One of the most surprising, challenging, and important albums of the year.

Feels like an honest treat for longtime fans.

Lift Your Skinny Fists… told a story, included more extremes in volume and emotion, and added vocal samples. Yanqui, thus, is more subtle, more restrained. Yet it's also more moody, more cerebral, more intense.

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

Government Commissions is a must-have for any Mogwai fan, as the live version of “Like Herod” alone is worth the price of the full CD.

Rounds is a perfect mix of subdued chill-out music and up-tempo beats.

This is certainly my favorite British release of the year.

It’s certainly going to be one of the most, if not the most, fresh sounding electronic albums of the year and it’s only going to get better as time passes.

The songs on Thickfreakness are all near masterpieces.

With absolutely perfect production, the end result is one that’s embracing, textured, warm, and still fun.

Sometimes the best albums are pieces of high art to be appreciated from afar. Others are treated like your favorite movies, invoking feelings of when and where you first experienced it. And yet others are treated like books that are so distinct in invoking another time or place that you are escape into them often and without fear. Canary is that kind of album.

This album includes boasts a brilliant storyteller, amazing music, and, most important, beautifully delivered lyrics.

One of the best albums you'll hear in 2003.

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

With Random Access Memories, the duet has returned after a long hiatus from proper studio albums, with another triumphant winner.

The album's diversity is certainly key and essential to its value but for some it might lie entirely in Pecknold's flawless voice.

Not only the best Album Leaf album to date but one of the best albums of the year.

Built On Squares is a refreshing slice of musical Valhalla.

Yet with such a superb back catalog and a stellar new record to boot, the question now becomes how – or if – Okkervil River will be able to top itself the next time around.

Ghost is at the top of his game, both in terms of flow and lyrical luminosity.

Each and every single song on here is sprinkled with a certain something to make it outstanding all on its own.

The group continues their fantastic, totally unique song structures, lyrics and instrumentation, resulting in the next evolution of a Decemberists album, and it does not disappoint.

This is a punishing record that manages to be both incredibly dense and yet highly listenable.

Although Veckatimest might be more of an emotionally-driven album, Shields continues to showcase a band that is somehow--as good as they currently are--simply getting better and better, regardless of the location, the circumstances, regardless of the schedules.

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

Hot Fuss is a multi-faceted, consistently interesting and enjoyable synth-rock album with strengths across the songwriting, singing, and playing fields.

As much as I loved Amore Del Tropico, The Spell comes across even more striking.

It’s another astounding album from a great band and one that we should get much, much more music from for many years to come.