The Kings are probably sick of the "redneck Stones" tag already, but the signs are all there. [Aug 2003, p.111]

While his desire to evoke the druggy euphoria of early U.K. club music has sometimes jostled against his ear for atmosphere (as on his contributions to the Shock Power of Love split with Blackdown), those two extremes are more fully integrated than ever on these two 13-minute tracks.

There's an air of formal exercise here.... But if you can ride with the cliches, you won't fault the execution. [Jul 2005, p.102]

This time they come dangerously close to conventional rock. [Nov 2005, p.101]

High grade West Coast guitar pop. [Dec 2003, p.131]

On Amelia, Anderson resurrects this courageous woman and gives her breath, heart, and soul. It is impossible to hear this aerial ballet and walk away unaffected.

Some tracks accordingly veer toward the solipsistic—”Exodus” pushes the newfound Arthur Russell-meets-Tim Buckley vibe a little past the point of viability. But even at his most bleakly compressed, McMahon can still produce a striking melody.

Frank folk-rock songs that are too sketchy to be great but too good to write off. [May 2003, p.116]

A Perfect Circle prove that they've got not only good taste, but real bite, too. [Dec 2004, p.117]

The Trickster's best record in years. [Aug 2003, p.119]

This is the work of noise nerds bent on finding beauty where others see nothing but a tangled mess. [Jul 2004, p.110]

The rapper's inborn goofiness just gives his words more bite. [Mar 2005, p.85]

A multifaceted, densely layered sound. [Oct 2005, p.138]

Perceive is ethereal, sure, but it’s also multilayered and compelling, staving off New Age-ness with pensive beauty and trenchant spoken-word (Saul Williams, Elucid, Anum Iyapo).

Atmosphere's least frantic, most playful album. [Nov 2003, p.114]

Everywhere the guitars are cranked, the sneakers set on stun. [Dec 2003, p.124]

These songs are both sturdier and more complex. [Mar 2005, p.92]

Infusing their music with real personality and humor, sexiness and humility, they've neatly transcended the air-quote graveyard. [Apr 2005, p.105]

Showcases vocals more boldly than Melody A.M. [Aug 2005, p.98]

Rich in minor-key melancholia, twangy reverb, and retro keyboards. [Apr 2003, p.108]

Plays like a poppy salvo against [Broken Social Scene's] cerebral forays. [Oct 2005, p.138]

It's Dynamite's choice of subject matter that distinguishes her from other R&B divas-in-waiting. [May 2003, p.110]

Most of Fortune's tunes revolve around love and politics, which McArdle nails with a combination of wit, cynicism and sorrow. [Nov 2004, p.117]

The sweetest, cleanest grunge ambrosia since Urge Overkill's 1993 major-label bid, Saturation. [Aug 2004, p.105]

On these subtly lovelorn songs, his voice quavers with a grounded, lived-in authority. [Feb 2005, p.92]

Evokes Bjork as a Latina wallflower, sketching gossamer balladry with acoustic guitar and oddball synths. [Jun 2004, p.108]

When Sheer Mag is on, they’re turned up to 11. Playing Favorites proves that joy can show up defiantly, wearing a sleeveless denim vest, and sometimes, a rollicking good time is the glue holding our hearts together.

Traffics full-time in the kind of raw, godless punk rock that's relegated to a handful of cuts on Queens' albums. [Sep 2003, p.112]