There's not much sonic discovery or eviscerating emotion here to elevate godhead outside the Pro-Tools realm of co-headlining tours with Stabbing Westward. [#151, p.82]

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

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

The gently frenetic interplay between instruments works in the opener "Cut From The Cloth," but tires after nine carbon copies. [Jan 2007, p.134]

While their weird is very often wonderful, these 10 tracks are somewhat inconsistent. [Oct 2014, p.98]

The group's fourth outing supports singer Joel Pott's super-earnest reflections with melodies and arrangements direct and sturdy enough to bear the emotional weight. [Feb 2009, p.92]

Fire's beauty often feels distant and untouchable. [Sep 2005, p.164]

There's a foundation for true duality somewhere, but a lot of growing pains as well. [Nov 2014, p.94]

When Last Secrets works, it's awesome... but thanks in part to sequencing, it drags toward the end. [Jun 2006, p.180]

The need for The Need is debatable, but it's a nice addition to Anticon's growing catalog of successful experiments. [Mar 2007, p.144]

The serious tone is a natural progression for the Sounds but Rubicon's downfall is that it's songs don't linger much after the music stops. [Jul 2009, p.128]

When they stick to the ’60s Cali Pop of the uplifting “We Are Done” and dreamy “California Rain,” they produce some remarkably winning songs worthy of van-loads of bearded, guitar-toting indie popsters aping the Beach Boys and the Mommas And The Papas. When they miss, though, it’s more unbearable than rush hour traffic on the 405.

This could-be landmark is dragged down a few notches by a grating singer. [Apr 2015, p.90]

Hypnotize isn't a radioactive pile of suck, but had the Down boys offered some genuine hairpin turns in their aesthetic, there might be more reason to pursue a more meaningful dialogue that transcends the tired notion of "System just being System." [Jan 2006, p.127]

Strange Geometry is a comely piece of old-fashioned melancholy pop, but it can also quickly turn into sonic wallpaper if you have a wandering mind. [Dec 2005, p.202]

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]

For some reason, the Stooges decided to get moody on a trio of acoustic-based tracks, letting their singer respond by going into full on crooner mode. That sort of twaddle may fly on Pop's solo records, but when they go up against the slinky, deep pocket grooves of the rest of the album, the songs feel pale and hollow.

A bit too jammy at times, but this is another solid effort for both artists. [Oct 2005, p.158]

Frustratingly, Jukebox takes a more soft-focus tack. [Feb 2008, p.114]

Don't get too far ahead of yourself--a sing-along is virtually impossible since deciphering HEALTH's lyrics is quite a challenge. They may have mature a bit, but some things will never change. [Oct 2009, p.110]

Only one or two tracks capture that combination of venom, wit and old-time Northwest angst that made Mudhoney one of the grunge movement's standouts. [Oct 2002, p.88]

It's a deathfest of sound and fury, quietly melancholy and fiercely apocalyptic. But it's a tale that grows wearier with every listen. [Sep 2004, p.122]

Certain segments remain faithful to the original material while others are unrecognizable through veils of sawing bass, guitar clank, expansive percussion marches and a gang of 50-year-old dudes reliving their adolescence through music and busted guts. [Dec 2014, p.107]

While there are moments of buzzing, high-flying bliss on Githead's third LP, one can't escape the sensation of horizon-hugging deja vu. [Jan 2010, p.94]

dios (malos) is missing something--namely, guitarist Kevin Morales. [Dec 2005, p.212]

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]

A whole that's less than the sum of its parts, a bittersweet pill that's best taken in small doses. [Feb 2005, p.88]

It means "Everything You Think You Know," "Smoking Kills," and "Day Man," while not bad, do feel slightly generic, which unfortunately diminishes the power of these well-intentioned, heart pounding songs. [Oct 2014, p.98]