The rare moments when Bryant shares the spotlight are Wyoming's best and hopefully hint at Water Liars' future. [Apr 2013, p.94]

Bits of experimentation still poke through, especially on the dissonant, heart-rendering "Rabbit Foot," which neatly stitches up Defeater's past while pointing toward fresh dynamics and future chapter to come. [Aug 2013, p.86]

Dave Hause is a self-proclaimed "rock guy," and he has carefully crafted Devour to remind you of such. [Nov 2013, p.86]

If Magnificent City is occasionally over-friendly-sounding... well, so what? [Mar 2006, p.138]

LOTP cram tons of stylistic inversions into 43 minutes. We had no idea attention deficit disorder could sound this majestic. [Feb 2009, p.102]

Sweet without being saccharine. [Mar 2005, p.124]

Yet another rock-solid album. [Aug 2006, p.204]

At 17 songs, Manipulator is a psychedelic handful of kaleidoscopic visions for the post-Kurt Cobain world. [Sep 2014, p.110]

Another instrumental masterpiece. [Jun 2006, p.192]

Building on the intelligent, melodically inventive sounds showcased on 2013's Rescue & Restore, the quintet further distinguish themselves from the metalcore pack in a manner that seems effortless. [Jul 2015, p.96]

II's best moments actually come when the songs sound like nothing either singer has ever done. [Nov 2012, p.90]

The entire thing is a cathartic art project that feels like the moment of forced calm after an exhausting sob. [Feb 2014, p.92]

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]

Sing The Sorrow soars with the kind of melodies hit singles are made of, yet it somehow persists with AFI's esoteric darkness. [Apr 2003, p.69]

Fortunately, the androgynous-voiced experimenter went back on threats of scrapping what is by far his most versatile collection. [Nov 2009, p.106]

Fascinating as it is, Matmos' complex creative process would be for naught if it didn't generate music you want to hear more than once. [Jul 2006, p.208]

These shifting dynamics increase the record's overall potency, and while it makes an abrasive mark on first exposure, it grows more and more absorbing with each successive listen, making Black Breath one of premier heavy bands to be watching in 2012.

Cult at times feels cut from the same cloth as 2007's Walking Wounded. [Mar 2014, p.87]

Double Figure forms a mysterious narrative filled with enough breaks and builds to keep the most jaded beathead more than satisfied. [Aug 2001, p.96]

But while the swanky compositions on Love can fade into the background like velvet-shrouded ambience, this same passion also makes these songs mesmerizing, allowing them to remain in the gently muted spotlight just as easily. [Aug 2001, p.104]

A lovely, delicate album marred only by a curious vocal idiosyncrasy... Linkous performs several of these songs in a near whisper... [Oct 2001, p.100]

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

At least as good as their first full-length, Connector hits everything we’d want (and a little more).

As adept as the band are at alternating between metalcore and pop-punk, McKinnon’s words are similarly nuanced and multifaceted here.

Each track is different from the last, yet the album maintains a cohesive identity. [Jun 2012, p.76]

It's no Witness, sure, but it's an immensely strong return that shows how viable the band's style and songwriting still are. [Nov 2013, p.88]

The fullest sounding Silver Jews album to date. [Nov 2005, p.210]

One of the better nuanced and layered compositions we're likely to see before 2007 ends. [May 2007, p.152]

While many of their contemporaries remain content with the particular style that brought them to the dance, Deftones never feared exploring new avenues to advance their sound; Gore represents their latest evolution.

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

Come for the rock, but stay for Falkous' sarcasm-dripping bon mots. [Jun 2012, p.881]

Fire From The Sky is another compelling addition to their catalog. [Jun 2012, p.84]

It's the beautifully austere, grown-up pop album we've been waiting years for Mac McCaughan to record. [Jun 2003, p.97]

The passion and power generated by Messrs Strummer, Jones, Simonon and Chimes make the proceedings feel like 10 minutes. [Nov 2008, p.170]

Cox projects an otherwordly allure in his atmospheres and melodies that recall My Blood Valentine's recasting of rock as sound that prioritizes erotic texture and swoon-worthy levitation. [Mar 2008, p.140]

While the influences haven't fully melted, the hooks are particularly strong, abetted by a decorator's touch for texture and tone. [Mar 2011, p.99]

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]

Darnielle still ties this album up under a loose theme, but it is a bold, Cinemascope-like vision of social and religious outcasts. [Nov 2012, p.92]

The richly recorded songs spool out with a natural ease. [Nov 2008, p.154]

He's aided in this task by Anticon genius Alias, who produced the entire record--his spastic, head-nodding beats are so good, that they occasionally overshadow the headliner. However, that's not due to any lack of talent on Dolan's part, who's on the top of his game throughout the disc.

Besides boasting some of the band's most violent music to date, what makes The Powerless Rise such a stunning metal record is the band's commitment to vigrously kicking at their boundaries while remaining true to their sound. [Jun 2010, p.104]

Having dabbled with atmospheric black-metal elements in the past, this time out Carnifex incorporates these with more confidence while never compromising their ruthless deathcore principals. [Apr 2014, p.89]

Boston's finest prove that far from having nothing left to say, they're just getting started. [Apr 2011, p.114]

Pierce's vocals and playing reach higher and push farther forward than they did on previous albums. [Apr 2012, p.98]

It's proof the evil genius remains a damned fine chef. [Feb 2005, p.94]

The tone grows shrill by album's end, but occasional bursts of accessible production help alleviate that shortcoming. [Oct 2002, p.84]

Full of the most intense guitar rock to come out of L.A. since Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking. [Jun 2004, p.104]

Grooves with uptight downtown funk that's not just for beat freaks. [May 2002, p.88]

The Coral blow through genres like Top 40 radio does flavors of the week. [Apr 2003, p.74]

With vocals creeping into the closer "Happiness," not once does Cooper put a foot wrong, creating an album that borders on perfection. [Jun 2013, p.96]

Kveikur is a masterstroke effort. [Jul 2013, p.104]

With this completely progressive and mature effort, it's clear that Barnes is one of indie rock's most gifted songwriters. [Feb 2007, p.115]

It's a snarling, agile beast with some posi moments along the way. [Aug 2012, p.90]

There’s no question Common Courtesy will at least partially satisfy eager fans, because if nothing else, it’s a textbook A Day To Remember record. Whether or not that’s good or bad is entirely up to you.

Hospital Handshakes is proof that you can get close to hitting rock bottom and still rise up from the ashes with the album of your career. [May 2015, p.102]

Transit Blues marks both Prada's sixth full-length album and an impressive step forward. [Nov 2016, p.87]

None of these songs reach that lofty level [of Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Randy Newman], but fans of inward-looking popsmiths like Elliott Smith and Daniel Johnston (whose artwork gets a subtle nod through the graphics) will find some gentle little gems in this police department lost-and-found.

Offend Maggie continues Deerhoof's winning streak and displays a band running at peak performance. [Nov 2008, p.154]

If you're prone to enjoying the epic recall in rock, All Is Dream will be your momentary ticket outta here. [Oct 2001, p.82]

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]

While it's hard to recommend Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave outside of an environment of solitudinous nighttime drives (don't expect to hear this kickstart any parties), it's a deeply encompassing and occasionally profound experience that deserves to be felt by far more than the few lucky to already be inside the Twilight Sad's too-small circle.

Nears indie-pop perfection. [Feb 2003, p.70]

Ultimately Rev proves that a hard-driving beat and a searing six-string are timeless pleasures. [Feb 2014, p.94]

While the other material is good, these moments are great. [Sep 2014, p.104]

The big hooks are fewer and further between, but the meat in the middle is where the real magic lies.

Generally speaking, though, White Silence finds Cave In at the heaviest point of their career since 1998's Until Your Heart Stops--and easily at their noisiest and most experimental.

Conjures images of an organic commune in an alternate galaxy. [Jun 2005, p.164]

As is the case whenever [Kurt] Wagner's velvet croon wraps itself around a night that ends so late it's already morning... there really isn't a critic in the world who can touch him. [combined review of both discs; Mar 2003, p.94]

Amid the highlife guitars and percussion that give Sea a delightful Afro-pop sheen... it's impossible to ignore the creeping conventionalism of the disc's best tracks. [Jun 2006, p.178]

Mirror Traffic will neither win nor lose converts. [Sep 2011, p.112]

Moody music that avoids settling on any one sound for more than half a song. [Feb 2004, p.78]

The best comparison for April is Neil Young. [June 2008, p.131]

Bassist Jeff Matz and double-kickdrum killer Des Kensel flank Pike at every turn. The album-opening title track establishes a menacing, mathematical momentum, and the trio never falter.

The whole thing is over before you know it packing a punch as sweet and warm as a shot of whiskey. [Jan 2005, p.108]

American Slang is no disappointment--these are expertly written songs by a band who continue to learn who they are and what they play as time goes on. [Jul 2010, p.121]

Lyrically keen and immediately catchy. [Mar 2002, p.84]

RJD2 possesses the rare ability to transform moldy samples into fresh-as-tomorrow compositions. [Jun 2004, p.110]

They're taking an experimental risk that pays off well. [Dec 2016, p.102]

The Sunlandic Twins feels like a surprise party that could make a broken-hearted birthday boy smile. [May 2005, p.124]

After the Party stacks up with the Menzingers' best material. [Mar 2017, p.82]

Those who stick with Arab Strap will discover endearing wit and vulnerability in the duo's songs, as well as tender melodies and graceful acoustic playing. [Apr 2006, p.204]

Xiu Xiu nail their nebulous mix of new wave and post-punk gloom, but also lace their tunes with uncompromising experimentation and emotion. [Apr 2004, p.88]

It's a thing of subversive beauty, a striking debut that's self-assured and captivating. [Mar 2004, p.104]

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

While the pair should have more fully explored such detours from the norm, Revolutions Per Minute is arguably the finest hour for both Kweli and Hi-Tek.

The band may have taken their time, but the finished product more than justifies the wait. [Mar 2014, p.89]

This is a farewell album, but the band are going out at full strength. [Jun 2014, p.104]

While A Chance may not move Matmos any closer to either the song or sound distinction, perhaps the fact that their music consistently provokes smiles and dark thought with increasing accessibility warrants our continued, if not increased, attention... [#154, p.76]

It ain't pretty, but the intensity is undeniable. [Mar 2013, p.92]

As usual, the production is raw with traces of the recording process still evident. Although Transference lacks the overwhelming variety of "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga," there are notable moments of exploration. [Feb 2010, p.96]

It might sound formulaic, if it weren't so gorgeous. [Jun 2009, p.102]

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]

His heavily metal solo debut delivers bigger stylistic departures (and wilder guitar solos) than his other side projects. [Aug 2011, p.114]

Finally makes good on Malkmus' claims of musical maturity. [Apr 2003, p.80]

When they're on, they're really fucking on. [Dec 2002, p.94]

Did we say "hard to resist?" Make that "impossible." [Aug 2006, p.224]

There Is A Hell is an impressive and ambitious third effort that proves these Brits have staying power. [Nov 2010, p.109]

C'mon, which was the band recorded in an old church in their hometown of Duluth, Minnesota, has moments of slowcore brilliance. [May 2011, p.93]