The singer continues to exude a sophistication that raises the bar for aggressive rockers who can mature with both grace and continued relevance. [Nov 2011, p.93]

For both diehards and neophytes alike, Bad As Me works as Waits' "greatest methods" collection. [Nov 2011, p.98]

Madina Lake's return to the scene is reason enough to celebrate, it's just icing on the cake they've delivered their strongest album to date. [Sep 2011, p.107]

While the band's heritage has been hanging on by a thread for decades, The Devil's Rain is but an undercharged defibrillator to its decomposing corpse.

The recordings have the warmth and pop of a vinyl record, creating a perfect environment for Adams to honor his influences.

While the band do seem to reconcile something within by the conclusion of Odd Soul, the unpredictable, biting musical journey to get there makes for some powerful listening. [Nov 2011, p.96]

In the Pit of the Stomach is a fine achievement, but one that feels counter to the usual trajectory of your average rock group. [Nov 2011, p.98]

The "ordinary" stories about a new marriage after the shine wears off aren't as dramatic as a broken heart or life-threatening illness, but they're no less real and gradually embed themselves in the listener's mind. [Nov 2011, p.93]

By creating an homage to youthful, timeless pop-punk--New Found Glory sound revitalized and relevant. [Nov 2011, p.91]

Covering Ground, is Ragan forging his own lonely--yet hopeful--path. [Oct 2011, p.112]

Perfect for night drives on long, winding roads. [Oct 2011, p.107]

They deliver a collection of moving songs unified by skillful, understated songwriting, and a warmer, more organic tone than its predecessor, 2009's winning Chasing Hamburg. [Oct 2011, p.110]

In Reno especially, the Skulls' Agitation is one of the safest bets a punk can make. [Oct 2011, p.106]

It falls just a smidge short of the amazingly high bar set by their peers. [Oct 2011, p.107]

Ultimately, Neighborhoods is a slightly awkward entry in the band's catalog that shows as much potential as it does flaws.

The band stand undiminished, combining Leviathan's raging metal with the sterling production of the proggier Crack The Skye.

It may not be a challenging album, but it's close to pop perfection. [Oct 2011, p.107]

Honkey Kong exhibits Hughes' versatility as a songwriter and performer, but it's at the expense of sonic continuity. [Oct 2011, p.106]

It is as exciting and enthralling a listen as anything Thrice have ever created. [Oct 2011, p.105]

Velociraptor! is an energetic, upbeat, gleeful pastiche of almost every form of English pop devised over the past four decades. If you're gonna be a dinosaur, might as well be a fast one.

The New York quartet have outdone it with Lenses Alien. [Oct 2011, p.106]

Even if the energy level flags toward Hysterical's end, it's safe to say welcome back, fellows--all is forgiven. [Oct 2011, p.106]

In the Grace of Your Love is lethargic and shapeless. [Oct 2011, p.109]

Mariachi el Bronx (II) triumphs because not only does it treat West Mexican Musical idiom with respect, it raises the bar for future directions and possibilities. [Sep 2011, p.114]

Hopelessly happy, Grouplove should be required listening in seemingly hopeless times. [Oct 2011, p.107]

Mountaintops is still well-crafted (if overwrought), but lacks the punch that'll make you sit up and take notice. [Oct 2011, p.109]

It's probably the most honest collection yet. [Oct 2011, p.109]

Smart and adventurous, Wild Flag does not disappoint. [Oct 2011, p.112]

While modern metalcore acts are a dime a dozen now, the fourth full-length from the Devil Wears Prada should lay waste to any usurpers attempting to seize their rightful crown. [Oct 2011, p.107]

Portamento is a dramatic, bitchy and playful collection that can channel the aforementioned grief through the Drums' lively fingers, and come out effervescent on the other side.

The mild vulgarity and cute arrogance put to such an innocent melody [in "Fool Like Me"] is the brand of sass for which Cobra Starship are best known. Unfortunately, these traits are desperately lacking from the rest of Night Shades.

Am I The enemy is their second-best album and a reason to believe in a brighter future. [Sep 2011, p.120]

The high points are among the most fun songs Walker's recorded.

It's impossible not to throw up the horns, bang the head and get caught up in the heavenly haze of 13.

The Green Album is a sweet and largely sincere recasting of songs from The Muppet Show and several of its cinematic spinoffs.

In Waves hits some high notes with solo-heavy scorchers, but bury them seven tracks deep is as dumbfounding as their guitar work is breathtaking. [Sep 2011, p.120]

Overlook has its moments. [Sep 2011, p.120]

The addition of electric instruments and Morello's nasal speak-singing do make Rebel Songs read a little like a radicalized Dylan. [Sep 2011, p.116]

Mirror Traffic will neither win nor lose converts. [Sep 2011, p.112]

A reliance on monotonous tempos and rhythms--and a disappointing lack of melodic variation--further make Endless Now fell curiously lethargic. [Sep 2011, p.112]

La Liberacion's digi-pop breakdowns, reggae-tinged zaps and punky power-pop will please anyone who wrote the band off after 2008's too-glosy Donkey. [Sep 2011, p.112]

Whether Black Tide are going heavy or tender, every desperate attempt to conjure a moving moment fails. [Sep 2011, p.110]

How about just plain old "unbelievably goddamn gorgeous?"

Damon Atkinson's drumming is phenomenal as always, and Broach's new, crooning vocal style is an exciting first for the band. If this s what aging gracefully sounds like we back it. [Sep 2011, p.110]

Musically, Sky Full Of Holes is simply gorgeous. [Sep 2011, p.112]

What Happens in Hell Stays in Hell finds the trio beefing up their sound without betraying the genre. [Sep 2011, p.116]

We're all closer to comprehending, thanks to this absolutely brilliant piece of modern musical art. [Sep 2011, p.116]

The hooks aren't quite as memorable as last time, and Elvis Baskette's production at times make the band sound like faceless radio rock--but the disc ultimately might soon find TFT making good on their arena-rock aspirations. [Jul 2011, p.112]

The Flood, in contrast [to its self-titled debut], is a genuine statement of artistic purpose. [Jul 2011, p.110]

My Damnation is destined to become another album absorbed by the sonic wallpaper of bands copying a similar, well-worn blueprint. [Aug 2011, p.112]

IWABO prove there's some actual technique beneath their gimmickry. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, p.106]

They're playing a style of politicized pop-punk with snotty vocals that's too similar to a vastly superior band. [Aug 2011, p.114]

This 13-track disc can be heard as a welcome return to basics. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Future self displays enthusiasm without overstaying its welcome, and its daring moments are its most satisfying. [May 2011, p.93]

When it comes to ferocious riffs and monstrous melodies, few in the punk world can touch Heartsounds right now. [Aug 2011, p.114]

By sticking to a strict formula of short, frenzied blasts of razor-wire guitars and mosh-inciting rhythms, Cerebral Ballzy have gobbed out an absolutely fluff-free album. [Aug 2011, p.112]

Cruel World's glitchy electronic sound, reminiscent of his solo work on Anticon, sometimes makes it hard to tell there's a band involved. [Aug 2011, p.122]

The group still employ the boy-loves-girl lyrical motif--but the way they've expanded their sonic palette to include more than typical Warped Tour fluff is both admirable and a bit risky. [Aug 2011, p.122]

There's always been a heavier influence in the band's music, but on Arrows & Anchors, their ambitious desires to step outside the genre box often get bogged down in a sea of down-tuned guitar and maudlin lyrics.

Suicide Silence's third full-length maintains the visceral brutality that has characterized their output, even as it builds upon their unsettling strengths. [Aug 2011, p.120]

His heavily metal solo debut delivers bigger stylistic departures (and wilder guitar solos) than his other side projects. [Aug 2011, p.114]

Though Sublime With Rome's debut LP is a promising collection of summer songs, under the carefully fabricated surface, it's hollow.

Vannucci, stepping out from behind the drum kit, may not exactly be Dave Grohl, but his rock 'n' roll yelp is fitting with the music and a solid reminder that we don't need glitzy synths to craft solid, raucous songs. [Aug 2011, p.112]

It may not pack as firm as a punch as previous Viva Voce albums, but when they get their shots in you'll feel the sting. [Jul 011, p.112]

Mohager ultimately forgets there's a fine line between homage and aping, but if your dream gift is a time capsule from the Reagan Years get ready to discover your new favorite record. [Jul 2011, p.107]

For those who like their sweetness a little sour. [Jul 2011, p.110]

Harmonious hymns such as "Bury Your Burdens In the Ground" and "Let's Do Something Impossible" prove that you don't need more than a banjo, an expressive voice and a heartfelt story in order to craft something truly extraordinary. [Aug 2011, p.122]

John Gourley gives the envelope a token push but lays back a little too much into his comfort zone; the rest of the band abet him with lucid and calm performances. [Aug 2011, p.118]

It's a clear sequel that continues the character profiles and storylines frontman Rhett Miller created last time around. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Other than the booming, Devo-ish vocal effects on "Spacetime," these songs aren't pushing the envelope--but you should still tear it open and look inside. [Aug 2011, p.114]

One-man synth-pop act Ernest Greene's singing lacks firm consonants and dribbles out unintelligibly most of the time over the most compelling of his stripped-down electronic compositions. [Aug 2011, p.122]

Frustrated longtime followers will love that the XX-chromosome half of the brother-sister duo plays it mostly straightforward on her totally charming, engagingly breezy solo debut. [Aug 2011, p.114]

The album's best moment is "You've Got So Far To Go," which is straightforward without sacrificing nuance or energy. If only the rest of Damnesia could have been on that same wavelength. [Aug 2011, p.112]

This is an album aimed at minivan-driving moms who saw Incubus live a decade ago, but the boneheaded lyrical cliches and nap-inducing arrangements are likely to bore even them. [Aug 2011, p.114]

Ritual reminds fans that these Michigan death-metal merchants are capable of greatness. [Jul 2011, p.107]

Fans of extreme metal will find Unearth's latest release a tad too light, but anyone who likes metal in their 'core should go completely bat-shit over this album.

Shed's a wonderfully rough and ambitious re-introduction from Title Fight that occasionally belies the band's youth. [Jun 2011, p.111]

From start to finish, Leveler is exhilarating. [Jul 2011, p.106]

Although his output as City and Colour is drastically different from the visceral post-hardcore of Alexisonfire, his following is huge; both his previous C&C albums have gone platinum in Canada. With his third effort, Little Hell, it's easy to hear why. [Jul 2011, p.107]

It's tough to find fault with such an inspired collection, but some moments aren't quite as standout as others.

This album is most definitely not Tell All Your Friends II: Electric Boogaloo. That said, it most assuredly doesn't come anywhere close to sucking, either.

Bon Iver is a brave change in certain places and only a careful departure in others, but its seemingly polar styles blend smoothly as only Vernon is capable of.

Practically seamless in execution, the worldly Sound Kapital reaches its peak with the anthemic "Repatriated," an upbeat track ready for dance floors from Brooklyn to Bangkok. [Jul 2011, p.110]

While Get Your Heart On! might not be the true return to form the band envisioned, it's ultimately worth the wait. [Jul 2011, p.105]

It's possibly the band's most poignant work to date. [Jun 2011, p.107]

[Andrew Kenny] The Austin native has never sounded so loose and assured as he does on Matchsticks. [Jul 2011, p.112]

Givers have created a debut that will surely set them atop the indie-rock world, if not only for their strict adherence to trying everything possible and succeeding gloriously at it all.

All too often it feels like the band are ignoring the part of their name that gives them carte blanche to experiment and toy with expectations.

Even though the delineation among colors at times seems a bit arbitrary and difficult to differentiate, The Color Spectrum stands up surprisingly well as a companion disc. [Jul 2011, p.111]

His bandmates give him one hell of a canvas on which to paint, with enormous hooks that pull from vintage Saves The Day and the Starting Line while still sounding fresh and exciting. [Jul 2011,p.112]

There's no question Biersack and the boys are making an active decision to go after the Rock On The Range crowd with lunkheaded hard rock and painfully bland ballads that are just dull enough to strike a chord with middle America. [Jul 2011, p.106]

While still drenched in anguish, regret and torrential riffs, Parting The sea gives Bolm's prose-dense vignettes and feral confessions the full punch and epic scope they deserve. [Jul 2011, p.112]

While Turner's penchant for experimentation is impressive, his ability to juxtapose all of these genres without losing his sense of identity is ultimately what makes England Keep My Bones such a grand success. [Jul 2011, p.108]

Fucked Up's pop sensibilities remain impressively omnipresent, validating the hype. [Jul 2011, p.107]

The majority of the tracks are watered down reminders of their indie big brothers. [Jul 2011, p.107]

Well paced and thoroughly engaging, the Braxton-less Battles have accomplished the seemingly impossible with Gloss Drop: They've actually gotten better. [Jul 2011, p.107]

[Turner's] newer sound, along with more layered arrangements, lends itself nicely to Arctic Monkeys' take on pop, balladry and stoner rock. [Jul 2011, p.106]