The entire record is a disquieting trip.

Musically and lyrically the album is thoughtful and mature.

Leans more toward conscious than commercial. [26 Nov 2005]

The breakdowns on songs like "Dee-Ree-Shee" and "You in Color" truly highlight each member's technical and dynamic abilities; the crescendos emphasize their quantum power to make great art as a group.

Buck keeps things relatively stripped down, embroidering vintage-sounding boom-bap beats with just enough detail to keep your ear engaged between his wordy verses, which he values far more than catchy choruses.

It comes across as unnecessarily tame.

Those looking for "Marquee Moon"-style guitar heroics will be disappointed.

Urban hardly rests on his laurels on Defying Gravity, trying some interesting new directions.

The prolific singer/songwriter has reacted to the licensing feast surrounding "Speak for Yourself" ("The OC," "So You Think You Can Dance," Verizon advertisements) with a stronger focus on song structure and melody on Ellipse.

A splendid set.

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]

Looks at the Bird falls somewhere between chamber jazz and background music, a pleasant drift of different ideas that come in and out of focus like elements of a nice dream.

The fab five has more than made up for lost time with the deliriously buoyant God Bless the Go-Go's.

Although the album doesn't knock the ball out of the park on first listen, ultimately it reveals just enough cool ideas to keep things interesting.

An entertaining mishmash of off-kilter, raw and psychedelia-tinged rockers, jazz fusion-like instrumentals, gypsy-styled dance tracks and country hoedowns and pedal-steel twang.

From the hipster head-bobber 'Nothing to Worry About' to the melancholy closer 'Last Night,' the trio takes a minimalist approach to creating beats and accompaniments, making its simple voices more affecting and the subtle production all the more charming.

This one's stuffed with massive, flamboyant beats; overloud dirty-comic vocals; and all the usual lyrical stops.

The songs on Elephant Shell are a sensible progression from the Strokes-like hooks of earlier material, showing an increasing sophistication. As with before, the brilliance is in the brevity.

It picks up right where Bauhaus left off: a wet dream for original fans and a blast of recognition for the newly eye-lined.

Gillespie's lyrics will never win any Nobels, but the musical excitement generated here is impossible to deny.

Stone's soulful, sassy vocals are once again the centerpiece of another well-crafted effort.

Not every track is equally gut-busting, and a few, like the poseur reggae tune 'Ras Trent,' are made much funnier by the included video. But the Lonely Island has certainly found its bearings.

Repeated spins also find this wonderful, soul-influenced collection to be one of slow, flowering appeal that ultimately ranks among the Glasgow septet's most rewarding efforts.

There's no getting around the overall thematic pall, but Lennox surrounds every message with such beauty that one remains convinced that it's all going to be OK.

This Texas rock combo returns to form on The Century of Self, with producer Chris Coady stepping in for longtime collaborator Mike McCarthy.

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

Tunstall crushes the sophomore jinx under the stilleto heels of the white boots she wears on the album cover, delivering a confident and assured set that's fuller and a touch more electric than its predecessor.

A blur of primal guitar stomp wrapped in a menacing swirl of vintage organs and distorted vocals.