One of the few albums that deserves its Pitchfork-generated hype. [Jul 2006, p.204]

Some of the most evocative music of this century. [Dec 2002, p.97]

Z is their OK Computer, an album of scope and resonance that lasts far longer than its 40-minute run-time. [Oct 2005, p.162]

Absolution's chaotic choruses feel like the triumphant culmination of some earth-shattering undertaking. [Jul 2004, p.146]

Once again, A Perfect Circle have quietly produced a masterpiece that challenges the very nature of testosterone-fueled angst. [Nov 2003, p.110]

A gimmick-free indie-rock record that's both instantly gratifying and that seems destined to join the timeless-pop pantheon. [Dec 2005, p.202]

This is Calexico at their finest. [March 2003, p.86]

Oracular may be a complex effort, but the verdict is simple--it's brilliant. [Feb 2008, p.115]

Blue Record truly depicts a band at the peak of their powers. [Nov 2009, p.106]

Home Acres is rooted in stunning energy that tells the tale of a Midwestern dream falling apart. [Apr 2010, p.122]

Manchester Orchestra are no strangers to reinvention, but this is a bold step. It’s a grower of a sound: folky yet enormous, like Fleet Foxes at their most widescreen, and with no immediate hooks (“The Gold” is close, though). When they do emerge, they’re not easy.

A melodic masterpiece of regret. [Oct 2003, p.122]

On Nothing Violates This Nature, the Boston hardcore mob demonstrate once and for all that they’re far more than the sum of their parts. It is also one of the angriest and most violent records you will encounter in 2013.

Even in its darkest moments... [This Too] remains grounded in a beautiful humanity. [Mar 2007, p.136]

Bits of experimentation still poke through, especially on the dissonant, heart-rendering "Rabbit Foot," which neatly stitches up Defeater's past while pointing toward fresh dynamics and future chapter to come. [Aug 2013, p.86]

Performing some of thre best party music for smart people this side of Black Lips, the rest of the band match Reis' powerhouse vocal eccentricities with a perfectly calculated degree of rock 'n' roll swagger, blasting ahead like the Wipers one minute and settling into a slow-burning Bo Diddley groove the next. [May 2008, p.128]

The album is a triumph, a huge step forward for a band that should be regarded as one of the best in the genre.

It harnesses Circa's best qualities and adds a sense of direction previous releases somewhat lacked. [May 2010, p.105]

They've honed their sound perfectly, hitting every mark they set and making Because Of The Times kick so much ass that it demands you respect them as new rock royalty. [May 2007, p.152]

What elevates Jim from faux-soul Jamiroquai ghetto is the effortless exuberance and keen reverence that Lidell brings to the vocals and arrangements, hand-crafting dusty grooves as fresh as the first drop of the needle. [July 2008, p.162]

We All Belong is phenomenally consistent.

There’s so much depth to absorb here, yet it’s also instantly rewarding, and it happens time and again on Oh, Common Life; as adventurous as the album is, there’s nary a misstep to be found.

Seamlessly picks up right where 2003's Transatlanticism left off. [Nov 2005, p.208]

P.O.S. has raised the bar again. [Mar 2009, p.114]

The band have transcended to a newfound comfort, creating the most natural music of their career. [Jun 2015, p.97]

A record bubbling with fresh sounds and creativity, one that proves Alias has not only not lost his touch--he' s improved upon it. [Oct 2008, p.162]

It's an album without pretense or misstep. [May 2014, p.88]

Thermals don't aim to shock. They don't aim to please, either, and their dynamic punk spirit is as smart and infectious as when they began in 2002. [May 2013, p.92]