Overall, Science expands the band’s already-vast palette that continues to defy and recontextualize any definition of a “rock” band.

Loyalty to Loyalty, the band’s sophomore release, isn’t as immediately impacting as that first round of songs, but CWK didn’t lose their charm (or literary obsessions), either.

Monkey: Journey to the West is a testament to Albarn's versatility as a musician and his melodies' ability to avoid becoming losing their power in translation.

Starfucker has crafted a solid, catchy, well-produced pop record that should have the hooks and emotional resonance to compete with most indie-rock contemporaries for lovesick teenagers’ iPod disc space.

While almost as good as that first Dooom album, only time will tell if this sequel can become another timeless classic in the Kool Keith catalog.

Her eponymous debut is the closest thing to “Betty Davis Eyes” or “Stand Back” recorded for our generation, and yet it isn’t nauseatingly retro.

Just some progressive musicians being…progressive. O Soundtrack My Heart is not for everyone, and that’s not a bad thing.

There may be no safer bet than an Amanda Palmer’s bleeding-heart album--her built-in fan base will eat it up the same way they voraciously devoured Tori Amos’ open wound a decade ago--but the Palmer Show is strong enough to sustain much more daring theatrics than what’s given here.

This is what Nelly's Brass Knuckles is best summarized as...a club jam.

The latter half of Paperwork is a showcase for the lead, at times a tad too comfortable with his unrestrained vocalizations.

Eyes at Half Mast is music for self-reflection, the perfect soundtrack to those long, introspective drives through silent city streets.

Fans of Death Cab and the Postal Service might notice a similarity between Angelakos' and Ben Gibbard's vocal styles. The six song EP features light, airy synths grounded in subtle new wave and pop grooves.

Worth the wait, Knowles West Boy provides a uniquely varied soundscape from an equally enigmatic musicmaker. [Jul/Aug 2008, p.87]

Pennington’s soaring, Rufus Wainwright-esque croon may be the most distinctive element of the record but also one of its greatest weakness.

This album, as seemingly different as each song is, runs pretty smoothly.

Not much separating Brotherhood from "Singles 1993-2003;"...Now for the tasty part. Disc two contains “Electronic Battle Weapon,” volumes one through nine.

Time and place be damned, this is a good record, but it will never be anyone’s favorite.

The Game pairs that unabashed love with swirling ideas and concepts that elevate the record to an easy contender for album of the year.

Sol-angel and the Hadley St. Dreams boasts Thievery Corporation at the production helm, giving little Knowles' album a sophisticated sonic texture of jazzy pop, lounge inflections, and brassy drama.

The songs all come from a similar place, but a solid bass line and focused rhythm will always carry the day.

Levi seemed to have a great idea for Never Never Love, but didn't execute it as well as he possibly could have; so in practice, the record does not flow as well as he may have liked it to.

Lykke Li manages to combine Feist’s beautiful crooning with Robyn’s playful spunk in her own impressively unique way.

The tunes are taunt and chipper and the instrumentation is full and flirty as promised. But their tunefulness falls into question with these ears.

It’s a welcome return to “vintage” Stills, after an attempt at stylistic departure (2006’s "With Feathers") was met with lukewarm critical reception.

Superfluous, the extra weight drains the raw intensity of the Furnaces’ famed live show and often leaves Remember sounding like a cheaply recorded album, rather than a live celebration.

This one’s not as immediately accessible as "Affair," but still maintains Lindstrom’s position at the top of the electronic scene.

Their sixth album is an unlovely cocktail of faux-Cobain grunting, downtuned guitars and self-pity. [Nov 2008, p.119]

An album that masks its bite with sounds of familiarity and demonstrates Thibodeau's uninhibited emotion with full-scope 20/20 vision