It's pure pop for grown-ups, filled with smarts, experience and a faith in the power of four-quarter time, played with the kind of chemistry that's only possible in musicians who've spent their whole lives together, rocking out as if nothing else matters. [No.88 p.55]

On [A Joyful Noise] the fire of youth has been replaced by a sexy confidence that oozes cool. [No.88 p.54]

As if to remind us that they're still the weird Crocodiles, Endless Flowers's best song, the surging "My Surfing Lucifer," is preceded by a clumsy spoken-word piece (in German, of course) ... it's a sign that there's still room for Crocodiles to figure out what works and what doesn't. [No.88 p.53]

The best moments are soft and strange. "The Corner" is a fabulous piece of folk understatement and emotional ambiguity, while the brilliant "Freefall" showcases Branan's willingness to stretch his voice to odd, ugly places in the service of transcendence. [No.88 p.53]

The whole of Dr. Dee is bucolic yet slightly nervy with Albarn's chatty croon acting as yet another gentle breeze wafting through the Arcadian affair. It's not the Damon-pop solo you hoped for. [No.88 p.52]

Young makes these old, old songs vital. [No.88 p. 51]

You wonder if he's forgotten how to have, you know, fun. Approach with caution. [No.87 p.61]

Recommended for those who long to hear Radiohead make a post-aughts indie-pop record, A Different Ship is without a doubt one of the most impressive and enjoyable efforts of 2012. [No.87, p.60]

Decidedly pleasant. [No.87 p.60]

Wainwright shows that his pop legs, while shaky, haven't lost their footing. [No.87 p.60]

Drummer Jerry Fuchs (now deceased) displaces air molecules the way advanced, AI-driven pulverizing machines in distant galaxies only wish they could throughout space banger "Yeah, C'mon," leaving guitarist Justin Chearno no choice but to vaporize his fretboard. [No.87 p.59]

They've consistently upped tempos while delivering saccharine-infused riffs with all the sunshine-y aplomb of a Prozac salesman's first and last day on the job. [No.87 p.59]

The hooks don't let up, the instrumentation provides the kind of sly surprise a pop listener wants from a three-minute gem, and the vocals have just enough grit to convey a darker lyrical tone. [No.87 p.59]

Unpatterns is indeed mostly patterns, in fact - moody, bloopy instrumentals that don't really fit into one subgenre box because they barely muster the strength to be defined by a category. [No.87 p.59]

A captivating listen. [No.87 p.58]

Lyrics ... come off as exceedingly everyday - as well as vital.

Morris sounds even more infuriated than he did 34 years ago on Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown. [No.87 p.57]

This is a singer's album, one that luxuriates in the pure, lovely tones of Nadler's warmly intimate, darkly insistent voice. [No.87 p.57]

The band's twee-ish melodies are still firmly in place, and the album has its softer acoustic moments - but the big slabs of rock all over In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull help give it a fantastic heft. [No.87 p.56]

The energy is different [from previous releases], more mature and refined. [No.87 p.56]

Though the sax draws you in, you'll stay for the trashy energy. [No.87 p.56]

The Ghost in the Daylight is a thing of great beauty... [yet] sounds dull - perfect, of course, with every note in the right place, but perfectly predictable too, with 10 songs that blend into one long, brooding whole. [No.87 p.55]

Passage has all the elements of a classic, from undeniable hooks to head-spinning shards of noise. [No.87 p.55]

The songwriting is flat-footed, with few moments that break from the homogeneous stupor. [No.87 p.54]

The Baltimore four-piece has the fuzzy guitar, the screamo vocals, the charging bass lines and an overwhelming sense of doom for stomping, post-Seattle noise punk. But the parts don't fit together. [No.87, p.54]

A record that plays like just the sort of effort we've come to expect from the Dandy Warhols: an uninspired, over-referential half-nod to the group's heroes. [No.87, p.54]

A skilled lyricist and a great, emotive voice. [No.86, p.55]

As epic and compelling as nearly anything in the Cult's '80's back catalog. [No.87, p.53]

Full of life and sunshine. [No.87, p.53]

The sound is more polished than the old bedroom-pop days, but four albums in, it is getting a little same-y. [No.87, p.52]

Great production flourishes dominate, with horns and steady percussion rising out of the mix to provide the listener with an enveloping atmosphere. [No.87, p.53]

It All Starts With One's songs all deal with love's discontents, and their desperate beauty should make a hit with those who like to wallow in desperation and unhappiness. [No.87, p.52]

Music to take drugs to. [No.87, p.52]

An even more esoteric, and yet - oddly enough - more accessible record than her debut. [No.87, p. 51]

When the record works, it's unarguably charming. [#86, p.54]

Unlike a deadmau5 or Skrillex, Van Dyk can only do his one style, and by the time the album is two-thirds over, you're already ready for him to mix out. [#86, p.59]

The Pilgrimage is a much busier, more dynamic effort than its predecessor; one that never flails in its considerable ambition, but, rather, simply continues driving forward, all menace and swagger. [No.86, p.56]

He comes into his own on Plateau Vision. [#86, p.55]

[It sounds] little more than controlled and reserved stabs at Lower East Side new/no-wave of early talking Heads, Social Climbers and Blondie driven by some uppity Britpop rhythms. [#86, p.54]

The album's many ragged parts [are wrapped] into a rocking and rollicking package. [No.86, p.52]

Though it's but a collection of outtakes and rarities, June 2009 plays like much more than just that, making for a fitting precursor to Causers' light, breezy textures and the grooving forest-lounge of this year's Underneath the Pine.

Van Dyk can only do one style, and by the time the album is two=thirds over, you're already ready for him to mix out. [#86, p.59]

Better still is hearing Byrne's mincing yelp and Veloso's flickering vocals as one entity as it winds its way weirdly through the calm breezes of Talking Heads' "Heaven" as well as a small bunch of flowery nu-brazilian classics and cuts penned by both composers. [#86, p.59]

To make the perfect album, we suppose, that elusive thing that the beauteous hooks on "The Light of F=Day" and "Met Your Match" certainly makes strides toward. [#86, p.53]

Mouseman is essentially another 17 tracks for completists hankering to mine the singer's ceaseless compendium of songs in search of new nuggets. [#85, p.58]

Gab's good-natured hustle is commendable. [#85, p.55]

It's hard to recall an album so invitingly unfamiliar, so beguilingly hard to parse, so full of "wait, what was that?" moments... since the first Books album. [No.86, p.61]

A mix of ping-ponging bangers ("Hi," "Born To Suffer"), touching, presumed-true stories ("Joey's Song," "The Oldness") and two skip-now shockers dedicated to monstrous worthlessness ("I Luv Abortion," "Black Drum Machine") [No.86, p.60]

Even album highlights "The Malkin Jewel" and the almost serene "Vedamalady" aren't likely to do much more than appease the group's most ardent fans. [No.86, p.60]

At his best, Ward's always walked a fine line between eloquence and vagueness, hope and disappointment. It's been a great source of tension, and he does that about half the time here. [No.86, p.59]

Original Distance isn't, but it's a great hang.

Features the same lyrical spirit and disjointed soul rhythms [as labelmate, Shabazz Palaces.] [No.86, p.58]

The LP works, but just barely... [Roberts] doesn't always mesh well with Morrison's cheerful singing. [No.86, p.57]

Meatier than the handful of singles and EPs that have boosted the Tanlines name to date. [No. 86, p.58]

The 62-year old Springsteen sounds every bit the angry, empathetic and impassioned social commentator he was on post-Y2K rockers like The Rising and Magic. [No.86, p.57]

Paternoster invites you to get ugly and rotten with her like it's a call to arms. [No.86, p.57]

A vibrant, dubbed-out dance album that rises above the wobble-obsessed rabble. [No.86, p.57]

[Rossen] passes on Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles' carefully manicured sprawl in favor of focus and immediacy. [No.86, p.57]

Wonky finds the head-lamped pair still hitting those marks [being innovative within the confines of electronic music], even if it isn't quite as revelatory now. [No. 86, p.56]

These are not tunes created with an eye on the top of the charts, but it only takes about four bars to realize that they should be up there. [No.86, p.56]

Margot seems abundant in earnestness, pulling together hooky, shoegaze rifts ("Disease Tobacco Free") with dulcet guitar tunes ("Frank"), Tim Kasher lyricism ("The Devil" and a lonely piano ballad ("Christ"). [No. 86, p.56]

A suite-like meditation that is emotionally expressive and impressively nuanced.[No. 86, p.55]

La Sera tips it bonnet to the long-gone AM-radio sound of the '60's girl groups but with ... guitar noise and snarky attitude. [#86, p.55]

There's an easy likeability to Great Lake Swimmer's latest release. [Yet] many songs don't hold up on repeated listens. [#86, p.54]

Only when [Earle] tries to escape his tuneful-yet-limited vocal range do the songs struggle. [#86, p.54]

Sharp and well-recorded, but although Rebennack's distinctive voice is featured front and center, there's a sacrifice of his artistry. [#86, p.53]

The band lives up to its rep as a tight live act. [#86, p.53]

Rhine Gold doesn't sound like it's trying to create another emo anthem, which gives its tracks a genuine, unaffected quality. [#86, p.53]

A sensational album by a band willing to take risks, Both Lights offers an exhilarating glimpse at pop music's future. [#86, p.52]

Packed to the brim with moments of tonal and melodic transcendence. [#86, p.51]

This disc is pure Stewart - urgent, visceral electro-protest for the 21st century. [No. 85, p.59]

It's a wonderful-sounding record, too, lushly textured... and one that demands to be played at full volume. [No.85 p.61]

His voice sometimes veers into brief, impressionistic Lou Reed talking or Mary Gautier twang, but mostly it's seductive. [No.85, p.61]

Guitars meander before slicing, the rhythm section is taut, and Gedge hits all of his favorite topics-love, lust and spite-often in the same three or four minutes. Gedge may never get this relationship stuff figured out, but at least the rest of us benefit. [No.85, p.60]

White Hills [cuts to the chase;] the tempos are quicker, hooks more insistent. [No. 85, p.60]

Completists will be sated - as they invariably are - by this fun, beat-happy collection. As for the less fanatical fans, caveat emptor: This is a return to the primitive.[No. 85, p.60]

Trullie sings in a lovely alto; it's a shame to see her voice wasted on something so overwrought [opening song, "Rules we Obey]... and boring ["Madeline"]. By the time the enchanting harmonized refrain kicks in, you're probably long gone. [No. 85, p.60]

It's a set of slow, deliberate vamps that oh-so-gradually gather tension; they smolder, but ... rarely burst into flame. [No. 85, p.59]

A stellar first attempt at a concept album... [a] ghoulish delight. [No. 85, p.59]

Fans will love her subtlety and clean new sound, but someone just coming on board might not find this an essential listen. [No. 85, p.59]

Seems shambled and unfinished. [No. 85, p.58]

An enchanting collection teeming with well-crafted hooks and fiery passion unheard since the epic, under-appreciated Faith and Courage a decade ago. [No. 85, p.56]

The heady combination of orchestral maneuvers, spiritual posturing and drone-imbued psychedelia make this a seductive listening experience. [No. 85, p.56]

Album number two pulls back from that musical and writerly intimacy [found on the debut] - if only slightly - trading a degree of specificity for a degree of universality, and adding just the faintest touch of gloss. [No. 85, p.57]

The synths are crisp and warm, and the beats are motivational in that '80's coming-of-age soundtrack way. [No. 85, p.57]

Karlsson and Winnberg's focus on gentle, warm sonic tones and catchy hooks should reassure fans of tracks like "Animal" and "Burial" that everything is under control. [No. 85, p.57]

Very clearly the work of art-school kids who use their skills for creating alluring visuals to craft equally enticing music. [No. 85, p.56]

[The album presents a] well-formed, poppy and updated take on their post-punk and new-wave heroes. [No. 85, p. 56]

Asleep and a Forgetting is [mellifluous], only crankier and somehow more personal than anything previous, soaked in the moody nuances of laughter and forgetting, memory and momentary lapses of such. [No. 85, p.55]

Wennerstom's voice marvelously leapfrogs between piercing highs and baritone lows, and bassist Jesse Ebaugh carries "Late in the Night" like a subdued, sober and shirted Mel Schacher, though Arrow's languid pace may turn off those who like their rock a bit more rocking. [No. 85, p.55]

It merits a mild sigh, but no great surprise, that ... [here is] the Magnetic Fields' first out-and-out novelty record. Fortunately, there are some decent jokes. [No. 85, p.54]

Everything with this band is bigger and more over-over-overdubbed than [Ruess' former band] the Format, which makes fun. about 10 times more annoying. [No. 85, p.54]

[Filled with] fine, subtle moments. [No. 85, p.54]

When everything's working, the band is a force. Which doesn't happen enough on this oddly-timed eponymous release. [No. 85, p.53]

While BPM ultimately feels disjointed, it does get you thinking deep thoughts, pondering the similarities between brain activity and seismic activity. [No. 85, p.53]

Even though bombast spawned the band's biggest hit, it sinks a lot of this record's second half. [No. 85, p.53]

A few songs flop... but the overall is a fitting celebration of the Chieftain's 50 years of music. [No. 85, p. 53]

The trio continues mixing and mismatching, with both elements of Skulls' sound [Black Keys' rock and Radiohead's honey-eyed longing] feeling even more pronounced. [No. 85, p. 52]