At times, the sheer busyness of the album’s songs prevents the listener from becoming fully immersed. [Winter 2008, p.82]

Plenty to like, but it's hard to love Jospehine. [Summer 2009, p.61]

The balance of star-crossed is full of cringe-worthy lyrics and failed efforts to move further into pop (“good wife”) and dance (“what doesn’t kill me,” “breadwinner”) realms. Produced by the same team as Golden Hour (Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk), it’s hard to assess how that album’s gossamer sheen, that enchantingly revealed subtle hooks and melodies, gave way to almost nothing that stands out.

Baio's debut relies on genre differences to stand out instead of solid songwriting itself, unfortunately letting his solo time predominantly go to waste. [Aug-Sep 2015, p.60]

That eye for harrowing detail is Cohn's greatest strength as a writer and occasionally his biggest weakness, as one minute he's effortlessly bringing to life sons who shoot heroin with their fathers and the next stumbling into awkward rhymes about UFC fighters. [Jul 2011, p.91]

The Stand Ins has its moments of enlightment, but, as a whole, it's a distant cousin to a far superior record. [Fall 2008, p.82]

Isn't intense enough to demand listener attention, isn't wandering enough to be hypnotic, and isn't melodic enough to be immediate. [#7]

Fort Nightly has some strong moments, but much of it is hit and miss. [Summer 2007, p. 86]

This is good. And some of it is very good. The trouble being that, production-wise, these songs want more power than they're given.

Pollard has evolved into college-rock comfort food of little consequence. [#5, p.106]

In the end the memorable moments of this fans-only effort are largely drowned out by the all encompassing sameness of the remainder. [#17, p.96]

Without Viglione as a foil, the songs on Palmer's solo debut seem to have lost some delicacy and character. [Fall 2008, p.78]

This new four-piece lineup seems to allow for a more diverse sonic palate with only a minimal amount of lost vigor. [Fall 2008, p.78]

The youthful vim and vigor channeled through that oft-referenced Who obsession is palpable. Which is part of the fun with Pollard.

Olenius and Krunegard have created pop soundscapes that bridge the organic with the synthetic, focusing on vocal melodies and harmonies often over electronic or spacey backdrops. [Jun 2012, p.157]

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.

By trying to be the band everyone wants them to be, Braids have sacrificed the qualities that made them so captivating. And that is one hell of a shame.

This record grows predictable. [#9]

The emotional immediacy of a jilted lover has been replaced with a series of tired metaphors, and as a result The Winter Of Mixed Drinks falls significantly short of its predecessor. [Winter 2010, p.82]

Available as a second disc with The Fame or as a self-contained album, The Fame Monster continues where Gaga's debut left off and features eight new tracks of varying quality.

The Goats have noble intentions, but their Biblicval tunes call to mind 7-11 praise music. [Fall 2009, p.59]

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]

The rest of the album, however, never quite lives up to the manic energy of "Riot." [#9]

The results can be attractive, scatterbrained, and pleasantly inebriating. [Spring 2010, p.63]

Some wonderful and very carefully constructed material here.

Bishop's got an adept pair of hands in everything, it seems, from the shambling to the shamanic. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.124]

Honeymoon is both over the top in its barely there-ness (is there anything so bold as a pop star refusing to produce a stream of digestible Top 40 hits?) and simply not bombastic enough.

Best Troubadour is a pleasant, warm-hearted experience.