Sycamore has plenty of upbeat rockers to counterbalance its moodier moments. [Jan 2008, p.128]

Finelines serves up Everybody Oriented Rock, sure to be a hit with both the critics and the slamdancing fans who ignore them. [Aug 2002, p.72]

Highly Suspect successfully avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.

Provides enough thrilling moments to make sense on or off the dancefloor. [Sep 2005, p.168]

But is it emo-synth brilliance or just MOR cheese? That’s the question you may still be asking when you’ve surfaced from beneath these Waves.

Alone, Air and Earth are the weakest of the EPs, but taken as a whole, Thrice have managed to convert an ultra-abstract concept into a cohesive and innovative collection. [May 2008, p.143]

Fans of the Cure's late '80s material will find much to love about No One Can Ever Know. [Mar 2012, p.99]

Occasionally, this style of music gives way to too much meandering or noise for the sake of it, but Nothing's melodic and encompassing LP debut is guilty of neither. [Apr 2014, p.92]

Between The Senses follows in the hallowed Brit-rock tradition of trembling vocals, chiming midtempo guitars and delicate lyrical sensibilities. [Oct 2002, p.80]

We're fans of Thorburn's day job, too, but this actually wins out when it comes to Sunday relaxation tunes. [Oct 2008, p.153]

The majority of the tracks on Tomorrow's Hits feel like they were cooked in the backyards of Laurel Canyon with ambling rhythms, the lilt of lap steel guitar and an air of stoned desperation lingering over it all like smog. [Apr 2014, p.92]

Occasionally, it wears out its welcome, but at its best it's not just homage, but legacy-worthy. [Sep 2012, p.88]

The Mountain brings a new rhythm section to town--a rejuvenating transfusion for the band--and Appalachian banjo and high-art violin swirls. [May 2009, p.121]

With some pop, college rock, post-punk and even shoegaze thrown in for good measure, TV en Français is the most complete We Are Scientists record. [Apr 2014, p.94]

Gorky's emotional punch is as heavy as it ever was--despite the bells and whistles. [Jan 2002, p.84]

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

A refreshing journey back to the plugged-in analog sound of early 'Lab albums. [Oct 2001, p.100]

The band have gelled into Pollard's best yet, and it's their brief forays into prog-rock complexity that make the record stand out within the GBV catalog. [Jul 2002, p.82]

Everybody Get Close is a digital-only, stop-gap collection of rare tracks, remixes and outtakes that will sate both the Juan-derful fans, as well as electronic dance music listeners who are too busy looking vacant to create their own playlists.

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

Thanks in part to Alan Moulder's always-nuanced mix, Hitch balances the band's bombast with restraint. [Apr 2016, p.102]

Though some tracks lull more than thrill, that seems to be the goal. [May 2009, p.114]

On offers tight musicianship, intimate lyrics and a wider sonic berth in comparison to indie pop's lyrically trite mistake celebrations. [May 2002, p.90]

There’s something un-Pixielike about that tentativeness, yes, but surely this group, and these fine if uncharacteristic songs, should have the chance to re-enter pop life on their own older, wiser terms.

This should be among Perry's higher-profile efforts in some time, with production by Andrew WK, and guest appearances by everyone from Moby to Brian Chippendale of Lightning Bolt. [Oct 2008, p.150]

An emotive, evocative, electrifying mystery. [July 2002, p.88]

Although their fifth album has plenty to satisfy orchestral-rock geeks and hook-heads--especially the ecstatic, merry-g-round-dizzy "up In The Dark"--the collection shines when it goes for nuance and subtlety. [Jun 2010, p.108]

The Cross of My Calking is far more spirited [than their last album], creating a univese somewhere between Primal Scream's Rolling Stones phase and the Mars Volta's brand of jam science, with an occasional Bo Diddley beat thrown in. [Jan 2008, p.129]