Always harmonious and sometimes frantic, the songs on R.E.V.O. have an uplifting feel--perfect for a band who encourage people to listen to the music and forget their problems.

Aside from a few dud lyrics--rhyming "ointment" with "appointment"--Wreckorder is a worthy debut. [Nov 2010, p.112]

Makes you scratch your head as much as nod it. [Dec 2004, p.162]

Your ears may start to ache a little, but it also makes the album's eventual deliverance all the more divine.

It's a bit unfortunate that the Irishmen decided to keep their songwriting and musical prowess stagnant. [Mar 2007, p.143]

Riskier but not totally out of character; it's the more holistic right brain to Wide Awake's rational left brain. [Feb 2005, p.81]

They weave simple, childlike melodies that slowly grow into full-blown opuses.... A surprisingly innovative album that sees them swimming forward instead of treading water. [#153, p.76]

Educational and motivational. [Jul 2003, p.126]

While the album certainly is a lot of fun, it may turn off fans who have come to expect moody electronica from the Hartnolls. [Oct 2001, p.98]

Better partiers than preachers, these Peas have found their pod. [Sep 2003, p.118]

A career-arching centerpiece. [Nov 2004, p.154]

This is crushing, calculated and catchy, light years beyond the three-chord snarling if Dalle's past. [Jul 2009, p.130]

Mando Diao's balance of updated pop smarts, slick production and stylish vitriol is a winning one. [May 2007, p.159]

Nuanced, sophisticated pop somewhere between Ben Folds and Spain. [Oct 2005, p.168]

All That Remains maintain the progression demostrated on 2006's "The Fall Of ideals," further exploring metal taboos like hooks and melody. [Oct 2008, p.156]

Every band represented on For The Lions are hardcore legends, and Hatebreed do their songs justice--they just don''t deliver anything in the way of innovation. [Jun 2009, p.104]

It's ain't perfect, with some primitive playing popping up at inopportune times. But if you're after a soundtrack for these late summer months, look no further than Lost Control. [Sep 2013, p.88]

Seamlessly picks up right where 2003's Transatlanticism left off. [Nov 2005, p.208]

Moon is bith dark and sweet, its elegiac tones creating a distinct mood that is at the same time beautiful and heartbreaking. [Oct 2010, p.112]

If Love Drunk's overall enthusiasm and high-energy pop doesn't win over even the snarkiest of reviewers after a few listens, then they probably don't have a heart. Everyone else will love it anyway. Pop-rock like this is popular for a reason.

Every song sounds like background music in an art-house film. [Apr 2006, p.207]

While Pond reverts back to his laconic ways toward the album's end, the dazzling tracks leading us to that soft landing make up for the slight regression. [Mar 2013, p.92]

Goofy out-of-time tunes. [Oct 2003, p.136]

Occasional missteps keep X.O. Experience from being a bottle of the top-drawer stuff, though it'll still leave you with a good buzz. [Aug 2001, p.91]

It lacks the spark of the band's classic catalog material. [Apr 2007, p.191]

It's an engaging listen. [Mar 2009, p.107]

They play things way too safe... which makes for a rather boring listening experience. [Mar 2007, p.142]

Light years beyond any current dance-punk act. [Apr 2006, p.203]

Both soothing and exhilarating. [Jan 2002, p.84]

Boasts a sort of steady, creeping beauty, like a slower, groggier Failure without the loud arena bombast. [Nov 2001, p.97]

He tweaks frequencies and shades his queasy bass lines like the Neptunes on a diet of Red Bull and espresso beans. [Jan 2003, p.100]

Charging rock songs and austere balladry make this album resonate more than the morass of bad music currently plaguing us. [#155, p.80]

An album that hangs together surprisingly well. [Oct 2002, p.90]

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

It makes for a fairly entertaining show if you're willing to put down your hot wings for a second to sep outside to watch. [Nov 2008, p.162]

Enjoyable throughout. [Dec 2012, p.92]

Secret Machines is a bit of a misstep, failing keep their languid, explorative tracks from growing dull. [Dec 2008, p.148]

Like a primer in recent rock history. [Dec 2006, p.200]

While Twelve's not an unlistenable record by any stretch of the imagination, it just begs the question: What's the point? [Jun 2007, p.158]

On The Constant, SOTY have shown they've mastered their current sound. Here's hoping for a little more experimentation next time. [Mar 2010, p.95]

It all works... simultaneously calling to mind Fall Out Boy and Franz Ferdinand. [May 2007, p.158]

Sweet and insubstantial. [Nov 2004, p.140]

They've beefed up their bombastic prog-rock guitars and grandiose, Teutonic synth motifs to new levels of virtuoso excess. [Feb 2004, p.93]

Patton's latest fantasy-headache is a one-song, 55-minute conceptual misfire that careens from acid-casualty chamber music to high-velocity cartoon metal. [Feb 2004, p.82]

Soul Punk is a brave, bold statement on which Stump asserts his individuality. [Aug 2011, p.111]

'Slow Race' is an example of how, while moody, their soundscapes still rock and--unlike many of their pensive prog-oriented peers--feel more like songs than dissertations. [Mar 2008, p.140]

Disastrous. [Oct 2004, p.144]

Even if Oxeneers doesn't move you, it'll surely floor you. [Dec 2004, p.157]

It all boils down to the simple question of which songs grab you, so there are certainly reasons to give Appeal a whirl and decide for yourself. [Nov 2008, p.151]

dios (malos) is missing something--namely, guitarist Kevin Morales. [Dec 2005, p.212]

What used to feel timeless now just feels tired. [Jun 2004, p.107]

The album's middle drags, and as original as they sound on their own, the songs become monotonous by the album's end. [Mar 2004, p.96]

Tortoise sound remarkably un-Tortoise-like on nearly everything... [and] Oldham's stunning vocals are rarely allowed the space they deserve. [Mar 2006, p.126]

Lynn Teeter Flower finds Taylor shaving away some of the layers from her solo debut 11:11 for more subtle ornamentation and experimentation. [Apr 2007, p.182]

Damon Atkinson's drumming is phenomenal as always, and Broach's new, crooning vocal style is an exciting first for the band. If this s what aging gracefully sounds like we back it. [Sep 2011, p.110]

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.

Built off of two piano chords or a single guitar riff, Felix'a music is as ho-hum as their vocals, and without diversity in the songs' chord structure, the album blurs together until what's left is a coffee-table coaster. [Dec 2009, p.113]

Banks is a dense (and sometimes prickly) listen that's not immediately accessible, although it rewards those who give it time. [Nov 2012, p.86]

Much of the album is comprised of moiody, softly undulating numbers whose beauty is offset by a frictioness drift which prevents them from truly taking hold. [Dec 2009, p.108]

Harakiri easily contains the best music released under the vocalist's name. [Aug 2012, p.92]

[They] still fuse rock with techno with more nonchalant poise than nearly anybody else, but they've also crafted some of their most gorgeous tunes here. [Mar 2007, p.137]

The main frustration with Meyrin Fields is that neither artist seems hindered individually, only lost to elevate his respective partner in a meaningful way.

No one will argue 5 Seconds Of Summer is high art, but it ultimately works more often than it doesn’t. And, perhaps most important of all, it feels authentic.

It still feels like they have a bit more work to do before their albums are consistently exciting from start to finish. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Diehard fans might miss Flogging Molly's manic moments, but Darkness' lyrical depth--and sonic diversity--are incredibly rewarding. [Jun 2011, p.111]

The songs themselves are sturdy and powerful, with the right mix of ebb and flow, and ample chug-chug parts for the pit monkeys.

My Shame Is True winds up feeling like white noise more than anything else. [May 2013, p.84]

It results in a dense, difficult grower of an album whose bombast slowly becomes charming swagger. [Mar 2012, p.96]

Their flows are slower, their observations more profound, and their subject matter drifts further inward. [#154, p.83]

What makes this disc so intriguing is its embracing of the latest electronic substrata within the context of chief songwriter Martin Gore's well-crafted pop tunes. [#155, p.67]

The guitars are processed into high-tech oblivion, and every song is eight minutes long when it should be five. [Aug 2003, p.100]

The infusion of new blood, thankfully, seems to have put the Stills' post-punk posturing and emotional distance to bed for good. [Jul 2006, p.194]

As Minus The Bear stray further from the prickly, smartass math-rock of thier early days, the group seem focused on crafting the perfect album to launch them into another dimensuion entirely--and Omni, with its brainy intricacy and adventurous heart, may just be that spaceship. [Jun 2010, p.106]

It's lo-fi simplicity makes for a welcome addition to any CoCoRosie fan's collection. [Oct 2014, p.101]

If the album has a flaw, it's a lack of structure and differentiation; as the music progresses, songs become less distinct and less compelling. [Mar 2015, p.90]

A blissed-out menagerie of subtly morphing beats and elegant melodies within a dub framework. [Oct 2002, p.88]

A rare good covers album--creating successful reinterpretations while piquing curiosity for the originals. [Nov 2001, p.74]

[It] has a charm that transcends your typical noise-splunk band. [Mar 2007, p.145]

In the Grace of Your Love is lethargic and shapeless. [Oct 2011, p.109]

Some Kind Of hate maintains the anthemic death-pop/metal trajectory Aiden started wit their previous release, Disguises. [Dec 2011, p.118]

Wait Barbarians is not an album for all moods and times of day. But for those calm, reflective moments that tend to arrive as dusk descends, this albums provides the ideal soundtrack. [Jul 2014, p.102]

It won’t satisfy the appetite of fans of the band that are salivating over the thought of a brand new album with Lindberg’s patented shout-sing back and leading the charge. But as a stopgap and look back at the band’s early years, Yesterdays is a rowdy Pennywise romp.

So it's not really that different, but it's still really good. [Mar 2017, p.82]

Together Fire and Water form one of the most breathtaking albums of the year. [Nov 2007, p.166]

Stellar. [May 2006, p.176]

Air build a soundtrack to the movie in your head that always eclectic and often lovely. [Nov 2009, p.106]

A feel-good collection of (mostly) poppy songcraft. [Aug 2001, p.103]

Embraced by trance, breakbeat, and house DJs alike, Maas has been heard in almost every sort of dance setting, so he's earned the right to his own compilation. [2/2001, p.85]

Overall, it's what you'd expect from Incubus--and that isn't a bad thing. [Jan 2007, p.138]

Although a bit more of that energy [on tracks like "Your Head Got Misplaced" and "Sick And Impatient"] would've been welcome, Youth is still a lush, inventive listen great for headphones--just not stage-diving.[Jul 2013, p.96]

[Their] best album. [Nov 2005, p.224]

The songs, though we've heard them many times before, take on a surprisingly fresh and delicate new identity. [Feb 2006, p.122]

There's hardly a stinker in the bunch. [Jul 2006, p.206]

[Travis have] set aside the drifting atmospherics iin favor of complex arrangements. [Dec 2003, p.154]

One-dimensional and full of tired tunes. [Sep 2002, p.81]

While World is simply a fun pop record at its core, the effort, time and most importantly, experience (gleaned both from the members' extracurricular projects and the near-decade they've been together) that went into its making clearly sets AAR apart from newer bands who keep attempting to capture this same sound with much less ambition.

Anxiety's songwriting is top-notch--substantial and precise, without sacrificing accessibility or originality. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Taking Back Sunday should be commended, not for just choosing not to rehash their older work, but for truly trying to branch out artistically--and succeeding most of the time. [May 2006, p.155]