In the end, most of the songs on MM..Food? are of typical Doom quality (for the uninitiated, that means â??excellentâ?), but the album is severely bogged down both by a few duds and by a trio of interludes in the middle of the album.

The songs that are good are amazing, but the songs that aren’t quite as good could end up being skipped over, which is a shame, seeing as how there isn’t a bad song, per se, on the album.

About as good as a live album can get.

The Anomoanon spin small miracles of magic on Joji by merely using a 70s rock-radio framework as a springboard for deceptively modern and intricate synchronized guitar leads, vocal harmonies borrowed from the Flying Burrito Brothers, and a taut rhythm section lifted from On the Beach/Zuma-era Neil Young.

You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine is the kind of “feelings” album that fans of noise-rock or hardcore can listen to without fear of being soft. For the rest of us, it’s an indulgence of our more dramatic emotions.

Every note on the album feels intricately placed. Every word sung feels thoroughly vetted. Luna has nary a molecule of atmosphere to spare on this record.

Unfortunately one great number can't save the whole act.

Think Polyrock or Chairs Missing-era Wire in terms of the stripped-down elementalism of the instrumentation, but think Ikara Colt in terms of delivery.

The songs themselves aren’t as outstanding as they could be, and it sure doesn’t help that the production choices give them less of the overwhelming energy that the Pharmacists are known for.

While it may still fall short of the high-water mark established with Clarity, Jimmy Eat World’s latest is still a strong contender for the best album of 2004.

When Le Tigre ventures out on an extended wire in a familiar direction with tunes like "On the Verge," "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo," and "After Dark," the ensemble proves that this long-awaited follow-up to Feminist Sweepstakes was not in vain.

A far better album than it has any right to be.

While most of the songs on Crimes stand out as being extremely well written musically and lyrically, the production needs an extra mention for being flawless.

Overall, what could have been yet another cash-cow milker actually turns out to be a curious and compelling piece of therapy for Frank Black as a writer and performer.

So if you can make it to track six - the lush “Only Love Can Set You Free” - Love Songs For Patriots becomes far more palatable from then on in.

Incumbent crescendos and contemplative guitar interludes notwithstanding, Mono has chosen to cloak itself in the inescapable fog of its forefathers and influences rather than transcend the sum of its parts.

Real Gone is incredible because of its songs, some of which stand among Waits' finest work.

Most of the songs on Power are quite impressive, and a good number are excellent, but there are some songs that were probably better left in the studio.

A phenomenal noise record.

For an artist who continues to mature and expand, Treble & Tremble may not be his magnum opus, but it is a delightful indie-pop album.

The listener gets acoustic ballads, guitar-driven rock exercises, poppy refrains, and jazz-inflected asides in a single package, and at no point does it really feel that the Scottish quartet is overextending itself or sacrificing the vitality of its work for the ability to slap the name of another sonic digression on the board.

Rather than break new ground, Rademaker, Losielle, and friends have chosen to have some fun making a record that would have sounded fantastic 20 years ago. While maybe not quite fantastic today, somehow it manages to sound fresh enough in 2004 that you’ll be glad you gave it a chance.

Antics is a very strong record that is home to a number of truly incredible songs.

This is an updated version of Drive Like Jehu, often faster, angrier, and, conversely, more sparse and peaceful.

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is a polychromatic, sweeping collection of gorgeous guitar-pop gems, a clever and harmonious amusement park filled with fun rides listeners will want to board over and over.

One of her most assured and intimate records to date.

Although this is one of the most linear and easy-to-navigate Giant Sand records, some might be put off by the album's lapses in noisier and raucous dynamics.

The Thrills still have more musical verve than many other second-album victims, but too much of this album seems as if The Thrills have wearied of their own sunny musical dispositions.