It's terrifying... yet also weirdly gorgeous and enlivening. [No. 123, p.57]

Guitar player Martin Belmont and keyboard ace Bob Andrews shine throughout, adding subtle fills and accents that give plenty of sparkle to arrangements that still merge R&B and rock with hints of funk and reggae. [No. 121, p.59]

Separation Sunday is a book-on-tape, a grim and funny tome that draws from the Bible and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. [#68, p.98]

lude tUnE-yArDs’ Merril Garbus, who supplies an urgent, rhythmic vocal from on the spooky and stellar “Little Queen Of New Orleans.” Low Cut Connie teases these flourishes throughout Hi Honey, making for an album that’s both retro-minded and forward-thinking.

Theoretically, this shouldn't work, but it does in spades. And its constant motion is terribly addicting and moving. [No. 150, p.61]

[It] only adds to the glory of his catalog. [No. 101, p.53]

Branan oozes country cred. [No. 113, p.53]

Traversing this much musical terrain without a hitch is reason to believe it's showtime for the Apollo. [#69, p.86]

File with the rest of your King Khan records under "readily accessible." [No. 148, p.59]

An exciting blend. [#59, p.103]

The Welsh quintet's second release goes down as easy as a mixtape on a '90s spring day. [No. 121, p.57]

Arcade Fire's tightest and tersest album since 2004's Funeral is by far its least ambitious, and the band is cool to riff on this. [No. 145, p.53]

Songs like "Driving School," "M Train" and the deathlessly compelling "Crazy" sound unerringly alive and modern, making this an excellent archival release. [No. 134, p.59]

A more suitable representation of the band's dynamic capabilities. [No. 111, p.57]

The beauty of Pleasure's vintage danceteria lies in its sharp 21st-century focus and Lerche's consistently reliable songwriting skills. [No. 141, p.59]

She's no longer interested in the simple pleasures of immediate hooks. Instead, we get something more complex, challenging and provocative. [No. 143, p.54]

Kinski has probably never rocked this hard. [No. 121, p.57]

That's Harakiri never loses its human touch. [No. 109, p.61]

Nelson and co-composer Buddy Cannon work magic on cocky self-assurance mixed with self-deprecation and the glory of womanhood in a manner befitting this wordsmith's living-legend status. [No. 101, p.56]

Prophet has something absolutely genuine to say, and he continues to be a prime exponent of walking like you talk it. [No. 114, p.61]

The duo constantly varies each elements of its sound in ways most rock bands could learn plenty from. [No. 95, p.56]

Weller has always created a fine present out of traces of the past; A Kind Revolution is a funkier present. [No. 143, p.60]

It's a treat to hear Cohen so comfortable in both his old and new skins. [No. 121, p.53]

One of the most powerful and overtly political albums he's ever made. [No. 150, p.55]

The sound here is languid and lo-fi, even when it's rocking. [No. 123, p.61]

La Foret sounds like what rock might've become if all the British Invasion bands had hailed from postwar Berlin. [#69, p.112]

Gelb's voice remains sweet as sandpaper, setting a tone that's elegiac, lyrical and lovingly enigmatic. [No. 104, p.55]

A beautifully dark masterpiece. [#56, p.99]