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

A track like "Grape Juice City" indeed showcases the duo's tendency to prance upon unique wavelengths and make them their own but, a little extemporaneous head-butting between the sounds would keep Ratatat atop the sonic badlands they created.

With the first release, Chemistry, you would think some experimentalism was going on--but it isn’t. That’s not necessarily a bad quality, but the lack of daring pushes this release into the mediocre pile.

Collas and Marquand hold things down with DJ tightness, while members of bands like TV on the Radio and The Dap Kings let loose in the grooves.

Pennington’s soaring, Rufus Wainwright-esque croon may be the most distinctive element of the record but also one of its greatest weakness.

French Kicks have smoothed out the jagged guitars and off-kilter rhythms... in favor of a cleaner, more understated sound. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.120]

Instead of avoiding the comparisons, Sean Lennon succeeds by reveling in the kind of pop that runs through his family's genes. [Oct 2006, p.124]

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

With its lush layers and shoegaze indie sound, You Can’t Take it With You forecasts clear skies for the guys.

It is rare to come across an album encapsulating various musical stylings and still boasts coherence and a pleasurable pop listening experience. The Portland-based quartet Hockey achieves that balance on its debut studio album, Mind Chaos.

With many songs over four minutes and often consisting of blantantly stoned self-indulgent "jams," some trimming is needed.

A curious but highly enjoyable mix of experimental beats and good old-fashioned guitar rock. [Jul 2003, p.92]

By the time things conclude with mannerly closer "The Great Estates" it's been made perfectly clear that this is a band ready and able to create visions with enveloping scope and delightful articulation.

M.I.A.'s schizophrenic style does not please this time around. The industrial and mechanical soundscape lacks both genuine protest songs or club jams.

Sure, she may not have as many debauchery-tainted demons to exercise as the Winehouses or the Holidays but that doesn't make 19 boring. [Jul/Aug 2008, p.88]

There are no absolute standouts as on past albums, but that is okay. Where Did The Night Falls is less concerned with purity of individual songs, and more focused on the audible aesthetics produced by its eerie experiments in sound. And for that, UNKLE has another winner on its hands.

His sixth record fuses together the best of his ability, the remarkable piano compositions and absurd lyricism, with production outsourced to Berlin electronic producer Boys Noize.

Oizo’s latest effort easily becomes the pitch-perfect soundtrack to an epic night out, reminding us that these cats across the pond know exactly how to make electronic music seem both strange and familiar, music that practically anyone can enjoy.

Mathematics’ more traditional drumwork keeps this distinct from a RZA production and provides a surprisingly snappy cohesion to the whole affair.

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

Occasionally teetering on the verge of too precious, the heavy mood and lush production are too much (and too nice) to resist. [Apr 2004, p.87]

Little on RUOK possesses commercial cache, but what is that against a career-defining turn? [Nov 2002, p.96]

For Living Thing, they ditch the comfortable confines of the airy, featherweight pop they perfected on Writer’s Block for more sonically adventurous territory and prove in the process that their prior success was not just a fluke.

Surfing The Void unfortunately isn't a break-through or even a repeat of the past success.

More light = more fun. [Mar 2007, p.101]

While it misses the suicidal rush of imminent destruction, Evil Heat still sounds dangerously rash. [Jan 2003, p.76]

Fever makes Britney Spears seem like even more of a pop genius. Scary. [May 2002, p.116]

Musically, The Hacker provides syncopated New Wave beats with the timeless precision of a musical scholar. [Mar 2002, p.118]

This live album may provide an aperitif for those who've never seen the band perform. [May/June 2008, p.93]

Strap on your seatbelt, 'cause you never been on a ride like this befo.' [Jan/Feb 2006, p.78]

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

A few tracks bump, but for the most part, Lord Jamar's production couldn't make punks jump up, much less get beat down. [Sep 2004, p.114]

Being a gluttonous hard-ass has been a tough requirement to scratch from the 10 rap commandments, but a growing trend in transparent MCs finds Atmosphere atop the pedestal of its post-Prozac and Adderalled audience. Maybe good dads just make the world better, one damn fine album at a time.

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]

British Sea Power have shown their competence and achieved another level of musical integrity--the album, perhaps best enjoyed when paired with the film, nonetheless holds its ground as a standalone product, expanding the mise-en-scène of the film enormously and contributing to the documentary (if perhaps problematic) legacy of Robert Flaherty’s work.

This album pays less attention to the club lights and feels more clubbed over the head emotionally. [Sep 2006, p.136]

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

Rise Again is a highly listenable experience and except for a few bizarre lyrics (E.T. and Inakaya), it's 11 accessible tracks, soaked in sunny vibes.

The album engages after repeats, but initially offers volume's immediacy over intimacy.

A churning, droning, sickly sweet nouveau-electro trip. [Nov 2002, p.94]

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

Superfluous, the extra weight drains the raw intensity of the Furnaces’ famed live show and often leaves Remember sounding like a cheaply recorded album, rather than a live celebration.

If we're to accuse Chemical Brothers of anything, it's trying to set a lofty new bar in the style they themselves created, and that no one else seems to be working anymore. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.128]

Unfortunately, after six mightily exciting originals, the disc wanders into remix territory.

T3's iconistic delivery and Elzhi's endearing and logistically strong raps hold it down, and collaborations shine brilliantly. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.126]

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

Black Dice continues to produce highly interesting music, no doubt, but be warned that it’s not for the faint of heart or imagination.

The record is just as uneven as the original and perhaps that's just the right way to pay homage. [Nov 2006, p.128]

Thirty years into their collaboration, Underworld's Rick Smith and Karl Hyde continue to sit at the forefront of dance music innovation. Barking is just further proof that Underworld isn't going anywhere.

Fine song craft and distinct vocals still shine. [Mar 2006, p.122]

A failed merger of trip-hop's smoky grooves and psychedelic rock's galactic textures. [Mar 2003, p.94]

With a brand new sound, rich production, and a palpable sense of growth, graduation has come, and Kidz in the Hall have officially earned their degree in unadulterated artistry.

With partner Panda One, they unleash a concoction of soul, electronica and disco that’s occasionally bizarre, but consistently funky.

Tongues is a shorter, tighter set of songs that retains the pair's reckless spirit of improvisation and experimentation. [Apr 2007, p.104]

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

The Saints' talent seems lost in the mix as they fall victim to their signature technique and sound. [Sep 2001, p.154]

The fractious tension producer [Barlow] normally whips up to counter [Rhodes] is almost completely absent, thus allowing the run of tracks to discreetly slide off into the background. [Mar 2004, p.110]

Putnam's longing voice and rusty guitar strum easily envisions a rustic dwelling, yet their studio strengths reveal a Pink Floyd fetish. [Jun 2005, p.85]

No one can deny the Los Angeles group's enthusiasm. However as for Mika Miko's album, their creativity seems numbed by monotonous repetition.

So who cares if Esser is clearly a product of his environment, right down to the post-Millennial Morrisey pompadour. Put him in line with several decades of British music that will always satisfy the NME reader within.

It's mighty moody stuff for a debut, but it's carried off just right. [Nov 2004, p.100]

Though it's a letdown to revisit [the five EP cuts] in place of new material, "Those Were the Days," "My England" and "Love Me or Hate Me" make up for it largely. [Oct 2006, p.115]

Throughout the disc, Lavalle shows great ability to craft soundscapes that demand attention through their subtleties. [Sep 2006, p.131]

Her return to electro-pop form on Aphrodite–Minogue's 11th studio record in 23 years–is on point, maybe even better, than much of her discography.

Berlin's long-running tendency toward grit-glitz, which musicians from Bowie to Peaches have channeled in their work, is the inspiration for this fourth record of functional fun.

A solid [re]introduction to the scene. [Sep 2002, p.106]

With Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, not only has the frustratingly prolific Guillermo Scott Herren delivered a blinding banger of a record, he’s upped the game that appeared indomitable on 2003’s "One Word Extinguisher."

Were the House of Gryffindor to stage a theatrical adapation of "Castlevania III," co-scored by Danny Elfman circa "Edward Scissorhands," it might sound like this fourth bobbing full-length by Iceland's glitchy naifs mum. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.129]

It drifts like trade winds, which is good for followers and merely intriguing to the casual listener. [May 2005, p.84]

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]

His throaty, gnarled vocals--best showcased on the meandering, Dilla-esque Cloudlight--lend his music a gothic mood. [Nov 2010, p.109]

Everything Goes Wrong is not a brazenly experimental album, nor is it rootless and shifting for cohesion.

Super Sound makes up for any lack of focus with attitude and a prevalence of splendid, melodic pop. [#81, p.120]

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

Can get a bit monotonous and boring, but besides that a moody, grinding listen. [Mar 2006, p.123]

The rest of her songs on Anjulie are really hit and miss. Some are catchy enough to enjoy, others are boring enough to forget about.

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

Beast Moans has the sound of self-produced rough cuts, mastered so treble-heavy and synth-garbled that it'll never actually feel like a finished record. Which is exactly the appeal. [Nov 2006, p.139]

Everywhere At Once, LB's Anti-debut, is also a practice in nostalgia--but it's decidedly more me-centric in execution. [Mar/Apr 2008, p.109]

They definitely know their way around the early Duran catalog, not forgetting the requisite stops at New Order and the Psychedelic Furs. [Apr 2005, p.101]

This is not just academic and abstract music for the headphone philosopher, but proper soulful stuff that will rock more adventurous dance floors. [Aug 2003, p.90]

It's a lot of wicked, loud noise, and if that's your thing, this is your record. [Jun 2004, p.84]

It's an album crying out for one ounce of originality. [Oct 2004, p.103]

From the Cradle to the Rave has a high cool factor, almost too cool; perfect for any semi-ironic hipster party.

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

Fans of Bubba's previous Southern-inspired offerings will delight in these extra helpings. [Mar 2006, p.122]

A solid record of contagious melodies and dance-tastic beats. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.125]

The problem is that all this pop-happy acoustic strumming lacks the awkward warble of Bright Eyes or the destructive heartbreak of Elliott Smith's music. [Mar 2007, p.101]

Banks leads his dark orchestra with aplomb on Interpol's most cohesive effort since Turn On The Bright Lights.

If you bought Daybreaker, stop! You're done. [Dec 2003, p.89]

Drukqs is the most sincere album [James] has released since 1995's I Care Because You Do. [Nov/Dec 2001, p.131]

Eyes at Half Mast is music for self-reflection, the perfect soundtrack to those long, introspective drives through silent city streets.

Overall, this is an interesting departure from their work in the past, but hopefully, Darker My Love won't continue to drift further from the sound for which they are known.

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]

If American Supreme showed up today as the product of youngsters, Suicide would be called electro-clash. [Dec 2002, p.92]

An ecelctic mess that will send purists of all stripes screaming bloody murder. You, of course, will love it. [Dec 2004, p.105]

The few standout tracks are in the beginning, making the rest of the album sound like a monotonous waste of your time. [May 2007, p.94]