3 sadly feels flat, a shadow of so many stalkers from the past.

It's an album that certainly stands apart as something different to what's come before, though interestingly, as the record progresses it sounds more and more like Pierce is settling into himself as a musician. The two exceptions are opening track "Pretty Cloud" and "Kiss It Away," both of which feel just somewhat out of place on what is an otherwise cohesive, calming, and beautifully forlorn record.

Problems is an altogether solid enough and enjoyable listen, it merely fails to push beyond being an impression of the band's former glories.

Ribbons is by no means a stand-out album from an illustrious career and it is not the most memorable of works, but it is a solid, enjoyable folk listen that is perfect for optimism in the sunshine, and, hell, we all need a bit of that right now.

Many listeners will get a thrill from the laser-pointed precision of the final product, a sort of quest for sonic perfection. But unless the bulk of Timony and Ex Hex fans have been harvesting a secret love for Rainbow or Foreigner for all these years, the sheer bloodlessness, the cleanliness, the emphatic punklessness of it all might just make it a pill too bland for many to swallow.

Groove Denied is certainly a departure for this indie legend, but he never really strays too far from his well-trodden patch of pavement.

Advice for Gesaffelstein: ditch the singing guests, and experiment more with the danceable dimness.

There is a delight in the frivolity that is unabashed in its goal of primal regression and targeting of the id. But this perpetually "in the red" energy level is both the charm and biggest fault of this album, as by the end you find yourself wishing that the finish was a little way back.

If not excellent then at least vaguely enticing. [Feb-Apr 2019, p.84]

A collection of leaden dance-rock, ponderous show-boating, and thankfully, brief flashes of inventiveness. ... This record's promise is blunted by its workmanlike enthusiasm. [Feb-Apr 2019, p.108]

Influential they sure were, for better or worse, but right now, as heroically, monumentally crazed and unconventional they may be, Royal Trux are more a curio than compelling.

This Land might not be a huge success. Some parts of the 16-song album are cheesy ("Feeling Like a Million"), too lyrically aggressive ("This Land"), or lacking innovation ("Low Down Rolling Stone"). However, few guitarists can consistently play notes this high, and do so with such quality. Clark Jr. can really rip a solo—that's his appeal to listeners—and a few more of those guitar extensions would have done This Land better.

A couple tracks break from the tired formula and show Methyl Ethel can actually create something unique and entertaining.

Helium sounds like the morning after, fighting off an omnipresent haze as the day slowly forms.

Unlikely to be turning on any new fans, this will no doubt please those who have followed King since her earliest appearance on Nas' Street's Disciple, yet there's really not enough here to grab onto to really move the soul and demand repeated listens.

This album is, surprisingly, a steady, droning psychedelic experience.

Assume Form is surely a shift toward a more optimistic Blake, but occasionally at the cost of song quality and his expected moments of spicy originality. It's a good, sometimes excellent, yet quite uneven record.

This is a rootsy album of pedal steel guitars, orchestral flourishes, and rather sweet songs of a happy life. When an artist has given us soundtracks to our youth and failings, we afford them an enormous amount of goodwill and do not begrudge their good fortune. Natural Rebel is not without it's shine.

Though occasionally the layering becomes cluttered and the tracks spin out a little, there are enough euphoric come downs to keep it from becoming grating.

Johnson's fourth solo album, A Wonderful Beast, is a lethargic attempt at a slowcore dance album.

While there are instances of dynamism within individual tracks, as a whole, the album can get a little tiresome as the same palette of sounds are deployed to address the same feelings of despondency.

Only the most diehard Bauhaus collectors need The Bela Session in their shrine.

It is for those who look to music not as a way to diversify their cultural conquests, but rather those who need to hear the validation of their basic humanity from a voice who understands their pains. For those individuals, this album might just be the refreshing break from the privileging of the aesthetic over the material that is desperately needed today. Otherwise, the album traffics too heavily in platitudes and generic alt-rock formulas.

The end result can feel trying and bland, but it can also be as meditative as he apparently finds Sweden.

Out of Touch is a harmless, conventional record that is awash in an understated charm that's a little too subtle to warrant repeated plays.

Ultimately the uninspired songwriting renders European Heartbreak incapable of being a worthwhile investment of your listening time. [Aug - Oct 2018, p.75]

With Animals does successfully create a cohesive mood, but it is not one of great substance. [Aug - Oct 2018, p.78]

The Diet's overall mood is scattered, littered with contributions from countless session musicians. These details eventually weigh down The Diet, and it wears down into a sluggish affair.