Aggressive yet soulful, "War" doesn't just straddle the line between rock and electronica—it destroys it.

While the album doesn't break new ground, there's plenty to like about its mix of pumping rock and old-school soul.

Its growth feels genuine and, unlike Sum 41's punk peers, its musical maturation doesn't come at the expense of that all-important snotty 'tude.

The Con a welcome addition to summer playlists and to Tegan & Sara's promising catalog.

The disc proves Anastasio doesn't need his old bandmates to sizzle, but ought to get back to doing what he does best: kicking out the jams.

The air of uncertainty and doubt he creates is what continually makes his music so intriguing.

This sophomore set likewise has moments of indelible pop bliss, but too often veers off track with unnecessarily long songs and dull arrangements.

When this sixth CD opens with a cataclysm of "Transformers" noises, it signals a record that's a little more unapologetically electronic than their previous ones.

It's prototypical Warped tour rock - but, to be fair, at the top level of that particular realm, with thoughtful lyrics and tightly crafted guitar arrangements.

Tom Smith's emotive vocals and the dense wall of guitars strike the perfect balance between moody, underground noise and more accessible, arena-bound rock.

There aren't enough original ideas here to know if Rooney can shine as a relevant, modern rock band.

It's trim rather than hurried, does not waste a note and, because of that, may be the best of Vega's seven studio albums.

Even without original drummer Derrick Bostrom, the Meat Puppets' magic is evident. The focused, yet relaxed, music throughout this album is among the best the band has ever made.

It's still a mess, though an ambitious and grandiose one.

The New York quartet retains its flair for dramatic images and ominous guitar lines on its major-label debut, but with producer/ mixer Rich Costey onboard, these signatures uncoil into more complex soundscapes.

"Ga Ga" stand out as a fun, if somewhat peculiar, addition to the Spoon catalog.

The project's 14 tracks are still filled with well-made guitar and piano pop that only missteps when Finn and company lapse into whispery quietude for too long.

They Might Be Giants' 12th full-length record is arguably their best since 1994's "John Henry."

Ulrich Schnauss returns with more lush, ambient music fitting for any chill-out session or long summer drive with the windows down.

Imagine the B-52's playing a wedding in Siberia and you'll have a loose idea of what's in store on these 14 tracks.

Libertad is one of those sophomore albums that builds on the strengths of the first and offers enough fresh stuff to establish a new standard for the band.

Though still short of career-defining, "Ms. Kelly" finds its author opening up more while welcoming the possibility that destiny may just find another star.

The project just doesn't offer as many gems as "King," which pushed T.I. to new commercial heights.

This "Tiger" is fairly tame, but that's OK. [30 Jun 2007]

"The Mix-Up" is thematically sound and feels like a comprehensive piece instead of a self-indulgent scheme. [30 Jun 2007]

A welcome return from a band that still doesn't sound quite like anybody else. [30 Jun 2007]

More hit than miss. [30 Jun 2007]

The Spree... is generally a bit more streamlined in its approach. [23 Jun 2007]

The Stripes have never had so much fun. [23 Jun 2007]

At its best, "Golden Pollen" is graceful, intricately planned and divinely produced.... On occasion though, the set can be downright boring. [23 Jun 2007]

This is an exciting new chapter for Bon Jovi. [23 Jun 2007]

QOTSA envelops many of the songs in a fog of menacing guitar squall that focuses as much on atmospherics as hooks. [16 Jun 2007]

Satisfying. [9 Jun 2007]

This is some of Cornell's most uncomplicated and accessible music to date. [9 Jun 2007]

There are only a couple of songs with enough impact to avoid boring people who catch the band on tour this summer. [9 Jun 2007]

Focusing more on catchy hooks and Fergie-style chants than lyrics helps disguise her vocal limitations. [9 Jun 2007]

"Ultra Payloaded" is a party record that veers from the light, airy and catchy to the absolutely crankable. [2 Jun 2007]

It's a very sexually explicit R. Kelly who greets fans on this outing. [2 Jun 2007]

The 14 tracks find Thompson in typical tasteful form, playing with understated flash that straddles the trans-Atlantic divide to embrace Celtic soul and rootsy Americana, with bits of jazz and Jamaica ("Bad Monkey," "Francesca") thrown into the mix. [2 Jun 2007]

Matt Berninger's murmuring, stream-of-conscious narratives are delivered with convincing melodrama, with few clunkers. [26 May 2007]

Despite a few lyrical missteps ("Future Pt. 1"), "Voxtrot" is generally insightful and emerges as a promising debut. [26 May 2007]

The overall mood is a bit more pensive and solemn. [26 May 2007]

The slick, hyperproduced "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" is a set of 12 potential hits, all mashes of groove and guitar firepower. [26 May 2007]

This is signature Erasure, and fans will find it pure delight. [26 May 2007]

Though the final third of the album drags a touch as Wainwright lets up on the heart-pounding melodrama, the highs here are exceptional. [19 May 2007]

On first listen, it might seem too derivative, even dull, but Jeff Tweedy's intricate vocal melodies and Nels Cline's ferocious guitar work keep things interesting. [19 May 2007]

Linkin Park's ambitions are nearly palpable, but songs likely conceived as homages end up sounding too close to their sources. [26 May 2007]

Although the arrangements remain impressive, there are moments when it feels as though Dungen should stick with a quicker pace. [26 May 2007]

As expected, there's plenty of ass-kicking country on Wilson's third album, but it's her softer side that sets it apart. [19 May 2007]

Aside from grand moments like "All Hands on Deck - Part 1: Raise the Sail" and the orchestral wall that builds on "The Sweetest Wave," you don't get the feeling that a continuous story binds the album together.

Maximo Park... safely explore new territory without being too obvious. [12 May 2007]

Even Björk's misses are more exciting than most of what we currently call hits. [12 May 2007]

A number of songs significantly pick up the pace for a change. [12 May 2007]

Fans will notice a more organic, rougher approach to the formula of jazz chords, pretty dissonance and summery melody lines. [12 May 2007]

There are some real gems here. [12 May 2007]

Much of "Human the Death Dance" goes for something deeper—the sound of an artist afraid of what he almost became. [12 May 2007]

A relatively solid return that should bring some new fans into the flock. [12 May 2007]

Easily the most likable and listenable jazz album of 2007. [12 May 2007]

Despite it being more rock-oriented than 2005's "The Beekeeper," this album isn't much of a sonic progression, and it takes a while for "Posse" to find its voice. [5 May 2007]

A fantastically colorful and original effort. [5 May 2007]

Ne-Yo still has a way with melody, managing to upgrade his offerings while showing that the writer in him ain't dead either. [5 May 2007]

Best-known for her flame-throwing hit "Kerosene," Miranda Lambert delivers more of the same on her new album. [5 May 2007]

Most of the proceedings are fairly clean-cut and midtempo, with guitars only intermittently attaining heavy density. [5 May 2007]

Smith and her trusty band largely strip arrangements bare, lyrical and emotional content taking center stage. [28 Apr 2007]

There is more than enough here to make up for any loss of zeitgeist-shattering impact the second time around. [28 Apr 2007]

Morello shows us that he's a) a facile acoustic guitar player, too, b) a better than serviceable singer and c) an intelligent and passionate social commentator and protest singer. [28 Apr 2007]

A mostly sassy'n'snotty affair on which she sounds even younger than when her debut album, 2002's "Let Go," went multiplatinum. [28 Apr 2007]

There are fewer memorable moments here than on his solo albums, but it's still nice to hear him taking risks. [21 Apr 2007]

It's fun to hear Trent Reznor play other roles and fire holes into the technology he's been so vital in employing. [21 Apr 2007]

Songs so intimate that they sound like singer Margo Timmins could be whispering them in your ear remain the group's hallmark, but the delivery continues to grow more sophisticated. [21 Apr 2007]

It may not pick up many new fans or even appeal to those beyond Cave's core audience, but these guys sound like they're having too much fun to care. [14 Apr 2007]

It's a pleasant enough, if uneven work. [14 Apr 2007]

Though his singular identity doesn't translate necessarily into a singular sound, there's plenty in his road-tested formula for fans of soulful, organic hip-hop to like. [12 May 2007]

An album unexpectedly packed with dance jams. [14 Apr 2007]

An understated triumph. [9 Dec 2006]

They still pen power-pop tunes so utterly irresistible—"Someone to Love," "This Better Be Good," "Strapped for Cash"—that they deserve to be every bit as ubiquitous at radio as the elements of the album's title. Oh, and they're still brilliant. [2 Apr 2007]

"Because of the Times" is a brooder at heart, and much of the material here is some of the Kings' most demanding to date. It's also among their best. [14 Apr 2007]

It's practically something straight out of the United Kingdom for all of its poppy goodness. [14 Apr 2007]

It's hard to stay completely original album after album, but Ozomatli does exactly that when it sticks to the sounds of Los Angeles it helped put on the map. [14 Apr 2007]

This debut can't quite capture the wide-eyed euphoria of a Klaxons live show, but readymade anthems like "Golden Skans," "Totem on the Timeline" and "Magick" will energize dance fans and rockers alike.

Like last time, the singles are better than the whole. [31 Mar 2007]

Even during the second-tier moments, there's a sense that he's regained his artistic footing. [31 Mar 2007]

An album that proves being rich and famous doesn't always blunt a band's creative appetite. [31 Mar 2007]

Dovetailing with her choice of sound and arrangements that straddle convention and invention, Lopez mines new emotional depths. [31 Mar 2007]

"Life in Cartoon Motion" is like Scissor Sisters-lite: Retro disco with heavy doses of rollicking piano and funk. [31 Mar 2007]

McGraw's best effort yet. [31 Mar 2007]

The lyrics brim with grouchy wit. [24 Mar 2007]

There's more melody than usual to be found here. [24 Mar 2007]

The first half of "Living With the Living" offers well more of everything that's made Leo and his Pharmacists such post-punk studs. [24 Mar 2007]

Talk about bleak. [24 Mar 2007]

Saadiq's production is brimming with horns and seriously in-the-pocket rhythm sections, but there are also enough hip-hop touches and contemporary arrangements to keep the tracks in the now. [24 Mar 2007]

A guileless, brutal breakup album that can sit with the best of them, set to the sounds of music's finest early rock moments. [17 Mar 2007]

There is a little too much tra-la-la-ing, but it's a pleasure to hear a new band having so much infectious fun. [24 Mar 2007]

"Myth Takes" ... should see the festive art-rock collective bop its way out of cult status, as each of the 10 cuts on this album adventurously cascade through genres without ever losing a groove. [10 Mar 2007]

It introduces enough intriguing new elements (Japanese instruments, British guest vocalists) to earn its place in the Air canon. [10 Mar 2007]

Bombast occasionally gets the better of the songwriting, but that's a small complaint on an album that gets nearly everything just right. [10 Mar 2007]

"The Search" is Son Volt 2.0, a modern, mature album that might be the group's best yet. [10 Mar 2007]

It's a tightly woven scheme whose anthemic simplicity is deceptive and leaves room for sophisticated (but still fierce) arrangements. [10 Mar 2007]