Brill Bruisers leaves a lasting impression in the best possible way. [Sep 2014, p.108]

There are no walls of distortion or crunching riffs; this time, they've traded all that for the beauty of Craig B.'s vocals and understated ambience. [Apr 2007, p.180]

Cliff has never needed to reaffirm his place in the reggae pantheon. With Rebirth, he went ahead and did it anyway--and then some.

A beautiful, quiet and pensive affair, bristling with subtle electronics and wonderfully layered acoustics. [Nov 2014, p.90]

Embryonic is an album full of little revolutions--a trippier, noisier, more experimental journey than the Flaming Lips have taken in forever. [Dec 2009, p.116]

Dark is one of the first great records of 2008. [Mar 2008, p.146]

Iron Balls Of Steel is as serious as a metal recording gets; and, at least until those new Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan discs get mastered, it's also the greatest math-metal album of this still-young year.

11 tracks that scorch the earth lesser bands traipse on. [May 2007, p.150]

At its core, Tape Deck Heart is the kind of record we've all always wanted Frank Turner to make. [May 2013, p.83]

More often than not, Amnesiac finds a balance between twiddling and transcendence. [Jul 2001, p.79]

The most powerful, viscerally brutal album the quartet have released to date. [Sep 2001, p.100]

Every track on the Umea group's sixth album is a story onto itself. [Feb 2013, p.90]

This collection of songs finds the band both maturing nicely, and as close to flawless [as] they've ever been. [Oct 2015, p.94]

It's still loud, but he's trusting his songcraft and producing more sinister, elusive and substantial music. [Feb 2012, p.80]

Sykes’ increased vocal range also proves a formidable addition to their arsenal, coalescing with the expanded sonic palette for a more intimate, cohesive and engaging collection.

Go Plastic fuses the insanely intricate beat programming of Feed Me Weird Things and Daddy with the abstruse experimentation of 1998's Music is Rotted One Note. It's the best of both worlds. [Aug 2001, p.98]

Anxiety's Kiss is what Coliseum have been working towards all these years. [Jun 2015, p.97]

The Blackest Beautiful is a brutally stunning document full of soul and purpose. [Aug 2013, P.88]

What emerges by the halfway point of the title track is the sense that you're not listening to just another piano troubadour; you're hearing the oceanic confessions of an artist who in time will be considered one of the most affecting composers of this still young century. [Apr 2009, p.134]

Exuberant and energetic.

Even more devastation stems fro Iain Cook and Martin Doherty's sophisticated and catchy layers of synthesizers and vocal loops. [Oct 2013, p.82]

A nearly flawless album full of rocking pop songs that sound instantly timeless. [Oct 2005, p.156]

The more realized updates of [Her Majesty] that crowd out the backed of Picaresque reveal a wit so bizarre and vaudevillian beauty so ultimately endearing that by the end, Meloy's sprawling form of theatrical folk has us all. [Apr 2005, p.116]

Dissociation might be the final stop on this journey, but in 10 years, it's also the first thing we'll point to when people ask why these guys are still relevant.

Even though No Devolucion might draw the ire of fans who prefer moshing over meditation, the result is a record that's progressive and, believe it or not, downright beautiful. [May 2011, p.97]

The lofty expectations are met in full with Saturnalia. [Apr 2008, p.160]

Their colorful tapestry of indie/alt/emo inspiration is distilled far more subtly then before. [Oct 2013, p.84]

Repeat listens yield rich and profound rewards. [Mar 2009, p.104]

Consistently intriguing, haunting and above all, very good. [Dec 2001, p.94]

The Physical World is a triumphant statement that the two musicians have moved forward artistically. [Oct 2014, p.97]

As Minus The Bear stray further from the prickly, smartass math-rock of thier early days, the group seem focused on crafting the perfect album to launch them into another dimensuion entirely--and Omni, with its brainy intricacy and adventurous heart, may just be that spaceship. [Jun 2010, p.106]

The fast parts are faster, the hard parts are harder, and the melodic sections are more memorable. [Oct 2001, p.102]

Braid have delivered a record as nuanced, vitalizing and brilliant as anything in their already storied back catalog, reemerging as strong as any of the numerous bands that have popped up to critical notice in their wake.

On their self-titiled debut, there isn't a dud in the bunch. [Mar 2009, p.101]

When the dark, somber and damn loud refrains of 'Ego Death' kick in, it sounds like these guys could completely take over indie rock. [Nov 2009, p.106]

To call this "sunstroked desert hallucination mood music" sells it short. It actually transforms the atmosphere of the space in which it's played. [June 2008, p.132]

Bemis successfully came out of the other side on In Defense Of The Genre, producing an opus that musicians more than twice his age could only hope to create. [Dec 2007, p.185]

Prepare to be blown away.... Emotional Mugger is an out-of-this-world psychedelic venture meant to be listened to--and listened to very loud. [Feb 2016, p.98]

Phantogram's electronics and electric guitar alchemy has simultaneously become more infectious and complex than ever before. [Mar 2014, p.93]

Delivers the goods in spades. [Nov 2001, p.94]

Gutter Tactics is another collection on which fans of rap radicals Public Enemy and drone-metal heavies the Melvins can find common ground. [Mar 2009, p.116]

brand new eyes astonishes from start to finish. [Oct 2009, p.111]

This album is pure joy to listen to. [Mar 2011, p.96]

Murder By Death have created their most dramatic and symphonic work to date. [Oct 2012, p.90]

Featuring 14 songs that fly by in what feels like no time at all (32:47, to be exact), Rancid’s eighth album doesn’t sound forced, which for a traditional punk band is often very hard to pull off.

Cohesive and engaging throughout, this is the sound of a band at their most fearless. [Nov 2012, p.92]

The result is their most haunted and harrowing album to date. [May 2011, p.98]

Code Orange are riveting, the nihilistic horror of the whole thing at times overwhelming in the best possible way. [Oct 2014, p.98]

Childish Gambino is more than just a rapper, and Camp is more than just an album: It's a stone-cold classic.

The songs on Get Hurt do all the talking for him, loud and proud, crashing and bashing into the night, taking heartache and turning it into triumph. Pure rock ’n’ roll.

This is Godflesh at their coldest and most mechanistically assaultive. [Nov 2014. p,90]

More lively and consistent than 2006's "Rabbit Fur Coat," Lewis's second solo disc builds like a whisky buzz. [Nov 2008, p.155]

The Flatliners here transcend genre distinctions to make a great rock record, period. [Oct 2013, p.94]

It's rare to pull off an album this succint and not invite boredom; it's even rarer if it fucking rocks. [May 2008, p.135]

In no uncertain terms, Crash Love is an accomplishment that raises the bar for them as musicians and writers.

Exister serves as a reminder that the thousands of bands aping this style of punk will never be as great as Hot Water Music.

Perhaps the only surprise about Violent Waves is how strong and focused, creatively fierce and yet cohesive Circa Survive sound.

The Australian is a poet of common life, her almost-talked, observational tracks turn the mundane profound. [Apr 2015, p.90]

Didn't It Rain may be simplistic compared to its more eclectic and haunting predecessor ['Ghost Tropic'], but it evokes the world-weary tones of Neil Young's 1970 masterpiece After The Gold Rush. [Jun 2002, p.86]

The vocals are one of the duo's strongest points, but the entertaining and skillful guitar work is right up there, as is the songwriting dynamics and arrangement prowess. In other words, everything about this one is a winner.

The force of his personal aesthetics--coupled with the assistance of a similarly fearless group of friends-- has made for not only for one of the best albums of the year, but has produced evidence proving real artists simple don't settle, no matter how fast the calendar moves. [Dec 2011, p.122]

As powerful as the music is--and its strength is undeniable, as every muscle practically spasms in reaction to the desperate guttural screams that emanate from singer Jason Butler's mouth and to the violent and complex post-hardcore melodies produced by his four bandmates--as much weight is carried in the erudite, intelligent lyrics and themes that permeate these 14 songs.

Really, punk doesn't get much better than this. [Nov 2016, p.90]

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

There are more detours, from austere acoustic avenues to vocodered pop to '80s disco, to fill you with hope for the next decade's offerings. [Feb 2010, p.94]

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]

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]

A frenetic, opaque masterpiece that ranks in the upper echelons of post-rock primacy. [Apr 2004, p.96]

"Continuous Thunder" is a sensitive parting shot, and cements Celebration Rock's emotional depth. [Jul 2012, p.98]

Every aspect of The Resistance: Rise Of The Runaways coming across bigger, harder and just more than their full-length debut, 2012's The Fallout.

'I Call Out Your name won't exactly smash the state, but it's a perfect little pop song. So are opening track, 'When I Died' and 'Now We Can See', where the band's return to gleefully subversive social commentary can't undermine their most infectious pop hook. [May 2009, p.110]

Thanks to the expert production of Brendan O'Brien, the record sounds goddamn phenomenal. [Aug 2012, p.83]

With Cold House, Hood provide evidence that their time in the sun is long overdue. [Dec 2001, p.84]

The album doesn't have the reunion hype that helped make American Music Club's "Love Songs For Patriots" such an event. What it does have is songwriting. [Mar 2008, p.140]

There's a fine line between vintage rock revision and progressive insight--Hammond Jr. has mastered the balance. [Aug 2008, p.170]

Here And Nowhere Else is Cloud Nothings' best effort yet--and that's saying something. [May 2014, p.90]

Falling In Reverse have given fans the rare gift of an artist stepping back to the sound they originally fell in love with. [Apr 2015, p.89]

Mazzy Star may not have evolved much over the past 17 years, but Season Of Your Day proves they never, ever need to. [Oct 2013, p.88]

All that really matters is that the White Album’s songs are great, and not just great for the 2016 version of Weezer. They stack up beside the band’s best work of the past 15 years.

They've returned fully charged on the triumphant No Cities To Love. [Feb 2015, p.94]

On Bromst, Deacon's confidence shines through as he effortlessly combines extremes. [Apr 2009, p.142]

MacNeil delivers a riveting, throat-destroying performance that owns every moment [Oct 2012, p.88]

It's less mopey than Bright Eyes, less pompous than Sufjan Stevens and better than almost everything else. [Feb 2009, p.103]

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

Ambitious but understated, intelligent but immediate, Pedestrian Verse is simultaneously heartbreaking and life affirming--and anything but pedestrian. [Mar 2013, p.90]

Attention Citizens of Warped: Life's Not Out To Get You is the album you've been craving. [Sep 2015, p.96]

Their best album to date. [Apr 2002, p.70]

Transcending genre, Interiors is Quicksand in 2017, a time where no one is quite sure if we’ve moved backward.

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]

Eternity could easily be a musical score as much as it is a step forward for abrasive punk. [Apr 2017, p.80]

Throughout, Campbell touches on one of his greatest lyrical strengths--his attention to detail--to bring scenes to life, while also being acutely aware of the underlying emotion and backstory just beyond the setting. It’s devastatingly effective.

New Again leaps forward as the best album of Taking Back Sunday's career to date.

Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder sees the Brits at thie operatic best and completely unafraid to fill their songs with orchestral keyboards. [Dec 208, p.142]

Honestly, 34 years deep, this is one of the band's best albums. [Feb 2015, p.92]

Finally, the coolest guy in rock makes a record worthy of his reputation. [May 2011, p.92]

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]

Re-examining a broken heart is tough business, but Turner and producer Butch Walker do the work on this dozen-song effort. [Sep 2015, p.97]

Their music is tighter, sharper and aiming for the jugular in its first shot. In the simplest terms, the band crafted a record that fills the bigger venues they are sure to be playing now and in the future.