As great as At War With Reality really is, it is nothing but expectations, and for a band that shattered preconceptions and spawned an absolutely unbearable number of copycat bands with their last album, that's actually a bit disappointing.

A varied set of songs that's imbued with the mysticism of folklore and the romanticism of rock 'n' roll, this EP is a chance to take stock of the long journey that Frank Turner has taken so far, before he sets off once more into the future unknown.

Mentioning these ASG cats in the same breath as riff-rockers Torche or Queens Of The Stone Age is not only misleading, it might even be an understatment. [Jun 2013, p.92]

Sure the plot has been done to death and you know what's going to happen; but the personalities involved draw you in like a rubbernecker gawking at a highway accident fromth safety of his car. [Nov 2009, p.105]

Though it has a couple great cuts that are in the running for Britpop song of the year, With The Tides lacks definition, making South more a group in the midst of a movement than one defining it. [Oct 2003, p.138]

Boasts the accessibility and ambition of a true star. [Jul 2003, p.124]

Sonic Nurse is better than 90 percent of new rock, but with younger combos like Lightning Bolt and Liars stealing their thunder, these well-meaning vets come off as old and in the way. [Jul 2004, p.134]

A laser-sharp collection of songs written with two things in mind: rocking hard and having fun. [12/2000, p.110]

The tracks on Steal come off as much more assured and comfortable than those on Toxicity. [Jan 2003, p.81]

While these songs are closer the band's beer-in-the-air beginnings, greater sophistication and songcraft are evident from the crisp melodies and infectious choruses to earworm anthems with direct, bumper-sticker sentiments. [Feb 2013, p.88]

Take Care, take Care, Take Care is their most lush offering to date, with the layers of instrumentation blurring together so sublimely, it's hard to discern what instrument might be making such a wondrous sound. [May 2011, p.92]

Unlike Treats, Reign Of Terror never feels new, fresh or exciting; it just feels like a chore.

When they do attempt to play things straight, it hits the mark with impressive accuracy, commanding your attention--and a few of your most limber-limbed dance moves. [Feb 2011, p.87]

Walks the fine line between indie and lo-fi rock, encompassing the best elements of both genres. [Mar 2006, p.136]

Their uncalculated sound puts them a step above their shamelessly careerist peers like the Von Bondies. [Jul 2005, p.182]

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

If Go is any indication of their future, MCS will have plenty to say, five albums from now. [Jul 2012, p.100]

Rather than try and move these songs into new territory, everyone involved seem hellbent on remaking Lewis into something closer to Sheryl Crow or Shania Twain. It’s a weird place for her to be in, yet one that she looks to be acclimating to quite easily.

It's songs seem somewhat aimless at times, but Repave is worth the journey for its riving consistency and moments of hook-laden greatness. [Oct 2013, p.94]

The lullaby-like "Death" feels too on-the-nose, but it doesn't detract much from Carrier's bittersweet power: an atmosphere of loss, contemplation and return. [Sep 2013, p.88]

The songs on The King Is Dead don't collapse under the weight of their lite-FM armor; conversely, they endure in spite of it. One way or another, the Decemberists write good songs, regardless of how they're gift-wrapped.

This is a great album, one that carries the burden of growing up on its shoulders, but uses it for good instead of endlessly fighting against it, which punk bands need to do as they grow up.

Chicago's The Atlas Moth have taken definite and deliberate steps to flesh out their wall of sound on album No. 3, accentuating their sludge roots with waves of psychedelic counterpoint. [Jul 2014, p.96]

The second half loses momentum slightly. When in concentrated form, however, the Mountain Goats still manage to reach their peak. [Apr 2011, p.115]

They're at their best, though, on moodier fare like the suitably hymn-like 'God Loves You The Best,' with a Beatlesque snatch of orchestration fit for their old buddy Elliot Smith. [Sug 2008, p.170]

The result is aural perfection. [Feb 2003, p.68]

Frontman Tom Dougall offers guitar distensions, pedal abuse and disaffected vocals, while synth op Alejandra Diez is called upon to deliver gorgeous melodies and sinister noise. [Oct 2012, p. 92]

Characteristically, Mogwai surrender just enough melodic nuance to sustain superficial interest--without forfeiting the abstractions necessary to save the whole affair from sounding like Enya for art school kids. [Mar 2011, p.96]