Ol'boy touches the listener deep on the inside with the polished shimmy of Motown and the greasy strut of Stax tipping his hats to the likes of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and kJackie Wilson. [Mar/Apr 2008, p.107]

Not exactly ironic hipster or fashionably cool... the end result, ironically, is damn cool. [Apr 2007, p.104]

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.

While the production throughout the album is very strong and cohesive (guitar, drums and some piano taking care of most errands), the vocals might prove otherwise.

One of his better releases this year. [Oct 2006, p.122]

The Television Personalities show that they are still running strong on ideas and originality. [May 2006, p.91]

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

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

This duo can only be measured against themselves and for the first time, it don't measure up. [Sep 2006, p.139]

It’s far from perfect, sloppy and trance-like, but feels suffused with a blast of inspiration the musicians simply had to get out.

Far from forgettable, Black Cherry falls a bit short of the sum of its parts but is valuable for its more daring numbers. [#104, p.96]

Metallic Spheres, a collaboration with electronica legends the Orb, represents his boldest and most satisfying footnote to date.

Adult. have fully realized their vision with a sound that's more alive and panoramic. [#104, p.95]

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

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]

Like a walk through an alternative music encyclopedia. [Jun 2006, p.113]

Sol-angel and the Hadley St. Dreams boasts Thievery Corporation at the production helm, giving little Knowles' album a sophisticated sonic texture of jazzy pop, lounge inflections, and brassy drama.

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.

This record is a beautiful testimony to passionate and heartfelt emotion with Warden’s dynamic voice being the seductive centerpiece.

The songs have parts that are memorable but your finger is always on the advance button. Overall, pretty good but could use some editing and improvement.

Earnestly sung lyrics in the vein of Jack Johnson or John Mayer, 80s-style instrumentation (percussion, guitar licks, synths), and constant rhythmic switch-ups are elegantly crafted. This album isn't boring, it's just too polished for the raw sounds and styles it draws influence from.

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

If nothing else the lyrics are rich, although it gets tiresome to hear song after song of psychedelic fairytales over spaced out chimes and strings.

Incessantly innovative, it's charming as hell for about the duration of a sidelong glance. [Aug 2003, p.89]

Because the sound is based on repetition, yet it bounces off every wall it touches, the album can be like a bad trip inside the mind of a schizophrenic and new listeners may not be ready, but for the others who’ve supported the band in the past, it can be a welcome respite from the sound they’re used to.

For those who used to throw parties, but now have dinners, Kings Of Convenience will bring desert and a bottle of expensive red wine. [Oct 2004, p.103]

The perfect soundtrack for a late Sunday night. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.96]

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.

[A] time warp of an album, which takes us back to a future where grunge never happened, glam is god, disco balls sit atop the world and glitter falls from the sky. [Sep 2006, p.129]

Yet Jamie T is a pop nihilist, to the degree where his lackadaisical lyrical knack, indolent hooks and skeletal beats give the listener a peep into what it truly means to be the average, youthful bloke.

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.

Regardless of how the totality of Splazsh sounds to you--whether it's five tracks and 15 minutes too long, or a perfect hour-or-so long piece of programmed paradise, there's a lot to respect about Actress' confidence as a producer.

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.

Akin to classic Detroit techno in the way it delves deeper into the machines and technology to find the humanity at their core.... In 2002, Underworld has outpaced the competition and released the electronic album to beat. [Sep 2002, p.99]

The colors of the view, the hill, and the sky blend into one swirling colorful, confusing masterpiece. Just when you begin to think you might reach overload, you land cleanly on the ground, on your feet. You just listened to Alien in a Garbage Dump.

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.

Comes as an especially welcome jolt after their last wishy-washy effort. [Mar 2005, p.110]

Brazilian Girl has the ability to give audiences a world band sound because of its mixture of different languages and live band sound. It also has a certain level of pop appeal.

An undeniably good record. [May 2007, p.95]

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

Taken as a whole, the album does have a certain cohesiveness that’s lacking in most dance “albums” but many of the tracks fail to break new or interesting ground, and it leaves one wishing their potential of last summer could’ve been realized.

A fabulous freeform fiesta of punky reggae and funky dance-pop. [Mar 2002, p.120]

Expansion Team reveals Dilated Peoples to be a straight-up hip-hop group, for better or worse. [Nov/Dec 2001, p.136]

More Libertines than Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads deftly move away from being pigeonholed and reward listeners with a complex album of pop gems. [Jun 2006, p.111]

Fans of Death Cab and the Postal Service might notice a similarity between Angelakos' and Ben Gibbard's vocal styles. The six song EP features light, airy synths grounded in subtle new wave and pop grooves.

10 tracks of pure seamless joy.

I'm inclined to say that they've reached a midpoint in experimentation where they can claim to be boundary-pushers and trendsetters, yet have done little in untried methodology, an undeserved sense of achievement.

Beatwise, Playtime culls Wiley's best dubs from the last year, with tracks like 'Bow E3' and '50/50' flexing textbook mastery over grime's sludgy polyrhythm.

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

Haughty Melodic should find Doughty a new legion of listeners while sating his faithful followers. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.101]

At worst, A Strange Arrangement has a couple lulls; at best, it’s one of the most enjoyable records of the summer. Highly recommended.

It's nice that a singer/songwriter can fit comfortably on a label known for abstract techno and heady hip-hop. It's not so great when she sounds like Dido. [Apr 2005, p.109]

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

All the songs are so glassy, beautiful and seemingly perfect.

His fiercest, finest record. [Feb 2003, p.94]

Doesn't fit comfortably into either the current musical landscape or the leftfield. [Mar 2004, p.109]

Listeners hoping for a radical departure from previous outings may be disappointed to find that the disc doesn't necessarily break new ground... [Sep 2001, p.152]

A wacky landmark in the electronic pop movement. [Nov 2002, p.98]

He sounds darker and more menacing than ever. [Oct 2004, p.105]

[An] excellent multi-genre plateau. [May 2005, p.84]

The Bachelor is quite a journey with a clear direction and theme. Wolf is going through an inner struggle and seeks to find a resolution.

Nasty and raw. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.97]

Their tried and true formula does wear thin in parts, as it always does, but there are enough creative wrinkles in this album to warrant repeat listens and contemplation.

So while Born This Way for the most part is great, I just don't think she's at her peak musically yet.

Solid... the album definitely hits its marks. [Apr 2005, p.102]

Additional collaborations with Sean Lennon, Cibo Matto, The Mooney Suzuki and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, solidify Naturally as a sure summer listen from two gents who never really go wrong.

Drawing on ’70s disco and ’80s electro pop for the 12 tracks that make up The Fame, Gaga writes deluxe ditties that compel the listener to “Just Dance.”

Talib seems to be coasting just a bit on this cut-and-paste session. As in, from a pure musical standpoint, outside of a few of repeat-worthy tracks, Gutter Rainbows, is no cure for your current cabin fever.

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

Time and place be damned, this is a good record, but it will never be anyone’s favorite.

The two mini-albums are both successes in vastly different ways, but they are especially effective as testaments to the versatility and adventurousness of Zach Condon.

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

Adult. is cathartic cabaret for the sketched out. [Apr 2007, p.101]

If you're in need of hype, and think Oasis are too old and lame anyway, and the Arctic Monkeys are just kind boring, maybe you need... the Klaxons. [Apr 2007, p.106]

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

Signals something of a rebirth of their signature creativity. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.123]

The real beauty lies in how Iceland's dynamic conditions are mimed in minimalist clicks and cuts, and overlapping swashes of snapping drums, sparkling piano and acoustic guitar. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.124]

On Varcharz, Mouse on Mars crank out 11 new tracks that, for better and worse, continue to expand the boundaries of abstract music. [Sep 2006, p.138]

Dystopia pop at its most intriguing. [May 2005, p.93]

Sadly, Camu Tao passed on before he had the chance to fully craft his magnum opus and one has to applaud the decision to let the world hear what is and what could have been.

Sure, a couple of songs may seem to end a bit abruptly, but most of the opportunities you want them to take--they take.

The disc's most memorable moments come in the musical ideas left abandoned. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.130]

Most of Creature Comforts is hypnotic, if hardly soothing, noisemaking. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.124]

Tittsworth should be proud. 12 Steps is, at its end, a mighty accomplishment for both its maker and his genre.

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

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.

Still clenching its beloved Americana, BRMC spits a familiar noise that has transformed from a mountain of stifling volume into a dense layering of sophisticated references. [May 2007, p.93]

But for all the labels and feelings the album conjures and provokes, Fight Softly ends up sounding like a bunch of beats and blips gesticulating wildly instead of a cohesive body of melodies and songs.

Thorburn’s second record writing songs with the group Islands shows admirable ambition and eclectic musicianship. What hinders this release, however, is a matter of composition.

The production is fantastic, De La go in with the lyrics and Flosstradamus tied everything together perfectly though.

When there are moments, they strike and wittingly pull bodies off seats. [Oct 2001, p.128]

Rich in imagery and suggestive of enviroment -- arctic, urban and mental -- Pan Sonic chisels a sound contradictory in its makeup, utterly synthetic and metallic yet somehow deeply organic. [#82, p.144]

Eccentricity is what defines Grampall Jookabox and their sophomore effort Ropechain, but that doesn’t make it any less listenable. In fact, Ropechain has its fair share of fine musical moments that actually benefit from the bizarre tendencies of the group.

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

Builds upon the familiar grab bag with the addition of a trippier, more psychedelic vibe and high-profile, pop-minded guest vocalists. [Mar 2005, p.114]

Eclecticism has always been the strength of the Chemical Brothers and with their seventh studio album Further they continue to develop musically.

While not up to par with either of their previous albums, Bee Hives is certainly a pretty, if uneven, addition for fans. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.124]

It’s the type of strung-out confession that fills the junkie mold of classic Bright Lights Interpol--a welcomed revival after the wayward Antics.