It features the same schizophrenic, influenced-by-everything quality of Dre's The Love Below, but where people were able to overlook the many boring-to-terrible tracks while skipping to "Hey Ya" or "Roses," The New Danger fails to feature as strong a centerpiece.

Sad music has never sounded so uplifting.

Whether Kimya is trying to find the light side of death or losing faith in her heroes of past, she comes off rather upfront, upbeat, and positive.

All the idiosyncrasies which either drew you to Waits or repelled you from him are present, and many songs hold a resemblance to past gems.

A great hip-hop album, an accomplishment that whipper-snappers in both hip-hop and the pop-music world at large would benefit from attempting to emulate.

Overall, the songs are more accessible, with clearer melodies and less discordance. For many bands this would be a misstep, but it turns out that Q & Not U's penchant for the catchy is one of their best assets.

Pressure Chief won't change your mind on the band, although I will call it their weakest effort simply because there's no memorable single like "The Distance," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," or even "Never There."

Burned Mind contains some of the heaviest moments on record that I've ever heard.

Armed mainly with just his guitar and voice, Panda Bear creates some of the most longing and heart-rending songs you'll ever hear.

The style is, in fact, so far from themselves and close to Smith that I'm going to assume this is a one-off mourning effort. If it is, it's worthwhile for anyone moved by Smith's death; but if they make another, it'd be extremely blasphemous.

Melodies are practically nonexistent, leaving the music almost completely ignorable.

Instead of in-your-face intricacy and complex rhythms, Travistan displays a much more restrained complexity that doesn't jump up and down for attention; and replacing the innovative vocal lines are cloying melodies that never seem to end.

While some of the tracks on the album may get bogged down in their own slumped posture, tracks like "The Extremists," "A Go-See," and "Soft Light" are instantly palatable and give a take on the '80s which says, blame the decade, not the music.

Very straightforward Interpol-lite.

Smile is quite simply the greatest triumph in the history of pop music.

What keeps Last Exit grounded is the laid-back approach to the vocals and beats.

Unfortunately, I Dreamed We Fell Apart straddles the unhappy line between experimental music and very un-experimental lap-pop.

[A] gleaming, polished gem.

Self-referential, unified, and insanely catchy, American Idiot's positives outweigh its clichéd delivery and ironic medium for corporate America critique.

While not as immediately consumed fully as a whole as Rejoicing In The Hands was, when given time and taken apart to be put back together anew, Niño Rojo clearly states the depth of Banhart's presence, if admittedly, not quite making a clear purpose just yet.

Here we have an artist who's been making music for nearly 25 years and this album sounds fresh and new. This album is, by far, the best record I've heard this year.

For new listeners, this is the most accessible Sand album to date, but for veteran Sand nuts, this may be... well, just different.

Even by Cornell's extremely shallow standards, this is unbelievably lazy production. [Joint review of both discs.]

Each CD is crammed to a full 50 minutes with some of the most heinous crimes against good taste since Wham's "Wham Rap! '86." [Joint review of both discs.]

If Tegan and Sara were looking to release something which sounds like so much of the girl based rock, which can be found on TRL and on the radio waves, then they could most likely consider So Jealous a wild success.

One of the best albums of the year, hands down.

Both infectiously danceable and highly intelligent.

The Citizens have blended a poignant and fascinating, personal self-image of professional musicianship that elevates the band to unanticipated captivation.

A highly successful debut release.

Though hardly Björk's most pronounced statement, Medúlla is definitely a highlight of her already illustrious career.

While I am not one to fault Kilgour for slowing things down a little, an impatient listener might argue that Frozen Orange shows Kilgour's age in the same ways Yo La Tengo's Summer Sun belied theirs.

Radical Connector softens up the abrasive glitch techno and broken beats of 2001's Idiology to produce a more dance-friendly album, with their signature warped vocals taking on a house sheen and invading every track.

It is blatantly experimental, though most indie fans should find it at least mildly accessible.

A middle-of-the-road release that, because of the context of the band's end, is the most heartbreaking release of the year so far.

Definitely a worthwhile buy for those new to Engine Down and certainly must hold a place in any Engine Down fan's CD book, iPod, or whatever it may be.

The style hasn't changed, the lyrics haven't suffered, and the charm and charisma is still clearly evident.

By any other band's standards, Winchester Cathedral would qualify as a strong to very strong effort. However, the feel of sameness prevents the record from surpassing the sum of its parts.

Despite Beep Beep's shortcomings, they do get over on energy alone.

There's a ton of great music on this release, but Kinsella ultimately ruins the focus.

Yet another charming balance of winsome melody, subtle studio twinkle, frolicking rock, and tinges of country meshed against traditional song structures.

While it is simply impossible to duplicate the raw power and energy of [Vaudeville Villian], the newly resurrected Viktor proffers a tolerable continuation of his street hustle and ice-cold thuggery.

Somehow they straddle the line between fluff and absolutely essential hipness that few attempt, and even fewer succeed at.

A stunning solo debut.

Quixotic was one of the best albums [in] Europe last year and Anything will be one of the best here in 2004.

One Plus One is One sounds like an attempt to make a more serious statement, but with little substance invested in it. The result is Badly Drawn Boy's first boring album.

A masterwork that music fans will be listening to for some time in the future.

The only downfall to Sahara Hotnights evolutionary sound is its middle-of-the-road attributes.

The songs here are mindless, repetitive, and perfect for the dance floor.

Miss Machine simply crackles with stress; not stress over homework or girlfriends, but the kind of stress a bunch of semis put on a bridge.

They have clearly mastered their craft, and have begun to push it beyond its boundaries without betraying its punk ethic.

The Fiery Furnaces have made one of the most ambitious and, quite likely, one of the best records of 2004.

Despite longer tracks, this album is a more accessible work. The compositions are less fragmented, and the songwriting has also improved.

"It's Kickin' In" sounds like Linnell doing karaoke over a failed garage rock single, and most of the rest sounds like, well, Fountains of Wayne.

While Mars Volta distinguished its high-volume concept and freak-out-the-neighbors formula with its apocalyptic wails and catastrophic soundscapes, Sparta has developed a middle-of-the-road rock entity, seldom swaying away from its new and unimproved sound structure.

This is a much better effort than anything they've done in quite some time.

It Falls Apart is a mess of overproduction and features bland songwriting.

This is undoubtedly a stronger effort than Shadows Collide, and maybe that's due to [Frusciante's] ability to just let the music fly instead of attempting to overwork things.

Unlike the first three Wilco albums and even more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born requires careful listening.

This isn't an edgy, experimental record. It instead explores human nature through conventional tonality and flow, delicately combining melancholy, detachment, and exhilaration.

I don't know if this is one of the bravest or boldest albums of the year, but its definitely one of the neatest.

Despite the pristine texture, though, many of the melodies find themselves veering into the frankly repulsive world of adult contemporary.

The aural face of this album is frighteningly flawless: a technical perfection that only lends to the mythic proportions of the songs, behemoths so pregnant with ideas and so rich in sound that they seem to stretch for miles.

The lyrics on To The 5 Boroughs are, with a few exceptions, a dismal failure.

It's the fragmented experiments that keep Undermind from being a straightforward batch of songs, and they ultimately provide a much-needed balance.

It's obviously the most upbeat album they've released yet, and despite the more rigidly defined dynamic, it's a far cry from the bog standard "rock" sound the mainstream has accepted as the norm.

Sonic Nurse neither disappoints nor surpasses expectations.

Revolutions is an extremely boring affair, never building any momentum from the start to finish.

Royal City don't have the arresting lyrics or delivery of the best Palace songs, nor is Little Heart's Ease the equal of genre-champ Magnolia Electric Company, but, as Riches might put it, there's some sparkles in the rough.

A diverse and creative offering.

The album is not a total loss, however. When Bad Religion turn to more interesting subject matter, the results are more than worthwhile.

Taking chances within the realm of a three minute pop song takes sheer talent, and on The Slow Wonder, Carl Newman proves that he is one of the brightest songwriters working in music these days.

This album sounds in many ways like an amalgamation of her previous work.

However, after one has settled in to the comforts of "Daughters," a shriek comes swooping down in the form of Daniel Smith's falsetto voice. Even on these faster-paced tracks, where Smith's falsetto demands less attention, it is impossible to deny this is the shortcoming of Brother Is to Son.

The caveat is that this is primarily dance music, and doesn't make for a super-compelling listen on a full attention basis.

Jim Guthrie has created a masterful soundtrack of peace and tranquility, similar to the crowning achievement of another earthly troubadour, named Sufjan Stevens.

If anything, it's nothing: a dark, expensive, teenager programmed, radio-friendly, MTV-destined nothing.

Holistically, there's nothing remarkably new here that hasn't been pursued before by this collective. The execution is nice and easily situates this album in the top two of their performances, and the sound quality far surpasses their previous efforts.

For such a musically potent album, it sometimes lacks something interesting to say.... But make no mistake; this is the most daring, catchy, and dramatic dance music you're going to hear this summer.

Shows Skinny Puppy at the top of their game once again.

The songs all sound pretty much the same; this could be Avril Lavigne, Sheryl Crow; hell, it could be Christian Contemporary.

Despite To Rococo Rot's placid rejection of any exceptionally radical artistic statement, there is a grace and deft care taken on the record not to buoy the stately jams with textural shifts, but to interlock the two in an elegant way that's impressive to the discerning listener. Nevertheless, this is a somewhat uninspiring recording.

Even if it's derivative, Red Bedroom is very catchy.

After a great start, Faded Seaside Glamour loses its way and ultimately fails to inspire.

What makes Since We Last Spoke such an indisputably groundbreaking record is Rjd2's ability to create such an intricate pastiche of diverse musical styles that it seems like a wholly new genre in and of itself.

What Emblems lacks in youthful charm it makes up in its confident and solid delivery.

Although the record is saved from complete disaster with its musical accompaniments... Elk-Lake Serenade is outrageously lonely and cumbersome.

While Tical 0: The Prequel is an adequate and at times entertaining record, too much collaboration has overshadowed the rhyming prowess and lyrical wittiness of Method Man.

Riveting from beginning to end, Now Here Is Nowhere is a delightful record filled with memorable and often astonishing songs, showcasing a young band that has set the foundation for one exciting future.

If you've enjoyed Gomez's musical direction in the last six years, you're sure to take pleasure in listening to Split The Difference.

[A] near-carbon copy of their debut record.

The overall air of the album would probably be more new-wave influenced trip-hop but Lock's sure and steady raga forges Rawar to a more funky-dub feel.

A fantastic record for Morrissey fans.

As far as songwriting goes, i follows the typical Magnetic Fields album standard of several great songs balanced with a couple unremarkable ones, with the rest being simply really good.

While Don't Climb on and Take the Holy Water is a nice change of pace and a pleasant excursion in the free-drone for an underrated guitar band, it lacks any real defining moments that would make it a more noteworthy and essential album.

Trial is as rhythmically acerbic and propulsive as the last couple of French Kicks offerings, but the pace is a little slower and more deliberate, the songwriting more cohesive, reflective, and mature.

While everyone else tries to steal from the greats, The Icarus Line have done an impressive job at continuing the great traditions in rock music.

Though C'mon Miracle doesn't have the truly standout songs that made Advisory Committee so great, it is still a consistent piece of work that delivers on quality songwriting and musicianship throughout.

The songs are lovely and placid enough to soothe the stressed and unnerved listener, but evocative enough to instill a disconcertingly curious sensation that lingers in a blissfully unfettered fashion.