Simple Math is a perfect interpretation of an imperfect man's life, and hopefully just another chapter in the larger story Manchester orchestra have yet to reveal. [Jun 2011, p.105]

This quietly experimental album ends up being Death Cab For Cutie's great leap forward--an achievement of pop formalism wrapped inside a beautiful cacophony. [Jun 2011, p.108]

The instrumentation and arrangements on Strange negotiations bring out the subtleties in Bazan's ever-evolving songwriting style. [Jun 2011, p.106]

On Brilliant! Tragic!, Argos has channeled his inner Johnny Rotten, seemingly vacillating between contempt and boredom. Fortunately, the band play with a similar sense of toughened rawness. [Jun 2011, p.106]

There are a kit if sounds present, but the band manage to make them come together as one. [Jun 2011, p.106]

In short, Augustana is every Top 40 radio programmer or licensing supervisor's dream disc. [May 2011, p.92]

With a decided mature edge over the Canadian twins [Tegan And Sara], vocalist/guitarist Kate Cooper and drummer/vocalist Damon Cox have reached their first pinnacle on their second album. [June 2011, p.106]

Philadelphia sideshow punks Man Man have reached a newfound crispness with the production guidance of Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis on their fourth album, Life Fantastic.

A varied set of songs that's imbued with the mysticism of folklore and the romanticism of rock 'n' roll, this EP is a chance to take stock of the long journey that Frank Turner has taken so far, before he sets off once more into the future unknown.

It's a shame that there's so little of note on Free, because Gil Norton's production is fantastic as usual. But bless his heart, it's ultimately a wasted effort.

The Beasties prove they've still got what it takes to rock the house -- Hot Sauce was definitely worth the wait.

It's an album that's easy to overlook, but careful listeners will be rewarded with a world of sound. [Apr 2011, p.122]

The result is their most haunted and harrowing album to date. [May 2011, p.98]

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]

The group's ability to layer long, melodic arcs over squibs of dissonance has never been more surgical or soulful. [May 2011, p.92]

The hue of the proceedings feels significantly dialed-down and stark and the result feels more like a Jollett solo album and less like a great band flexing its myriad abilities. [May 2011, p.92]

Take Care, take Care, Take Care is their most lush offering to date, with the layers of instrumentation blurring together so sublimely, it's hard to discern what instrument might be making such a wondrous sound. [May 2011, p.92]

When Bayside's Anthony Raneri pops up on "Texas Mickey," it's just the cherry on top of yet another consistently great Silverstein record. [May 2011, p.96]

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.

As powerful as the music is--and its strength is undeniable, as every muscle practically spasms in reaction to the desperate guttural screams that emanate from singer Jason Butler's mouth and to the violent and complex post-hardcore melodies produced by his four bandmates--as much weight is carried in the erudite, intelligent lyrics and themes that permeate these 14 songs.

With Safeways Here We Come, Chixdiggit! have released a record akin to Superchunk's Majesty Shredding; a band who never quite broke up seemingly come back from the dead with not only some of their strongest material to date, but also some of the strongest that the genre has seen.

The main frustration with Meyrin Fields is that neither artist seems hindered individually, only lost to elevate his respective partner in a meaningful way.

C'mon, which was the band recorded in an old church in their hometown of Duluth, Minnesota, has moments of slowcore brilliance. [May 2011, p.93]

"You outgrew the sum of your parts," he raps at one point; that line describes the mature and masterful The Family Sign, as well. [May 2011, p.92]

With brief nods to Black Sabbath and slower Slayer, Sever rolls 40 years of metal and hard rock into a big joint and smokes it all. [Mar 2011, p.92]

Too much of Human Hearts feels like a retread of what they've already done on previous LPs. [Apr 2011, p.115]

The one thing the album really lacks, though, is an obvious single. While many songs are memorable, there is nothing that suggests any of the tracks have the classic quality of "Juneau," "History," "Streetcar" or "Into Oblivion (Reunion)."

A highly charged and welcome return. [May 2011, p.93]