Johnson uses his brain instead, bumming over the war, airplane turbulance, and the widespread deterioration of manners on chewy, Moog-speckled ditties that reveal an arty streak he's kept secret until now. [Feb 2008, p.94]

Kravitz's irony-free pastiches often satisfy like the best work of his rock and soul forebears; and considering his tastes, that's a remarkably high standard.

District Line is essentially the same furiously melodic pop Mould played way back when. [Feb 2008, p.98]

Their new songs are sunnier and jumpier than 2005's dirgeful "Feathers." [Mar 2008, p.100]

Collett achieves both scope and cohesion on these tenderly twanging tunes, making his way assuredly through slow-burning swoons ("Henry's Song"), nimble boogies ("Charlyn, Angel of Kensington"), and back-porch laments ("No Redemption Song").

Hynes stumbles into typical self-indulgent twentysomething pitfalls -- his ideas can be overdetermined, and he often misjudges the thin line between disaffection and narcissism. Still, his imagination is formidable.

This Gift flags halfway through when an odd excursion into retro-'60s twaddle gums up the works. [Feb 2008, p.97]

For the Volta, more is always more, but rarely has a band with this much potential been so willing to squander its strengths.

Vampire Weekend have made a truely fresh, fun, and smart record. [Feb 2008, p.91]

Gratuitously avant saxophone squawking mars some of the disc's best moments, but Xiu Xiu's knack for grafting lush hooks onto noisy post-rock remains seductive.

Field Manual rests slight vocals atop memorable instrumentation, with surprisingly unshimmery production. [Feb 2008, p.98]

Paring down his tuneful new-wave pop to a bare-bones piano-bass-drum lineup might not been the best idea for Joe Jackson. [Feb 2008, p.94]

Keep Your Eyes Ahead maintains a dense soundscape with electronic tinges, but adds a fresh, succinct tone, trimming songs to four minutes tops.

Here they effectively marry T. Rex's trash-glam melodicism to a relentless blue-eyed funk beat. [Feb 2008, p.95]

A half-dozen times on their debut, the Shackeltons sound completely convincing, and that's about six more times than most bands ever manage.

There are traces of reverb and chicken-scratch guitar, but the band's drill-press instro-rock lacks thegenre's spacial dislocation and sense of thematic possibility. [Feb 2008, p.92]

The lower-key approach pays off here. [Sep 2007, p.138]

Venus on Earth feels impulsive and rich, rippling with surf psychedelia and exultant brass swing.

Black Mountain refine their position as the psychedelic hard-rock/goof-folk revivalists that you can actually stand for an entire album.

The journey is less emotionally fraught than her best work, but just as revealing.

[Patterson Hood] cedes too much of the spotlight to competent but less distinctive mates Mike Cooley and Shonna Tucker. [Feb 2008, p.92]

It swaggers like prime Replacements, though with far better polish. [Jan 2008, p.103]

What elevates this bove a cheeky tribute is the unselfish sweetness that Schwartz mixes with his smarts. [Feb 2008, p.94]

When the messy, antic songs go pop (the Of Montreal-esque "Paperback Suicide"), they really pop; when they head into comedown territory ("Party Crashin'"), aimlessness ensues. Thankfully, Evening mostly partakes of the good stuff.

Occasionally, you wish Peñate would just calm down already -- even the ballads feel a little rushed -- but his ordinarybloke vocals and eager hooks never fail to please.

Sydney Vermont and boyfriend Dan Bejar have spent the past two years quietly assembling their debut album's sublime folk rock. [Mar 2008, p.102]

Skillful if occasionally rickety, Lightning showcases a confident, evolving voice.

Ultimately, the album succeeds despite the extra fuss, not because of it.