Creatures has a medieval majesty.... Yet such pastoral conjuring doesn't mean the band can't rock. [Aug 2002, p.82]

Easy Pain reminds you how horrible the world can be, as well as the catharsis you can achieve if you'd only just immerse yourself in the maelstrom. [Jun 2014, p.111]

Get There is gorgeous, perfect pop. [Nov 2013, p.90]

Nears indie-pop perfection. [Feb 2003, p.70]

Better than its predecessor. [Dec 2003, p.150]

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

President isn't just one of the year's best; it's one of the finest efforts to come out of hip-hop in a long time. [Dec 2008, p.153]

Wrongdoers might surpass its predecessor in heaviness, emotion, mood and pure adrenalin. [Sep 2013, p.86]

Earnest and joyful throughout, they don't make records like this anymore, so be glad Anathallo didn't listen and made one anyway.

Infinity Overhead's smorgasbord of sounds should please every level of Minus The Bear fan.

Van Etten cements herself as the auteur of the symphonically sad.

This, more than any of their releases to date, is an actual album. [Jun 2002, p.90]

Kveikur is a masterstroke effort. [Jul 2013, p.104]

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

Sister Faith is rich with engaging depth and an inventive accessibility that should put the band on the radar of independent music lovers everywhere. [May 2013, p.88]

Hold Time exists not simply as a vehicle for the rehash of rock 'n' roll blueprints, but as the highway on which to drive home his acute pop-rock songwriting. Mar 2009, p.107]

N.A.S.A.'s dope beats and wet-dream collaborations make Apollo an absolute must-have. [Jun 2009, p.111]

Dissonant strings, clasical piano and eerie quiet spells infuse the album with a wird, roiling darkness that gets under your skin rather than filleting your skull. The result is more dramatic than any Dillinger release this decade--and more powerful because of it. [Apr 2010, p124]

Best experienced as a single piece of ever-evolving music, this is post-rock at its most melodic and dynamic best. [Jul 2013, p.104]

Perfect for night drives on long, winding roads. [Oct 2011, p.107]

Polished studio effects notwithstanding, Belong's truest charms remain the songs themselves. [Apr 2011, p.115]

Doiron's presence and Squire's understated electric guitar imbue the album with haunting, spectral beauty equal to anything Elverum's done. [Dec 2008, p.138]

CIS convey aggression and energy through a maddening array of effects pedals and the haunting, grainy tenor of Kristain Hallbert's reverberating voice, combining to form corrosive anthems embellished by space and nuance. [Mar 2010, p.92]

It might have sucked the first time you went through [the year between high school and college], but here, it couldn't sound better. [Mar 2009, p.113]

This Steve Albini-engineered masterpiece is destined to establish these 15-year vets as one of underground's strongest songwriting forces. [Aug 2002, p.83]

There’s an elegance to her music that wasn’t there before--a sudden bright piano riff over deep guitar; a harrowing, shouted acapella--that feels like a coming of age.

Sainthood was produced by Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla and Howard Reddekopp, allowing the album to take on aspects of both its predecessors while still feeling new, and per usual with this duo, impressively skillful. [Dec 2009, p.114]

It's the sound of three musicians playing to their strengths while challenging their songwriting style, resulting in a cohesive listen that holds your attention to the end. [Sep 2008, p.156]