This is an album squarely in the spirit of the band's underrated mid-period venture Carnival Of Light, a classic-rock record with none of the baggage that phrase might imply. [No. 143, p.56]

Numsuwankijkul recruited a new group of players for Over There That Way, and the decision pays off handsomely; this is a much more introspective, vulnerable album that benefits from a lighter touch. [No. 132, p.55]

So low-key that you'd be more likely to slip on it than stumble over it. [#59, p.96]

There are interesting little moments along the way that might lead to subtle adjustments in course. [#61, p.98]

This album sounds nothing like the stuff that got you into Slow Club in the first place. Approach tipsy and with caution. [No. 111, p.61]

Spades is a grower, as they say, only revealing its charms to patient listeners over repeated listens. [No. 143, p.51]

The result is the most dynamic LP of Russian Circles' career. [No. 134, p.61]

Casts [their] this-is-not-a-love-song songs in an ultraviolet, goth-shoegazer glow that stretches [their] glistening guitar ripples to Mogwai-like proportions. [#71, p.100]

The only misteps are when Oakley Hall drifts into more straight-forward terrain. [Fall 2007, p.106]

Whether juxtaposed with string sections, dark electronics or thumping beats, Moyet's deeply sonorous voice is still the dramatic center. [No. 143, p.59]

The major distinction this time around is the eerily cheery delivery. [#64, p.110]

By no means a radical album; challenging as it may be, it's a natural extension of earlier work rather than a sudden departure from it. [#51, p.105]

The album's defiantly pop-punky first half touches on distance-challenged romance, self-care fails, siblinghood and her love/hate for the city of Perth--all with the characteristic witty, everygal charm. [No. 148, p.59]

Never mind McBean's more successful other gig; Mountaintops don't get much blacker than this. [#71, p.108]

There's always a surplus of good humor to carry us past the rough patches. [#75, p.98]

Frame's always been an old soul, and the heartfelt Seven Dials is a welcoming return. [No. 113, p.55]

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

He's most successful when stripping down his lyrical ideas and melodic underpinnings to their simplest expressions, in a live-in-the-studio trio format. [No. 150, p.55]

Despite lyrics contending with crippling anxiety, suicide and relationship strife, what ultimately emerges in a celebration of the defiant act of loving and living fully in the face of a world gone mad. [No. 143, p.59]

An endearing solo effort with a higher percentage of hits to misses than 2003's My Room Is A Mess. [#75, p.96]

The album also contains enough experimentation and cleverness to stand on its own in !!!'s decidedly confusing and overpopulated sub-genre. [No. 143, p.53]

Even if some listeners might ding Lo Tom for playing it a little safe, there's really not a wrong note on the record. [No. 145, p.57]

If Factory Floor emobodied a dynamic tension between paralysis and movement, claustrophobia and cathartic release, this outing functions similarly but tips the scales slightly toward the former categories. [No. 134, p.57]

Any party mix could benefit from the crisp beats, blasts and riffs here, and just because Stereo Total's music is jubilant doesn't mean it's vapid. [#67, p.111]

Fans will find nothing to object to. [#67, p.102]

More often than not throughout the careening Bitter Rivals, there's clarity where there was disturbance, melody where there was once dissonance, and more nuanced vocal hooks and ditzy sonic flips than appeared on Sleigh Bells' first two records combined. [No. 104, p.51]

Young makes these old, old songs vital. [No.88 p. 51]

Works For Tomorrow maybe doesn't sound quite as fiery as 1988's Prairie School Freakout, 1989's Beet or, even, 2011's Riot Now! But it gets awfully close. [No. 123, p.57]