By focusing mostly on the early entries from Dylan's canon, Nile reminds us of Dylan's power and poetic brilliance. [No. 144, p.57]

There's no doubt who you're listening to when the calamitous chords and broken-phone vocals of "Factory" open the band's eighth full-length. [No. 148, p.61]

Results are varied.... Luckily, Deerhoof's blahs are better than most people's best. [No. 116, p.57]

Every Open Eye takes an "if it ain't broke" approach, following in the same sonic vein as Bones--sometimes outright repeating Bones--but not really building on it. [No. 125, p.58]

Moderat's pop ambitions are clear. And mostly fulfilled. [No. 130, p.59]

It's a darker, more nuanced album, and Jones, now 37, sings with more depth and soul than she did in her youth. [No. 136, p.54]

Atomic offers rare glimpses into the band's writing process and exists as an anomaly in Mogwai's catalog that's sure to intrigue diehard fans, but offers little more to anyone else. [No. 132, p.57]

Amos delivers another set of stirring songs tempered and emboldened by years of experience. [No. 110, p.53]

It's missing much of the quirkiness of its predecessors--and some fans will bemoan that fact--but Motivational Jumpsuit is the best, most consistent recent GBV effort. [No. 106, p.58]

The Gradual Progression manages to keep a curious balance between high-concept art and Fox's own fiercely independent spirit and virtuosic talent. [No. 146, p.55]

Each measure of music on her third album is milked for its last ounce of wizened drama, each word imbued with the same measured solemnity of a grandmother's deathbed wish. [#74, p.109]

Ultimately, only a churlish, dead-eyed cynic would refuse to be moved by this inspired mix of riotous noise and feel-good vibetasticness. [Fall 2007, p.93]

Everything Ever Written falls right in line with the great records the combo has produced 2002's The Remote Part. [No. 117, p.57]

His penchant for quirky arrangements remains in place, as does his gift for shrewd lyrics and dark, ironic humor. [No. 130, p.55]

Songs so immediately enthralling you won't even notice the faint Dungeons & Dragons scent of [Rieger's] lyrics. [#54, p.88]

Nowhere near as strong and complete as Bewilderbeast, but its best moments burn just as brightly. [#57, p.81]

A full-length valentine to the Jesus and Mary Chain. [#60, p.110]

This could have been Costello's urban album, or his funk album, or his black album--but instead, it's simply his new album. [No. 102, p.54]

Ewan Pearson's productions certainly bang, shimmer and simmer resplendently as called for-- but these are hardly the pro forma femmepowerment anthems it might suggest. [No. 150, p.59]

This is hardcore at its best. [No. 101, p.56]

It's full of loose sing-alongs, drunken chants and spooky ballads; of apocalypse, synicism and Satanism; of a jaded worldview that joyfully sees everything as --in the words of the opening track--"Dark dark dark." [Fall 2007, p.102]

This tune ["Calling Planet Earth--We'll Wait For You"] captures Ra's formidable Arkestra bursting at the seams. ... The two other tracks included here are less essential, consisting of droning tones and percussion interludes. [No. 142, p.61]

Endlessly moody and surprisingly versatile, this record moves by its own secret logic. [No. 144, p.61]

Deacon possesses the rare ability to tweak the conventions of his chosen mode of musical expression while expanding them into a distinctive style signature. [No. 118, p.55]

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

The success of the Amazing in general--and Ambulance by proxy--is the band's uncanny ability to touch on a wealth of styles without flying any specific philosophical flag, thereby remaining unique in tone and execution. [No. 134, p.53]

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

LP3 is instrumentally nuanced. [No. 115, p.61]