Immediately memorable. [Aug 2005, p.164]

CRX's only real mistake might be releasing a top-down record perfect for summer at the end if the year. [Dec 2016, p.100]

The Brag And Cuss gently pulses with tasteful power. [Jul 2007, p.168]

Force Field makes good on being more than just a referential record. [Apr 2014, p.93]

There's an overt embracement of vintage songcraft, and a few tracks would have certainly found welcoming ears in other eras. Be glad they're here now. [Jun 2009, p.102]

The breathable production and quality arrangements allow the band's instantaneously familiar melodies to glow. [May 2010, p.102]

Parts of the result feel overly defensive and overly techno-y, but "Bang! Bang!" will blow your drawers off... [#155, p.85]

Hyro has much more on his mind than frat-friendly Bic-flicking; he tackles hip-hop stereotypes, the peculiar lure of the bad part of town and the end of the world as we know it in dynamic verses that go from a whisper to a scream without losing intelligence or intelligibility.

Another strong outing. [Oct 2004, p.148]

Not only have Steel Train Shed the jam-band tag with their third, self-titled full-length, they've also finally lived up to their own musical potential. [Aug 2010, p.152]

It's the glorious melodies and cavernous, quasi-dub-like production that conspire to make Person Pitch one of the most beguiling, intoxicating releases of 2007 thus far. [May 2007, p.161]

Aggressive is probably the most compelling statement you’re going to hear for the validity of heavy rock music in 2016.

As usual, the production is raw with traces of the recording process still evident. Although Transference lacks the overwhelming variety of "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," there are notable moments of exploration. [Feb 2010, p.96]

Consists entirely of samples yet sounds as organic as a 1960 Impulse! LP, largely because Hebden broadens his instrumental palette, fattens his beats and even gets cinematic. [June 2003, p.109]

Pleasant Living shows heaps of growth in a short year since their 2013 debut. [Oct 2014, p.102]

The Orchard is a significantly more melancholy collection of songs. But melancholy seems to suit Ra Ra Riot, especially since they don't get too caught up in its gloom. [Sep 2010, p.113]

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

Pundits say there's too much hype for Def Junkies, but with records like this, there's good reason for it. [Aug 2006, p.224]

[Cassadaga] finds Oberst cultivating a sophistication usually found in records made by people old enough to be his grandparents. [May 2007, p.150]

Envy have been around for nearly 20 years, so calling them the Japanese Sigur Ros feels like cheap shorthand--and yet, Recitation operates on that same plateau, its scale just as majestic. [Nov 2010, p.112]

In all, it's easily their most ambitious--and praiseworthy--effort to date. [Apr 2012, p.92]

A schizophrenic collision of sound that's so expertly arranged, it still sounds utterly musical. [Nov 2005, p.226]

Mike Hranica’s voice is as gut-wrenchingly brutal as ever, too (“Gloom”), and some songs find the band writing music outside their comfort zone.

A strong new contender in the side project derby. [Jul 2007, p.168]

Particularly great are a few extremely well executed ballads that showcase OWTH's typically gruff sound and Young's typically gravely vocals in new ways. [Apr 2013, p.94]

Foil Deer is a meticulous collection which deconstructs convention. [May 2015, p.100]

Although his output as City and Colour is drastically different from the visceral post-hardcore of Alexisonfire, his following is huge; both his previous C&C albums have gone platinum in Canada. With his third effort, Little Hell, it's easy to hear why. [Jul 2011, p.107]

It's not quite the masterpiece 2003's Shivering King And Others was, but it still knocks the piss out of [the Grateful Dead's] American Beauty. [Apr 2005, p.124]