Undoubtedly his definitive statement--not just as a guitarist, but as a songwriter and vocalist. [Jul 2005, p.96]

Fascinatingly oblique songs are plaed with confidence and laid-back precision, rather than smothered by a desperation to impress. [Mar 2005, p.96]

The Posies [are] now a surprisingly politicised act. [Aug 2005, p.104]

Tough, yet with just enough tenderness. [Aug 2005, p.101]

Corgan allows a surprisingly vulnerable side to appear. [Jul 2005, p.96]

What's disappointing is how evenly-tempoed and sedate the pace is. [Jun 2005, p.95]

His most lyrically sharp and melodically inspired material in years. [Jul 2005, p.99]

Brassbound is a far better played, better written and lyrically grown-up record than its brash, Brit-pop-punk predecessor. [Jul 2005, p.102]

Conjunto, corrido and jazz emerge from and mingle with R&B and pop as the band follow the story from innocent beginnings to the tragic, bitter end. [Jul 2005, p.98]

This is perhaps Eno's most personal record to date. [Jul 2005, p.102]

[Disc 1] is grunge-punk-metal boiled down to mere energy -- and calories don't rock. [Jul 2005, p.102]

By the third listen, Burner is starting to feel like a great 21st century pop record. [Sep 2005, p.103]

A compelling exercise in craft. [Jul 2005, p.96]

Not that much has changed sound-wise. [Jul 2005, p.114]

Finally, Embrace deliver a poignant and prolonged rush of blood to the head. [Oct 2004, p.116]

They lack a style or personality of their own. [Jul 2005, p.106]

X&Y is awash with cliches, non-sequiturs, and cheap existentialism; at times it all becomes nigh on unbearable. [Jul 2005, p.97]

They fare less well when they get ambitious. [Jul 2005, p.112]

A classic Fannies record with scant regard for prescribed notions of cool. [Jun 2005, p.104]

When the approach works, the results are bracingly exploratory; when it doesn't they're frustratingly half-formed. [Jul 2005, p.94]

Magnificent. [Jul 2005, p.100]

A sonic quantum leap. [Jul 2005, p.100]

They have clearly been rejuvenated by this beguiling collaboration, producing their best work for years. [Jul 2005, p.110]

Callahan is back on track. [Jun 2005, p.104]

Their best in almost a decade. [Jun 2005, p.100]

It's a noticeably urban record, an irritated rebuttal to the notion that dance music is dead. [Jun 2005, p.98]

Singer Paul Smith's blend of dry and witty lines would make Jarvis smile, but disappointingly, the album still likes a Take Me Out-sized hit single to beat the floppy-fringed competition. [Jul 2005, p.96]

Their most challenging record to date. [Nov 2004, p.102]

Funky, playful but sinister like the best children's stories. [Jun 2005, p.98]

[They] have made an evolutionary leap in rock. [Jun 2005, p.108]

[Audioslave] display[s] a welcome lightness of touch. [Jul 2005, p.96]

Mostly, Suit Yourself matches its predecessor's brilliance. [Jul 2005, p.100]

Typically, there are also infuriating moments... but overall, this marks a welcome return to form. [Jun 2005, p.106]

Frankly, you could get drunk just on the minutiae here. [Feb 2005, p.92]

Mostly it's just business as usual with Van in reasonably good form. [Jun 2005, p.95]

Their horizons have broadened. [Feb 2005, p.102]

Courageous eccentricity it is, then. [Jun 2005, p.106]

Arguably Plant's most Zeppelinesque solo work to date. [May 2005, p.92]

Never less than fresh-sounding and curious. [Jun 2005, p.110]

Another patchily edifying addition to the Cuomo enigma. [Jul 2005, p.106]

The melodies are so lush and the arrangements so stylish that you can't deny them. [Jun 2005, p.105]

It really is good. [Jul 2005, p.99]

Remarkably compelling to anyone with slightly more outre tastes. [Aug 2005, p.102]

An enjoyable, if surprisingly safe, collection of roots rock. [Jul 2005, p.102]

[Snaith] continues to explore a digital/analogue interface to mind-bending effect, balancing riotous abstraction with day-glo pop. [Jun 2005, p.97]

A musical odyssey across a real and imagined landscape of mountains and cities, dreams and memories. [May 2005, p.95]

An unfussy affair. [Jun 2005, p.108]

In every sense, committed rock'n'roll. [Jul 2005, p.105]

Mostly, it works. [Aug 2005, p.102]

No duffers here, never a dull moment, satisfaction guaranteed. [Jul 2005, p.100]

An intriguing labyrinth of idiosyncrasies. [Jun 2005, p.110]

Richly textured percussion, thrumming nylon-string guitars, discreet electronics and sundry guest vocalists. [Jul 2005, p.105]

There's little real sense of progression here... and at times New Order sound dreary and ordinary. [May 2005, p.96]

It isn't until the latter half of the album... that they find their own voice, and one that delivers deliciously sugary powerpop. [Aug 2005, p.102]

A DIY epic whose brief sorties into often spellbinding instrumental territory are pitstops in which to muse upon profound, touching or witty lyrics. [May 2005, p.95]

[A] consistently crafted and stimulating set. [Jun 2005, p.100]

[An] alarming intimacy is the bedrock of Devils & Dust. [Jun 2005, p.92]

Not exactly a comfortable listen, but Darnielle's candour can't be faulted. [Jun 2005, p.109]

Smith's best, most satisfying album to date. [Mar 2005, p.106]

She indulges her mystical side to mesmerising effect. [Dec 2005, p.100]

An album of abundant, aberrant fun. [May 2005, p.102]

Evokes a sense that this has all been done before, and better.

Backed by an ace band... he's back in familiar territory. [May 2005, p.109]

Garishly attractive. [Oct 2005, p.98]

They come across as a self-contained, insular studio band, with tunes aching to break free of the driving wall of guitars. [May 2005, p.96]

[A] dazzling selection of pop songs. [Aug 2005, p.96]

This is special, many-layered stuff. [May 2005, p.108]

Walks the same Cold War-era Bowery streets as Interpol but is not more than a half step away from lysergic brilliance. [May 2005, p.108]

The album... is one of such remarkable beauty. [Oct 2004, p.96]

Less chaotic and parochial, more serene and accessible, but no less magical. [May 2005, p.96]

While [it] lacks the glitterball dazzle of Emerge, its many-coloured moods result in bankable Moroder moments, baroque ballads, and an ECG-blowing cover of Boredoms' O.

There are so many tricks twirling for your attention that the effect is a little like wearing all your clothes at once. [Jun 2005, p.100]

There's not a single weak link on this excellent record. [Aug 2005, p.100]

Their most primitive, intimate and vocally oriented [album] yet. [May 2005, p.108]

Imagine a 'luded-out Eagles fronted by a dying hillbilly and you'll only be mildly disappointed. [Jun 2005, p.105]

She's right back on track with this terrific debut for Capitol. [Jun 2005, p.110]

Fans will wallow in the superficial nuttiness of it all--though profound issues underlie the wilful eccentricity. [Mar 2005, p.96]

Far from being a doomfest, the music is quite beautiful. [Oct 2005, p.114]

While there are enough inspiring moments on here to suggest Beck hasn't yet run out of ideas, it demonstrates that the best way for him to revisit former triumphs would be to travel somewhere new. [Apr 2005, p.92]

Fierce, minimalistic but defiantly pop-sensible hard rock. [Apr 2005, p.88]

This is a swaggering, unashamedly fun pop record. [May 2005, p.94]

If it has a fault, it is that its relentlessly innovative music can overshadow often superlative lyrics. [Apr 2005, p.102]

Mozzer [is] in excellent voice. [May 2005, p.96]

There's a confident, liberated spirit at play. [May 2005, p.95]

Arular's irresistible blend of crafty refugee chic and subversive digital skipping rhymes will do very nicely for the moment. [Jun 2005, p.108]

This is a terrific ride. [Apr 2005, p.88]

Ambitious in scope and abundantly stocked with viral melody, Silent Alarm is hugely impressive--flawed certainly... but nonetheless blessed with outbreaks of great flair. [Mar 2005, p.100]

Shave Devil's Playground of nine tracks and repackage it as an EP and it could conceivably be the comeback of the year. [Apr 2005, p.98]

A slightly muted, at times infuriatingly uneven, but ultimately rewarding collection. [Apr 2005, p.89]

It's unfortunate that the weedy vocals dilute some of its impact, otherwise this would be a triumph. [Apr 2005, p.89]

Fruitful collaborations... invite the listener to keep that dial locked, despite the odd distracting lapse into free-form digital static. [Jul 2005, p.112]

This is not a Big Rock Record. Instead it's intimate, multi-layered and uplifting. [Apr 2005, p.86]

Cold yet compulsive. [Jun 2005, p.106]

Frisell's braided guitar work creates a complex, nocturnal mood, while Parks' weeping accordion and sweeping string arrangements heighten the inherent drama. [May 2005, p.104]

Alas, when their feisty glam racket starts to repeat itself towards the end, the joke wears a little thin. [Nov 2005, p.112]

An aptly schizophrenic alternative history. [May 2005, p.114]

The core remains Roberts' discomfitingly pure way with diction. [May 2005, p.109]