Rings Around The World takes another twelve bold strides forward, applying the technology explored on earlier efforts like Radiator and Guerrilla and the restraint exercised on the more lo-fi Mwng to a fresh set of songs that stretch the group's stylistic boundaries and provide the young century with one of its first classic albums.

As impressive as the early singles were, the material on The Violet Hour is often commensurate, sometimes superior.

The band's most consistent, well-written effort yet.

Agaetis Byrjun stands up in overall artistic merit to any record ever made.

A beautiful, magical, mystical soundtrack; similar to Homogenic, but in a sense, more light-hearted and full of love.

What is really so special about Gotham! is its infectiousness.

A maddeningly ambitious album, Lifted fits into the pantheon of the great concept records of the past few years, joining the likes of The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin, and Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.

GBV have made a record that should please any fan still listening.

The album leaps between influences of Hawaiian music, classic indie rock, '70s-era orchestration, and country -- all very very delicately, as is Aden's way.

It’s hard to imagine what the Plan could do to top Change, but one thing is for sure: growing up and looking forward has rarely sounded so universally satisfying.

This is fun, fun, fun stuff -- one of the year’s best albums, no doubt.

For all its minimalist musical approach and inherent gloominess, Is A Woman over time proves a creative masterstroke.

Rachel's has produced one hell of a gorgeous concept album - a sort of Dark Side Of The Moon for the Debussy set.

The true strength of Elephant Shoe lies in its transcendent quality, in its ability to sweep you away with its hypnotic beauty and transport you to the heights of your own imagination.

Flaws aside, Speakerboxxx more than lives up to its billing.... The Love Below, however, is a revelation.

Throughout, Trail Of Dead make off like indie rock legends at the top of their game.

An across-the-board triumph.

An absolutely awesome album.

An album of stark beauty and utter honesty.

Stories is rich with texture and memorable melodies.

The album is arguably better than the group's much-heralded debut, if by "better" we just mean more sonically impressive overall.

A stark, mostly beautiful but sometimes mind-numbing disc.

In a way, this could be Blur's best record.

It is hard to shake the feeling that these songs may actually be leftovers.

As musically far away as it is from OK Computer, the record is actually a logical progression.

The White Stripes are a great rock and roll band, and White Blood Cells a suitable coming-out party.

Comparisons aside, though, the Strokes do cultivate a sound that's enough theirs to make me wonder what their second and third albums will sound like.

Vapor Trails is a great, straight-forward hard rock album from a band that actually seems to be getting better as it ages.