While some tracks are absolutely reminiscent of these lads’ former bands... Maritime comes off most like Tahiti 80 or the Postal Service, crafting lofty, affable pop concerned with pristine beauty.

At a time when Internet buzz can make the latest bands seem like old news, listening to Vivian Girls is still exciting even after many times through; the band do not create something new so much as something now.

All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone is an intensely atmospheric album, and stands as one of the band's stronger releases.

The disc is a dense, cerebral, sweated-over work of art.

Rife with contrast and irony, Infiniheart plays like a series of short stories or films, somehow interwoven to a common conclusion.

The clincher is A Place to Bury Strangers' impressive final quarter: almost structured like a minituarist's 'Zen Arcade,' the nasty pyrotechnics show set off first as a statement of intent, followed by the true songs, and then takeoff is achieved in the denouement with true anthems.

Thoroughly theatric, Pale Young Gentlemen's measured approach is channeled by the bricolage upshot of their composition.

The Grind Date is almost shockingly excellent. This is De La Soul at their most focused – no skits, no filler, no weird interludes.

While not as fleshed out as some other remarkable debuts, Album is a fully realized personal vision.

If you like intelligent song writing with killer sing-along choruses, then you desperately need this album.

I'll Sleep When You're Dead is too smart, too relevant, and too dangerous.

The band’s performance overall is agonizingly perfect and deserving of much praise.

Encapsulating everything that has come to pass since their debut with "Organix" in 1993, Rising Down is the best The Roots release to date, bar none.

Consciousness is fleeting and I fall asleep knowing that tomorrow will be tough, but that the dreams to follow will be as soothing as the music that preceded them.

Although Outside, Closer dwells in cheerless minimalism it is a joy to listen to.

Further Adventures of Lord Quas is a record that can satisfy the cult fan just as it will sate anyone who has an open mind to music that creates its own barriers.

Earlier pieces that amused or excited the listener have given way to more approachable sounds constantly on the verge of blending in completely. While seldom bad and almost wholly listenable, Vapours proves to be a bland disappointment from a group of usually creative musicians.

The album does have its duds--like 'The Prince of Parties' and 'Boom'--but a cut like 'The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)' makes the album entirely worthwhile.

There's something captivating about the project, and you will find yourself returning to the album over and over again.

It's fun and light, and even though for all I know he could be singing about the destruction of mankind, it is bursting with joy and happiness.

A grand experiment in vocal manipulation, Son makes Bjork’s Medulla seem like child’s play.

Liars is an ingenuous reflection of a band in total control of their wild creativity.

Furnished with seductive melodies, dry beats, translucent tonality and a variety of bouncing electronic arpeggios, So This Is Goodbye is filled with pure synth-pop oxygen.

Ultimately at this point, the songs that I'm most attracted to are still the slower, more intuitive weepers showcasing Vedder's voice, and alas, such simplicity is scarce on Backspacer.

Distortion is really a triumph of the evening-out.

As with any such wildly anticipated album, the reverse motion could be a case of perspective, of personal expectations being insurmountably high, because Now We Can See is by no means a bad album. It just seems a little pedestrian for such a talented and unique band.

As well as being their most accessible, The Campfire Headphase emerges as the most solid Boards of Canada album to date.

Yellow House is a keeper.