The overall atmosphere is grey, too blah and insular to be colorful.

Yet as delectable as the melodies are, Sex with an X seems like it's all been done before--and in fact, we know that it has.

Caulfield continues to showcase some seriously well-crafted shifts between proggy meandering movements and pop hooks.

Special moments are few and far between. [#8, p.109]

Although it toes a dangerous line of resounding too imitative of its own influences, the young producer is nonetheless well on his way to fully embracing his identity.

The reality is that Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon is the musical equivalent of a grape soda--it tastes familiar, but it's just not quite a grape.

The heavy-handed force of the latest effort to sonically disconstruct and reconstruct gets tiresome. [Spring 2009, p.103]

The ruminative, skittering TVOTR rhythmic patterns distract from Miranda's strengths even with the occasional injections of some easy-breezy horn lines or soul-jazz keys. [Winter 2010, p.100]

She never gets quite where she's going, but it's good to have her back.

The band is not exactly daytripping here and there is a great fervor in what they do, but the fruit is not quite ripe. [Summer 2009, p.102]

It's a real coloring book of an idea, but too many crayons and a shaky hand have left the original images looking blurred.

Though “subdued” is a dirty word that’s thrown around a lot, in the case of the collection that comprises Get There, the duo shines bright when they pick up the pace.

An A.merican D.ream struts back into those alleyways, but devoid of any kind of humor.

The peaks aren't as emotionally devastating as his studio work, but there's a hushed desperation here that gradually leaches into your pores.

The result is an album that is altogether pleasant, but just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself on the map from the rest in its genre.

There are a few thrilling moments here—notably the cinematic ballad “Nothing”--but the band mostly flounders as it seeks a new direction.

Somewhere in the English to Japanese to...uh, English translation, the wonderful quirkiness inherent in their delivery and meaningless lyrics was misplaced. [Fall 2008, p.105]

Vandervelde masterfully dresses singer-songwriter tunes that could exist just on acoustic guitar in beautiful studio psychedelics, but too often he lets his brillant sound palette subsitute for structural creativity. [Summer 2008, p.98]

Blue Songs is a sophisticated and club-ready sophomore effort, even if--at times--it nearly crumbles under the weight of its own decadence and self-indulgences.

The band sounds more polished than ever, especially when they shed their folk roots, but the funky riffs (“Feel the Chill,” “Drive On Up”) owe more to Songs in the Key of Life than Highway 61 Revisited.

Their songs do run deeper than they seem, but you have to listen closely and push through fluff. It was cute the first time, but now it's just awkward. [Winter 2009, p.97]

The album's lyrics feature mostly throwaway new-age drivel... and gut-wrenching despondency reduced to bored balladeering. Or just plain silliness. [#13, p.102]

While the Malaysian songstress' charming vocals are easily the main attraction, Avi's unexpected stroll through different sonic territories-hopping from pop ("The Book of Morris Johnson") to R&B ("Concrete Wall") and reggae ("Roll Your Head In The Sun")--is a close second.

Pedestrian Verse is an album made up of melodies, lyrics and verses that are completely, well, pedestrian.

Despite some inspired guest contributions from A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s Jen Goma and Beirut’s Kelly Pratt, the raw guitar anthems from Belong are too often replaced by poppy fizz, toothless jangle and twee melancholia on Abandon.

The altered states of Cameron Stallones' latest Sun Araw effort Ancient Romans are an acquired taste.

There are no distinguishable hooks or chorus lines anywhere on Coming Apart; instead, it’s just Gordon and Nace simultaneously subverting and creating musical forms that will surely polarize listeners who want to “get it” and those who refuse to.

For all of the thought required, the album is still very natural and accessible.