Bish Bosch is Walker's most accessible (extremely relatively speaking) work since Climate.

They use mopey melodies and nature imagery to evoke heart's near the breaking point. [Nov 2008, p.100]

This unpredictability -the 25-year-old band's trademark attraction--is what keeps them at the forefront of metal's vanguard, and what makes Koloss, for all its "normalcy" (joke quotes intended), the first real contender for the genre's album of the year.

For every instance that seduces you with K.R.I.T.'s prowess behind the boards, though, the mixtape throws up a song that pushes things back into an unfulfilling zone.

An album packed start to finish with some of Mastodon's best material to date.

Sparhawk tentatively hits highs in Wayne Coyne territory, imbuing the canyon-filling swirls of background synths and simple, sad, jangly riff with echoes of The Soft Bulletin. “Spanish Translation,” on the other hand, is Low-core and lovely.

Musically, A Blessing and a Curse is the Truckers' least complicated album. [May 2006, p.93]

Stones Throw rap fanboy morphs into credible crooner--now scans as natural evolution; his increasingly confident cries and grooves and songwriting aplomb are undeniably pro.

Time on Earth is an assured, soothing collection of sweet-tempered pop tunes ("Even a Child"), and ballads ("Pour Le Monde").

From the girl in "Till He's Dead or Rises" who has "the fear of Jesus on her side" to the way in which "First Air of Autumn" is an identical twin to Brighter's superior "Perfect Timing," the album sounds like the kind of holding pattern release that causes fan-bleed.

Little Dragon's third full-length deepens the group's down-tempo mix of icy techno and smoldering R&B.

FORGET sets out for new terrain with an expanded collection of collaborators, but isn’t far from what you’d expect from the project at this stage.

The hooks are hidden in dense atmospherics, but after a few late-night sessions, these grand, moody songs will reveal secrets worth waiting up for. [Oct 2008, p.122]

Minus the mock-heroic guitars, frontman Tjinder Singh's globalist critiques lose some of their pop-political punch.

While his latest album is obviously rooted in Nielson’s present, it still brims with the same introspective nostalgia that comes with dusting off those old memories, and old records.

The group [her band] gives Kline’s ideas depth without ever bogging her down. Smith’s keyboard playing replaces the bizarre synth flourishes on 2015 mini-EP Fit Me In with an understated sound that mirrors the warm, delicate quality of Kline’s voice. Kline’s songwriting is more nuanced, too.

The ballads tend to turn murky, but the rockers are terrifically drunken reveries.

The mournful ballads are achingly pretty, but Rae is most compelling when trying to distract herself from her loss.

Every note sounds instinctual, every moment fluid; this is what happens when good friends come together to watch the world burn.

The brighter moments of the second half can be interesting, but never as achingly perfect as that opening stretch.

Rye Coalition send up a prayer for that emo addict who's done with Rainer Maria but keeps AC/DC in the closet. [Apr 2002, p.122]

There are fewer miracle strokes like Le Tigre's "What's Yr. Take on Cassavetes," but these "roller skating jams" have so much certainty, its irrelevant. [Nov 2001, p.132]

Dom's '80s identikit synth-psych ditties ("Telephoned," the title track) are the most fun when he's slyly and/or drunkenly tugging your skirt. Not when he sidles up all polished and proper.

Inni--a double live album (plus live DVD)--is a master class in geologically paced, ethereally pretty buildups.

The music might be prime kicking-back fare, but that doesn't mean Braids can't sneak some gentle urgency into the mix as well.

Akron/Family provide consistent backing, but it's Gira's array of violins, "krautabilly" electric guitar, accordion, and choral vocals that turn the tunes inside out.

As lean and compact as its predecessor was expansive. [Jan 2007, p.88]