This is just one entertaining ride for hardcore hip-hop fans all the way down the corridor, one that economically rocks your knot at just under 42 minutes.

Throughout the album, there are moments of brilliance that standout, but are quickly overshadowed by guest who seem to have been chosen against the groups’ better instincts. If you go in deep, and ignore the co-stars, Divided By Night itself is more than enough to shine on its own.

Sigel spills enough raw emotion on these top-shelf beats to make Ghostface Killa shed a tear. [Jun 2005, p.85]

Entertainment resurrects the group. Their music disconnects, only to connect again.

Ethiopium is an instant classic that reveals its true essence after every listen, and as such, will only reward those who prove worthy.

[A] remarkable return to form. [Oct 2005, p.75]

Even though incredibly complex and insanely technical, this is a very quiet, intimate release. There is a vulnerability in this album that hasn't been seen in previous works.

At seventy-eight minutes, Emotional Technology gets a bit long in the tooth, but you get the feeling that the myriad streams of sound that pass between (and through) his ears have finally nestled together in a grandiose manner he envisioned. [Sep 2003, p.99]

Every song is a keeper. [Apr 2005, p.103]

Black Kids' conviction and raw talent has made for a record that far outshines a majority of their blog brethren. [Jul/Aug 2008, p.84]

Boratto’s focus remains on approaching the line of excess without tipping over. And once again he stays on the wire.

They have a clever way with words and pleasantly surprising musical depth. [May 2005, p.92]

Right from the get-go, whatever "community" Deacon was aiming for seems to be established--the music is inclusive, it's warm, and it invites you in rather than thrusting itself at you, unlike previous Deacon works.

Annie explodes with a white-hot teen spirit that shames 99% of what passes for pop in America today. [Jun 2005, p.76]

There are... some impressivley fresh ideas lurking between the anthemic bits. [Sep 2006, p.137]

His sixth record fuses together the best of his ability, the remarkable piano compositions and absurd lyricism, with production outsourced to Berlin electronic producer Boys Noize.

Apparently channeling Stereolab, Dilated Peoples and the ghost of Esquivel, Cut Chemist finds that everything is fair game if you are witty and skilled enough to connect the dots. [Jun 2006, p.108]

The record is just as uneven as the original and perhaps that's just the right way to pay homage. [Nov 2006, p.128]

If his first album, Shadows on the Sun--one of 2003's best hip-hop releases--was meant to introduce Ali to his would-be fanbase, The Undisputed Truth--which sees Ali's life taking a total 180--seals the damn deal. [Mar 2007, p.97]

So even as Tortoise integrate guitar surrealism and edgier motifs into their palette, they also progress their unique relationship to electronic music and hip-hop. [#82, p.139]

It's creative, enlightening, and altogether fun.

21 is just a logical, major label extension of her girl-ish, diary-dream optimism.

A wonderfully dance-ridden companion ot the intelli-disco carved out on 2005's The Sunlandic Twins. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.81]

But wait, you say you're sick of disingenuous irony? Well so are we, which is why Junior Boys is such an astounding relief, boarding on rapturous in their melancholy. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.125]

Their arrangements are tidy as ever and the disc's energized pop sounds like it came together on the stage rather than the studio. [May 2007, p.97]

Stith’s ability to combine sounds into a sort of post-modern tribal folk is what makes the album so enjoyable to listen to.

It doesn’t always make for a relaxed listen, although it is certainly capable of settling in as a moody background or standing in the forefront captivating rapt ears. The swarms of noise can be both comforting and disconcerting, but each finds a place of its own as this duo continues their run of impressively novel music making.

A raucous blend of rockabilly, country and '80s indie rock best listened to before a heavy night of Caledonian pint-drinkin'. [Sep 2005, p.112]