There’s still something oddly admirable about Alice In Chains’ stubborn refusal to change.

Surprisingly enjoyable party rock.

Return To Form from last electro band standing.

Earthbound offering from hyped to the heavens duo.

Avant-rockers make shameless play for the aging Generation X market.

Close but no rosette for the new British diva on the block.

Steady as she goes from the indie institution.

Houston, We’ve got problems

Ho-hum third record from brit chanteuse.

Former Cranberries woman gives us too much of a good thing.

A surprising afro-beat, trance-pop return from Penate.

Sci-fi hi-jinks from ‘the nerdy Kraftwerk.’

Pleasant young fellows cause record reviewer to suffer acute fit of niceness.

Perfectly natural indie music from Scottish band.

Patchy covers album from alt.rock veterans.

RATM guitarist and hardcore troubadour participates in dodgy agit rap/rock experiment.

Warm-hearted folk pop from New England.

Steady as she goes on AOR eighth outing.

Emo pin-ups milk last moments of glory

Franz Ferdinand attempt to put some dub in the music and end up with (re)mixed results.

Pittsburgh gene-splicers manage to overcome three minute attention deficit barrier.

Wayward offering from hip hop legend with distinct lack of finesse.

Quietly bucking the trend are The Shortwave Set, whose follow-up to 2005’s The Debt Collection confounds convention by actually being pretty good.

Nuptial celebrations yield surreal pleasures from Odd-ball Americana Folkies.

Craggy eco-concept record not the car-crash it could have been.

Lo-fi freakster doffs cap to minimalism & screaming chipmunks.

Upbeat comeback from the kings of coffee-table electro.