The ominous charm that had fans nose over tail is not completely lost in Agony & Irony. [Aug 2008, p.156]

There is very little here that makes any sort of meaningful connection. [Dec 2001, p.85]

In Waves hits some high notes with solo-heavy scorchers, but bury them seven tracks deep is as dumbfounding as their guitar work is breathtaking. [Sep 2011, p.120]

The combination of thundering drums with whimsical vocals and melodies can be charming, insanely catchy and headache-inducing, sometimes all at once. [Feb 2007, p.114]

Taken individually, Damon & Naomi's songs possess distinct personalities.... However, when consumed as a whole, The Earth Is Blue metamorphoses into a thin musical mist. [Apr 2005, p.116]

The majority of the album sounds like generic radio rock. [Jul 2012, p.98]

Vanderslice's detached delivery of this riveting material, combined with the somnolent string arrangements, makes Pixel Revolt feel like a chilled-out remix of a book-on-tape recording. [Sep 2005, p.158]

Like many trilogies, though, the third one stumbles to reach the bar set by its predecessors. However, Morning certainly doesn't suck, and fans will appreciate its place in the evolution of Eels. [Sep 2010, p.109]

Somewhere Else is only rewarding if you can stay awake. [Feb 2013, p.90]

The songs tend to meander along without a sense of overall purpose. [Dec 2006, p.188]

The songs explode with more energy than the whole underground combined. This makes it very hard not to love Los Campesinos!, and makes it easier to forgive the fact this record could have been better served as an EP. [Nov 2008, p.162]

Thnakfully, as the album continues, the songs grow more developed as orchestrally augmented tracks "Right Place" and "LA Rain" showcase Burhenn's distinct vocal abilities. [May 2010, p.108]

Against Me! were great because of their flaws, not in spite of them--White Crosses just isn't that much fun to listen to. [Jun 2010, p.102]

Gay For Johnny Depp succeed because they don't take themselves seriously and they know how to write a crushingly good hardcore song. [Mar 2011, p.93]

Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, p.106]

The 15 songs here chart a typical course through the American songbook, with paradoxically straight-faced camp, morose show tunes and orchestral chamber pop without the aid of an actual orchestra. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Teetering between genius and madness, Repo is a few hooks shjort of a successful fishing trip for experiemental music, left mostly with "experiemental" and not much in the way of traditionally defined "music." [Jun 2009, p.102]

Coxon's solo career has long suffered from the Bob Pollard syndrome of self-indulgent quantity over quality--a setback that, unfortunately, also plagues much of Happiness In Magazines. [Mar 2005, p.132]

A set track list and a few new tunes....[creates] a more well-rounded picture of the band than last year's smorgasbord. [Apr 2012, p.92]

What could have been a second coming of Stone Roses or even a newer New Order comes off like one big Spiritualized remix, light on the hooks, numbed by its own beats. [Apr 2002, p.82]

The cohesion that made their previous records so captivating has been significantly diminished. [Dec 2005, p.204]

It's important that albums like Ghost exist--but unfortunately, those albums don't always make the most enjoyable listens. [Aug 2004, p.116]

Sounds like every other disc Matador has released by them. [Oct 2004, p.134]

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

It won’t satisfy the appetite of fans of the band that are salivating over the thought of a brand new album with Lindberg’s patented shout-sing back and leading the charge. But as a stopgap and look back at the band’s early years, Yesterdays is a rowdy Pennywise romp.

It feels a lot longer than it is, and that's a bad thing. [May 2009, p.115]

While their occasional reliance on wide-eyed sloppiness isn't endearing, when the band clean up, they have some irresistible pop nuggest in them. [Apr 2003, p.80]

Gimme Some is grounded in a guitar-based directness it seemed PB&J had left behind. [Apr 2011, p.118]