This is AM pop perfection that doesn't need a stamp of retro-cool to be timeless. [Mar 2005, p.111]

A reminder of artists like the Breeders. [Mar 2006, p.122]

A stunning debut. [Apr 2006, p.96]

The album captures the band's unmistakable sound but they've also added some new flavors. [May 2006, p.91]

Too often Mr. Beast is dire sounding and dull, and nearing deadweight. [May 2006, p.86]

Delightfully odd, smart and horny, the Maels deliver on time once again. [May 2006, p.90]

Dead Drunk will leave you feeling as if you sucked on an exhaust pipe and chased it with crystal meth. [Apr 2006, p.97]

Some of the rawest sounds of his career. [Apr 2006, p.90]

An album full of budding promises. [May 2006, p.95]

It rocks--hard. [Apr 2006, p.90]

Jel's cagey, chunky breaks interlace into stereoscopic head-nodding noir. [Mar 2006, p.113]

You could buy this album just for "Poney Part 1," and really, it'd be worth it. [Jun 2005, p.81]

The Arctic Monkeys are not a bad band; they're just a band with catchy lyrics, summer blues riffs and an arsenal of runaway hits. [Mar 2006, p.112]

A welcome back. [Mar 2006, p.123]

[Their] rain-soaked misery [is] now nicely offset by a simmering rage. [May 2006, p.82]

An astonishingly relevant album. [Mar 2006, p.112]

Fey and whimsical, these songs are challenges that reward. [Apr 2006, p.96]

Any track... could comfortably fit on any of their previous efforts. [Apr 2006, p.84]

A sincere winner. [Mar 2006, p.123]

A mesmeric 45 minutes. [Mar 2006, p.122]

Polysics' contorted robotones are so hot they should spew from volcanoes. [Apr 2006, p.97]

[A] rather perplexing, albeit tame ride. [Mar 2006, p.118]

Though sometimes bordering on earnest kitsch... the bulk of material plays out as inventive reconstruction. [Mar 2006, p.114]

Shows exactly what a great, reliable pop entity they have become over the past decade. [Apr 2006, p.82]

A perfectly pleasant and unoffending offering. [Mar 2006, p.116]

Each song is perfectly buoyant and bold standing alone or considered on the whole. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.95]

With Screenings, Herren continues making complex compositions sound wonderfully smooth. [Mar 2006, p.116]

Experiencing multitudes of brief bangers is a rare treat. [Mar 2006, p.113]

Overall, Sexor has four great tracks and 10 cuts that run the gamut from passable to forgettable. [Sep 2006, p.140]

Displays gorgeous layering amid catchy pop, mysterious Spanish acoustic guitar, and self-effacing lyrics. [Mar 2006, p.118]

Good guilty pleasure music. [Oct 2005, p.76]

Think early Blur, without the cynicism. [Mar 2006, p.112]

The end result just isn't up to the standards of which either of these musical titans are capable. [Mar 2006, p.119]

The songwriting here is stellar enough to overshadow the caustic manner in which Sam Merrann screams simply for the sake of screaming. [Mar 2006, p.119]

Positively sneers with attitude. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.94]

Try the terms "hazy and honey-glazed" or "grandiose and gorgeous," instead [of comparisons to Interpol], with clearer allusions to The Cure and the American Post-Punk Songbook. [Mar 2006, p.113]

It's nice to see Tha Liks are still vintage 1993 flavor. [Mar 2006, p.112]

Luckily he counteracts offbeat, sad sucker storytelling with endearing Casio tones and token indie rock chords. [Mar 2006, p.123]

The perfect record to spice up your closet. If you're not coming out, you might as well have some sexy fun while you're in there. [Mar 2006, p.116]

Pure pop strangeness, thankfully, getting even stranger. [Mar 2006, p.113]

Seductive, lovely and OK to like. [Mar 2006, p.116]

All in all, it seems like the diva needs a little drama to get it percolatin'. [Mar 2006, p.123]

Has all the signs of a band of epic, pop potential. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.94]

A quick dozen tunes happily unconcerned with mass appeal. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.95]

Tristeza is different with their orcestrated style. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]

There's just enough rock spirit here to keep Recording A Tape... too weird for Barnes and Noble background music. [Dec 2005, p.104]

This isn't the neo-hippie folk of Devendra Banhart, but something far more sinister. [Dec 2005, p.96]

Kozelek can make even the most lively of songs one strum shy of a death rattle. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]

By the end [Vek] makes a convincing bid for Rookie of the Year. [Oct 2005, p.81]

Bunyan's lilting ballads are as darling as ever. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.102]

To call these songs ambitious would be an understatement. [Oct 2005, p.76]

The Campfire Headphase is enough of a genre bender to finally introduce this music to a well-deserved new audience. [Dec 2005, p.94]

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

One of the most rewarding and noisy records of the year. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]

A strangely satisfying pop record. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.92]

He tears apart the classic rock, only to re-assemble it into compositions that most resemble... classic rock. [Oct 2005, p.77]

A lush, relaxing listen. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]

Damn decent stuff. [Oct 2005, p.85]

Both a return to form and a major step forward. [Dec 2005, p.94]

The perfect balance of sleaze and smarts. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.95]

A definitely worthwhile rocker, but nothing you'll raise an eyebrow at. [Oct 2005, p.76]

[A] brilliantly arranged debut album. [Oct 2005, p.84]

Political agenda with raw AC/DC chords. [Dec 2005, p.105]

The jury's still out on if such obvious nods to commerciality will fly with their diehard audience. [Sep 2005, p.104]

A boring reminder of past work. [Dec 2005, p.104]

Marks a new high for Bianchi as a studio guru. [Oct 2005, p.78]

Sure it's not as deep, dubby or listless as Charango, but this album is equally suitable for the late-night comedown. [Oct 2005, p.79]

A late-night dorm room essential. [Oct 2005, p.84]

It's always amazing to see a band eclipse their influences. [Oct 2005, p.77]

Jay Kay sounds more vital and energized than he has in a few albums. [Sep 2005, p.108]

A hard one to wrap your head around. [Oct 2005, p.84]

It's Josh Reichmann and James Sayce's glam-shaded and '60s pop-tinged songwriting that really makes this record cook. [Dec 2005, p.105]

Baltimore's best-kept secret is ready for the world. [Sep 2005, p.119]

The blues stomps have been muted, and none of the 11 songs are her own. [Oct 2005, p.110]

Eventually the payoff makes all the setup completely worth it. [Dec 2005, p.99]

The addition of elegiac, slower songs ensure that this post-punk quarter is only moving forward. [Oct 2005, p.85]

The difference between Super Furry Animals and all those freaky folk guys is that SFA aren't really trying to be all that freaky anymore. [Oct 2005, p.80]

Definitely the earbuds experience of the month. [Oct 2005, p.85]

Numbers are getting by on an awesome sound more than an awesome song. [Oct 2005, p.79]

Surprisingly sophisticated for a collection of shouty-pouty ballads from a trio of 20-year-olds. [Dec 2005, p.98]

This glorious racket... has a beating, hideous heart to it. [Oct 2005, p.76]

Surprising and fresh. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]

Despite what the blog-haters might say, Gibbard and Co. more than make the grade. [Oct 2005, p.77]

These ornate, post-folk musings are bittersweet and beautiful. [Sep 2005, p.118]

A sublime success. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.103]

Much like Sufjan Stevens (but without the history professor schtick) Vanderslice is a one-man orchestra of plucked and bowed strings, living-breathing organs and lullaby vocals that narrate his musical characters with explicit detail. [Sep 2005, p.114]

It all adds up to the effect of watching American Graffiti while plugged into a morphine drip. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.105]

Beauty comes in all forms, even if it might be over our heads. [Oct 2005, p.76]

Like the Postal Service's wiser uncle, this is emo-electronic that doesn't whine, but rather approaches with a sense of musical and lyrical purpose. [Sep 2005, p.104]

At times it can feel like the Flaming Lips locked in a log cabin with a bottle of morphine. [Sep 2005, p.119]

Like attending a bombastic revival of Kraftwerk, Eno and Devo presided over by a Juan Atkins and Derrick May DJ tag team. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.102]

Somewhere between Matmos and Ariel Pink, this is wickedly out there. [Sep 2005, p.110]

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]

The tactic [of increased vocals] hits and misses, as the album's standout tracks owe their success to the crew's innovative and polished production, not their lyrical prowess. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.104]

Among the most engaging albums of the year. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.108]

Truly strange and beautiful. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.102]

Their micro-programmed folk has worn thin due to imitators. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.107]

Beautiful. [Apr 2005, p.108]