Lush and smooth, funky and ethereal, Celestial Electric is a sublimely down-tempo album filled with beautiful vocals and gorgeous orchestration. [#81, p. 52]

Angergard vivid production is the perfect foil for Komstedt's warmly detached vocals, and fans of Saint Etienne, Beach House and Blondie's "Heart Of Class" should take notice. [No.99, p.53]

Love it or hate it, in her hands or someone else's, Ono's music does what fine art has always done: It dares you to feel. [No. 128, p.54]

The A Frames ultimately come off as serious students of history, not fashion. [#67, p.84]

The band reemerges from the California desert four years later with a self-titled sophomore effort that's every bit as satisfying as its predecessor. [No. 106, p.60]

Deviations from the script are interesting but not as successful (the jangly 'Jump In The Fire,' the rockabilly 'Branded'). Luckily, they don’t detract from the main course: a heaping helping of straight-up rock ’n’ roll like only Reis can deliver.

While there's a bit less winsome lilt and a bit more loud fuzz, the songs still sound like a bulked-up amalgam of early Pavement, Television Personalities and your favorite shamble-rock outfit. Why change it if it works? [No. 136, p.61]

Howdy is vintage Teenage Fanclub. [#53, p.92]

Wonky finds the head-lamped pair still hitting those marks [being innovative within the confines of electronic music], even if it isn't quite as revelatory now. [No. 86, p.56]

There's no "Cinnamon Girl's" here, but "Farewell American Primitive" and "Only In My Dreams" breathe the same catchy air. [#90, p.53]

Discerning Anglophiles will warm to the charms of the Divine Comedy's 11th album, Foreverland. [No. 136, p.55]

There's so much good music here, performed affectionately but not reverently, that it's a keeper. [No. 132, p.60]

Original Distance isn't, but it's a great hang.

Interesting sounds? To be sure. Impenetrable songs? That, too. [#73, p.94]

As good as IN///PARALLEL is, Harrison leaves you curious to hear how much greater he can be when he really lets loose. [No. 147, p.55]

Arriving ten years after her solo debut, Little Heater has managed to take the anachronistic qualities of Irwin's sound and imbue them with real relevance. [No.91 p.55]

If you aren't smitten with this band yet, you will be soon. [#73, p.94]

Hold is the most fun Melvins record in a minute, somehow combining two of the weirdest bands in the history of American rock to come up with an almost-straightforward rock record that shreds hard. [No. 115, p.59]

La Sera tips it bonnet to the long-gone AM-radio sound of the '60's girl groups but with ... guitar noise and snarky attitude. [#86, p.55]

The instrumentals, which mix grainy field recordings with more forthright electronic melodies, assert a strong presence, but not enough to rescue Hymnal from a state of irresolute inbetween-ness. [No. 96, p.58]

Another gem, and, not unexpectedly, one of his darkest collections. [No. 114, p.59]

Ultimately attains genuine staying power. [#68, p.108]

It sounds like a war against music. [#60, p.97]

A pleasant if vaguely unsatisfying collection of songs. [#61, p.106]

These are just tender pop songs, timeless enough to defy categorization. [#60, p.95]

While longtime fans may lament the paucity of instamatic anthems, 'All The Old Showstoppers' and 'Unguided' reveal their charms with each new verse. [Fall 2007, p.106]

The Notwist’s last album, 2003’s "Neon Golden," was irresistibly catchy and irretrievably downbeat. Both of those qualities are muted on The Devil, You + Me, the German combo’s long-in-the-making follow-up.

An even more esoteric, and yet - oddly enough - more accessible record than her debut. [No.87, p. 51]