Unfortunately, the songs still suffer from the same downfalls as their previous material; the album lives in the safe middle ground between Shadows Fall and Underoath. [May 2011, p.96]

Cruel World's glitchy electronic sound, reminiscent of his solo work on Anticon, sometimes makes it hard to tell there's a band involved. [Aug 2011, p.122]

While melodic skull-kickers like "In Person" will hook fans of the band's later work. It's when Hamilton overreaches--a cover of the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" and the string-driven "LA Water"--that things take a turn for the weird, but mercifully, the schizophrenia is short-lived. [Oct 2010, p.113]

For some reason, the Stooges decided to get moody on a trio of acoustic-based tracks, letting their singer respond by going into full on crooner mode. That sort of twaddle may fly on Pop's solo records, but when they go up against the slinky, deep pocket grooves of the rest of the album, the songs feel pale and hollow.

Some excessive ballads aside, Simple Plan's second disc all but perfects the one before it. [Dec 2004, p.141]

[Dalley] repeatedly dilutes Leave Your Name with empty atmospheric exercises in barely-there vocals and shimmery keys. [Feb 2004, p.80]

After the wet noodle that was 2011's Mine Is Yours, California indie purveyors Cold War Kids come back al dente on Dear Miss Lonelyhearts. [May 2013, p.84]

The band flex all their muscles from a decade-plus of experience without hesitation and, more importantly, without overdoing it. [Jan 2008, p.129]

The result is a beautiful collection of understated, orchestral roots rock that will enrapture both NPR and Pitchfork devotees. [Apr 2008, p.153]

Skaters work best when they're not being too aggressive, letting the songs breathe while pushing the melodies out. [Mar 2014, p.94]

Outside has a knack for taking these slow-building verses toward delayed rewards--by the time you reach the marrow of a tune, it's already the best Tapes 'N Tapes song you've ever heard. [Feb 2011, p.90]

Most of [the remixers] subtly tweak the originals into charming facsimiles of Beck's clap-happy, orchestral folk-blues funk ditties. [Mar 2006, p.138]

Some may quibble with the sparse nature of the album; but it feels like a natural destination in Fink's songwriting travels. [Nov 2009, p.109]

The "ordinary" stories about a new marriage after the shine wears off aren't as dramatic as a broken heart or life-threatening illness, but they're no less real and gradually embed themselves in the listener's mind. [Nov 2011, p.93]

"Gonna Be Free" is a solid tune, but not strong enough to save Circle from mediocrity. [Aug 2012, p.88]

Mo Beauty becomes difficult to wade through as Ounsworth ventures further from his indie-rock roots. [Nov 2009, p.114]

The jarring stylistic shifts sometimes make listening to RNR feel more like scanning the radio dial than listening to a CD. [Jan 2004, p.106]

The rest of the album is similarly focused on animated, inventive electronica which cherry-picks from minimal techno, early synth-pop, moody new wave and Animal Collective-like rhythmic collages. [Dec 2012, p.94]

The results are as thrilling as ever. [Oct 2004, p.140]

It seems that when you mix superstar indie-ites, everything is increased exponentially. [Dec 2006, p.190]

It's a fun album, full of off-kilter, electro-tinged grooves. Trouble is, backpacker/conscious/positive hip-hop is every bit as cliched as the most unthinking gangsta rap. [Apr 2008, p.163]

Had these songs been released a decade ago, they'd be a sensation. Today? Nah. [Jun 2014, p.105]

My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes is warm, engaged and driven by subtle, but forceful, optimism.

Where, say, Franz Ferdinand can fill dance floors with a jagged, arty sense of danger, the Bravery are more vanilla in their approach (read: They're Duran Duran). [May 2005, p.132]

The band takes a few sucessful detours on Chase This Light, but by and large, it's more of the same. [Nov 2007, p.172]

The biggest failure of This Is PiL, sadly, is the band's centerpiece: Lydon. As fine as he can be (see again "Deeper Water"), he sounds downright unhinged. Not in the puckish, sinister way that made PiL live albums so bracing, either-no, his work here sounds tossed off, and too often just plain off.

The record is sophisticated. [Jun 2012, p.78]

Pole's organic, vibrant music suggests he's busted out of his creative doldrums with gusto. [Aug 2003, p.110]