That's not to say that Love & Distortion is a bad album, just that it's thoroughly average.

An uneven mish-mash of musical ideas that is only occasionally thrilling.

Often dreamy, sometimes rockin', but rarely more than pedestrian.

Grand Mal takes a connoisseur's approach to classic rock, and when it works, the best of Bad Timing can stand tall next to its forefathers.

This is an ambitious album that aims high but falls short.

It is not groundbreaking, or particularly clever.

Greater accessibility does not necessarily mean higher quality.

The outcome is alternately brilliant and awful, adventurous and boring, incisive and pretentious, over-wrought and subtle.

As you're listening, the songs begin to sound more and more like play-acting, as if Malin's trying to sound like his heroes more than he's trying to create anything that's all his own.

While the structured nature of [Looks At The Bird] is likely to hold your attention longer than the static and hum of Brokeback's last release, Morse Code in the Modern Age, the lack of challenge often detracts from the fulfillment that comes with a difficult listen.

A disappointing concept album with large patches of trivial explorations and experimental noodling.

Last Night is as moody as funk can get, and the results range from soulful to pretentious.