For most of "Saturday Night Wrist," Deftones contentedly let their instruments wander, inventing a meandering soundscape that broods in near darkness. [4 Nov 2006]

Thursday's Epitaph debut melds the band's hardcore influences with shoegaze and atmospheric elements, with mixed results.

There is a little too much tra-la-la-ing, but it's a pleasure to hear a new band having so much infectious fun. [24 Mar 2007]

"Compound Eye" is difficult as a complete listen but works well in smaller chunks. [28 Jan 2006]

Finds the duo, well, pushing too many of the same buttons.

Dennen's tenuous vocals (and lyrics) are better suited to silly love songs than this sort of material, and though producer John Alagia knows how to make the guitars jingle and jangle and how to work up a soft, swimmy groove, Dennen needs a little more to rise out of the ever-growing multitude of sensitive guitar dudes.

Enigk's vocals here are as translucent as ever.

An uneven collection of synthesized experimentation that relies too heavily on familiar and cliched electronic tricks to sound original.

One can't help but think that by scaling back their ambitions, the Foos could have made one great album instead of two average ones.

The Americana is first-class, be it on crunchy, boozy romps with stinging solos or the slow-burning acoustic fare, but this batch of tunes proves far less memorable.

A mixed bag of pure-pop lyricism and throwaway covers.

There are moments when you wish for just a tiny bit of dirt, or just a little bit of edge.

Fish Outta Water may lack the demographic-tripping vibe that even a Jurassic 5 in turmoil could whip up, but it's a mostly winning debut that makes up in vocal prowess for what it lacks in hooks.

Snoop has found a happy balance between pop and hardcore. [25 Nov 2006]

The group's live shows are the stuff of legend--perhaps that's why the act's debut album, #1, seems a bit disappointing without the corresponding over-the-top visuals.

These tracks lack the magnetism of Miller's material with the band.

Too frequently on the band's third album, the fun gets lost in difficult song structures and chord changes that deliver less than we have come to expect. [14 Jan 2006]

A slick, curious concoction that sounds like Dave Matthews crossed with the Beta Band.

Unfortunately, instead of eliciting the same response as its predecessor, ["Girl Tonite"] comes as a feeble attempt to copy success. Luckily, there are enough highlights to balance things out. [8 Oct 2005]

Fans of Wilco will certainly oblige Kotche's singular visions; fans of "Being There," maybe not so much.

The seemingly ageless Australian rock combo mostly employs its same tried-and-true formula on the audio side of the Black Ice equation.

"Lucky" kicks off the proceedings; it's a buoyant, blistering winner of a song. Unfortunately, the track is also one of the disc's few high points.

While "Golden Greats" features some intriguing tracks and a healthy dose of Brown's trademark bravado, it doesn't come close to ringing in as powerfully as that of the Roses' era-defining sound.

To be sure, the quiet side is the more powerful.

This song-by-song re-creation of Judy Garland's iconic 1961 Carnegie Hall performance, staged there by Rufus Wainwright in 2006, seems better-suited to a cabaret act.

Despite it being more rock-oriented than 2005's "The Beekeeper," this album isn't much of a sonic progression, and it takes a while for "Posse" to find its voice. [5 May 2007]

Another satisfying collection of quick, riff-happy new wave/punk rock that, while no match for its first album, was nonetheless worth the wait.

More hit than miss. [30 Jun 2007]