At least two or three songs on the record are worthy of the New Pornographers for crunchy catchiness and the entire set is packaged with energy and hooks.

Expo 86 is a brilliant reinforcement of what occurs when true chemistry exists in a band.

Interstellar may not be the most enterprising album released this year, but there won't likely be another one that so cogently captures the celestial side of an era [the 80's] known for its excesses.

Much popier than the band’s previous efforts, this is a fun album with catchy beats, cool guitars and a lo-fi sound.

Nothing about the five originals and two covers here makes them come across like B-sides or throwaways.

On a purely compositional level, this is dazzling and downright brilliant. But on a purely artistic level, Insides is a startling accomplishment.

For Janes, Say Goodbye is a shining force and testimony of the great resolute determination is; if this is what her version of soul is, the new and inviting experiments are surely welcome.

Eighteen years in the making, An Appointment With Mr Yates is The Waterboys actual masterpiece.

Temper, an album that stays the course in terms of facade but for the most part lacks the great songwriting that elevated "Précis" above other singer-songwriters.

A lush post-rock masterpiece.

Intentional or not, The Inevitable Past is the Future Forgotten conjures up nostalgic moments with its overall demeanor. It's truly enabled Three Mile Pilot to possess an inquisitively solid sound and in the end, achieve the goal of fusing such memorable music together.

A staggeringly uneven salad of powerpop alt-country and even R&B that succeeds as often as it fails.

It’s with his latest masterpiece, 808s & Heartbreak, that he has demonstrated, with impeccable skill, that he is supreme, yet again.

It’s simply constructed, confidently attempted and ultimately, radiantly accomplished. And much like that couple [on the album back cover], the album’s missteps are present but there is enough good to prove this is a solid effort.

there is an impressive and ambitious sense of craftsmanship across the record that captures Blank Realm on the cusp of something truly special.

Whilst the modus operandi suggests something rather derivative, somehow the album achieves more than fan-boy indulgence; managing to be stylish and atmospheric without being too slick or insubstantial.

While Amore del Tropico blazes some new paths for Black Heart Procession, it also hits all the right notes from the group's past.

Alter is intense, brooding, and taut, perfectly utilizing piano, chaotic dissident guitar, and complex percussion.

Phillips and Wareham manage to toe just the right line between diverse arrancements and album-wide cohesion - it's a little like listening to Luna in an alternate universe where they only play weddings and bar mitzvahs.

With Radical Connector, Mouse on Mars is taking an important step forward – both in terms of musical vision and international standing.

This album makes the case they deserve our attention and our own hospitality.

Cooper made it long enough to record one last, amazingly decorated and meticulously crafted album, Immolate Yourself, with his other half, Joshua Eustis. And with this album, not only did the tandem create something special but it just may end up being the best album of their entire career.

This album is a lot more than just a singer/songwriter's romantic confessions but not quite the grandiose rock of The Flaming Lips and Beck, but The Russian Futurists have carved a nice little niche somewhere in between.

This new album capitalizes on many of the singer/songwriter's strengths with songs that support his abilities.

He over-thought most of the tracks, failing to maintain focus on or fully develop any particular theme. Various elements drop in and out at terse intervals, presenting an idea for just enough time to intern it before moving on. But El-P has always had a theatrical flair, creating music that transports you to another place and time, and several tracks here do suck you into his demonic hip-hop underworld.

The highs here, while admittedly not quite as majestic or sugary as in the past, are still pretty far up there, and better yet, there are no lows.

One of the most accessible, pleasant releases of 2006.

In the end, this is better left to die-hard Yo La fans and jealous bassists everywhere.