly enough to carry an entire album. [Aug 2006, p.208]

A solid rock album that plays like the history of Great Britain's contributions to rock 'n' roll. [Mar 2015, p.92]

There are enough sparkly pop moments here to suggest Rooney could become, like the best Hollywood exports, a guilty pleasure. [Aug 2003, p.105]

Solid, creative, urgent albums like Coaster cement the fact that whenever someone gets around to opening a Punk Rock Hall Of Fame, NOFX should be in its inaugural clas. [Jun 2009, p97]

Sea Wolf's second effort, now realized by a more traditional band lineup brought together during a few years of touring behind his previous record, extends the reach of Church's pastoral folk sketches.

Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, p.106]

Tears On Tape doesn't reinvent the wheel, but within HIM's impressive canon, it's among their best. [May 2013, p.90]

The energy makes it feel like there's too much going on, leading to songs blending structurally, downplaying hooks.

Although the music and lyrical content are more mature, what hasn’t changed is the familiar empathetic thrill of Carabba’s songwriting.

The In Crowd haven't reinvented the wheel, but they've certainly made getting hit by it a little harder to dismiss. [Feb 2014, p.91]

With Our Endless War, the band have shown they have more than enough skills, and they finally have enough ideas; it's time for them to take the plunge, break through deathcore's confines, and become the band they could be.

The album maintains a brilliant balance between uplifting and confessional, playful and serious. It's the most real, honest and self-aware record FIR have released to date. [May 2017, p.80]

Shows LaValle exploring new and exciting sonic territory with mostly positive results. [Oct 2006, p.200]

Only the blindly in love will fully appreciate Suitcase, which is chock-full of bruised and blemished tracks, though it's not all throwaways. [#147, p.94]

While dissonant noise is the main component of the duo's slacker shoegaze, hidden beneath those layers of distortion are some moments of melody. [Jul 2014, p.102]

An intriguing album. [Jun 2006, p.178]

They’re successfully anthemic on “She Way Out,” like a nerdy, English version of the Gaslight Anthem. But when they try on modern, digitally glitchy production on “Menswear,” by contrast, it feels (ironically, given the track’s title) like they’re struggling in ill-fitting clothes.

The haunting tone unfurls itself further with every successive listen, making this an album worth returning to again and again. [June 2009, p.102]

What's great about Strange Weather, Isn't It? is that it offers enough diversity to save you from making you own mastermix. [Sep 2010, p.108]

Could pass for a set of lo-fi synth demos Sir Paul McCartney cooked up one long weekend for shits and giggles. [Feb 2006, p.130]

Scattershot and immediate, with every track sounding as if it came off the top of his head. [Oct 2001, p.99]