Enter Shikari prove that they have something substantial to say and a creative way of saying it.

What's left are halfhearted Hold steady wannabes and dull stabs at poignancy.

FYS are still trying to figure out just who they are and who they want to be musically, and ISWSOF accurately represents that struggle.

Every successful band eventually put out a bloated album, and for Northern Ireland's Snow patrol, it's Fallen Empires. [Feb 2012, p.84]

While they are accomplished musicians and combine their growling, death-metal-influenced moments with a wealth of shiny hooks, they fail to do so in a way that counts. [Feb 2012, p.84]

The ambitiousness, imagination and craftsmanship on display place Weightless in a class all of its own, stridently redefining the parameters of heavy music in 2011,. [Dec 2011, p.120]

With so much fertile ground to cultivate, though, Wolves Like Us seem less like copycats and more like proud bearers of a new tradition. [Oct 2011, p.112]

There's just incredible depth to The King Of Limbs, and if you're impatient, you'll miss it.

My Morning Jacket no longer sound like a band of curious adventurers perpetually at odds with their former selves, and consequently deliver an album that plays like a sort of kid-in-a-candy-shop, take-a-little-of-everything thrill ride. Predictably, results vary.

Bruiser is at its best when its tempos are insistent. [Apr 2011, p.114]

Cliff hasn't sounded this loose and giddy in years, and it's a thrill to find that side of him back in the music game.

While too many co-writers are often detrimental to an album, Red is pleasingly diverse-and more often stays true to the homespun, creative vibe of Frampton's previous releases.

Except for the dearth of truly original ideas, Love Part II is, at its core, just another Angels & Airwaves record--nothing more, nothing less. [Jan 2012, p.100]

Compromise is usually a dirty word in music, but here's one that really works. [Jan 2012, P.98]

The force of his personal aesthetics--coupled with the assistance of a similarly fearless group of friends-- has made for not only for one of the best albums of the year, but has produced evidence proving real artists simple don't settle, no matter how fast the calendar moves. [Dec 2011, p.122]

It must have been much more fun to record all of these tracks than it is to listen to them.

Distractingly crowded soundscapes throb like an all-night rave, leaving you too exhausted and battered to pay attention to the words, a major deficiency for a hip-hop album.

Decas is not exactly coherent listening experience. Still, it's a worthy addition to the band's weighty catalog. [Dec 2011, p.118]

Some Kind Of hate maintains the anthemic death-pop/metal trajectory Aiden started wit their previous release, Disguises. [Dec 2011, p.118]

While most of the songs boast their own distinct personalities, the whole record feels touched by a melancholy tone that recalls the end of summers past.

Recorrupted's five tracks make for a solid stopgap release.

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.

Polymers Are Forever makes the noblest of gestures-confusing the hell out of people who love their culture served to them on a stick while getting their fans psyched for a proper full-length early next year.

It's what fans have long been hoping for: an alum fill of catchy sing-alongs with substance. [Nov 2011, p.94]

Lyrically, Dowdalls covers familiar turf for the genre, mostly using the album's runtime to either lament or skewer past loves. It's perfectly appropriate and expected, but not as impactful as some of the recent works by TTNY's peers.

On their fourth full-length, they sound as menacing as ever. [Nov 2011, p.97]

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

Childish Gambino is more than just a rapper, and Camp is more than just an album: It's a stone-cold classic.