The band update a tired synth-pop sound with purring guitars and just enough punked-out drum and vocal flourishes to give texture to what might otherwise have become new-wave wallpaper. [Nov 2003, p.114]

Yes, it sounds like Yes, and, no, I don't mean that in a good way. [Nov 2003, p.99]

Chris Conley's metaphorical lyrics remain earnest enough, but because of studio trickery, his vocals sound annoyingly nasal. [Oct 2003, p.120]

This husband-and-wife team have made the same album for the third time. [Nov 2003, p.100]

Goofy out-of-time tunes. [Oct 2003, p.136]

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

Repetitious choruses and monotonous, middling tempos make the songs blur together. [Oct 2003, p.126]

An intriguing debut. [Nov 2003, p.108]

Answers an interesting question: What if, after The Bends, Radiohead had discovered pedal steel instead of Pro Tools? [Oct 2003, p.138]

If Enon were magicians, their crowd-gasping finale would be sawing in half the expectations of what a nu-New york band should sound like. [Oct 2003, p.122]

Pierce's organic approach on Grace makes the album feel exquisitely intimate, personable and warm. [Oct 2003, p.138]

A thrilling listen. [Dec 2003, p.140]

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

It's virtually impossible to listen to Show Me Your Tears from start to finish; but individually, each song is a dark, delightful peek at Black in the throes of therapy. [Nov 2003, p.108]

Compared to hearing 2001's instantly gratifying I Get Wet, listening to The Wolf is like getting mindblowing sex on a first date, only to have that person get a job at the Vatican the next day. [Oct 2003, p.136]

At once daring and danceable, The New Romance is the best Talking Heads record Bikini Kill never made. [Oct 2003, p.120]

Take Them On... repeats the San Francisco trio's bombast, peppered with slower tunes styled after Jesus And Mary Chain's dewy psychedelia, the Verve's noise-drenched moments and even Ride's droning perfection. [Oct 2003, p.134]

Deftly balancing country, classical and cabaret, the National are darkly dramatic and deliciously doomed. [Oct 2003, p.124]

A miasma of retro cool. [Sep 2003, p.116]

Nobody creates teeth-rottingly sweet indie rock better than Denver's Dressy Bessy. [Sep 2003, p.102]

Bazooka!!!'s distillation of rock history roars with irresistible energy and zest, making the album an unabashed delight. [Oct 2003, p.138]

Indestructible is the document of a band retaining their energy and refining their vision to be honest to themselves and their fans, while spitting venom in the eyes of their detractors. [Oct 2003, p.115]

Relentless rhythms and boisterous basslines propel the disc's quick-paced tunes to their catahrtic capital-letter choruses. [Aug 2003, p.104]

Sounds like a teenage Faith No More at their first practice. [Sep 2003, p.116]

Mostly stuck in a low gear. [Dec 2003, p.156]

The songs are getting samey. [Sep 2003, p.102]

Tells the story of musicians creating something brilliant and new with the well-worn pieces of their punk-indie-hardcore legacy. [Oct 2003, p.124]

A bewitching fusion of orchestral prettiness and exploratory electronics. [Aug 2003, p.108]