Filled with the sort of unprofessional, unpretty noodling this genre has been begging for. [Feb 2003, p.68]

Unrewardingly dark. [March 2003, p.90]

One bedroom is vaguely European, warmly mechanical and just off-kilter enough to be consistently interesting. [Feb 2003, p.74]

With Lovebox, they do another about-face, dirtying up and slowing down their song-structured house tracks into a grimy soul/funk/house/hip-hop amalgam. [March 2003, p.94]

Mount Eerie would be a gorgeous record even if the vision behind it didn't fall somewhere between Biblical allegory and Greek myth, but the drama makes it all the more stunning. [Feb 2003, p.70]

Even the psychedelic overreach shows a most uncommon artist at work. [Feb 2003, p.64]

Sadly, the electro-plated Evil Heat is neither evil nor particularly molten. [Jan 2003, p.99]

The tracks on Steal come off as much more assured and comfortable than those on Toxicity. [Jan 2003, p.81]

To conveniently label it elecroclash would be a disservice to Out Hud's myriad dynamic contours. [Jan 2003, p.96]

FC Kahuna tracks revel in the duo's simple blurbs of sound and less-is-more sonics. [Jan 2003, p.91]

A little too close to the mainstream for comfort. [Jan 2003, p.91]

Bad news for fans of either party who'd expected the union to generate something revolutionary. [Dec 2002, p.85]

In mood, style and tone, Riot Act sounds like every other Pearl Jam record, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. [Dec 2002, p.89]

Wholly ambitious and mostly successful. [Feb 2003, p.72]

If there's a fault with Ikara Colt, it's that they can't rock steadily for more than a few measures without getting self-conscious about it. [Jan 2003, p.94]

He tweaks frequencies and shades his queasy bass lines like the Neptunes on a diet of Red Bull and espresso beans. [Jan 2003, p.100]

Unlike most of his contemporaries, singer-songwriter Gough is willing to explore all sorts of styles while allowing himself to be as playful or serious as he wants. [Dec 2002, p.74]

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

A soulful kitsch-pop pastiche reminiscent of everything from Roxy Music to the Beatles. [Jan 2003, p.100]

Despite its relative palatability, compared with their earlier work, this is a hard album to like--and that's what makes it good. [Jan 2003, p.102]

Loud Like Nature contains all the traits that make Add N To (X) so captivating: blood, brains and lots of loin friction. [Dec 2002, p.77]

The new album's themes show that Amos is energized with stories to tell once again - making Scarlet's Walk at once ambitious and also one of her most moving collections yet. [Nov 2002]

A great party record, pop-metal to a splendid degree. [Jan 2003, p.84]

While Original Pirate Material isn't as good as the U.K. press hyperbole would have us believe, it does prove that sentiment and sincerity are more interesting than slickness and skills. [Dec 2002, p.96]

When these Norwegians try to make more conventional haunted soul-diva stuff, it sounds rote by comparison.... But when they follow their own muses, they come up with genius tracks like "Remind Me." [Dec 2002, p.96]

A raging slab of beats and sick samples accruing at a rate that may well cause motion sickness. [Dec 2002, p.86]

A way more direct, danceable and fun album. [Jan 2003, p.104]

Splendid ramshackle pop corniness. [Dec 2002, p.81]