Ambitious, uneven. [Feb 2004, p.96]

The resulting cavalcade of "decent bits" seldom leaves an imprint in your memory, let alone your heart. [Nov 2001, p.130]

A pretty accurate representation of the New York rock renaissance. [Jul 2003, p.110]

Their bright Americana ditties have a newly retro, country-fried twist that suits them just swell. [Nov 2008, p.88]

It's patient, pretty music, tinged with a cozy claustrophobia.

These eight tracks--only one of which stretches past the eight-minute mark!--actually make up the Mars Volta's most consistently compelling slab since 2005's salsafied "Frances the Mute."

French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg's voice is small and unaffected (a stage whisper, indeed), but Beck, her producer-songwriter for 2010's celebrated IRM, tends toward the opposite extreme.

Her extreme choices can fall extremely flat when she tries too hard to force them to be what she wants (or, to put it in Sinead's own terms, when she winds up coming off as bossy instead of as a confident, charismatic boss). But when they pay off, it's all worth it.

The only misstep is frontman Adam Levine's raunchy lyrics. [Jun 2007, p.94]

The results feel tossed-off at times, but Iggy still flashes his charm and humor.

The frail bodyslams on the band's debut album throb and stagger as if throbbing and staggering were against the grain. [Feb 2006, p.88]

A hectic sonic pileup. [Dec 2003, p.130]

As usual, though, Willett also tries to showcase his brainpower, clumsily referencing works most commonly studied in AP literature....But the four-song EP is perfectly short; if you focus on the sturdy tunes and ignore the pseudo-smartness, it's plenty sweet, too.

The Best Damn Thing rarely takes itself too seriously. [May 2007, p.89]

With Leisure Seizure, Vek doesn't retool his sound much -- slabs of jittery synths underpin his urgent yelps, which start to grate over 12 tracks.

The Getaway is about as good as you can hope for from a band who will, without reservation, hang out in a car with late-night-TV cornball James Corden with lavalier mics forcibly affixed to their naked torsos (a bit of movie magic I’d be okay never having properly explained, frankly).

Many emotions clearly still linger, but as a songwriter, he seems to lack the desire that he once had to simply be sincere. [Feb 2008, p.95]

Pursues a darker strain of irony. [Dec 2004, p.124]

[It] focuses on Rolex-precise riffs to offset a battery of beats, rattles, and ringing bells. [Jul 2007, p.96]

A tepid effort that bogs down their previously rugged and introspective rock with power-ballad vibrato, lurid over-orchestration, and petulantly vague lyrics. [Feb 2007, p.83]

Most of Digital's songs seem somewhat suffocated. [Feb 2005, p.85]

Wilson is clearly energized, and it's delightful to hear one virtuoso finally meet up with another.

[BEP] pick up where the Fugees left off. [Aug 2003, p.119]

The bleaty rhythms and abrasive guitars start to pile up willy-nilly, and some of the more techno sections sound like kids going bazonkers in a toy store. [Oct 2004, p.109]

You'll immediately recognize the masterful melodies and rock'n'roll sentiment, for better and worse. [May 2007, p.86]

Relying on sturdy-legged piano chords ('I've Seen Enough'), boogie rock ('Mexican Dogs'), and caffeinated backbeats to boost Willett's narratives, Loyalty to Loyalty is rarely subtle.

Overall the young rapper's glorious flare of an introduction has not been brightening. His latest, Summer Knights continues this trend.

Quality-wise, the second half of the album has a higher batting average.