Researching the Blues is masterfully produced and keenly performed. [No.90, p.60]

The album refines rather than revamps the Decemberists' approach; it's the brightest panel of a triptych, not a new exhibit. [#67, p.95]

This is prime indie rock with all the frills excised, but all the feels intact. [No. 112, p.58]

Abandon is a baseline, with Chardiet demonstrating a solid understanding of the fundamentals. [No.99, p.59]

The peculiar genius of the Sadies is to find new variations on a sonic model that, by this point, no other band is working with quite as much earned confidence. [No. 139, p.59]

The band's riffs and solos topple like old growth redwoods unmoored by a mudslide, and when Haino drops his mic to join the fray on guitar and electronics, the collapse is complete. [No. 150, p.56]

Arthur is still writing seamlessly melodic, slightly psychedelic tunes, often thickened with atmospheric reverb or distant electronics. [#73, p.84]

Though at times exquisite, the slow-burn even instrumental keel is, ironically, the most jarring aspect of Push The Sky Away. [No. 96, p.52]

[The] sly, artful brilliance should come as no real surprise. [No. 100, p.57]

Where Black Up provided catchy hooks to draw you in deeper, Lese Majesty is nowhere near as fun or--despite pushing the aural envelope--interesting. [No. 111, p.61]

Its songs are energetic and uplifting, with frontman and main songwriter Amayo's half-sung/half-spoken lyrics balancing snide humor with insightful commentary into the roots of the political quandaries we confront on a daily basis. [No. 146, p.53]

Each of the tracks--icy, foggy. eerily paced, speedy or unusually slow--move with sinister intention.... Still, the set meanders to include lesser, black-lit essayers of the form such as Dr. Phibes & The House Of Wax Equations. [No. 128, p.58]

While Moms never reaches the earwormy heights that it leads off with, there's still a bunch of choice moments [throughout the album]. [No.91 p. 56]

The band rarely strays from the album versions of songs (sometimes to a frustrating degree; would it have killed B&S to record a version of 'Sleep The Clock Around' without the annoyingly long fade-in?), but such faithful rendering doesn’t make the material predictable; rather, it shows the band at the top of its delicate game.

Monomania is stacked with track-to-track unshakable, albeit twisted, pop melodies and an atmosphere of unrest that will stick with you between repeated listens. [No.99, p.52]

The Long Goodbye is no cutesy, navel-gazing crap; it's the neglected pop practice of C-A-R-E and reverence of form and forefathers. [#59, p.93]

Apocrypha feels of a piece with Eggs, though without as many layers or as heightened a sense of playfulness. [#75, p.91]

The tunes here are understated. The atmospheric arrangements give the material a feel that's more reminiscent of empty bedrooms than smoky barrooms. [No. 141, p.55]

This record feels pretty special. [No. 115, p.55]

The result is the most dynamic LP of Russian Circles' career. [No. 134, p.61]

Some of the lyrics are so biting they practically melt through the speakers... [#50, p.90]

Simplicity never sounded so sinister. [#49, p.78]

Golightly's voice has the ability to inhabit a variety of characters in conversational styles, and her versatile guitar playing makes the songs come alive. [No. 107, p.57]

The expansive instruments on this double LP lure you into a more relaxed aquatic experience. [No. 113, p.53]

His velvet voice has aged, but with elegiac tunes like “Dog On A Chain,” “Someone Else” and “Friday’s Love,” you can still hear the gifted genius who charmed a true legion of harmonic pop savants. [No. 129, p.59]

The richest, smartest, warmest work they've ever done. [No. 117, p.61]

A brilliant pastiche of styles. [No. 125, p.57]

Damaged excels in what Lambchop does best, which is to gather up a dozen-plus musicians and get them to play as little as possible. [#73, p.98]