Doves succeed in giving fans their fix of new music that sounds fresh without altering the formula so much as to alienate any of their devotees.

It’s a strong, deliberate album that is both unsettling and riveting, and absolutely convincing in asserting Crystal Castles’ relevance, and talent.

Long-time Kelis fans might be initially surprised at the sonic switch-up-it's more dance than quirky R&B-but there's something totally right about the way Kelis tackles electronic music.

Fantasies has solid musicianship, simple yet poetic and meaningful lyrics, a myriad of melodies, and hooks that are memorable and exciting.

Delightfully odd, smart and horny, the Maels deliver on time once again. [May 2006, p.90]

An emo-rap fan's wet dream. [Feb 2003, p.93]

All it takes is a spin of their high-steppin' full-length debut to realize that these ladies are worthy of the praise. [Sep 2003, p.101]

King as album title is ambitious and King as album finds T.I. firm-footed in his role as such. [May 2006, p.95]

Winner of the “Best New Act” award at the Danish Grammys, Choir of Young Believers’ debut is like summer itself--over too soon, but a tremendous joy.

Dirty Bomb is a double-edged sword that will undoubtedly rip you apart--but trust when I say it won’t hurt.

A psychedelic journey quite unlike any other that could very well result in the creation of a completely new category of music simply known as Utopia Rap because musically it doesn't get much better than this.

There's a psyche-rock track with UNKLE on here, for chrissakes. But yeah, dude has skills.

The production offers great instrumentation and paints moods very well for Wale and his expertly-picked guest appearances.

Songs are succinct yet maintain an eye for layering oblique, eccentric detail of almost prog proportions. [Jun 2006, p.111]

A really freaky, fun ride into eclectism. [Nov 2002, p.94]

An album full of interesting possibilities, but only a few memorable songs. [Mar 2002, p.120]

Doom still holds some secrets, but his lyricism and feel for the funk sweat out of the this album as much as any of his previous, if not more. He clearly shows that he is here to stay, and if anyone was expecting change, they are looking in the wrong spot.

This is heady material, but it’s also extremely beautiful and catchy, and picks up right where each of their respective solo careers left off.

A raucous blend of rockabilly, country and '80s indie rock best listened to before a heavy night of Caledonian pint-drinkin'. [Sep 2005, p.112]

This isn't the neo-hippie folk of Devendra Banhart, but something far more sinister. [Dec 2005, p.96]

The camp is still there, only now there's a newfound confidence (not to mention skill level) that make this one a winner. [Aug 2003, p.90]

Her rhyming ability is versatile yet non-braggadocios. And it is these ingredients that gives the music world a fresh yet veteran voice.

The studio noodling on Roots & Crowns sounds fittingly organic and effortless. [Oct 2006, p.117]

After five full-length albums, Shame, Shame finds Dr. Dog far from having exhausted their creativity, sounding more passionate and frenzied than ever on what is a lasting testament to their showmanship and remarkably consistent songwriting.

Triumphant. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.130]

Thanks to collaborations with Richard X, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Xenomania’s Brian Higgins, Annie’s cross-genre “pop with strange edges” still comes together with plenty of bang.

Ecstatic may not be the warm follow-up some people were expecting, but it's an equally fascinating, engaging album. [Jun 2005, p.78]

Red Barked Tree captures the sharp and fiery hallmark defined by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert Grey some thirty-odd years ago to strike a pressure point relevant to younger generations.

Though straightforward, the song structures are detailed and ruffled. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Right from the get-go, whatever "community" Deacon was aiming for seems to be established--the music is inclusive, it's warm, and it invites you in rather than thrusting itself at you, unlike previous Deacon works.

Musically, the live instrumentation and golden-era feel to the production make this record an enjoyable listen.

Whether live or memorex, it's really hard to tell the difference between the two, especially on excellent if-it-ain't-broke tracks like 'Fake ID' and 'Doing it Right.' [Sep/Oct 2007, p.130]

We're given a deeper record than some may've anticipated -- sonically, for sure--but more so The Very Best's debut stands up higher as document of seamless (and shameless) cultural convergence.

Surprisingly sophisticated for a collection of shouty-pouty ballads from a trio of 20-year-olds. [Dec 2005, p.98]

Both a return to form and a major step forward. [Dec 2005, p.94]

Despite all of it's successes, the fact is that the album doesn't reach perfection, which I imagine is what most Jets fans might have been expecting from it. I will argue that it's a superior piece of work and certainly one of the better hip hop releases so far this year.

It's Josh Reichmann and James Sayce's glam-shaded and '60s pop-tinged songwriting that really makes this record cook. [Dec 2005, p.105]

Albums such as Wake Up! – best intentions aside – run the risk of coming across as entirely cheesy and contrived. Unfortunately, John Legend and The Roots are no exception to the rule.

The Big Doe Rehab, is predictably entertaining, not because he doesn’t have new tricks, but because at this point his weirdness is hardly surprising.

Seductive, lovely and OK to like. [Mar 2006, p.116]

Its tracks work together to form a cohesive, incredibly personal whole. [May 2007, p.91]

The guys do an incredible job of combining both the “Diplo” and “Switch” styles with that of Major Lazer, while still paying respect to a genre they clearly love.

Coxon finally seems to be coming into his own. [Mar 2005, p.111]

It simply doesn't satisfy. [#90, p.115]

The band is crisp and tight, with daring songwriting and arrangements. [Mar 2004, p.111]

Perhaps an EP would have better-suited Yorke's solo aspirations. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.115]

Overall it's a great promissory note to the world, and a view of what's to come in the dance world. If anything, all I can hope for are more divas and fewer bros dominating the scene.

Too often, bands are promenaded across the web, heralded in a way that makes everyone a name-dropping music connosieur, only to fade too fast....hopefully the same won't happen to the latest interwebs It Chick, Bethany Cosentino b.k.a. Best Coast.

What Max has created as a result is nothing short of amazing.

The contrasts, themes, and sheer eclectics of the album make for something that any one person can listen to, and relate to.

Like flicking through '60s AM radio's intermittent channels. [Sep 2006, p.138]

All in all, it seems like the diva needs a little drama to get it percolatin'. [Mar 2006, p.123]

It doesn’t always make for a relaxed listen, although it is certainly capable of settling in as a moody background or standing in the forefront captivating rapt ears. The swarms of noise can be both comforting and disconcerting, but each finds a place of its own as this duo continues their run of impressively novel music making.

Featuring the production savvy of Soulwax (who also worked on "Sexor") is an extremely polished and solid release.

A transportive offering in a record full of them--strangely relatable, hauntingly beautiful and in the truest sense, exquisite.

More distinctive than the arrangements, though, are Topley-Bird's utterly unique vocals. [Sep 2004, p.117]

Devoted fans need not worry, though--the album still holds the melancholic flavor they’ve come to perfect, just with some added twinkling synths, hints at old-school R&B, and a splash of funk for good measure.

This is just one entertaining ride for hardcore hip-hop fans all the way down the corridor, one that economically rocks your knot at just under 42 minutes.

You would think that all this grandiose genre-juggling would play out like a collection of songs, but it all works well together and plays like a cohesive album.

Two Suns doesn’t have to parade itself around as a concept album to prove that music has always been, and always should be, about telling a story, as Khan does here.

[The band has] gotten down to the more important work of constructing airtight grooves with just enough weirding-out to show their legion of followers that it takes more than a drummer with good 16th-note skills to rock this party right. [Mar 2007, p.96]

Any notions of the dreaded sophomore slump disappear seconds into their new album It’s a Bit Complicated.

None of the pairings are out of place. [Mar 2007, p.99]

Milky Ways is a simple yet multilayered album that fires on all cylinders.

Javelin know what they're good at, where they stand, and they aren't trying to shove their knowledge and musical interests in their listeners faces. Instead, they let them find it for themselves by picking up on bits and pieces and carrying them forward, focusing on what interests them without having to worry about what they don't.

Luckily he counteracts offbeat, sad sucker storytelling with endearing Casio tones and token indie rock chords. [Mar 2006, p.123]

Mirror Conspiracy's thoughtful drum programs hardly become drowsy or monotonous... Unfortunately the occasional lyrical overdose also leaves some tracks seeming a little too light. [#77, p.130]

There is a certain rhythm that begins to form with constantly being pulled along and feeling as though this will be the moment everything crescendos. Prepare yourself To Realize presents a Sisyphus-esque journey that can be exhausting.

Most of the time listening to anything that's on the Hot 100 is considered a guilty pleasure. Music for females, not fanboys. But thanks to Girl Talk, Feed the Animals makes the feeling less filthy—thus the embarrassment is less painful.

A rewarding, intimate listen. [Mar 2007, p.101]

The Hawk is Howling is Mogwai at its best.

The tracks... feel more like loose, languid, quiet-loud sketches and fine textures than actual songs. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.96]

Damn decent stuff. [Oct 2005, p.85]

Their sound has life, culture and tiny details that could only be developed from a wide variation of instruments and worldly inspirations.

With Similes, he has re-grounded himself using surprisingly un-ambient means: plaintive vocal turns, steady human percussion, traditional and discernible instrumentation

From the tip to full metallic thrust, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney slap and caress romantic lyricism deep into the tunnels of harmonic structure, curried by Brian Burton’s (aka Dangermouse) rollicking production.

Albarn claims this album is a letter to the London of today, but it's impossible not [to] get swept into the grandfatherly smell that permeates every number. [Dec 2006, p.127]

Hercules head Andy Butler enters into sizable trances of sonic pleasure, keeping a consistent head nodding and danceable bass line while piling up different elements into an anachronistic salad of old and new melodies all combining and fusing to make something refreshingly current.

Lewd and wonderful. [Apr 2005, p.103]

At the end of the day Maximum Balloon is not a great departure from the TV on the Radio sound. And it's hard to say that's a bad thing.

Takemura's most embraceable album to date. [Jan 2003, p.77]

Draft's second half will hold more sway over those pining for the minor-key melodiousness of works through Tri Repetae++. [Jun 2003, p.93]

It's almost a relief when the album hangs up, like talking to a crazy and exhausting friend who didn't get the memo that we're all supposed to be zombie-d out like it's 1982 right now. [Dec 2002, p.88]

As sophomore albums go, Atlas is far from sophomoric. [Feb 2004, p.79]

This rocking trio is so good, we don't even care that it made a plethora of best-of-2005 lists--it'll end up on our rocking list for the '06. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.132]

Wolfmother might not be the most original band on the planet, but they rock hard and, most importantly, without a trace of irony. [May 2006, p.91]

Every song is a keeper. [Apr 2005, p.103]

Live, this animal bears really bears it's fangs while at the same time increasing the thoughtful and clever sonics and compositional savvy that puts them in a class above most of their peers.

Deceptively primitive-sounding, Alight Of Night is the definition of a "grower." [Nov/Dec 2008, p.84]

This is AM pop perfection that doesn't need a stamp of retro-cool to be timeless. [Mar 2005, p.111]

Combined with newly found experiences, newly discovered self-awareness and newly refined skills, By the Throat catches this almost-forgotten duo at a new height of the pair's combined powers. Well worth the wait.

Emphasizes stripped down drums & bass. [Apr 2007, p.102]

It’s a syrup-sick pop rotted by dark folk, elaborate rhythms and droning psychedelia, but it’s always tight--meticulously so--making Alopecia an across the-board delicacy of warped obsession.

Somewhere between Matmos and Ariel Pink, this is wickedly out there. [Sep 2005, p.110]

La Roux’s selft-titled debut doesn’t disappoint, pulling obvious influences from the Human League and Depeche Mode.

Why is it so easy to cling onto certain bodies of work and wish for each subsequent effort to bear resemblance? Well, the easy answer is because both of these men are very good at telling specific types of stories.

It's always amazing to see a band eclipse their influences. [Oct 2005, p.77]

Departs from the most interesting moments of his past work and thankfully st-st-st-st-stays there awhile.