While not all of Work is as infallible--album closer "Too Late, Too Slow" has a title that aptly sums itself up--it's still exciting to see Shout Out Louds breaking away from the Robert Smith adoration that was so present on previous efforts.?

A glorious mess, just like our fucked-up world. [Winter 2010, p.100]

As ambitious as ever, The Meat Of Life finds Clem Snide moving closer to living up to its potential. [Winter 2010, p.100]

The ruminative, skittering TVOTR rhythmic patterns distract from Miranda's strengths even with the occasional injections of some easy-breezy horn lines or soul-jazz keys. [Winter 2010, p.100]

One for the ages, this 19-song compilation reminds us how cool the future sounded back then, when Was Not Was still was. [Winter 2010, p.102]

For residents of the 21st centurey, the sound is not nearly as exotic [as it was in 1980]....However, what is particularly striking about this album is the players' ease and familarity, both with each other and with their instruments. [Winter 2010, p100]

Falling Down a Mountain may be the band’s most tuneful effort, or at least their peppiest.

Green revels in a stripped-down, bittersweet world where noting last forever, with both his baritone and lyrics adding freshness to his fatalist outlook. [Winter 2010, p.99]

The titular light only spills out over rolling snares after much searching. Unfortunately, the remainder of Kollaps Tradixionales isn't quite up to the task. [Winter 2010, p.94]

Freeway shares top billing here with producer Jake One, a journeyman recently rescued from G-Unit's dungeon and the collaboration provides Jake with a production showcase and Freeway with some much-needed cohesion. [Winter 2010, p.99]

The light continues to shine through "Airplanes" and a clever turn on Talking Heads, but despite the (mostly) joyful chorus, the promising eleation never exactly fulfills its due. However, despite the flaws of their debut, Local natives are one of the more gratifying emergences from East L.A. in recent times. [Winter 2010, p.97]

Closing with a bit of gaudy, high ’80s bubblegum, Causers of This is a bold introduction to a promising newcomer.

For the most part, the popping bass and booming horns keep Ya-Ka-May simmering smoothly, refelcting NOLA's rich musical history while still manageing to sound unmistakably out of this world. [Winter 2010, p.98]

Though the mood has been lowered since 2006, it’s clear that Midlake can still reach beautiful heights.

Not every song here is successful, and as far as innovation goes, Grubbs isn't going to be driving the conversation, but he's put out a pleasing pop record that leaves listeners with no reason to absolutely despise the channel. [Winter 2010, p.99]

Solid, workmanlike rhymes abound, but a shortage of mind-blowing moments is tempered by the absence of mediocrity.

Beck’s willingness to raid just about any genre works wonders when coupled with Mlle. Gainsbourg’s ability to inject matter-of-fact sexual energy into just about anything.

Romance is Boring is a strong effort froma dedicated band tgat could use a but more restraint in terms of arrangement, but nonetheless, it's self-asured, deliciously Welsh and--as always--a real god time. [Winter 2010, p.100]

Their album Eggs was recorded in settings ranging from cathedrals to bathtubs, and has as broad of a stylistic range, evoking comparisons to both MGMT and Billy Corgan. But their grandiosity anchors the record.

The resulting album comes across, for the most part, as a peaceful, relaxing—if extremely weird—trip through a newfound musical slipstream.

It's upbeat even if most of Bulat’s songs dwell on heart-ache and loss. That notion is on par with every singer-songwriter these days but her voice drives these concepts into a feeling that’s genuine. In other words, Bulat can pine with the best of them.

Despite the album's relentless and, at times, irritating drone and distortion, To Realize is not a static listen--just unforgivably moody.

It's hard to talk about the Editors without drawing comparisons to their Great Brit predecessors Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen, and on In This Light, these comparisons ring true. [Holiday 2009, p. 92]

Krohn's the real deal, in a world full of one-dimensional derivatives. [Holiday 2009, p.100]

The star of the show here is ultimately the group's tuneful popcraft and its subtly gloomy underbelly. [Holiday 2009, p.102]

Resonating and radical, Ghost’s evocative and contradictory shades of noisy (“Dead Doctors Don’t Lie”) and dreamy (“Bat Lies”) soundscapes are a welcome and overdue escape from the “oppressiveness” of the Southern California sun.

It's not oblivious as what Fridmann's achieved with Flaming Lips and MGMT, but OK's new found raunchiness is still dreamy, and Kulash manages genuine soul-boy vocal points through the angular groove of "WTF?" and the sweetly-swaying bump of "White Kniuckles." [Holiday 2009, p.95]

It turns out Veirs hasn't actually abandoned instrumentations, she's just trying out a new kind. And what she ends up with is her best, most sophisticated record to date. [Holiday 2009, p.93]