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.

Some of the more stunning psychedelic rock I've heard in awhile.

It's not that The Slow Wonder is a bummer by any means, because it's not. It's simply not riding quite the same giddy highs as work by his previous groups.

Sung Tongs is 12 tracks and 52 minutes of the most bizarre and absolutely mind-bendingly infectious pop music that you'll hear this year.

A technicolor blast that pairs hooky guitar and keyboard riffs with plenty of four on the floor beats and sing-along vocals.

While there are some excellent moments on La Incredible Aventura, it feels more like a transitional album than a fullfilled vision.

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.

This is one of the more straightforward and brutal assessments of people and relationships that I've heard in awhile, all set to vaguely dreary music that is pretty impeccable in construction.

[A] blistering album.

Sounds sort of like a cross between a more mainstream New Order and Daft Punk.

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.

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

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.

Probably the biggest complaint could be that the group has tightened up their sound even more on this release, leaving behind even more of the roughshod qualities that made their earlier discs blister with such energy.

If you're a fan of their older work, you'll probably find yourself a bit turned-off here, but if you're a fan of well-played rock music with an ocassional burst to make it stick out from the masses doing the same, Final Straw might be something to check out.

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

I find Venice quite beautiful and downright stunning in places, yet simply good in others.

Sufjan Stevens is a musician who seems to just be reaching his creative peak and shows no signs of slowing down.

There are some amazing songs on Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, but overall it still feels like a transition[al] release of a group really trying to nail things.

Insanely catchy and perfect for singing along with.

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.

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

Even if you haven't liked the group in the past, you might very well find yourself won over by Fabulous Muscles.

The slight cracks that shone on Tallahassee are more visible, and unless you're a newbie to Mountain Goats lore, there probably won't be a whole lot new for you here.

All in all, the album is a good one, but still feels a small step away from being great.

It feels more like a transitional album than the next level for the group.

Overall, a small step up for the group, but not quite the masterpiece that they might very well be capable of.

There are a few peaks, not much in the way of valleys, and although it's not the best work by Kozelek, it's still pretty damn good.

There are a lot of groups out there doing this sort of music, but not very many doing it this well.

Sure, he's great at using a 909, but he's already progressed past the music he's made with Closer, and much of the time it feels like falling back on old habit for lack of new ideas.

Just the right mixture of sonics.

One of the better British rock discs that I've heard in awhile.

Sure, the group can rock out at moments, but the majority of the 11 tracks on this release just feel warmed-over. They feel like they've been reworked countless times to make them better (and they have), but instead of actually making the tracks better, the life and vitality was sucked out of them.

Despite having a lot in common with their first disc, there are some slight variations in sound that make Chutes Too Narrow even better than its predecessor.

The Lemon Of Pink is built in much the same way that its predecessor was, and while it conjures up similar feelings at times, it also takes off in different directions entirely with the addition of actual vocals.

With the field recordings, the release at times resembles the more sublime moments of Set Fire To Flames, but with more strings and a slightly less bleak sound.

Easily the best work that the group has done.

The release has a great sense of humor, and the entire thing is scattered with those weird little samples that he's so good at finding, but if you're looking for much more than that, you may find yourself disappointed.

While it indeed works wonders in most places, it stumbles in a few, crossing over into an almost sickenly sweet radio-friendly territory that make me doubly wish for new Portishead material.

If you're curious about the group but haven't taken a chance on them yet, this is the perfect album to start.

When they're on, though, they're on, and although this album doesn't quite reach the heights that their earlier At Dawn does, it's still a great disc from a young group who will be making even more noise in the future.

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

Clever without being pretentious.

The one-two punch of "Blue Lights" and "Chemical, Chemical" will be making year-end mix CDs like crazy.

Like all pop music that treads so close to the overly-sappy line, the release stumbles only when it moves a little too close to adult contemporary. Fortunately, it only does that a couple of times.

All in all, the release probably would have worked better as an extended EP instead of nearly an hourlength rumination on one track and ideas that spawned from it.

Although the music of the group has taken quite a few strides forward, it is also once again the voice of Trish Keenan that holds everything together.

An excellent instrumental rock disc with plenty of things thrown in the mix to keep things interesting.

For a debut, it's a remarkabley inventive and interesting release.

Several of the shorter tracks feel like little more than filler.

It doesn't travel any really adventurous ground, but it's a solid little entry for hot weather.

Easily the crowning achievement of their short lifespan thus far.

There's a lot of the year to go still, but this one's going to be hard to beat.

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

One of the most disturbing orchestral albums you'll hear.

An ambitious, sometimes awkward mish-mash of soul-baring, ego-blaring, and everything in-between.

If you've liked any of his previous work, you won't go wrong here.

It feels more like a band effort, allowing itself to breathe a little more in places.

One Word Extinguisher opens and closes with a batch of great songs, but gets a bit soggy in the middle, treading similar ground several times over again and tossing out tracks that feel too similar to what we've already heard from him.

There's no doubt that Betke hasn't lost his finesse in creating tracks, but after such a long hiatus, this EP is a little lacking in the excitement department.

Like Belle And Sebastian, one of the main weaknesses of the group is that they're just to darn precious at times for their own good.

Even the tracks that don't quite work don't miss the mark by much, and while there's nothing too flashy going on within, the solid overall quality of the 12 tracks and 50 minutes of music is somewhat of a rarity.

The back two-thirds of the disc simply wanders around a bit too much, but there are still some real gems.

Once again, Snaith has surprised just about everyone, and Up In Flames will likely go down as one of my favorite albums of the year.

Almost as solid as their last full-length, even as it makes a couple slight departures from their sound.

I have to admit that this release usually manages to give me a little boost when I listen to it and it has the added bonus of scaring little kids.

With Neon Golden, The Notwist have done something that's not exactly an easy task; they've created an album that's mixes electronic and organic music in a way that makes each better.

Some people who liked the more experimental side of Tamborello's DNTEL project will simply find it a little too boppy for their liking, but it's one of those little discs that practically drills down into your subconscious.

If you're a fan of their more experimental instrumental work, you'll find plenty to be interested in here, as the album as a whole feels a bit scattered.

Although some have dismissed the group as glorified emo, the group has really gone far and beyond such a simple statement.

The problem is that it's just not very engaging, treading the same cinematic-heavy soundscapes over and over again without much in the way of dynamics or anything new in terms of sound.

Another semi-spotty release.

If you didn't like Joan Of Arc, this album still might not win you over, but it definitely strays away from the sheer oddness of their last couple releases.

An excellent atmospheric rock album.

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

The jumps aren't so dramatic that it feels completely disjointed, as the whole release (as with releases in the past by the group) has an overall introspective and rather dark and moody feel.

Street Dad is one of the coolest, most fun releases that I've heard in quite awhile.

A subtle, great album that moves along with a pastoral feel but never feels boring.

Taken individually, several of the tracks on the disc are the best that Gough has ever done. As a whole, the album just flows a bit inconsistently.

It's one of those releases that takes awhile to seep in completely, and while there are a great deal of amazing songs, it doesn't move me quite as much as their last disc.

Probably his most varied release yet.

What it all comes down to is that the album is not only damn fun to listen to, but it has enough aura and vibe that you may want to make it your personal soundtrack for this summer.

Musically and lyrically, it continues right along in the same footsteps of their last album, and in the case of some tracks is even much better.

An overproduced, sapped-down album that sounds really nice but fails to stick.

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.

Because this is a more personal affair, your tolerance for this release will largely depend on your acceptance of Martsch's voice.

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.

The brief disc contains enough gusto and punch to get your spastic swerve on heartily.

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

As a debut full-length, the group is definitely doing some excellent stuff, but like any band that gets swept up by the hype machine, you may be disappointed if you expect too much.

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

While it's sometimes a rambling mess, The Story Is In The Soil... sounds like one of those releases that was both cathartic and damn fun to put together.

Would most likely appeal to everyone from fans of Will Oldham and Palace Music to everyone who bought the recent Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and wanted to branch out a bit into some slightly (but still thematically similar) territory.

While the group has done a great job of incorporating even more digital tricks and unique sounds into the mix, they've somehow managed to create a slightly more sterile environment.

While the results may not break down conventions, it does provide a heaping helping of interesting music.

The Private Press is not only more ambitious, but simply more all over the place as well (which makes for brilliant moments as well as some inconsistent ones).

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.

Fans of the group's early work might find the album a bit trying at first, but it's still the same old group for the most part.