Finn's compelling without the usual bluster that provides him momentum--his voice never approaches its old roar but his nice melodic sense comes out here more.

Given this combination of tangled travails and expressive voices, it's hard to imagine any way these songs might be better served.

Reconvened 17 years later, Cardinal shows their hushed melodies and chamber pop sensibilities gel just as well now as they did originally.

Voyageur resonates with the kind of drama and daring that Edwards has been perfecting all along.

The melodies aren't so easily embraced; loping, ephemeral and often sounding blithely disconnected, they defy any attempt at grasping an easy hook or chorus. What's more, the loose grooves sometimes run counter to the tunes' sense of profundity.

Bruiser is an entrancing album from start to finish and a promising peek into what The Duke Spirit's future holds.

This music is big enough for a hall, but soft and heartfelt enough for the quietest corner.

All this adds to a gentle atmosphere of regret, of unhurried contemplation of things and people who are no longer around us.

The combination of hardcore punk songwriting and a pop tunesmith's sense of melody and composition gives the latest venture for this DC scene giant an appeal entirely unique to its branch on the family tree.

While some of the beats seem recycled from Thursday or House of Balloons they still sound good and don't detract from the songs [here].

This collection should be as essential to your listening rotation as your favorite album from any of the bands who continually drank from the unique brand of introspective intensity pioneered by these unsung heroes of indie rock's mean season.

This is fun music, gut music, music you can freak out to or just nod your head, depending on your mood.

He's a vibrant and, indeed, impassioned performer and Bad Ingredients is filled with enough passion and conviction to spark an entire orchestra. And a rousing ensemble at that.

Let's Go Eat The Factory proves that the pioneers of lo-fi still do it best.

Wussy reaches for transcendence and finds it. You wish it would go on forever.

There is nary a pair of finer testaments to the purity of the original SP sound than the group's first two albums, both of which have been beautifully remastered and generously expanded [here].

No other LP is more evocative of the raw essence of the Smashing Pumpkins' unique fusions of feels than this ten track collection, by far and away the most collaborative album in their canon.... This deluxe edition of Gish is chock-a-block with quality bonus material.

These songs may not scan perfectly or make much objective sense, but they feel very real and relevant and uncalculated.

Another exquisite solo performance entitled Rio.

[An] excellent record that anyone who wants to hear the graceful way by which hip-hop should age should add to their collections right away.

The combination of the two disparate methods of performance made for quite an extraordinary menagerie of styles that will definitely appeal to hip-hop, art pop and world music fans alike.

On balance, then, exactly 68.5% of this record is worth listening to.

What's been created across this baker's dozen tracks is nothing short of a poignant, powerful referendum on the state of modern England that cements CG's place as one of the finest and most resilient indie acts to emerge from the UK.

Gonzalez paints broad strokes on this vast musical landscape, and although a wee long, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming may be his conceptual masterpiece.

It's a happy, bright trance, not necessarily to be avoided. C'mon. Dive in.

Bennett harbors a magic about him that inspires you to become caught up in the beauty of his performance prowess regardless of what artist is playing second banana to him on the microphone.

Count Yer Lucky Stars is sure to be high on the critics' picks again and finally garnering the band the limelight they so richly deserve.

Eno appreciators who maintain a sense of trust in everything he does will definitely want to add this to their collection.