Bereft of the force of ideas, the swelling of potential, it largely settles for a pleasant, high-calorie buzz of guitar heroics and sonic familiarity.

It's about as far from daring as a band can get, offering the stale and familiar torpor Top of the Pops traffics in.

The Trouble With Being Myself is solidly produced, if too safely MOR to stand beside Gray's debut, and it doesn't exhibit anything close to The Id's sense of risk.

Ultimately Monsoon proves an easy, agreeable listen; soft rock for graying indie-rockers everywhere.

The material doesn’t resonate, however, and pales next to Ward’s prior effort, Transistor Radio.

Stumble Into Grace's saving grace, naturally, is Harris's voice, possessed of a mature poignancy that transcends pedestrian production; it's far too genuine an instrument for the lackluster arrangements offered here.

Unsurprisingly, the track list is all over the map, stylistically, technologically and qualitatively.

Discover a Lovelier You is a modest triumph, and certainly not indicative of the group’s best work.

i is a well-crafted work with its share of strong moments, even if its impressive attention to craft holds the listener back from emotional investment.

It's a stronger album that those from Heat's Interscope period, and while songs like "Party Mad" and "If It Ain't Got Rhythm" no longer sound new, they do have their own rewards.

Musically, this is as solid a hard-rock offering as fans of Motorhead and obscure Swedish crunch fans could ask for. Lyrically, however, Probot is a different story.

A little less formula and more personal expression would have gone a long way toward making this one an essential addition to their discography.

Out West’s main drawback is pacing; despite being drawn from a trio of sold-out shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco earlier this year, there’s little sense of momentum.

To be sure, Everything to Everyone certainly packs in the humorous moments that were largely lacking from the group's last album, 2000's Maroon. But it also shows principal songwriters Steven Page and Ed Robertson reflecting on weightier topics related to the band's double-edged popularity.

Taking the Long Way wraps its still-raw emotions in sweet satin sheets of breezy, middle-of-the-road pop. While there are still some country elements, the album mostly exists in that top-down netherworld of Sheryl Crow albums and Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly."

Eggs fails to engage with the unpredictable inventiveness of Swimming Hour, and lacks the skillful brevity of Weather Systems.

Eyes Open shows you the elements of a successful record, without the heart that ultimately makes it a success.

Body of Song is patchwork and spotty, dappled with a handful of sparkling additions to Mould’s estimable catalog.

It's that sobering confessional quality that gives the album an unexpected dose of depth and grace.

Unlike the groups' prior albums, Remember the Night Parties carries less heft due to its shimmering pop mindset.

There's no mistaking McKay's talent as a songwriter, even if, as on "The Dog Song," she still falls too easily prey to cloying preciousness.

But while it's appealing to hear Barlow sound so contented as he approaches middle age, Emoh can't help but lack in the emotional immediacy so typical of Barlow's earlier, non-eponymous work.

Guero is all over the map but the majority of its detours simply aren’t worth the trip.

Garden Ruin’s arrangements simply don’t arrest the senses as forcefully as its intelligent and aggrieved wordplay merits.

Amputechture, with its obsessive exploration of religious fanaticism and the physical expression of devotional desire, is not an album wanting to be loved so much as feared and listened to with a sense of awe and taxed exasperation.

Split the Difference simply isn't very engaging.

A high-energy smash-and-grab debut.

Winchester Cathedral may be a transition album, or it may just contain a few curveballs to keep discerning listeners on their toes -- only Clinic knows for certain.