The first truly great album of the dance-punk movement. [Sep 2006, p.132]

Though adhering to this formula/non-formula, this self-produced long-time-comin' sophomore release relies on an even more augmented eclecticism than their 2004 guitar-driven Future Perfect (not better or worse, just OK Computer to The Bends differences).

Silent Alarm doesn't just maintain Bloc Party's post-dance-punk appeal, it blows the fucking lid off. [Apr 2005, p.100]

Dance Mother is musical pixie dust illuminated by a warm neon glow. There is a great sense of magic and wonder in Telepathe’s music, their chirping, fairy-like, multi-tracked vocals providing a feeling of childlike awe.

The Norwegian maestro of disco, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, teams up again with Christabelle (also known as Solale), and together they craft a masterful 10-song pop album.

Quasimoto is Madlib at his most creative and compelling. [May 2005, p.83]

Either allow this the dignity of being played through a quality sound system or go invest in a pair of Beats by Dres. This is far less an album than a cinematic experience.

A perfect album. [Sep 2006, p.143]

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

To call Stankonia the album of the year would be easy. It would also be somewhat incomplete. The Atlanta duo's fourth album is more than simply a great record; it's a complex tome that enmeshes contemporary hip-hop values with a timeless Southern soul, while pushing the envelope damn near off the table. [#79, p.134]

Given their experience writing and producing for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Madonna and Brittney Spears, it stands to reason why Miike Snow is such an irresistibly captivating album.

Nearly every song here can be called seminal without the slightest flinch. [Oct 2002, p.102]

Lerche has a pop manual the size of the OED, and he's not the least bit bashful about using it. [Apr 2004, p.86]

Unequivocally recommended for the open-minded among us. [Apr 2006, p.86]

What Sufjan did in The Age of Adz is so beautiful and rich and complicated; he ended up telling the story of what life is for so many people who just end up turning the gears of the larger machine.

This [is] all the Kraftwerk you need, if you didn't need all the Kraftwerk ever made. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.106]

If The Horrors began as a Halloween novelty, Primary Colours is like a twisted ending right out of the Twilight Zone--a hype beast that turned out to be a real monster.

The Golden Age of Apocalypse has an extremely rich and cosmic-like atmosphere, making you instantly reach for the repeat button. Stephen Brunner is no more a sideman; he's a solid jazz cat that doesn't need to jerk off with his bass wizardry.

The vocals are where Murphy has developed the most, trading in his Mark E. Smith yelp for various crooning styles. [Jan/Feb 2007, p.75]

While many of Cave and Co.'s albums celebrate redemption and salvation after an emotional battering, Grinderman 2 is about release, musically and otherwise – what else would you expect from a photo of a rabid wolf about to piss on then or tear a hole in someone in an opulent house?!

Bleak and beautiful, Family & Friends is an absolute beast.

The best thing about the second Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is the fact that it defies expectations, yet seems like the perfectly logical next step for such an adventurous band. [Apr 2006, p.81]

An album this undeniably imaginative, consistent and immersive comes as a wonderful surprise and proof that maybe music isn't as lost as it seems. [Apr 2007, p.107]

The cumulative results of his efforts are a masterpiece both dark and striking. Dear is putting forth an open invitation to tour these shadowed places of his imagination, and this is one offer too good to miss.

Amazing new music from Shields.... The perfect soundtrack to a brilliant movie. [Dec 2003, p.89]

She's made her Marvin Gaye album, a sweet collection of dreamy, reggae-kissed gems. [Dec 2003, p.86]

Cold and sweet all at once while perched atop a reef of moody Krautrock, Let the Blind Lead has a progression that melts more than it floats.

Too often, bands are promenaded across the web, heralded in a way that makes everyone a name-dropping music connosieur, only to fade too fast....hopefully the same won't happen to the latest interwebs It Chick, Bethany Cosentino b.k.a. Best Coast.

With an awe-inspiring imagination in tow, Edan drops his own distinct magical mystery tour. [Apr 2005, p.101]

The refreshing thing about bands like Cut Copy is that they're consistent. Far too often do artists change direction throughout their careers and sometimes lose touch with that thing that made us all fall in love with them in the first place, but this isn't the case with Zonoscope.

After five full-length albums, Shame, Shame finds Dr. Dog far from having exhausted their creativity, sounding more passionate and frenzied than ever on what is a lasting testament to their showmanship and remarkably consistent songwriting.

Every moment on Broken Bells is necessary. James Mercer and Brian Burton, in this highly personal project, have nurtured a carefully multilayered array of pleasant sound with slow-moving vocals that capture the best of the worlds of both these talented artists.

Triumphant. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.130]

Space Is Only Noise is not a perfect album, he could have done without the fillers, but it's a perfect listening experience.

Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future is a pop gem for the young at heart and proof that the duo possesses the serious musical talent needed bring their whimsical musical visions to life.

The whole album is deep and atmospheric, with the right amount of up-tempo treats.

The Game pairs that unabashed love with swirling ideas and concepts that elevate the record to an easy contender for album of the year.

Wolf’s elastic compositions straddle the line between a multitude of genres without making it sound forced. Widely respected as one of the best drummers on the indie scene for years, Josiah Wolf has deftly proven he has the chops to stand on his own.

Needless to say, for a band only formed in January 2008, not only is this release very ambitious, but also well meticulously well crafted.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Whether this is in fact always true is quite debatable, but with Miss Kittin teaming up with The Hacker once more for Two, it seems as though they’re as strong as ever.

There's always something a bit fresh to the way Cox decides to articulate his musical notions, and this album shows that regardless of the ways his influences and ideas phase around each other, the impressions he presents are among the most appealing to be found.

Soulsavers continue to challenge themselves and are able to produce a great album musically and lyrically. Overall, the album is cohesive and strong on almost every level.

The production offers great instrumentation and paints moods very well for Wale and his expertly-picked guest appearances.

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

A must-have for true J Dilla fans. [Apr 2007, p.104]

Every song on the 52-minute masterpiece builds and bridges until everything self-destructs and the only thing left to do is dance. [May 2007, p.92]

An album more raw than an infected, 10-day-old open head wound. [Apr 2007, p.102]

The self-reflective vocals... are an insightful change, while the slow-boiling builds on "Mind In Rewind" will simply make you want to buy your 303 back off eBay. [Nov 2003, p.87]

Gorgeous, thoughtful, and musically brilliant, the album runs like a concept album about life experiences should...beginning, middle, end; all equally interesting and exciting.

Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 is El-P at his weirdest and finest, a dystopian symphony of other-worldly drums, funk horns, and brilliantly-culled samples.

Manages to be both visceral and emotive, sprinkling the dancefloors with tears and sweat. [Mar 2004, p.111]

Live, this animal bears really bears it's fangs while at the same time increasing the thoughtful and clever sonics and compositional savvy that puts them in a class above most of their peers.

A transportive offering in a record full of them--strangely relatable, hauntingly beautiful and in the truest sense, exquisite.

A fierce vision quest of psychedelic riffs 'n' roll that manages to sound like hard rock, shoegazer and new rave all within the same song, yet never feeling forced or false. [Mar 2007, p.98]

She surpasses the level of comparatively hook-heavy songwriting set with The Milk-Eyed Mender by evoking a dramatic weight people will still be talking about years down the line. [Nov 2006, p.137]

While his past two Anti-/Epitaph releases showed a heavy punk influence, Li(f)e is a groundbreaking amalgamation of folk, indie rock and hip hop.

While this record may have cast the veil of melancholy over a chunk of its tracks, the noticeable difference should be welcome to fans old and new.

This is an album loosely forged in all those places where pop, rock, funk and soul congregate and it's hard to imagine it all coming together much better.

They finally deliver on the big promise everyone saw in what they might do with the raw sounds of that first LP. [Jan/Feb 2008, p.102]

The songs are expertly arranged and succinct, staying away from the lengthy workouts of most of his DFA contemporaries. [Jul/Aug 2008, p.84]

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

Radio 4 borrow, like everyone else, but they had the idea to borrow before most on the map. [Jun 2006, p.114]

The album overall shines with Martin’s production, with chills provided by filters, reverberation and the sense of shaken souls crying out each track in the album.

Magic Numbers have pushed their abilities while keeping their strong points on performance and substance. [Mar 2007, p.100]

Matching catchy pop songs and good production to hip-hop's most wanted, it all comes full circle in Straight No Chaser.

[A] well-programmed compilation. [Jun 2005, p.79]

Devoted fans need not worry, though--the album still holds the melancholic flavor they’ve come to perfect, just with some added twinkling synths, hints at old-school R&B, and a splash of funk for good measure.

There are points during the disc when you wish the rollercoaster would relent, but that is beside the point: Fol Chen are pop experimentalists, deft song-writers and immaculate producers who have a lot to say – so hang on!

If you’re wondering what electronic music is missing, look no further: Scars should serve as a reminder (if you needed one) that Basement Jaxx are an essential piece of the puzzle.

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

HEALTH will still be written off as noise, but for fans, it sounds like the quartet tapped into its groove.

Prefuse 73 lent a huge hand as far as the production on the EP and (not surprisingly) they are on to something with this music stuff.

An album one suspects will age extremely well. [Mar/Apr 2008, p.106]

While filled with warm analog electronics and is borderline ambient, Thomas manages to execute it in a tasteful way.

Lewd and wonderful. [Apr 2005, p.103]

Winner of the “Best New Act” award at the Danish Grammys, Choir of Young Believers’ debut is like summer itself--over too soon, but a tremendous joy.

Evidence that these musical minds are sharper than ever. [Jun 2004, p.87]

Love 2 is a pleasurable and satisfactory record, one where every track provides just what’s needed and sets the stage for a new composition to step in and carry the beats to their finale.

This is an album that seeks to push boundaries, and succeeds. [May 2004, p.84]

With Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective have proven themselves to be at the forefront of progressive pop, as deadly with their textures as they are with their melodies.

The guys do an incredible job of combining both the “Diplo” and “Switch” styles with that of Major Lazer, while still paying respect to a genre they clearly love.

Majestic, glorious and not like much else you've ever heard before.... A strong contender for Album of the Year. [Mar 2004, p.107]

Their precise work is only weakened by 2 anemic post-punk tracks, but 9 out of 11 ain't bad. You should expect to hear a lot more from the duo in the instant future.

The anonymous producer behind the work of Burial is letting his dubstep sounds progress and on his impressive sophomore album he can be found chasing the transient hints of beauty to be found in the confines of urban desolation.

Their sound is an interesting polyglot, one as easily accessible to dance minimalists and brown corduroy-wearing emo boys, and with nary a compromise. [Apr 2004, p.86]

Switching, flexible, rug burn reverberation. Of Montreal’s pretentious compound syllables titillate mind and body, catcalling strangers walking down the street you imagine naked, whose vocabulary is as ripped as the holes in their shirts.

You'd have to hate life not to eat this long-awaited, sugar-coated anthology up. [Mar 2007, p.98]

While CrownsDown is a damn fine album that comes off as a more mature, refined rendition of Them, only time will tell if Themselves have created their own classic. Still, it should silence the cynics.

Immersive and woozy, brittle yet supple, a twittering, throttling piper of spectral drones. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.126]

[Security] delivers a treasure trove of eclectic beats, energetic sounds, political musings and agreeable voices that come together in a perfect musical statement. [Mar 2007, p.96]

Good Evening is unbelievably catchy and vintage but at times is weighted down by its own obscurity, sometimes becoming far too much background noise and not enough of an active listen to provide enough distinction between tracks.

Worthy of being considered among the year's finest. [Dec 2004, p.106]

Discerning heads will notice that the stellar rhyme schemes and heartfelt storytelling resonates much louder than the accent.

An irresistible mix of soul, rock and attitude. [May 2006, p.91]

Light a Candle is a rhythmic and refreshing soundtrack to adventures through tropical and summery locales.

An ass-kicking sophomore effort. [Mar 2006, p.111]

His timing, precision, and craftsmanship in regards to everything having to do with this project has been impeccable. It's not a classic. But it's damn close.