Last Exit is a monumental debut... on par with It’s My Life or Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

The Delivery Man is a solid, albeit slightly over-learned and patronizing, collection of bluesy rock.

Yeah, it’s another Silkworm record. It’s not the band’s best and it’s not the band’s worst. It rocks in its own unique, world-weary way.

The Hives’ propulsive, polyrhythmic outbursts are so packed with hooks and catchy choruses that you can’t help but overlook the schtick and give in to the raucous delight.

If the fact that Albini seems to bury Falkous’ yelps behind too much dissonance bothers you, there’s plenty of joyous wreckage to revel in.

The only disappointment is the fact that everything sounds a tad too familiar.

OnOffOn is the aural resurrection of a band that still matters.

Despite the daunting Radiohead-colored cloud that hangs heavy over Muse, the band pushes the limits of its slick, pre-apocalyptic rock with a self-assured strut.

while the production’s sleek sheen holds tight reigns over any explosive guitars threatening to get out of hand, The Stills still manage to build up enough tension to hold your attention through good old fashioned songwriting.

An album packed with as many irresistible hooks as Whenever You’re Ready deserves to be heard.

The biggest problem with Hail to The Thief is its lack of surprise.

!!! fuses the Tom Tom Club’s frivolous white-boy syncopation with ESG’s polyrhythmic propulsion to make your brain feel informed while your feet work very hard to embarrass you.

Think Tank is Blur’s most cerebral, wildly experimental album, ever.

The downside of Counterfeit2 is its uniformity.

Elephant is a startlingly dark and consistent record, incorporating frequencies never before heard on a White Stripes album.

This is arguably Idlewild’s finest hour.

Every single song is an hummable masterpiece of pop experimentation.

Give Up is pure, unadulterated dance pop from start to finish.

We Love Life trades Pulp's characteristic risk-taking for smooth accessibility, which works a gray, rainy day magic over the proceedings.

Spoon rebounds from the insurmountable challenge of following up the colossally brilliant Girls Can Tell with an equally impeccable album.

Don't be fooled by the constant references to other bands. While the foundation upon which Interpol is building, certainly is borrowed, its music is not a miming act.

This album is an extraordinary display of Oberst’s songwriting prowess. It’s obscenely ambitious and pretentious and ridiculous but unquestionably memorable and affecting.

While Torino is most definitely not a Wedding Present album by any stretch of the imagination, it should win back some of the die-hard older fans that may have boycotted Cinerama at the onset.

With Murray Street the band has made a persuasive case for its ongoing existence for the first time in over a decade.

High Society expands upon the hurried schizophrenia of Schmersal’s previous band, Brainiac, elevating songwriting to the same level of experimental deconstruction to both the detriment and advancement of the band’s core sound.

Silkworm as classic rock? Yep, and it’s damn good, too.

Moby continues to do on 18 what he’s always done best, and that is to fuse disparate musical styles with a pop sensibility, while maintaining a moody, almost gothic theme.

Maladroit is a welcome - halfway - return to form.