Spektor's knack for orchestral arrangement is more vivid than her writing here. [No. 137, p.61]

On fourth album Saturdays=Youth, the warm synthesizers are still in play and Gonzalez’s propensity for beguiling bombast is undiminished, but by imposing structure and melodic discipline on these sprawling compositions, he’s made them even more elegant and effective.

Axes comes off as a spikier, more experimental Stereolab or a more adept Raincoats. [#68, p.91]

A degree of delicacy colors album number eight. [No. 125, p.55]

The stark, live rendering at Oran Mor reveals the quiet beauty and strength these songs possessed all along. [No. 126, p.61]

Though not everything in the limper, bloatier back half hits the mark, they're mostly aiming in the right direction. [No.91 p.59]

That Vol.1 can capture that energy and enthusiasm of the [excellent] live show, the youthful vigor that prevents it from going into the realm of self-indulgent fogey prog pretty much guarantees we'll be following their career until they're old men. [No.88 p.60]

The Evening Descends is a dizzying, carefully crafted ride; it spins, but never out of control. [Winter 2008, p.102]

A shockingly vital, crackling, unencumbered solo instrumental record. [No. 120, p.55]

It's Melted Toys' hooks and songwriting that act as an anchor. [No. 111, p.57]

Twerps succeed in making decades-old style sound brand new again. [No. 117, p.61]

Friends lose themselves when they try too hard to sound like the Ting Tings, Cults or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which they do too often here. [No.89 p.54]

Only the rambunctious can appreciate the tinny, relentlessly inventive hybridization herein. [#64, p.92]

Even as it completely eschews Mohawke's maximalist, hyperkinetic style of old for a newfound soft side, Lantern registers as a limp, populist gesture for how ham-fistedly it attempts to reconcile the two. [No. 122, p.57]

Waves of corrosive guitar distortion surfing minimal, hammered eighth-note bass and programmed beats, with just enough feedback to aid recollection of the band that created Psychocandy. [No. 141, p.59]

Too often the tracks meander aimlessly, never building enough momentum to culminate into any kind of climax. [No. 94, p.54]

A potent set of tunes. [No. 130, p.53]

Overly busy.... They're best when they act just like Ratatat. [No. 123, p.58]

Semicircle touches on elements of the socially aware and a-woke with old-fashioned message-driven songs. [No. 150, p.56]

His new sound is interesting and may find its own fans, but it's such a strong departure from his last album that it will likely leave his current admirers scratching their heads. [No. 96, p.59]

This time it's insipid, acousti-stomp faux-psych of the down-to-mid-tempo variety, and autopilot riffers that come off like MADtv skits about stoner metal. [No. 104, p.59]

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]

The fact that two 19-year-old players--drummer Evan Laffer and guitarist Matt Pulos--generate this crushing wall of sound makes it even more impressive. [No. 111, p.55]

She brings the art school to the dance floor in non-corny ways. [No. 112, p.57]

Multi-instrumental wizards Kattner and Thorburn trade off on guitar and keyboards, with Plummer supplying the rhythmic anchor, to produce a spectral sound that complements their instrumental digressions and vocal anomalies. [No. 147, p.57]

A vibrant, dubbed-out dance album that rises above the wobble-obsessed rabble. [No.86, p.57]

Anything In Return us ultimately a chill listen, but not a necessarily memorable one. [No. 95, p.59]

These tunes would work better if the influences weren't so obvious. [No. 117, p.55]