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.