The record conjures an atmosphere of twilit sadness, but the songs themselves--languid and forgettable--fail to mark Stein out from dolorous troubadours past. [Oct 2018, p.116]

It's chillingly powerful, but the band sell short their cinematic ambitions with just 33 minutes of music. [Aug 2014, p.102]

To their credit, they've not taken the easy route by simply cutting the bombast and hoping for the best. [Jan 2017, p.112]

This third full-length solo record is a rich blend of different genres that, despite its rampant eclecticism, never jars. [Nov. 2011, p. 128]

The whole thing is a bit of a grower and a tentative flex in a new direction with just about enough of their old sound to keep fans happy. [Mar 2017, p.111]

Without any shifts in emotional temperature, You Gots 2 Chill follows the thread that connects homespun to woolly. [Feb 2014, p.113]

Intriguing as this glimpse behind the curtain is, it's hard to imagine many purchasers playing the entire EBW disc more than once. The same might even be said about Brotherhood itself. [Oct 2008, p.156]

This follow-up boasts some vibrant garage funk reminiscent of fellow Bostonian, and sometime collaborator, Edan. [Jul 2009, p.122]

As albums by models go, it's a blinder. [April 2012, p106]

It's exhilarating in short snatches but too samey over the long haul. [Apr 2014, p.110]

It might be a little too smooth for plant-seducing ubiquity, but Tuxedo still deserves to get lucky. [May 2015, p.114]

Even when it isn't actually good, this is quality froth. [Sep 2001, p.114]

it ens up a tie between waffling self-indulgence and occasional moments of inspiration. Definitely not predictable, though. [Apr 2011, p.110]

Lyrical concerns are accordingly way less uptight and conceptual. [May 2013, p.99]

The loose-limbed beats, fuzzy keyboards and faraway trumpet on Which One Of You Jerks Drank My Arnold Palmer? are loungecore at its best, while The Daily Routine's distortion is full of atmosphere. [Feb 2010, p. 103]

The Temper Trap are touched by the brilliance of Dougy Mandagi, a vocalist with a set of pipes so extraordinary he could emote a Twitter feed. [Jun 2012, p.112]

Decidedly monochrome, but strangely never dour. [Jul 2014, p.119]

Most of the 10 songs here are still well-crafted exercises in ceaseless forwards momentum. [Dec 2014, p.106]

It feels like an exercise in stretching the spirit of the first album as far as it will go, its urgency and menace dissolving into static down a long-distance line. [Mar 2017, p.111]

While the thumping psych-rock of Rollercoaster shines a light on the fears that still plague her, it's lead single For The First Time that makes for the most refreshing and cathartic moment. [Apr 2020, p.105]

Proves that there is still a place for bands playing short, noisy pop songs about girls and being young, regardless of where they come from. [Feb. 2012 p. 100]

Even though his wit and word patterns still dazzle, they need a livelier canvas if the Eminem nostalgia experience is to be the thrilling one it should be. [Jan 2014, p.122]

The Hawk Is Howling is similarly impressive [to "Mr. Beast"], the band's earlier experiments in noise more reined in, allowing a subtle and textured approach. [Oct 2008, p.149]

There's enough deviation from Lowe's fastidiously tasteful norm to prevent YU descending into dullness. [Jul 2019, p.113]

Those two moments ["Powerless" and "Waiting All Night"] aside, Home is a very satisfying debut. [May 2013, p.107]

You leave the record feeling a bit like you've visited a museum. [May 2014, p.116]

The quality often drops, making for an intermittently engaging album. [Nov 2002, p.100]

An album that plays too safe in its thirst for hits. [Jul 2015, p.110]