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]

A sobering reminder of how frustrating it can be when a talented group become tethered to their established aesthetic. [Feb 2007, p.118]

It's the type of record you rock before bedtime, and that by no means is an insult. [Jul 2007, p.184]

The songs have the urgency and vitriol we've come to expect from the band, but there's one major problem: the spit shine production. [Jul 2004, p.128]

It's a decent disc that'll simultaneously satisfy your cravings for pop music and the avant-garde. [Dec 2008, p.153]

About as riveting as a glass of water. [Jun 2004, p.97]

He seems hell-bent on sabotaging his amiable, acoustic-guitar-based songs with the sort of distortion and static that drive most engineers up the soundproofed wall. [Jan 2005, p.114]

More power to those who can do it, but from this perspective, it's nearly impossible to enjoy Man Man's Six Demon Bag while sober. [Apr 2006, p.222]

The music you'd imagine might play as you ascend to heaven--or the soundtrack to the WB's next teen drama. [Aug 2004, p.118]

While dissonant noise is the main component of the duo's slacker shoegaze, hidden beneath those layers of distortion are some moments of melody. [Jul 2014, p.102]

Being lacks enough urgency to sustain nearly 38 full-throttle minutes and becomes an analogy for the unvarying capitalization on its record sleeve.

It makes for a fairly entertaining show if you're willing to put down your hot wings for a second to sep outside to watch. [Nov 2008, p.162]

God Says No is the sound of a band heading toward the charts, full-speed.... This is a disappointing record for longitme fans; maybe new ears will dig it. [#153, p.81]

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

Pleasant but edgeless. [Jun 2007, p.149]

The two sides of their musical personality aren't in balance, but it doesn't make this album any less fun or rocking. [Feb 2014, p.92]

Although a bit more of that energy [on tracks like "Your Head Got Misplaced" and "Sick And Impatient"] would've been welcome, Youth is still a lush, inventive listen great for headphones--just not stage-diving.[Jul 2013, p.96]

It's uncomplicated, catchy fun, the equivalent of 21st-century hair metal-and that's meant as a compliment.

The net effect is unsettling distance, not pointed commentary. [Apor 2009, p.134]

Raditude seems intent on establishing itself as a now album, sacrificing any sort of cohesive vibe for a pop-friendly disc designed for car stereos to be turned to 11.

Admittedly, this kinder, gentler Half Japanese lack the shambling brilliance of earlier incarnations, but, hey, we all lose a step with age. [#155, p.76]

Sonic Nurse is better than 90 percent of new rock, but with younger combos like Lightning Bolt and Liars stealing their thunder, these well-meaning vets come off as old and in the way. [Jul 2004, p.134]

Like Creeper's previous albums, Take Back The Universe is a delicate piece of criss-crossing jangles and loose-limbed riffs, but the shimmery sprawl never coalesces into anything concrete. [#154, p.73]

Most of Maritime's debut feels incredibly boxed in. [Aug 2004, p.106]

On the whole, the songs are more tuneful and airy and less spastic than previous riot-on-the-stage efforts. [Mar 2007, p.143]

An ambitious record that pays skillful tribute to teachers like Pink Floyd, but shows off its ambition too much. [Nov 2001, p.94]

Costello clutters many fine compositions with kitchen-sink arrangements and cacophonous production that bring into focus how sorely missed estranged Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas is throughout. [Jun 2002, p.75]

brakesbrakesbrakes are as eclectic (musically) and clever (lyrically) as ever on their third album. [June 2009, p.98]

On The Constant, SOTY have shown they've mastered their current sound. Here's hoping for a little more experimentation next time. [Mar 2010, p.95]

With shorter songs and more restrained production it lacks the epic quality of its predecessor, and overall it is weaker for it.

The subject matter may be a bit heavy, but the beats keep it bouncing along. [Jul 2001, p.73]

Electrified certainly isn't the most original album you'll hear this year, but crunchy pop like this doesn't have to work very hard to impress the indie set. [Jul 2005, p.176]

Has an infectious energy that keeps things from growing stale. [May 2002, p.84]

III/IV is the director's cut of a moment in Ryan Adams' all-too-prolific career. It adds dimension in some areas, but may be too much information for causal fans of the singer/songwriter.

The feeling isn't sucked out yet, but the focus is. [Sep 2002, p.92]

Sometimes it works, other times it just sounds bitter and gratuitous. [Jul 2013, p.96]

The Postelles flash moments of this talent, but often come off as a pedestrian version of a banal sound.

Rather than try and move these songs into new territory, everyone involved seem hellbent on remaking Lewis into something closer to Sheryl Crow or Shania Twain. It’s a weird place for her to be in, yet one that she looks to be acclimating to quite easily.

If you’ve long hoped for a more mainstream direction and always wanted to hear just how sweet a singer Krauss is, Bitter Rivals could be your favorite Sleigh Bells yet. But if you’re wishing they could’ve evolved in a way that didn’t involve quite so many ballads and especially not at the expense of what made Sleigh Bells so great, this might not be as essential as you presumed it would be.

Unsound falters on ragged tune such as "Sectionals In Mourning" and "Semi-Pseudo-Sort-Of-Plan;" these songs feel far too much like half-finished rehearsal takes that could use some tightening. [Aug 2012, p.92]

Much of the album is comprised of moiody, softly undulating numbers whose beauty is offset by a frictioness drift which prevents them from truly taking hold. [Dec 2009, p.108]

While the album has bright spots, overall it feels a bit dull and without the spark that made 1998's "Midwestern Songs Of The Americas" so fresh and exciting. [Dec 2008, p.132]

In place of Morcheeba's poetic brooding is a poppy, chorus-hook-chorus songwriting style that will probably irk a lot of their fans.... From the sounds of it, Morcheeba are going for the teen-pop market... [#146, p.104]

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]

May be the weirdest record Malkmus has made since Pavement's Wowee Zowee. [Jul 2005, p.174]

Somewhat mirthless and at times downright android-sexy, The Eraser is what many Radiohead fans have come to expect from Yorke in recent years. [Sep 2006, p.228]

There's nothing that leaps out as brilliant, just like there's not a single example of the band trying something genuinely risky and new, and falling on their collective face.

Unfortunately, the band overcompensate for all the testosterone with modern-rock romps like "Some Say" and with bland ballads like "Slipping Away." [Dec 2004, p.142]

Like a football running back, it's when the band put their heads down and sprint straight ahead that they score. [mar 2009, p.113]

The trouble is, not much sets this new album apart from their career benchmarks, like 2002's Nothing or 1998's Chaosphere.

A confident and bold album... [but] it unfortunately expends so much energy being spooky and otherworldly that most of the anticipated enchanting beauty is nowhere to be found. [Sep 2005, p.156]

Bruiser is at its best when its tempos are insistent. [Apr 2011, p.114]

The simple, muscular rock and folk are matched in directness by lyrics that keep returning to troubled relationships, and risk the occasional awkward line to make their point. [May 2009, p.121]

My Morning Jacket no longer sound like a band of curious adventurers perpetually at odds with their former selves, and consequently deliver an album that plays like a sort of kid-in-a-candy-shop, take-a-little-of-everything thrill ride. Predictably, results vary.

Unlike more polished bands with little to say after two releases, the Walkmen sound like they're gradually striding into some big shoes. [Mar 2004, 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]

Although it sounds pristine, Youth often drifts along aimlessly, mostly because of shapeless songwriting that stresses atmosphere and sound sculpting over structure. [Jan 2014, p.95]

Stag for the most part rocks with biting fierceness and vibrant energy. [#155, p.81]

[An] interesting album. [Apr 2006, p.204]

The results are hit-or-miss. [May 2005, p.132]

Unsurprisingly, he's at his best when he's melding heartfelt lyrics with otherworldly noise. [Sep 2006, p.230]

There's enough classic songcraft here to ensure Forgetting isn't forgotten. [Mar 2012, p.97]

It's not for a lack of experimentation on Collet's part that Rat foregoes any sort of bar raing. It's still a solid forging of '70s-rock gruff. [Apr 2010, p.122]

The only thing missing is Gibbard's unique voice--well, that, and the solid songwriting that made the Postal Service's Give Up a classic, rather than just a pleasant listen. [Mar 2005, p.122]

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

In Many ways, No Age have successfully distilled the pop essence of early-90s Sonic Youth: no mean feat, just not as memorable as last time. [Oct 2010, p.116]

Momento Mori is a good album, with the awesome 'Set Apart This Dream' and 'Again' shining with their anthemic choruses and deft use of pop melody. The tragedy is that it could have been great. [Dec 2009, p.108]

Most of the songs... aren't nearly as interesting as the album's title, offering only random snippets of truly engaging music. [Sep 2005, p.156]

It all combines for an enjoyable listen... provided you block out the lyrics. [#146, p.102]

There's nothing about Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee's performance on Life that will make you realize you're listening to Ben Folds Five. Still, a few songs are gems. [Oct 2012, p.84]

Their uncalculated sound puts them a step above their shamelessly careerist peers like the Von Bondies. [Jul 2005, p.182]

The pieces don't always fit comfortably together, but the picture remains remarkable. [Jul 2013, p.102]

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]

One can only wonder how Sinners Never Sleep would have fared had it been more consistent. [Nov 2011, p.98]

Sweet and insubstantial. [Nov 2004, p.140]

If you're confused and bewildered by Power, you're probably not alone. [Dec 2004, p.146]

The anthems still have Morrissey and Marr in their DNA, but they pout more than they roar. [Sep 2014, p.108]

Li(f)e's musical concept is great, but he's been better on the mic. [Jun 2010, p.105]

Instead of cleverness, the polished songs indulge here sentimental broken heart. Bandmate M. Ward is mostly content to stay out of the way vocally, but he builds up a castle of retro-instrumental heartbreak for Deschanel. [Jun 2013, p.102]

Granted, the Offspring have always dabbled in lyrical goofiness, but on Splinter, this approach seeps into the music as well. [Jan 2004, p.93]

The riff-roaring arena anthems "Racon Eyes" and "The Firebird" are among the most infectious tracks Priestess have ever written. Elsewhere, the band's retro-fuzz machinations don't fare so well. [Mar 2010, p.98]

Without the usual suspects, The Slow Wonder just seems like a well-produced demo of songs he's readying for Electric Version's follow-up. [Aug 2004, p.116]

The tunes are instantly likeable.... What's missing are the immediate hooks that today's competitors from Katy Perry to Marina And The Diamonds, use to claim Madonna's now-vacant throne. [Jul 2014, p.98]

Distractingly crowded soundscapes throb like an all-night rave, leaving you too exhausted and battered to pay attention to the words, a major deficiency for a hip-hop album.

Pleasant as the diversity is, the finished products are what you'd get from any modern tribute album. [Sep 2012, p.94]

Sleep Forever is a fine album, but you get the sense that if the band focused on their pop sensibilities as much as they do their more seemingly aesthetic inclinations, it would have been a great album.

Dumb Luck is likely to appeal more to the indie-rock crowd than electronica purists. [Jun 2007, p.161]

The album is a success because it shows sophistication and growth. [Apr 2014, p.94]

Makes you scratch your head as much as nod it. [Dec 2004, p.162]

There are hints of something fresh on There's Nothing Wrong With Me. [Dec 2014, p.106]

The result is a record that is frequently too busy. [Feb 2015, p.90]

Crystal Castles is gloriously danceable and hopelessly chic. But really, it's... hearing only...judging is... you know? [Apr 2008, p.162]

They’re ultimately relatable and endearing enough, even though the most jaded of listeners will still roll their eyes at the smarmy nostalgia (“Too Young To Feel This Old”) and new-era YOLO sentimentality.

The best songs... are the ones heavily influened by the Posies' Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. [#154, p.98]

Contributions from Chuck D... and Dan The Automator... elicit[s] enough blips on the heart monitor to keep the album from flatlining. [Dec 2004, p.158]

For a bunch of comedians, the Electric Six sure are talented musicians. [Dec 2006, p.189]

The only thing glossier than the production on these high-school hallway-gossip tracks is the shimmery snottiness that permeates [their] lyrics. [Aug 2003, p.106]

Unrewardingly dark. [March 2003, p.90]