While his whispery vocals work well amid the woozy atmospherics of 'Strong Animal' and 'Three Months Paid,' it's a shame someone else can't sing Raposa's dour, sketchy tunes. [Dec 2007, p.112]

Preparations will leave you dizzy and wondering what it all means-- which may be the point. [Nov 2007, p.124]

At his best, Miller follows ex-bandmate's Jack White's example....Other times, those traditions, however vividly evoked, come off feeling--well a little blanched. [Nov 2007, p.114]

Philippe Zdar handles most vocals, sneering through the propulsive dance-punk single 'Toop Toop' but failing to sustain the drones that dominate this overlong disc's second half.

The record is crisply produced, with jittery, epic songs that just happen to be about getting older and maybe a little more cynical. [Nov 2007, p.125]

Its follow-up is where they relax--literally. [Nov 2007, p.126]

The results are fairly stunning. [Nov 2007, p.125]

It's reliably beautiful, if staid. [Dec 2007, p.124]

Solid and well crafted. [Nov 2007, p.135]

The album succeeds because all that cold, clinical lab work hasn't eliminated the warmth from their music. [Dec 2007, p.111]

Beirut actually rock, in their extremely geeky way. [Nov 2007, p.114]

Widow City goes on for a while--maybe too long. But it's quite a trip [Oct 2007, p.106]

Their creepy, absorbing third album brims with the brittle pop practiced by everyone from Sparks to Arcade Fire. [Nov. 2007, p.125]

Each sound lingers, and each stretched-out moment is welcome. [Nov 2007, p.114]

It's his so-twee-it-hurts delivery that'll make you feel you're at a roadside bingo hall in rural Scandinavia, waiting for someone to holler, "B8!" [Nov 2007,p.121]

If singer Justin Warfield had a sense of humor about himself, that wouldn't be such a bummer; as is, Forever seems to go on for about that long. [Nov 2007, p.124]

The CD is like spending a cloudy afternoon on Jupiter with the old man, his quizzical sonic tricks at arms reach, his singing as ageless and haunting as the ammonia rain. [Dec 2007, p.128]

Schmersal's guitar artfully complements the melodies, instead of screeching to compete with them. [Nov 2007, p.118]

A disco-swept dreamland. [Aug 2006, p.83]

Slight echoes of her past work seep through, but mostly she's casting a refreshing new spell. [Nov 2007, p.125]

More classic-sounding raveups like 'Last to Die'and 'Livin' in the Future'--a perfect hybrid of 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-out' and 'Cover Me'--work on their own merits, but we already know what these merits are. [Nov 2007, p.122]

Sure, there's hurt everywhere, but Carrabba sticks with the pain he knows. [Nov 2007, p.121]

They return to what made them one of the '80s most reliable rift-heavy outfits. [Oct 2007, p.99]

The rest of the album buries otherwise thrilling moments. [Oct 2007, p.108]

Her crack band of Dap-Kings have enlivened everyone from Kanye to Amy Winehouse, but their most natural habitat is in Jones' Aretha-like tales of sex, independence, and the good Lord himself.

Recommended for anyone who finds Beth Orton too raucous. [Nov 2007, p.125]

There's a coiled power here equal to Harvey's more muscular stuff. [Oct 2007, p.95]