Cameron's vocals have a dramatic quality hat crosses the detached phrasing of David Bowie with Nick Cave's tortured rasp. [No. 134, p.55]

Algiers appears designed not to define, defy, offend and - most heinously- explore. [No.91, p.53]

Like everyone from Young Marbles Giants to Stereolab, less is always more with ARS, making every choice more deliberate and powerful. [No. 102, p.52]

Ghost's most ambitious achievement yet. [#74, p.98]

[The] only complaint is that the rest of the LP doesn't quite sustain the power of these two tracks ["Petrichor" and "Sharp Stones"]. [No. 107, p.55]

It does function gorgeously as a lush, entrancing mood piece, one that might pleasantly percolate along in the background, but could just as easily hold you rapt in the detailed folds of its layered, continuously evolving subarctic suites. [No. 129, p.61]

Albarn aficionados will, of course, lap it up, but for the rest of us, think of it more along the lines of a faintly beguiling curio in an otherwise fascinating career. [No. 109, p.52]

Drums dance around the downbeat while acoustic guitars push the piece forward, proving these two can do subtlety, too. [No. 123, p.57]

The problem with Answers is the grooves are slathered in all that useless skill. [#60, p.119]

Rarely do you stumble into a world so richly realized and so warmly, curiously inviting. [No. 104, p.58]

[An] effortless fourth album, which is every bit as blissfully pretty and/or unremittingly milquetoast as what came before. [No. 141, p.61]

Musically, long-time fans will appreciate that very little variation has been mad on their theme. [No. 130, p.61]

Earle sounds invigorated and relaxed, and these are some of his best songs in years. [No. 144, p.58]

Sadie Dupuis' sweet voice offers very little respite from her defiantly uncatchy band. [No. 107, p.59]

It's another creative leap for an artist who explores difficult human emotions with a bravery and intensity few singers ever approach. [No. 93, p.60]

It's his best album in years. [No. 108, p.59]

Modern Creation is big, buzzy guitar pop that is as timeless as it is timely. [No. 108, p.60]

Although the quartet might not have topped Merriweather Post Pavillion, it did the next best thing: make an album that's entirely new and just as exciting. [No.91 p.52]

Winds isn't without charm, but it feels like the work of a different group. [#64, p.84]

The balance of the album is crammed to capacity with placeholders for more fully developed ideas.

Liquid guitar licks, bobbing bass lines, slow-tumbling vibes and lush strings float in and out of the mix, wrapping snugly around Sam Prekop's mellow croon. There's nothing life-changing here, but it's nice; and sometimes nice is enough. [#47, p.116]

It's the rather unhinged propositions that sends chills in the warmest way, much like Will Oldham's timelessly classic mid-'90s output. [No.99, p.52]

With LUX, Eno continues to show off the theatricality of subtlety. [No. 94, p.54]

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

Peel back the layers, and you're confronted with a wealth of oft-unexpected sonic exploration. [#90, p.60]

Despite an approach that can occasionally feel too reverent, these unreleased lyrics get a fittingly old, weird treatment that makes complete sense. [No. 115, p.51]

Not everything kills, but when the band's "psychedelic rock and blue-eyed soul" finds its groove, it's still a breathless wonder to behold. [No. 124, p.61]

Security brings new elements to the mix without compromising Antibalas' fundamental power. [#75, p.94]