A stunning flop, a failure on almost every conceivable level -- conceptual, artistic, commercial.

Perhaps those who regard the Northwesterners' compositional skills with awe will find this a fascinating prism of strong creative angles, but as a follow-up to an extraordinarily gorgeous web of noise and delicacy, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Less punkish than its predecessor, the Liars’ second effort, although marred by Wagnerian excess, lyrical inanity and overlong atmospherics, is still a record of non-commercialized large beats and immense technical skill.

Weezer (red album), co-produced by Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee (who has worked in the studio with Snow Patrol and R.E.M. and was a guitarist in Compulsion), is slight and flimsy (10 songs, 42 minutes), but finally returns the band to its peak entertainment level.

These songs are buoyant and polished, but the lyrics range from bewildering to lame and an afternoon of Schlitz’s voice gets tiresome.

An extremely catchy collection of solidly crafted pop songs in the familiar New Order idiom.

Made in China is a raw, angry album that is difficult to endure at points due to the emotionally naked lyrics, but the lo-fi, almost punky, music is a perfect fit.

A little blood and dirt and humor might have catapulted this album into greatness.

The album glistens with supple melodies, chameleon-like stances towards the history of rock and orderly, accomplished instrumental prowess.

Producer David Bottrill (King Crimson, Tool, Muse) gives Battle for the Sun a lean, sharp sound, stripping away a lot of the synthetic weight that bulked up the group's last few albums.

The Best Little Secrets Are Kept is a blast, from the past and otherwise.

Throughout, the joyfulness and invention, a marvel of pop craft, make Here We Stand hit the spot.

Pleasant but alternately catchy and bland.

The type of banal, greeting-card rubbish that even Diane Warren would probably find trite.

Devil's Playground makes like it's 1983 all over again.

The songs left over from the original, non-Matrix album form the emotional core of Liz Phair and make it worth hearing.