In the face of today's painfully formulaic R&B/hip hop, they come off as the most soulful act on the planet. [#51, p.123]

An exuberant, ebullient revelation, awash in the cascading guitar work of Alec O'Hanley and Rankin's sunshiney, slapback-treated vocals, for a full power-pop effect that falls somewhere between vintage Tourists and recent Camera Obscura. [No. 146, p.53]

Though Deer Tick has moonlighted as a Nirvana tribute band, it's the group's love for the Replacements that shines on Divine Providence. [#82, p. 55]

Mountain Battles turns longtime engineer Steve Albini's bare-bones studio work into a virtue and spins Deal's ADD-afflicted worldview into gold. [Summer 2008, p.97]

It's a furious, loud, unbridled, relentless album. [No. 117, p.60]

Floating Coffin doesn't add many new ingredients, but it blends them more thoroughly, making for an Oh Sees more like an Oh Sees show, which is a welcome surprise, indeed. [No. 97, p.59]

The broadest, strangest and coolest sonic canvas that Deerhoof has ever framed. [No. 146, p.52]

By maintaining his intimacy while armed with a full palette of colors, Beam sets himself far apart from the rest of the hush-and-shush crowd. [Fall 2007, p.98]

Tangiers' sound has... evolved from its early, Stones-heavy incarnation into something approximating Interpol as backed by the E Street Band. [#70, p.110]

Darnell has written and produced as many alluringly and subtly contagious melodies -- featuring lyrics rapt with cuttingly humorous tales of ruined relations, self-satisfying sexuality, vacation thrills and street-level detritus -- as Sondheim. [#81, p. 57]

Hunt manages to turn in his most intense and provocative album yet, a stunning mix of prog, punk and soul that can challenge even the most jaded listener. [#81, p. 57]

"It's not sad, but it's not OK," sings Emil Svanangen on Hall Music, neatly delineating the album's emotional landscape, a narrow isthmus of calm stretching into a sea of sorrow. [#81, p. 57]

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

It is, by any measure, a lovely, lovingly made record, its 13 tracks coming to enveloping climaxes via mystifyinng, electrifying turns of phrase. [No.99, p.51]

Whether Merritt's return to lo-fi will fly at Lincoln Center remains to be seen, but his melodic mastery is never in question. [Winter 2008, p.108]

The Evening Descends is a dizzying, carefully crafted ride; it spins, but never out of control. [Winter 2008, p.102]

English Electric is a tremendously satisfying listen for fans who've worn out their copy of Dazzle Ships. [No. 97, p.57]

Could be a Tortoise record with vocals. [#57, p.81]

It's exquisitely constructed sound with a sharp punk edge and an anarchist's ear for chaos. [#48, p.92]

Dealing with Trans Am entails dealing with a great sense of humor that's a fun and striking listen to boot. [#54, p.109]

It's clear that Vile still has great ambition to make robust, timeless rock--and the songs to back it up. [No. 97, p.60]

Occasionally a bright guitar line or luminous touch of piano floats out of the mix to deliver a hint of sunshine, but mostly the band does a skillful job of supporting Nathan Willett's anguished vocals. [No. 97, p.54]

Tracks like "Fading Dawn" hew closer to Barn Owl's sound, with the instrumentation a little less cloaked, but meditative forays like "Absteigend" are the biggest successes here. [No. 90, p.54]

A fascinating peek into Mercer's attic of influential detritus. [No. 125, p.59]

Balances restraint and abandon in a near-perfect ritual tease. [#71, p.99]

The group has dropped folky fingerpicking and bucolic string melodies in favor of episodic compositions full of complex horn and percussion textures. [#60, p.117]

Despite the experimental tendencies in the music, this is an album that catches attention in the home speakers as well as in the art scene. [No. 97, p.55]

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]