It's electro adventurism aligns him with John Maus and White Rainbow,m but Nick Cave and Berlin-era Bowie hover nearby. [Dec 2011, p.79]

Bob Rock's big production ladles on the reverb, merely emphasizing hollowness at the core. [Dec 2011, p.81]

The best moments [from The King Is Dead] are woefully unlucky not to have made the cut.

This is a vital reimagining, not a retro homage. [Dec 2011, p.81]

Just when you thought Bjork had plumbed and conquered every depth and summit of her range, Dirty Projectors have shepherded her to newer pastures. [Dec 2011, p.81]

The Less you know is a rather ponderous return to form. [Dec 2011, p.81]

This is a dark and heartfelt affair. [Dec 2011, p.82]

Shadowed by a might past, in Ersatz GB, this is a strictly prefabricated Fall. [Dec 2011, p.82]

New collaborations from Noah & The Whale to Conor O'Brien, are worth the price of admission. [Dec 2011, p.82]

While his lyrics crackle, the music seems like an afterthought. [Dec 2011, p.84]

Harding here ups the comeback ante with a baker dozen of frothy, breezily melodic gems. [Dec 2011, p.84]

Primal yet precise, these obliques beats and blocky grooves loom out of the lush ambient foliage like the crown of a Mayan temple in the Yucatan jungle. [Dec 2011, p.87]

This US trio make a more than decent fist of their upbeat retro-music without ever quite shaking off the scent of pastiche. [Dec 2011, p.87]

The Vision unveils a colorful, sensualist take on the dubstep sound, flexing basslines set into relief by twinkling R&B melodies and a host of guest vocalists. [Dec 2011, p.87]

Soul Time! is another thrilling homage to the glory days of Motown and Stax. [Dec 2011, p.87]

The lo-fi production means it can all sound a bit shrill. [Dec 2011, p.88]

If is deeply lovely music, born of a tenderly weighted sensibility. [Dec 2011, p.88]

Overall, the album feels insular and stultifying introspective, despite the undeniable earnestness of Lee's intent and the passion fueling his ambition. [Dec 2011, p.89]

Keene's career-best album. [Dec 2011, p.89]

The band strike a neat balance between chunky Pavement guitar scrawl and sombre orchestrals. [Dec 2011, p.89]

Solid, competent stuff, but it's difficult, but it's difficult to imagine anyone wanting to listen to this in isolation. [Dec 2011, p.89]

The whole oddball exercise is almost rescued by "Pinky's Dream." [Dec 2011, p.89]

Still one of America's most unique and affecting songwriters. [Dec 2011, p.90]

Howard Devoto's arch art-rockers deliver a fresh set of oddball studies. [Dec 2011, p.90]

Some old punk hands (notably erstwhile Black Flag guitarist Dez Caden) conjure up some acceptable punk bubblegum. [Dec 2011, p.90]

Replica feels less dreamy, more disquieting. [Dec 2011, p.92]

The result is rather tiring. [Dec 2011, p.95]

The end result is a rich, luxurious take on bass music that could probably have only been made by outsiders. [Dec 2011, p.96]