Different from the touching--but too sleepy--"America Town," "Battle" impressively tackles new territory.

Beyond unnecessary remixes, there are joyous discoveries to be had here.

While by no means disastrous musically, it's a pale imitation of much better Stereolab albums, and in the end altogether dispensable.

This stellar, adventurous album just may be the best thing they've attempted since 1989's "The Mekons Rock'n'Roll."

The Special Goodness' has crafted a dozen punk and pop-influenced songs that the modern rock hoi polloi will have a hard time leaving alone.

Another pleasant helping of sweet headphone pop.

Characterized by production rawness--for better (the immediacy of the performance) and worse (traces of off-key harmonies).

Adventurous listeners are in for a treat.

Too many tracks get bogged down with a straight-ahead progressive trance formula, where zoning out feels more suitable than attempting to move your feet. Still, because the good stuff is so darn good (and it is), it is easy to brush aside any missteps.

And while it is a bit less corrugated than some of its early work, it packs a bite that's far more venomous than any of the sound-alikes that continue to nip at Plaid's heels.

"Per Second..." finds Wheat in the midst of an identity crisis, attempting to balance largely superb songs with an exasperating presentation.

Garage rock at its finest, messiest and most welcomingly insignificant.

Yet, for all of its strengths, the monumentally somber "Cedars" does suffer from a few ill-conceived pieces, like the needless, patience-trying "It's All too Much" and the abstractly rhythmic "Treat Yourself With Kindness."

Free from the noodling of past producers like Jim O'Rourke and John McEntire, who brought some great ideas but also a certain degree of fussiness, Stereolab sounds looser and lighter than it has in some time.

Retaining the naked simplicity of 2000's "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes" while continuing to hone the more lush, hi-fi sound found on 2001's "The Photo Album," the fantastic "Transatlanticism" is full of the lovely melancholy for which Death Cab is known.

"Sheath" sounds immediately of a piece with LFO's earlier work, albeit rife with updated technology and boasting slightly broader ambitions.

More consistent and enjoyable than its predecessor.

His delivery is intoxicatingly smooth, even if his lyrics travel all the usual exhausted topics.

An album that would have been great in 1983; now, it is more of a nostalgic lark.

Sparxxx proves he's upgraded his whip-quick flow.

From the ugly album art to the stupid title to the strange, messy songs, it's hard to tell if the band is growing up or just goofing off.

Populated with high, lonesome soundscapes that condense the Americana epics of last year's "Black Letter Days" into concentrated studies of tears-in-the-whiskey depression.

Between the pounding pianos and the non-stop wave of arena-ready power chords and driving drums, most of "The Wolf" sets a new standard for fist-pumping anthems.

"Light" is considerably harder-edged and less accessible than the poppier tunes of their fellow Canucks, incorporating bits of soul, blues, punk, noise and even avant-jazz, in dizzyingly fresh ways.

Grohl's furious playing fits perfectly with the wall of rage erected by Joke vocalist Jaz Coleman and fellow founders Geordie Walker on guitar and Youth on bass.

A diverse collection of intricately composed pop music, in the broadest sense of the genre.

The band too rarely steps out of its dream pop mode to actually move the listener.

At over an hour, "Decoration Day" does feel a little unwieldy. But for better or worse, there's simply not a single song here that wouldn't be missed.