What We All Come To Need finds Pelican mastering their post-metal craft while indulging the ambitious curiousities that hinted at on 2007's "City Of Echoes."

While all the riffs and parts are brillantly performed, they rarely if ever repeat one, and none stick in your head after the band is gone. [Dec 2009, p.108]

The wicked dueling guitars of Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel are about the only saving grace, but even the wildest arpeggio run can't save Congregation from near-total damnation. [Dec 2009, p.116]

Fortunately, the androgynous-voiced experimenter went back on threats of scrapping what is by far his most versatile collection. [Nov 2009, p.106]

The second full-length from the New Zealand duo is pulled almost entirely from the second season of their HBO series, but little is lost in translation. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Sure the plot has been done to death and you know what's going to happen; but the personalities involved draw you in like a rubbernecker gawking at a highway accident fromth safety of his car. [Nov 2009, p.105]

Welcome back ladies. The world's more fun with you in it. [Nov 2009, p.114]

While it may seem as if Geneva is all over the musical map, the opposite is acually true--the map's just been redrawn. [Nov 2009, p.114]

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

The disappointing thing about New Moon is that it could have been better.

The album runs out of steam toward the end, but the first few tracks are gold. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Embryonic is an album full of little revolutions--a trippier, noisier, more experimental journey than the Flaming Lips have taken in forever. [Dec 2009, p.116]

Blue Record truly depicts a band at the peak of their powers. [Nov 2009, p.106]

Dark Touches has its catchy moments, but sticking a song in the listener's head is not the same thing as creating important music. [Nov 2009, p.109]

Where "Hexes" reveled in a sludgier sentiment, all the while anchoring Wasif's emotional yearnings, The Voidist opts, for the most part, not to disguise anything. It arrives bare-chested and howling

The collection as a whole has a transitional feel, as though Jamie T is still finding his way between the two poles of his primary inspiration. Yet with his propensity for both engaging storytelling and hooks, he's too talented not to figure it all out in spectacular fashion.

Air build a soundtrack to the movie in your head that always eclectic and often lovely. [Nov 2009, p.106]

As ever, Martsch prove capable of anthropomorphizing a bent string and imbuing it with more emotion than many bands' vocals and lyrics. [Dec 2009, p.112]

The Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo begin their fourth full-length, In And Out Of Control, with a satisfying "Bang!" and never slow, even through the darkest of subject matter

As it stands, Barlow has only evolved in his mastery of subtle acoustic guitar interplay and flirtations with pop. [Nov 2009, p.109]

When the dark, somber and damn loud refrains of 'Ego Death' kick in, it sounds like these guys could completely take over indie rock. [Nov 2009, p.106]

It sounds like, well, another solid Mission Of Burma record. [Nov 2009, p.110]

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]

Gosling and Shields play all the instruments on the disc and sing along with the kids choir--which sounds like a recipe for disaster but in actuality it's both compelling and surprising well-rendered.

After blowing out of the gate with the blondie-tinted delight 'Ecstatic Appeal,' Pearl ends up coasting on fumes. [Nov 2009, p.114]

The album creeks through 13 unlucky tracks that range from minimalist, Leonard Cohen-esque piano dirges to demented waltzes with equal aplomb. [Nov 2009, p.109]

It still feels like they have a bit more work to do before their albums are consistently exciting from start to finish. [Nov 2009, p.109]

The bulk of Somewhere Gone brings to mind a bummed out, burned out Neko Case. [Nov 2009, p.109]