At times, lyrics seem a bit too obvious, but its usually at these points that Dear also pushes his songs into more over-the-top mode, making them feel a bit more sarcastic at the same time.

An excellent atmospheric rock album.

Over quiet, shuffling drum machine beats, the two spill out woozy guitars, vocals, and organs into slightly off-kilter pop nuggets that sound like they could have been made at any point in the past thirty (or more) years.

It seems like in the process of tightening up their sound, the group also left out some of the more over-the-top qualities that inhabited their past releases. Keep Your Eyes Ahead sounds a lot more warm, but at the same time is more safe as well.

Another semi-spotty release.

Much of the sharp rhythm programming and quick dynamic changes that marked her previous effort is replaced with more straightforward 4/4 beats and relentless dirty basslines that unfortunately repeat themselves to the point of annoyance.

The first album from the group that feels downright tedious to me in places, as well as the first one that feels like they're spinning their wheels a bit.

The biggest problem with the release is that it's simply a little too programmed for it's own good.

One could argue that it sounds like a different group on this release, and technically it is. Still, if you like the last album from Rogue Wave, I can't imagine you going wrong with this one.

It's not the sort of release that's going to really knock you out, but it's spry and sharp and arrives as just the perfect time in early summer.

Minus a couple tracks on the release (including the very Luscious Jackson-esque "Roll The Dice"), this release is more like the female version of Air or Stereolab-lite.

Like his debut, it could use a bit more focus and some editing, but the basement hits feel is part of the charm with VanGaalen.

There are plenty of polyrhythms, but not much to hum along with. A big step up from their debut, this one will be much loved by riddim heads.

It's mostly inventive and catchy as hell.... That is, to say, if you don't mind the nearly ever-present vocals of Lafata.

If I didn't know better, I'd say that the duo was jumping on the electro (the trend that keeps on giving) bandwagon, but there are songs on the disc (like the album-titled "Black Cherry") that suggest more of a logical progression in sound, mixing the more breathy sounds of old with a touch of the more electronic-infected sounds of the new release.

[A] blistering album.

At times enjoyable, at other times somewhat bland, And The Opera Circuit is a somewhat inconsistent follow-up release from the young artist.

In terms of Wolf Parade side projects, this one is no more trying than Swan Lake or Frog Eyes, but it's obviously nowhere near as immediate as work from the main group.

While there's nothing wrong with any of the disc, it just feels like tracks such as "Dahlem," "Basic," and "Cosimo" have already been done by the group before.

If you're a fan of the darker energy that the group brought to their earlier releases (like Dubnobasswithmyheadman), you may find this release a little soft in the middle.

Arriving somewhere between the newer work of Styrofoam (on Morr) and The Postal Service, Electric President mainly dabbles in melancholy-tinged tracks with a couple bursts distributed through the album for good measure.

The album is a bit hit-or-miss, fortunately more of the former than the latter.

It's not quite as engaging as Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, but in a pinch it will do.

It's a much breezier affair, as if Air and Daft Punk have been cross-bred with The Notwist and Mouse On Mars.

While the hooks are certainly great in places, it jumps from place to place so quickly that there's never anything for the ear and brain to go back to.

Their production is still top-notch, and as mentioned above the album still has some great sounds and moments, but it's not quite up to the level that they've done in the past.

Mostly a blast of fun.

An atmospheric slab of mostly instrumental keyboard-driven music that basically sounds like a further advanced version of what LaValle has been doing for some time now.

It's at its best when it puts Albarn in situations that you wouldn't normally hear him in, but also stumbles occassionally with a couple tracks that feel rather tossed-off and others that feel like they could have come off a Blur b-side.

In the end, Varcharz feels like an in-betweener album, where the duo hasn't quite figured out which direction they want to move in next.

If the group can somehow capture the more experimental and even odd edge of their different mixes, I think they might have something going. When they're just doing their thing, they simply sound like far too many other bands that are just trying to milk the legacy of the Jesus And Mary Chain a bit longer.

I'm not sure if it's the lack of a clear-cut conceptual idea or something else, but the 11 songs on the release just seem to plow along through waters that the group has already rowed many times before.

Considering at least part of the groups charm was their ability to surprise, there's simply not enough of that here as a whole, and In Arm's Way suffers because of it.

It has enough winners to make it something to hunt down if you like the group.

It's not a world-changer, but it's certainly one of the more fun pop albums that I've heard this year so far.

I simply can't imagine a time when I'd put this disc on for pleasure listening, but considering Halloween is coming up, Burned Mind is the perfect thing if you want to scare the bejeebus out of the neighborhood children.

Many of the tracks on the latter half of the release simply don't change that much, and for that reason it's a little hard to just pop in the player and sit down to listen to unless you're into repetitive, harsh electronic dance music.

Although it's loud in places, it doesn't sound as overstuffed as the past couple releases from the group, and that's a nice change.

In the end, it's not going to change the world, but it shows that the group is definitely expanding (in a good way) their sound from their early days.

With ten songs running a hair under forty minutes, it's a concise debut that hits the mark a good portion of the time while introducing All The Saints as someone to really keep an eye on.

It's the sort of release that metal fans will probably like because it offers plenty of chunk-tastic riffs (that aren't too far off from newer, more polished work from Helmet), but dub fans will probably steer clear from because of it's focus on said heavy-fisted bombast.

If you go back to the touchpoints of the era in terms of music, there's certainly plenty of awful lyrics, and while I can often overlook lyrics if the music itself is strong, Saturdays = Youth sometimes lapses into a sort of emo shoegazer feel that's simply a bit too sickly-sweet for me.

As with most other first releases, though, it's a a bit inconsistent in places, but all in all, Smoke is a fun and sometimes great debut from a young artist.

Great in moments and undecided in others, The Grand Archives show hints of promise here, but don't really have enough to set them apart.

Adamson isn't above mixing wacca-chika guitars with soaring strings and following it up with haunting instrumentals, and unlike some odd hybrids on former releases, this disc pulls most of it off quite well.

Essentially, if you've heard the group before, you know what you're getting into here, and if you enjoy them you won't be let down.

It's true that if you've listened to a lot of kraut music, you've probably heard a fair amount of work like this, but Reinhardt has put together a lovely little release here that's topped off with some great artwork and design.

It's not their best work to date, but it definitely taps into a deep well of both anger and despair.

There's still plenty to enjoy, but it's by no means a smooth ride.

In the end, it doesn't really matter that it's the soundtrack to a video game that I'll never play. It's a new Amon Tobin album (and a good one at that), and that's all I need.

While it might not be a full exclamation point ending to their career, it's far better than a fall on the face.

Unless you're a big fan of the group, though, you'll probably find Do It! more than a little frustrating.

Easily the least indulgent of the releases for the group thus far.

There are moments where the two seem to sync up nicely and really unveil something beautiful and unique, but there are far too many other passages where the pairing doesn't quite seem to fully jel.

While everything on the release is technically put together well and even sometimes compelling (the two album-opening tracks work about the best), most of the time things feel like they've been written specifically for the person who's singing them.

It's All Around You has both serious ambience and serious grooves, it rocks occasionally, and it doesn't dip into jazz nearly as much as some of their past releases.

In the end, this is a perfectly passable release if you need something to play in the background at your next cocktail party or if you're a dentist looking for something to play in the background.

While the beats and programming are done well, much of it simply seems like slight variations on tracks that he's already done.

A letdown from the full-on intensity and imagination of their previous release.

This is by far their most polished and clean sounding album to date, as well as one that doesn't have the sort of immediately catchy tracks like on previous releases.

If you like instrumental hip-hop and don't mind a few tracks with vocals (most of which are quite well done), Soft Money is worth checking out.

Push The Heart is easily the most developed batch of songs from the group, easing through ten assured tracks of soft orchestral pop.

It doesn't always work, but there are more than enough explosive moments to pick up the slack.

Easily the most plain-sounding album that LaValle has released to date.

The album is rather hit or miss. There are a handful of standout tracks, another handful of ones that are simply decent, and yet a couple more that don't really raise the pulse level at all.

Leave Your Name is 11 tracks and only 28 minutes long, about half of which feels like noodling.

If you could imagine a cross between Wilco and Flaming Lips with just about everything challenging and interesting sucked out of it, it might sound something like this.

It's definitely about as disjointed as they come, and while that loose style seems to invigorate some tracks, it makes for a release that's downright hard to listen to in places.

If you're fan of the previous work of Pole, tread gently (and skip the EPs and head directly for the album), but if you're looking to just start out with some of his work, head for his earlier releases.

In the end Just A Souvenir isn't quite as consistent as it could be, but it offers a nice new direction that will likely have a bit more staying power.

While there are a couple of tracks that are completely amazing, the album as a whole could have used a little better sequencing to make it more tight.

While not every single thing they try works, it's still a very enjoyable listen.

In essence, it still sounds like Fridge, but they've decided to look backwards just as much (and possibly more) than they looked forwards.

It's kind of a whopper to digest all at once, but if you've heard Momus before and liked him, you're not going to go wrong here.

An ambitious, if flawed new album that once again tries to include many different things on one release, but unfortunately stumbles in several places.

If you're a fan of the group through thick and thin, there will definitely be enough to love here. If you want to know the best place to start with Trans Am, that place is still Futureworld.

A varied and interesting album that is also a bit hit-or-miss.

Given the past work from the group, Gimme Trouble is a major curveball, seemingly reveling in just about everything tacky about electroclash.

It was a valiant try, but Tiny Cities just doesn't have a lot going for it unless you're a die-hard fan of Kozelek.

If you're a hardcore fan of Underworld, you'll find some things to love here (as I did), but others will probably want to reach for something more consistent.

Free jazz fiends and fans of the first volume will find plenty to love here.

In terms of overall sound and cohesion, it's a step up from the debut by the group, but it's almost clinical in precision and slightly numbing with riff after riff blasting away with the same sort of glossy production.

Goodbye has a tendency to blur together in many places during the course of ten tracks and just under an hour in running length. If you like his past work, you might want to check this one out, but others will probably want to take a pass.

Despite the inconsistencies, Hello Everything is one of the best things that Jenkinson has done in some time.

Woozy and stark, City Of Refuge is one of those releases that never really shifts dynamics too much (there's no rhythm section on the entire album) and feels a bit longer than it actually is.

While it doesn't work stunningly as a whole, there are places where the group comes together to create dark and blistering rock tracks that stand with the best work they've ever done.

Even if the lyrical content is supposed to be ironic, it's still pretty horrible.

While they have incorporated new sounds into their palette, the sonic experiments don't quite work all the time and the album suffers a bit in places because of that.

Even though it's downright schmaltzy at times, Sun, Sun, Sun is such a warm, inviting record that I've found myself going back to it time after time.

Dip is sort of an awkward sidestep in a new direction for Moffat, but it's still rewarding in places if you have the patience.

Donkey is about what one might expect from the group for a second album. Those who liked their rough edges the first time around might find themselves a bit disappointed by the new sheen, but they'll likely gain more fans they they lose.

The quiet/loud, quiet/loud thing has been going on for a long time now, and while Mono has things in common with everyone from Mogwai to the aforementioned groups, they're definitely one of the better bands I've heard doing this in a while.

Interestingly enough, the group manages to pull most of it off, but not without some stops into new-age and downright silly territory.

It's not that I have anything against the group doing something more poppy, it's just that the result sounds far too polished and plain boring compared to their regular work.

A document only for the hardcore fans.

They definitely have some hummable hooks, and at moments the album feels like it's going to shake off the reigns of running the middle-ground, but just about the time you think things are going to bust loose like a rocking Monk and Cantella track, they swerve back into more agreeable sounds.

In the grand scheme of Orb albums, it lands as slightly better than their last effort Cydonia, but not nearly as good as classics like Orbus Terrarum.

The 11 tracks on Hopes And Fears have an almost complete lack of soul and even distinction between one another.