While Sad Songs was immediately arresting, able to knock the wind clean from those who found it, Alligator conjures the same black magic on a broader scale, readying itself to be known beyond those small circles.

It sounds a whole lot like you’d expect the new Xiu Xiu album to sound.

If this is the band's "Parallel Lines," they've brought tunes worth comparing.

Kieran Hebden's latest and best opus since "Rounds" is dare I also say his danciest.

Jarvis is a solid, thought-provoking album.

Operatic in scope, ruthlessly ambitious in its range, The Paper Chase have dropped one the most unique and substantive records of the year.

Coxon clearly shows a mastery that comes from experience, and when he hits his groove it’s infectious.

Contra flourishes in its effort to ease up on "A-Punk"'s stiffness as the quartet engages in sonic experimentation of unprecedented playfulness even compared to the debut's.

Get Behind Me Satan is the first White Stripes album that sputters because it’s the first White Stripes album that tries to sell their image instead of their music.

Anyone intrigued by Doom should adore this album.

If you want to get in on the ground floor of something good, then check out Cross and see where Justice leads; with cuts like these, it will certainly not take long until they're all over the place, in commercials, on the radio, and on TV.

It’s amazing to see how the Decemberists have grown. The songs from their first EP, 5 Songs, seem like a man and an acoustic guitar, where Picaresque feels like a full blown orchestra.

[Palomo's] instincts fill Psychic Chasms with the kind of intangible pleasures that make for a dynamic, lyrical-sounding record and a wholly enjoyable listen in spite of any cynicism towards the fad it encapsulates.

One of the best albums of 2006.

Though the songs eschew familiar structures, their triumphant, readily accessible moments occur with surprising frequency; multiple hooks litter the lengthier compositions, and the shorter pieces usually contain at least two winsome passages.

The BBC Sessions comes on the heels of "Push Barman to Open Old Wounds," which succeeded simply because it made neat work of the "Lazy Line Painter Jane EP Box," but BBC Sessions seems to somehow simultaneously offer more and less than that compilation.

Armchair Apocrypha is a wonderful record.

You In Reverse is equal parts subtlety and over self-indulgence, and its problems lie with the latter. More often than not, the stretched out jams seems to take up space rather than move the songs forward.

This maturation of lyrical character is the Bonnie "Prince" Billy we would hope for and expect at this juncture in his career. While there may always be a darkness, it's refreshing to bask in his newfound light.

Set Yourself on Fire is a release of unexpected dimensions.

The album is a classic from start to finish, and only adds to the already monumentally impressive discography the band has produced in the past decade.

Like an undergrad philosophy student, Mono would be much more likeable if they didn’t try to sound so deep all the time.

To put it succinctly, Amy Winehouse has made a really good record.

Overall, Black Forest (tra la la) is one of those albums which grows in likeability the more you listen to it, as the charming sounds of many subtle instruments appear with more spins.

While the slower, wandering songs certainly make the composition and mood of the record, it's the more upbeat tracks, never Cox's previous forte, that shine on this disc.

Whereas the last album came across like the more muddled and aimless moments of Fiery Furnaces or Frog Eyes/Wolf Parade songs (all bluster, arrangement - nothing memorable even if expertly played), this record comes across like the more finely tuned pop songs from any of the aforementioned groups.

Shut Up’s biggest downfall is it’s speed, or lack thereof. The songs lilt and twirl with Krug’s yelp, xylophones and processed guitars, but rarely does the pace exceed ballad-like levels.

This is deceptively simple, back-to-basics rock music that no honest American can help but enjoy.