"Son" is yet another triumph for Molina, who continues to distinguish herself as one of the most innovative electronic artists today.

Beck has rarely performed with such maturity and confidence, breathing a rich, often haunting baritone into songs that seem to follow a plotline thread of despair after the end of a relationship.

The chaotic electronic density of U2's last few efforts has been replaced by sticky, bite-size tunes -- sporting candy-sweet choruses that are often underlined by unabashed words of love.

This release is comparable to 2004's stunning "Last Exit" in that every song has its own merits yet feels part of a greater whole.

The album could serve as an excellent point of entry for a new crop of fans.

A largely effective mix of grime and soul. [25 Mar 2006]

Every so often an artist will release a debut record that has seemingly come from nowhere; you question where this person has been all your life, and how come it took so long for this to get out.

Leo manages to weave his messages into some of the tightest, most energetic rock you're likely to hear this year.

[A] very wonderful, very adult set.

Although the arrangements remain impressive, there are moments when it feels as though Dungen should stick with a quicker pace. [26 May 2007]

[He said] wanted to take a different direction on Year of the Gentleman. However, it seems he still has a heavy--yet welcome--case of the (rhythm and) blues on the finished product.

What has become increasingly clear is that Devendra Banhart needs an editor.

The effect is never derivative, nor is it catered to the commercial hip-hop landscape, but it's always memorable.

A through-and-through classic.

The disc makes so few concessions to current trends that it sounds like something dug up from a time capsule, in the best sense.

Given the talent on hand it would take some horrible disaster to sink "Optometry," but the combo actually bests expectations.

While Zwan sometimes displays the anguished heart of the Pumpkins, the band also has a leaner, upbeat sound that is, at times, downright sweet and playful.

Grohl's furious playing fits perfectly with the wall of rage erected by Joke vocalist Jaz Coleman and fellow founders Geordie Walker on guitar and Youth on bass.

So, yeah, the New Year sounds an awful lot like Bedhead, but who can really complain?

A collection of blistering rock songs and alcohol-laced laments.

The epitome of a melancholy winter record.

This much more polished follow-up goes down smoother but still packs plenty of fire.

It is a testament to Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin's production acumen that the songs here sound so organic despite their computerized origin. [22 Oct 2005]

The chameleon has come home and still sounds like no one else.

On his third solo outing (and first for Columbia), songwriter/producer Raphael Saadiq takes the listener on a smooth carpet ride that seamlessly weaves the feel-good essence of soul music's storied roots.

Indie rock's favorite (and most prolific) red-headed woman has never sounded more assured than she does on this solo-billed set, a soaring, brisk rumination on love and other matters that comes with a dusty tinge befitting its Arizona roots.

"II" conjures a creepy but very real neo-psychedelia that is alternately paranoid, somber and reflective.

Expertly tows the line between old-school hip-hop homage and forward-looking experimentation.

Much of the material on the quirky "Show Your Bones" is more intimate and, at times, tentative. [1 Apr 2006]

The Satanic Satanist constructs an exquisite medium between indie music and hard rock.

A hauntingly beautiful album with tender, melodic pop arrangements that really make a lasting impression.

Several songs near the end go on too long, content to just keep repeating riffs over and over. Still, when Autumn is on point, it offers some of Pinback's best tunes yet.

A curious amalgamation of styles that is ultimately quirky and compelling.

A fantastically colorful and original effort. [5 May 2007]

Fans of Carlton's indelible white-chick anthem "A Thousand Miles," on the other hand, have plenty to be excited about, since Heroes presents another batch of appealingly wistful reflections on life and love.

Shakira, of course, is unmistakable. But the coup is that each track is absolutely distinctive, even on several songs with no clear-cut choruses or hooks.

To say there isn't one bad track on this album would be a drastic understatement.

This dynamic duo comes off as vital as it has in a decade on the highly anticipated sequel to the pair's 1999 collaborative debut, "Blackout!"

With the mesmerizing Alison Goldfrapp leading the way, a glam-rock fierceness reigns supreme throughout this stunning collection.

The sound is bigger, the playing better, the lyrics sharper and the spirituality more compelling than anything the act has done in many years.

The band's reverence for its source material--all horns, Stax/Volt soul and he-done-me-wrong lyrics--occasionally gets so close that it's more clone than homage. But there's no denying the 51-year-old Jones' brutal, Aretha-ish voice

It still has the signature guitar-drums-violin approach, but there are subtle variations that make this a different record.

It's almost as if they've been raised on a steady diet of "Laugh-In" reruns, sugary disco beats, James Bond films, and the Ray Conniff Singers.

His raspy, hushed voice is in fine form as ever.

Hitting a second stride with "Murray Street" in 2002, the band maintains its leadership position among melodic noise-makers with The Eternal, which is so chock-full of hummable pop hooks you'd think a hit doctor lent a hand.

Man Man exhibits a varied flair for macabre theatrics that includes a veritable world's fair of chaos and creation.

Those looking for peak-hour club music are advised to look elsewhere, but those in search of quirky aural landscapes to play alongside their Groove Armada and Bent discs need to investigate lemonjelly.ky. [Critics Choice]

A quietly ambitious effort that nudges the Shins' trademark indie pop into unexpected new directions.

After 2005 concept album "The Forgotten Arm" was poorly received, Aimee Mann is back to writing stand-alone pop songs, and lo and behold, they comprise her most compelling album to date.

Rather than debut with her new label by methodically working the groove that got her here, she has cut a dozen tunes that suggest she's ready to crunch a few genres.

Though a few tracks like 'That's How People Grow Up' fall back on overused Morrissey formulas, others like the Latin-tinged 'When Last I Saw Carol' add welcome variety.

The trio has fine-tuned its sound, making it more complex and compelling. [14 Jan 2006]

An impressively creative hip-hop album that will hopefully inspire West's peers to try new sonic avenues.

A warm sonic cocoon with synthesizer veins, it possesses the rare quality of making the listener feel like an active ingredient of the music.

"Electric Blue Watermelon" consistently demonstrates that they have arrived at a place where their special feel for hill country blues and their Southern rock sensibilities are in sync. [10 Sep 2005]

What is exploding, writhing and fermenting behind Avey Tare's erratic voice is what's most interesting about this poppy, though experimental, set.

It's this mix of the loud and the trippy that Black Mountain specializes in, and In the Future sees the band striving for epic proportions.

It is exactly what the band needs to boost itself to the next level of pop-punk prowess.

Finds Merritt and his longtime backing band moving away from pop formalism, slightly toning down the cabaret affectations and focusing a little more on the melodies and hooks rather than the genre-hopping arrangements.

Some may find the subtle Fan Dance too unadorned, but its quiet beauty holds real strength.

Walking With Thee feels more like a transition record than a definitive statement in its own right.

The 37-year-old singer/songwriter is a new mom in love with her daughter's dad, and the experience has saturated every element of her work, from the warmed-up sound of her voice and guitar, to the lessons learned at the end of her familiar narratives.

If "Trials & Errors" is an advance look at the direction in which Molina is heading, this seems to be a perfect fit for him.

"Because of the Times" is a brooder at heart, and much of the material here is some of the Kings' most demanding to date. It's also among their best. [14 Apr 2007]

It's one of those rare soundtracks that holds up well independent of its film.

Accelerate may not stun on impact like some R.E.M. records, but it's still habit-forming.

Nouns is a more likable and less abrasive version of No Age, with a little something for everyone and a little nothing for no one as well.

She has never sounded so earthy, so bluesy, so soulful.

"Supper" is superior to the particularly subdued sound of its immediately predecessor, "Rain on Lens," landing closer to the Velvet Underground-inspired stomp of 1999's "Knock Knock."

Night Works is dramatic and flirtatious, as well as warm and inviting.

Harris' take on Tracy Chapman's 'All That You Have Is Your Soul' is definitive, and 'Beyond the Great Divide' provides a sublime closing to an album that was well worth the wait.

As on many valiant attempts by electronic artists to cross over, there's too much going on. But Cope succeeds in creating an overall sense of unrest and some moments of electro-transcendence.

Riley's clearly shooting to become hip-hop's answer to Billy Bragg or Steve Earle, and he's getting there. His ambitions outweigh his results, but there's very little about his "Weapon" that won't spark a response.

Equally stands as Six Organs' most accessible and complex collection to date.

The time between now and its 2005 Sub Pop debut, "Apologies to the Queen Mary," allowed the group to more fully develop its sound. At Mount Zoomer expands upon the bits-and-pieces pop approach of its debut into a solid set of rock songs.

"Surprise" falls shy of a masterpiece, but it is consistently engaging and offers some of Simon's most creative songs in two decades.

While not quite as revealing and rewarding as its 2005 cousin, the new album will certainly please fans of Rubin and Diamond's stark-yet-comfy acoustic direction.

Seventh Tree is as deliciously subversive, and in some cases more so, as the duo's past work.

Easily the most adventurous work in the Fog catalog yet.

His voice is beautiful, his phrasing adventurous and his arrangements intense.... But the material could stand a bit of pruning

Special guest vocalists, plus a turn at bat from longtime member Jacob Valenzuela on 'Inspiracion,' add intriguing textures to the 15-song set.

Cease falters when it dips into mediocre balladry ('Detlef Schrempf,' 'Marry Song'), and at a scant 35 minutes, the album at times hints at greatness but ultimately leaves you wanting more.

[It's] hard not to fall in love with each and every song upon first listen.

Much has been made of the fact that Gang Gang Dance named this record after the patron saint of outcasts and rebels, but this effort shows more crossover potential than anything the act has ever done.

His ambitious self-titled solo debut goes a long way in turning over a new musical leaf, thanks to the presence of a top-notch nine-piece band and a host of complex, melodically inventive tunes that could please a wide range of listeners.

A gripping yet comic collection of Americana songs braced with wit, heartbreak, social critique and spirituality. [20 May 2006]

Paisley hits all the right notes, literally and figuratively, weighing in on skinny dippin', beer, fishing, technology, children and women, among other all-American topics.

Soulful and organic, with roots in jazz and funk, Kamaal the Abstract finds Q-Tip not only rhyming in his trademark nasal cadence, but also singing--and surprisingly well to boot.

From the ugly album art to the stupid title to the strange, messy songs, it's hard to tell if the band is growing up or just goofing off.

Yet where the music is hard-hitting, the hoarse, almost drunken vocal style of lead singer Hamilton Leithauser can be grating.

From the broad, hopeful tone of opener 'Don't You Wish It Was True' to the brisk closer 'Longshot,' John Fogerty at 62 has made his toughest, best-written album since Creedence Clearwater Revival disbanded in 1972.

While Dulli's bitter, drunken voice remains front and center, the backup vocals and orchestras nearly make the songs sound like a parody, marrying a beast to a beauty.

Denver-based Devotchka delivers another batch of aching, spacious and histrionic tunes on A Mad and Faithful Telling.

The uptempo tracks are invigorating with their harder guitars and drums, and Lewis' humor abounds, but his slower, softer, acoustic songs are the standouts.

"The Devil and God" plays its hurt with polish and panache, however, as Brand New's textured dynamics marry mood and an aggressive ebb-and-flow on nearly every track. [25 Nov 2006]

This is the same pop-wise Hot Chip, only wilier and with a more dastardly sonic arsenal.

Here, her vocals--less developed and wobblier than now, yet still astounding--and tell-it-like-it-is lyrics ('Fuck Me Pumps') take center stage.

All in all, the effort has more space, less atmosphere and gets right to the point.