There are more than enough licks to compensate when that tendency [to sound whiny or emo-ish] gets a little overwhelming. [No.91, p.57]

The variety of The Weather definitely offers some spice to lives. [No. 142, p.59]

What an odd, creakily compelling record this is. [No. 142, p.59]

It isn't always pleasant, but it's always surprisingly pretty. [#54, p.88]

The band digs deep to produce 11 sharp tracks, marked by its inventive stylistic hybrid. [No. 147, p.61]

The production is crisper, the songs seem less abrupt, and the vocals are less murky. [No. 100, p.53]

It's not an easy listen--"Greener Stretch" is one of the rare songs that has an immediate hook--but it commands, and rewards, attention. [No. 147, p.61]

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]

Loud and big--stadium big, major-label big--and although it has soft patches, much of it hurtles forward with welcomed urgency. [No.89, p.58]

The way-cute, we're-just-messing-around-with-our-computer feel of Out Of The loop is missed, but The Tight Connection gives a crisper picture of the duo at work. [#55, p.80]

For those [who have cottoned to Mascis' nasal falsetto and six-string wizardly], this is another lovely acoustic outing from a beloved artists. For the rest, move along, there's nothing to see here. [No. 112, p.59]

For My Parents de-emphasizes stylistic juxtapositions for a more holistic approach to epic soundscaping. [No.91 p.57]

The music is a 10; the curating, something rather less. [No. 115, p.51]

Without seeming pretentious or curated, Out Hud is making dance music that feels "important." [#67, p.110]

Do It! is accessible enough to appeal to both curious indie-pop fans and avant musos without an obscurantist chip in their shoulders. [Summer 2008, p.98]

Their winding leads, ghostly shimmers and stacked luminous sound clouds wheel around each other like elegant skywriting maneuvers. [#88, p.54]

Though there's plenty of wit... to go along with copious amounts of jangle, twang and... Brian Wilson-esque sweep, there's often an overriding, wistful sadness mixed in with the Left Coast hedonism. [#73, p.106]

Part prog, part punk and part reefer haze. [#60, p.106]

It takes a sure-footed venture into morose country territory on the album's back half before Wot feels like a departure. [No. 104, p.55]

No matter your tastes, there's something to put you on edge. [No. 117, p.61]

Their scope isn't quite as broad as 2011's Apocalypse or as emotionally complex as 2009's Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, but they are full of sharp observations and wit. [No. 102, p.54]

The songs' infectiousness outweighs their questionable stylizations. [#81, p. 53]

Fans will love her subtlety and clean new sound, but someone just coming on board might not find this an essential listen. [No. 85, p.59]

As subtle as, and harder than, a flying mallet. [#58, p.84]

It sounds industrial on paper but comes off more like a hybrid of post-punk and noise pop. [#64, p.100]

Best experienced in depressed darkness while contemplating your existence. [No. 117., p.59]

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]

While there's no lack of drama on Locket, it's a missing the bombast of yore--which is to say that if you hated Frog Eyes before, you might dig this one. [No. 124, p.57]