Ambitions here, you feel, do not extend far beyond ‘a good time, all the time’-–it’s probably telling that the band name derives from a cocktail lounge on Sunset Boulevard-–but then, Moretti probably wouldn’t want it any other way.

The less mannered material shines brightest. [Apr 2012, p.75]

Remarkable less for the tunes than the sheer, punchy exuberance on show. [Dec 2001, p.120]

Sincere but Hokey homilies test the patience, but she brings imaginative vocal skills and real life experiences to "White Room," which displays a certain determined character. [Jun 2011, p.86]

Once again, Daschanel demonstrates a deep understanding and irony-free love of innocent, old-school pop craft in her writing, but too many of the chorus hooks pass by without sticking, and aome of the stacked-up vocal arrangements sag under their own weight. [May 2010, p.102]

Light and airy, pretty in parts, but devoid of muscle, grit or originality. [May 2002, p.96]

The Antlers, fronted by the sepulcral warble of Peter Silberman, manage to distinguish themselves slightly from these shuffling, mournful legions by bringing to bear a gently epic sensibility that verges on the orchestral. [Jul 2011, p.77]

Guitar fans will particularly enjoy tracks like "Life Pass" and "Let It Out," where the solos are enjoyably garish. [Sep 2016, p.73]

What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? is no return to the glory days, it is a credible reprise of their old-school rolling and one-two punch, spiked with heavy psychedelic guitar. [Dec 2020, p.36]

Although the songs are both traditional and modern, the mood of gentle awe and foreboding wonder is all of a piece. [Nov 2006, p.102]

Accelerate is a simple, pragmatic record built on an uncomfortable truth: sometimes, even the best bands have to retrace their steps, if only to remind themselves what they're really good at.

Ultimately you're left frustrated by the safety first approach. [Mar 2014, p.71]

This is a "Talk Of the Town" of the mind, and he is clearly in his elemnt. [Dec 2008, p.100

Certainly enough to impress the judges. [Jan 2008, p.93]

Heady and infused with whimsy, their second full-length flows effortlessly from dreamy girl-group pop to electro-bossa nova. [Feb 2009, p.76]

Treasury Library Canada feels less whimsical and more polished, although Hamilton still sticks closely to his signature mix of rich acoustic chamber-pop arrangemnts and quietly barbed lyrics. [Mar 2009, p.107]

It ain't always pretty. [Oct 2009, p.104]

Too many songs like "Spiral" lapse into mere pleasantness, but the clockwork body music of tracks like "Middle" and "Lady Luck" is compelling. [Jun 2011, p.86]

There are moments when the orchestrated bathos feels promising. .... But the lyrical clunkers pile up and ultimately capsize an intriguing venture into sophisti-pop. [Aug 2024, p.39]

Drew's desire to be all things to all 'hoods is the weakness of the soundtrack to his debut movie. [Oct 2012, p.86]

There's a little too much preciousness here. [Oct 2014, p.72]

The gambit [space-age sheen and quantised grooves] works on the trippy title track and the confrontational "If You Want It," but elsewhere it robs the band's hyper-rhythmic attack of its viscerally human feel. [Jan 2017, p.28]

A much more orthodox, plaid-shirted affair that draws heavily from the early '70s. [Jan 2016, p.73]

While house purists might find it juvenile, and there are some aimless passages, the lo-fi production is beautiful. [Mar 2012, p.87]

If you had Yamagata bagged as "winsome singer-songwriter," the breadth and ambition of this double-disc will knock you sideways. [Apr 2009, p.105]

Some of the music here illustrates the limitations of the formula, sometimes lapsing into lumpy blues-rock or new-age noodling. [May 2016, p.70]

It's all very tasteful and refined, but ultimately feels a little bloodless. [Feb 2024, p.30]

It's solid stuff. But he's got a way to go to rise above his influences. [Jun 2011, p.86]