With stunning soloing by guitarists Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick further enlivening the proceedings, this is really is state-of-the-art metal designed to destroy everything unfortunate enough to be in its path. [March 2011, p.93]

He's a poetic if not somewhat mad genius on his own, but Peer Amid makes it clear Higgs is at his best pacing the prow of mighty musical vessel. [Mar 2011, p.99]

The Human Romance shows an experienced band trying new things and succeeding. [Mar 2011, p.92]

The contrasts of light/dark, father/son and sinners/saints never sounded so danceable. [Mar 2011, p.92]

The music is fresh and compelling, sure, but there's nothing in the lyrics or the instrumentation that leads one to assume these musicians haven't been acquiring experience on the road for a dozen years. [Feb 2011, p.90]

Full of power and their trademark delicate storytelling, Shipping News' latest is their greatest. [Dec 2010, p.116]

This is metalcore comfort food from two veterans, and little more. [Feb 2011, p.90]

The band have thankfully corrected course for their self-titled sophomore full-length, but Forever The Sickest Kids is still a frustrating listen at times.

This album is pure joy to listen to. [Mar 2011, p.96]

Characteristically, Mogwai surrender just enough melodic nuance to sustain superficial interest--without forfeiting the abstractions necessary to save the whole affair from sounding like Enya for art school kids. [Mar 2011, p.96]

The anger is what makes The People's Key's best moments so vital. [Mar 2011, p.98]

While the influences haven't fully melted, the hooks are particularly strong, abetted by a decorator's touch for texture and tone. [Mar 2011, p.99]

"Waves" may boast a certain post-punk urgency, but Dulli's on to something more seductive here. [Mar 2011, p.99]

For fans of hook-laden music, the album's a must. [Mar 2011, p.99]

Like most everything else here, it's a dancing no-brainer. [Mar 2011, p.92]

Meticulously orchestrated by frontman Conrad Keely, Tao Of The Dead hits a full-on prog rock pose with seemless transitions, classical movement structures and lunar background flourishes scraping the Dark Side Of The Moon. [Mar 2011, p.92]

The album runs a tad long--and it's difficult to suss out the band's individual voice from underneath the weight of their influences. [Mar 2011, p.92]

While the band might sound particularly confident on Killing Time, this attitude never turns into cockiness. [Mar 2011, p.91]

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]

For a young, non-jaded Pantha Du Prince fan, though, this could resonate yet.

This 18-song, one-hour compilation is a spawling, hit-or-miss affair. [Jan 2011, p.90]

It's a great album to have on hand for a wild party, but piping it through your headphones will have you skipping tracks. [Feb 2011, p.89]

This quartet's latest work still bellows in and out with the urgency of a boxer's lungs, and new singer Arnold de Boer maintains a strident edge while adding a barely perceptible undercurrent of lightness. Missing is the low end. [Feb 2011, p.87]

The net result sounds like a band trying--and mostly succeeding--to merge their youthful past and mature present. [Feb 2011, p.87]

There Are Rules truly stands out in the members' collective catalogs as a completely unique entity, and one that should be viewed as nothing less than an absolutely stunning success. [Feb 2011, p.85]

The [absence of original bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham] is felt; at times, the album lacks the urgency and energy of the band's best work. Still, Content is an uncompromising experience. [Feb 2011, p.87]

Kaputt expresses equal slyness via gratiutious saxophone and trumpet solos. [Feb 2011, p.87]

[A] charmingly naive and magnificent record. [Feb 2011, p.86]