One of the most engaging and thrilling pop statements of 2004.

Much like Slint, Mandarin’s sound is often infused with an eerie coldness that seems to melt when the songs begin to grow exponentially in texture.

This album shows that these guys have plenty of room to expand stylistically while still absolutely owning blues rock.

If The Citizens' intended destination is a place of their own craft that lies beyond the boring boundaries of traditional pop, they can stop driving.

This record is so far beyond anything that she has done in the past that it is absolutely certain to alienate the majority of the listening public and more than a few of her fans.

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

Radian has given soul and warmth to the body electric on Juxtaposition.

Those whose expected Pollard to bow out in a blaze of lo-fi glory will be sorely disappointed, but true fans will recognize just how well the mid-fi approach suits Pollard.

The band's style has clearly altered, but the transition is graceful, making Engine Down another enjoyable release.

Instead of evolving out of the band's unique style, Clinic has decided to enhance it and deepen it.

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

With absolutely perfect production, the end result is one that’s embracing, textured, warm, and still fun.

Despite Fortune’s several throwaway tracks and sometimes generic alt-country feel, it serves as a reminder that The Mendoza Line’s prolific songwriters are still capable of churning out catchy, accessible pop songs.

May be his most mature, fully realized offering to date, though not necessarily his most thrilling.

In the end, the album’s rather limited scope is justified by the masterful detail with which it is rendered, granting the listener limited entry to a place most of us wouldn’t want to stay long.

The band's most eminently danceable record, featuring enough grooves to work your dance party while still retaining enough good ideas to deliver a challenging experimental record that fits well with the rest of the band's catalogue and points to exciting new directions the future could take.

Blue Cathedral's shifting textures and long, sub-orbital freak-outs signify no lull in purpose for the Comets on Fire. It does signify a step towards a maturation of sound for a band now with three releases under its belt - specifically, a perfect place to be.

With repetitive, though bizarrely catchy refrains of failed puppy love and crushes gone awry, Kiss and Tell markets itself to an audience that still borrows money from mom in order to purchase the release.

This is a really special record.

The majority of the record is solid and enjoyable, but taken in its entirely, Riot is a bit tiring.

Honestly, there is no precedent for this album.

Some of his melodies are so easily memorable they make The Thrills sound like Rammstein.

For every standout track on the record there is another song where Sparta takes a step back to assess the situation and falters a little bit.

Revival is a good album, and I don’t intend to imply that some of the slower tunes or more laid-back lyrics are simple throwaways, it’s just that this is definitely a change of direction for a band that has followed a relatively clear path for such a long time.

I’m not sure what stands out the most about The Cover Up, whether it’s the tremendous production values or the clear confidence the band has with its music.

With soaring, beautiful vocals, lush layering, intricate guitars and rhythm, and a flair for the dramatic, ...It Falls Apart is both powerful and lovely, at times dark and at times soaringly beautiful, and it is truly the band’s crowning achievement.

Despite the experiments with the various flavors of hip-hop and glitch techno, Spacesettings is a solid album from some of the more exciting artists in the IDM scene.

A work like this is only self-indulgent if its accoutrements aren't justifiable. Wilco makes every note count on this album: however miraculously, it all manages to cohere. And the songs are undeniably stunning.