More restrained and tasteful. [No. 120, p.61]

The LP's slow-building peak moment is "Violins And Tambourines," which is also dramatic and affected, no matter what Jones may actually be singing about. [No. 101, p.60]

Among the lot lie some stone-cold Pollard classics. [#55, p.76]

Repentance is a lot of fun.

Even at 42 minutes, it's hard to take iin at one sitting. But it recalls ambinet Eno and Nurse With Wound's Spiral Insana by effectively blending abrasive elements with moody atmosphere. [#56, p.101]

It gets waylaid by a few meandering ballads and overly repetitive choruses, but Hynde's still one of rock'n'roll's great singers. [No. 110, p.57]

El Camino Real will tickle most--if not all--longtime Camper Van Beethoven fans, and might even attract a few new ones. [No. 110, p.53]

Stealing Sheep could have easily made another weird art album, and it would have been great; instead, it made a weird pop album, and it's a bold step into a bigger world. [No. 119, p.61]

While Prayer For Peace is the duo's seventh studio album, their rootsy sound remains more or less unchanged and identified. [No. 143, p.59]

The record sounds big, but not too fussed-over. [No. 110, p.56]

As an exercise in shimmering, occasionally funky rock, What For? succeeds. [No. 119, p.61]

Get lost in this stuff and you won't find your way back out. [No. 109, p.52]

The Sunset Tree can be bleak, but it's also redemptive. [#68, p.104]

Given the confines of such a childlike context, these songs' emotional range is remarkably thoughtful. [#54, p.86]

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 melodies are arranged with a cinematic sweep that elevates small moments of self-doubt and heartache into something bigger and more universal. [No. 108, p.53]

Kind of like the Cocteau Twins if Don Ho produced their albums. [#64, p.86]

The band's flair for drama comes to the forefront on the "be My Baby"--quoting "Algiers" and intensely epic closer "These Sticks." [No. 108, p.53]

Producer Greg Kurstin ensures a familiarly sparkly synth-pop sheen throughout. [No. 110, p.52]

Visitations doesn't produce the novel shock that greeted Clinic's debut single, but it does find new rewards within predictable parameters. [#74, p.94]

Occasionally struggling to balance style with substance, Gardner nonetheless makes Hypnophobia much more than just an exercise in sonic adventurism. [No. 120, p.55]

Yes, some of these are very stupid songs.... And like Doolittle, there are great songs here. [No. 110, p.58]

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.

It's when things slow down that Tare and Co.'s melodic intentions (and intensity) gets a better, clearer outing without losing their daring noisiness. [No. 108, p.58]

Conversations ain't perfect, but Woman's Hour is probably the best bet to save this esteemed subgenre, which may have peaked just a few sentences ago. [No. 112, p.61]

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

El-P splits the difference between old-school bruisers, cyber-punk dystopias and misanthropic noir. [No.88 p. 55]

Since it's art, the more you listen, the more you'll find here. [No. 112, p.55]