Jaill's pacing and musical phrasing feels noticeably lethargic. [Jul 2012, p.94]

The disparate pieces of Melvins Lite don't quite line up. [Jul 2012, p.98]

Despite the obvious problems with continuity and flow (not to mention the general concept of time, as in the amount of actual time it takes to comb through 99 tracks), there's still a lot of good music on Occupy This Album.

The biggest failure of This Is PiL, sadly, is the band's centerpiece: Lydon. As fine as he can be (see again "Deeper Water"), he sounds downright unhinged. Not in the puckish, sinister way that made PiL live albums so bracing, either-no, his work here sounds tossed off, and too often just plain off.

On Sunshine and a handful of others, she's M.I.A. protege in Kala mode; elsewhere, she's been "optimized" for a climate more partial to Nicki Minaj. [Jun 2012, p.84]

The humor practiced by Black and cohort Kyle Gass hasn't evolved much since [2008's "Pick Of Destiny"]; Fenix is loaded with classic-rock-aping material which simultaneously admires and lampoons everything from Star Wars ("Deth Starr") to organized religion ("Throwdown").

The record tends to fade into the background and become something so indistinct that it's forgettable, even after multiple listens.

While the positive vibe is admirable, there's just not much substantial to grab on to--and few songs linger after the album's over.

Bull drags on with minimal memorable hooks and far too much guitar feedback. [Jun 2012, p.76]

Until Reptar develop their own voice, they have to keep making up for their derivative music with enthusiasm. [Jun 2012, p.82]

[Often the album] leads to pleasant but forgettable songs, leaning toward Britpop.

For now, this stands as another good if inessential addition to their catalog-a phrase that, for better or worse, applies to the majority of their output.

Ultimately, the album's main fault is its resolute consistency, namely the fact that things basically run on one speed, and it gets repetitive quickly.

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

Pure bubblegum, but with an often-faded flavor. [Apr 2012, p.98]

Happy To You's charm does wear off in repeated listens, though, resulting in an album that's enjoyable, but far from life changing. [Apr 2012, p.96]

The bulk of the album's 14 tracks find her playing it safe with a helium-voiced squeak reminiscent of (take your pick) Gwen Stefani, Santigold, Kate Bush or Cyndi Lauper. [Nov 2011, p.97]

A set track list and a few new tunes....[creates] a more well-rounded picture of the band than last year's smorgasbord. [Apr 2012, p.92]

The 15 songs here chart a typical course through the American songbook, with paradoxically straight-faced camp, morose show tunes and orchestral chamber pop without the aid of an actual orchestra. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Much of ex-Lives is encumbered by well-trodden ground turned muddy and attempts at atmosphere. [Apr 2012, p.96]

Gone are the Mary Poppins samples and the rest of the duo's anything-goes ethos; Breakfast is filled instead with Cap'n Crunch-y nuggets of pure, sweet, mainstream hip-hop. [Mar 2012, p.97]

Disappointing--and worse yet, faceless. [Apr 2012, p.99]

Tennis offer a solid but unspectacular album by a band capable of great beauty but one who seem to struggle translating that into great songs.

Unlike Treats, Reign Of Terror never feels new, fresh or exciting; it just feels like a chore.

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

This is isn't a terrible album, but considering the rest of their vibrant catalog, it just seems a bit stale. [Mar 2012, p.98]

Everyone involved seems to simply be shrugging along in an almost cynical fashion, figuring people will buy it no matter what they do.

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

What's left are halfhearted Hold steady wannabes and dull stabs at poignancy.

Every successful band eventually put out a bloated album, and for Northern Ireland's Snow patrol, it's Fallen Empires. [Feb 2012, p.84]

While they are accomplished musicians and combine their growling, death-metal-influenced moments with a wealth of shiny hooks, they fail to do so in a way that counts. [Feb 2012, p.84]

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.

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

Except for the dearth of truly original ideas, Love Part II is, at its core, just another Angels & Airwaves record--nothing more, nothing less. [Jan 2012, p.100]

It must have been much more fun to record all of these tracks than it is to listen to them.

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.

Decas is not exactly coherent listening experience. Still, it's a worthy addition to the band's weighty catalog. [Dec 2011, p.118]

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

Owen leave behind the emotional outbursts of his collaborations with his brother Tim in Cap'n Jazz, Joan Of Arc and Owls, but keep a quieter, suburban rage alive on his sixth album. [Dec 2011, p.121]

Like a late-night screening of Blue Velvet, it may be hard to get through, but impossible to ignore. [Dec 2011, p.121]

Long Live The King, by comparison, sounds distinctly like a cutting-room-floor exercise--a collection of outtakes left behind not in the name of aesthetic cohesion, but simply because the group had better songs more deserving of release.

While the band's heritage has been hanging on by a thread for decades, The Devil's Rain is but an undercharged defibrillator to its decomposing corpse.

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

The mild vulgarity and cute arrogance put to such an innocent melody [in "Fool Like Me"] is the brand of sass for which Cobra Starship are best known. Unfortunately, these traits are desperately lacking from the rest of Night Shades.

In Waves hits some high notes with solo-heavy scorchers, but bury them seven tracks deep is as dumbfounding as their guitar work is breathtaking. [Sep 2011, p.120]

Overlook has its moments. [Sep 2011, p.120]

The addition of electric instruments and Morello's nasal speak-singing do make Rebel Songs read a little like a radicalized Dylan. [Sep 2011, p.116]

A reliance on monotonous tempos and rhythms--and a disappointing lack of melodic variation--further make Endless Now fell curiously lethargic. [Sep 2011, p.112]

Whether Black Tide are going heavy or tender, every desperate attempt to conjure a moving moment fails. [Sep 2011, p.110]

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]

My Damnation is destined to become another album absorbed by the sonic wallpaper of bands copying a similar, well-worn blueprint. [Aug 2011, p.112]

IWABO prove there's some actual technique beneath their gimmickry. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, 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]

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]

There's always been a heavier influence in the band's music, but on Arrows & Anchors, their ambitious desires to step outside the genre box often get bogged down in a sea of down-tuned guitar and maudlin lyrics.

Though Sublime With Rome's debut LP is a promising collection of summer songs, under the carefully fabricated surface, it's hollow.

Mohager ultimately forgets there's a fine line between homage and aping, but if your dream gift is a time capsule from the Reagan Years get ready to discover your new favorite record. [Jul 2011, p.107]

It's a clear sequel that continues the character profiles and storylines frontman Rhett Miller created last time around. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Other than the booming, Devo-ish vocal effects on "Spacetime," these songs aren't pushing the envelope--but you should still tear it open and look inside. [Aug 2011, p.114]

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]

This is an album aimed at minivan-driving moms who saw Incubus live a decade ago, but the boneheaded lyrical cliches and nap-inducing arrangements are likely to bore even them. [Aug 2011, p.114]

All too often it feels like the band are ignoring the part of their name that gives them carte blanche to experiment and toy with expectations.

The majority of the tracks are watered down reminders of their indie big brothers. [Jul 2011, p.107]

There are way too many cooks in this kitchen. [May 2011, p.91]

Ably backed by bassist Michael Cotterman (ex-the Loved Ones) and Andrew Black on drums, if there's any flaw to the Title Tracks formula, it would be that they could make a few moments more flawed. But that's just the Q And Not U fan talking.

Crisis Works has a hard time maintaining the momentum it jumps out of the gate with, but while it is going full throttle, all you can do is cling on for dear life and enjoy the hell out of the ride. [Jun 2011, p.111]

Unfortunately, the songs still suffer from the same downfalls as their previous material; the album lives in the safe middle ground between Shadows Fall and Underoath. [May 2011, p.96]

The hue of the proceedings feels significantly dialed-down and stark and the result feels more like a Jollett solo album and less like a great band flexing its myriad abilities. [May 2011, p.92]

The main frustration with Meyrin Fields is that neither artist seems hindered individually, only lost to elevate his respective partner in a meaningful way.

Too much of Human Hearts feels like a retread of what they've already done on previous LPs. [Apr 2011, p.115]

A highly charged and welcome return. [May 2011, p.93]

If Euphoric has a weak spot, it's that Glasvegas' desperation can become overwrought. [May 2011, p.93]

Gimme Some is grounded in a guitar-based directness it seemed PB&J had left behind. [Apr 2011, p.118]

The second half loses momentum slightly. When in concentrated form, however, the Mountain Goats still manage to reach their peak. [Apr 2011, p.115]

While we believe that Sum 41 have the potential to succeed without the aid of power chords, the fact that only a handful of the musical ideas on the album are fully developed makes for a frustrating listening experience.

The saccharine harmonies are still present on the title track; they're just augmented with more expansive arrangements that bring out a welcome new dimension to the band's sound. [Apr 2011, p.114]

This is metalcore comfort food from two veterans, and little more. [Feb 2011, p.90]

The band have thankfully corrected course for their self-titled sophomore full-length, but Forever The Sickest Kids is still a frustrating listen at times.

Like most everything else here, it's a dancing no-brainer. [Mar 2011, p.92]

The album runs a tad long--and it's difficult to suss out the band's individual voice from underneath the weight of their influences. [Mar 2011, p.92]

Gay For Johnny Depp succeed because they don't take themselves seriously and they know how to write a crushingly good hardcore song. [Mar 2011, p.93]

For a young, non-jaded Pantha Du Prince fan, though, this could resonate yet.

This 18-song, one-hour compilation is a spawling, hit-or-miss affair. [Jan 2011, p.90]

It's a great album to have on hand for a wild party, but piping it through your headphones will have you skipping tracks. [Feb 2011, p.89]

Red Barked Tree is something of a letdown, oddly placid and even soothing. [Feb 2011, p.90]

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.

Matt and Kim deserve albums that sound clean and ambitious, but in all of Sidewalk's studio processing, their endearing personalities--decidedly brash, raw and awesome--unfortunately aren't well-represented. [Jan 2011, p.93]

Instead of building on their strengths, frontman Jaz Coleman & Co. have backslid into subdued sogginess of the band's mid-period. [Jan 2010, p.91]

Choosing to keep the songs dark and dreary bogs down Mini Mansions. That criticism aside, the band know how to craft a song, letting it build and drop when necessary. [Dec 2010, p.114]

This is strictly a headphone listen--or, more likely, non-listen. [Nov 2010, p.108]

Face Tat demands remarkable attention from its listeners; if only Hill would have challenged himself as much during its creation. [Nov 2010, p.112]

Anyone wishing to reminisce about the golden age that was the third wave of ska-punk will find plenty to like, though, as by its very nature, TV/EP sounds like something straight outta '97.

Most of the songs are brutal, chugga-chugga workouts, with Phil Labonte barking like a roid-raging Masshole spoiling for a fight while the band riffs away behind him. [Nov 2010, p.108]

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]

On paper the choice of Jon Brion, a musician and engineer best known for his work in film seemed perfect, but unfortunately it didn't temper Barnes' misguided vision to be the indie-rock Prince. [Oct 2010, p.116]

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.

Even if Banks sticks to the "I've got two secrets but I only told you one" songwriting approach, hopefully a band shakeup will spark the soulfulness only occasionally heard in his contributions. [Oct 2010, p.118]