Lung of Love come[s] across like another breath of fresh air.

It looks like Bruce Springsteen finally has some help defending Jersey's street cred.

With that, this Wrecking Ball is more about a carnival of living souls moving in solidarity than a giant iron orb meant to destroy.

The most noticeable thing about the new Xiu Xiu album is ... how disarmingly vibrant it sounds.

The time apart from one another has given the band a more expansive sound and Dirty Three have pushed themselves to create one of the most dynamic releases in the catalog.

Taken in tandem, both CD and DVD provide an intriguing look at an album that ranks as one of the most dramatic accomplishments in modern Rock realms.

Those two indelible songs ["Small Bright Doses" and "Rogue Highway"] alone more than warrant the price of admission, but while the rest of the album is far more ambiguous, its dream-like melodies and beguiling intrigue provide plenty of reason to succumb to its spell.

Tunes that are both brainy and catchy, full of life.

A progressive dance-pop album that, maybe because of her background, feels a heck of a lot hipper than what her new genre counterparts can offer.

If you like good tunes cranked up on pogo beats, you can hardly do better than Meltdown

The Something Rain is not just the band's best since they reconvened in 2008; measured against their earlier work, these nine songs shadow the younger Tindersticks in all kinds of compelling ways, trading in youthful adventure for expert-like craftsmanship.

This is quite overtly a party record.

The news is, basically, modest: On the whole, Hairdresser Blues picks up where the first album left off.

Black Radio would have been more successful if the music used some of jazz's subtle spontaneity in the arrangements instead of satisfying itself by going for the easy laidback vibe.

The more I listen to Jonquil, the more I l-u-v these guys.

Temple Beautiful is the product you expect from this highly original and creative artist.

Underrated Silence is never less than pretty, and often strikingly so, yet it lacks the grit that might make these compositions emotionally involving.

Methinks come the end of the year, a lot of people will have adjudged it a keeper.

Musically, Plumb is both rapturous and jumpy.

The trademark ingredients that turned Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass into seminal classics are retained via Olson's yearning vocals, the sun splashed harmonies and their adept meld of Americana, vintage West Coast rock, strings and psychedelia.

What sets the Fray apart is that they use their music to tell other people's stories in literate, compelling ways.

This is pure, un-concentrated psychedelic boogie rock rooted in West Coast mysticism, Stax R&B and Memphis blues without pretext or pretense.

She's taken a more reflective direction that emphasizes tenderness over tenacity and subtlety above sizzle.

Hellfire is a brilliant album with no weak cuts.

Flumina is an arresting and beautiful work as deep and open as the body of water that graces its cover art.

While it's hard to shake Heartless Bastards' unforgettable prior release The Mountain (2009), Arrow is indeed pointed in the right direction with a fresh sound.

While the intricacies of Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads could be exhausting to a casual listener, those with attentive ears will be enamored by the myriad sonic nuances present in the album.

With heart on his sleeve, Wagner opts for sobriety, but when those strings swell, the effect can be intoxicating.