The bolstered instrumentation doesn't hide some of her weakest songwriting.

It’s a concept album that fundamentally refuses to engage with its own premise. Instead, the band doubles down on lyrical clichés about love and arena-friendly electropop. ... Frontman Chris Martin was never known as a brilliant songwriter, but his lyrics were never this vapid either.

For people who enjoy overly polished, sub-par bar bands. [Winter 2008, p.89]

Megapuss seems like one bad decision after another. [Year End 2008]

Over the wandering course of these 11 tracks, Francis is the aural equivalent of a boxer who's had five too many concussions coming out for one last payday. [Spring 2010, p.68]

Not content to leave well enough alone, however, the female/male tradeoff vocals take over, stranding the remainder of songs somewhere between emo and alternative--not a great place to be. [Winter 2008, p.88]

A mighty attempt at thinking outside the box, ultimately Anika is simply an attempt at sound and fury, signifying nothing.

There's little to make them noticeable today. [Winter 2010, p.69]

Some bright instrumental flourishes are occasionally added in an attempt to give the songs some pulp but it's nothing to get too excited about since they're neither grabbing nor contagious and act more like threadbare window dressings to the mundane song structures and their gentle acoustics. For better or worse, a collection of guest vocalists, both male and female, are used throughout, including an appearance by former Midlake vocalist Tim Smith. But this only serves to highlight the album's inconsistencies.

The new sounds end up grating against the vocals, which will always sound whiskey-soaked, and playing against the band's strengths. [May 2011, p.88]

There are some entertaining songs here ('Drive On, Driver,' 'I’ll Dream Alone') but overall, there is scarcely an affective moment on Distortion. [Winter 2008, p.83]

Grapetooth are all style, no substance--the album's hopelessly nostalgic fishcam lens cover shot, the twee synth leads, the empty, half-assed vocal melodies. The worst part? Grapetooth lasts 40 minutes.

Yeah Ghost is simply too experimental. [Fall 2009, p.74]

On the whole, the album feels like a parody of music's tropes, limping along with no real soul.

All but unlistenable for five of its six songs. [#9]

For the most parts, it drags. [Aug-Sep 2013, p.92]

Vulnerable has a cheap sound and a cut and paste feel from beginning to end and is hard to shake. [#5, p.110]

If this is what happens when Keane attempt to delve into darkness, the mind reels at what these guys would sound like when they’re in a good mood. [#14]

A Woman A Man Walked By is a side project in the worst sense of the term; a slight diversion that's really for Harvey completists only. [Spring 2009, p.66]

They reportedly had some difficulties securing a label for this release. And Unfortunately, it's easy to see why; Girls hits the panic button pretty early on. [Jul 2011, p.78]

Joke or not a joke, this isn't great music.

Not quite dull enough to be entirely forgettable, Where You Stand plays it safe with middle-of-the-road everything.

Between the shrill, semi-anonymous voice of Elly Jackson, and Ben Langmaid's clunky paint-by-numbers beats, La Roux's eponymous debut already feels dated. [Fall 2009, p.74]

Welcome to Goon Island never seems to find dry land. [Winter 2008]

There isn't anything specifically awful about any of the songs and you can imagine any one being played at a Californian stoners' beach party and no one minding. But if you put the entire album on, no one is coming to your next one.

His... worst album to date. [#7]

The formula that made "She" a success is replicated until it's been wrung dry of any emotion. [Jun-Jul 2013, p.94]

More often than not, Michael Grubbs' painfully bland vocals cause the whole thing to come crashing back to earth. [Winter 2010, p.72]