Doom still holds some secrets, but his lyricism and feel for the funk sweat out of the this album as much as any of his previous, if not more. He clearly shows that he is here to stay, and if anyone was expecting change, they are looking in the wrong spot.

This is heady material, but it’s also extremely beautiful and catchy, and picks up right where each of their respective solo careers left off.

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]

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

The camp is still there, only now there's a newfound confidence (not to mention skill level) that make this one a winner. [Aug 2003, p.90]

The studio noodling on Roots & Crowns sounds fittingly organic and effortless. [Oct 2006, p.117]

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.

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

Thanks to collaborations with Richard X, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Xenomania’s Brian Higgins, Annie’s cross-genre “pop with strange edges” still comes together with plenty of bang.

Red Barked Tree captures the sharp and fiery hallmark defined by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert Grey some thirty-odd years ago to strike a pressure point relevant to younger generations.

Though straightforward, the song structures are detailed and ruffled. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Right from the get-go, whatever "community" Deacon was aiming for seems to be established--the music is inclusive, it's warm, and it invites you in rather than thrusting itself at you, unlike previous Deacon works.

Musically, the live instrumentation and golden-era feel to the production make this record an enjoyable listen.

We're given a deeper record than some may've anticipated -- sonically, for sure--but more so The Very Best's debut stands up higher as document of seamless (and shameless) cultural convergence.

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

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

Despite all of it's successes, the fact is that the album doesn't reach perfection, which I imagine is what most Jets fans might have been expecting from it. I will argue that it's a superior piece of work and certainly one of the better hip hop releases so far this year.

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]

The Big Doe Rehab, is predictably entertaining, not because he doesn’t have new tricks, but because at this point his weirdness is hardly surprising.

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

Its tracks work together to form a cohesive, incredibly personal whole. [May 2007, p.91]

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.

The band is crisp and tight, with daring songwriting and arrangements. [Mar 2004, p.111]

Perhaps an EP would have better-suited Yorke's solo aspirations. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.115]

Overall it's a great promissory note to the world, and a view of what's to come in the dance world. If anything, all I can hope for are more divas and fewer bros dominating the scene.

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.

What Max has created as a result is nothing short of amazing.

The contrasts, themes, and sheer eclectics of the album make for something that any one person can listen to, and relate to.

Like flicking through '60s AM radio's intermittent channels. [Sep 2006, p.138]

It doesn’t always make for a relaxed listen, although it is certainly capable of settling in as a moody background or standing in the forefront captivating rapt ears. The swarms of noise can be both comforting and disconcerting, but each finds a place of its own as this duo continues their run of impressively novel music making.

Featuring the production savvy of Soulwax (who also worked on "Sexor") is an extremely polished and solid release.

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

More distinctive than the arrangements, though, are Topley-Bird's utterly unique vocals. [Sep 2004, p.117]

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.

This is just one entertaining ride for hardcore hip-hop fans all the way down the corridor, one that economically rocks your knot at just under 42 minutes.

You would think that all this grandiose genre-juggling would play out like a collection of songs, but it all works well together and plays like a cohesive album.

Two Suns doesn’t have to parade itself around as a concept album to prove that music has always been, and always should be, about telling a story, as Khan does here.

[The band has] gotten down to the more important work of constructing airtight grooves with just enough weirding-out to show their legion of followers that it takes more than a drummer with good 16th-note skills to rock this party right. [Mar 2007, p.96]

Any notions of the dreaded sophomore slump disappear seconds into their new album It’s a Bit Complicated.

None of the pairings are out of place. [Mar 2007, p.99]

Milky Ways is a simple yet multilayered album that fires on all cylinders.

Javelin know what they're good at, where they stand, and they aren't trying to shove their knowledge and musical interests in their listeners faces. Instead, they let them find it for themselves by picking up on bits and pieces and carrying them forward, focusing on what interests them without having to worry about what they don't.

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

Mirror Conspiracy's thoughtful drum programs hardly become drowsy or monotonous... Unfortunately the occasional lyrical overdose also leaves some tracks seeming a little too light. [#77, p.130]

Most of the time listening to anything that's on the Hot 100 is considered a guilty pleasure. Music for females, not fanboys. But thanks to Girl Talk, Feed the Animals makes the feeling less filthy—thus the embarrassment is less painful.

A rewarding, intimate listen. [Mar 2007, p.101]

The Hawk is Howling is Mogwai at its best.

The tracks... feel more like loose, languid, quiet-loud sketches and fine textures than actual songs. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.96]

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

With Similes, he has re-grounded himself using surprisingly un-ambient means: plaintive vocal turns, steady human percussion, traditional and discernible instrumentation

From the tip to full metallic thrust, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney slap and caress romantic lyricism deep into the tunnels of harmonic structure, curried by Brian Burton’s (aka Dangermouse) rollicking production.

Albarn claims this album is a letter to the London of today, but it's impossible not [to] get swept into the grandfatherly smell that permeates every number. [Dec 2006, p.127]

Hercules head Andy Butler enters into sizable trances of sonic pleasure, keeping a consistent head nodding and danceable bass line while piling up different elements into an anachronistic salad of old and new melodies all combining and fusing to make something refreshingly current.

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

At the end of the day Maximum Balloon is not a great departure from the TV on the Radio sound. And it's hard to say that's a bad thing.

Takemura's most embraceable album to date. [Jan 2003, p.77]

Draft's second half will hold more sway over those pining for the minor-key melodiousness of works through Tri Repetae++. [Jun 2003, p.93]

As sophomore albums go, Atlas is far from sophomoric. [Feb 2004, p.79]

This rocking trio is so good, we don't even care that it made a plethora of best-of-2005 lists--it'll end up on our rocking list for the '06. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.132]

Wolfmother might not be the most original band on the planet, but they rock hard and, most importantly, without a trace of irony. [May 2006, p.91]

Every song is a keeper. [Apr 2005, p.103]

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.

Deceptively primitive-sounding, Alight Of Night is the definition of a "grower." [Nov/Dec 2008, p.84]

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

Combined with newly found experiences, newly discovered self-awareness and newly refined skills, By the Throat catches this almost-forgotten duo at a new height of the pair's combined powers. Well worth the wait.

It’s a syrup-sick pop rotted by dark folk, elaborate rhythms and droning psychedelia, but it’s always tight--meticulously so--making Alopecia an across the-board delicacy of warped obsession.

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

La Roux’s selft-titled debut doesn’t disappoint, pulling obvious influences from the Human League and Depeche Mode.

Why is it so easy to cling onto certain bodies of work and wish for each subsequent effort to bear resemblance? Well, the easy answer is because both of these men are very good at telling specific types of stories.

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

Departs from the most interesting moments of his past work and thankfully st-st-st-st-stays there awhile.

The stance on Essence is less confrontational than its precursor, more a life-affirming offering to elemental forces. [#79, p.128]

The excellent Power In Numbers finds the group inching toward the future with a fuller sound and different looks. [Oct 2002, p.94]

While a handful of tracks may... seem familiar to fans of PiL, Dinosaur L, ESG and Primal Scream, Echoes manages much more than aping influences. [Oct 2003, p.83]

With The Odd Couple, Gnarls Barkley is unable to come up with anything containing as much pure pop power as their hit song "Crazy," but it's certainly not for lack of trying.

Tommy excels because there is no one correct way to describe the music. Using everything from Afrobeat to IDM, Dosh does it all; yet, he manages to find a way to make the entire project cohesive.

The shimmering dream pop of the band’s debut is surprisingly accomplished and self-assured, a rare shoegaze-styled album that isn’t hellbent on aping the genre’s luminaries.

Mystics still has plenty of weird, shining moments to solidify the band's unique spot in rock, but the schizophrenia may leave you a bit jarred. [Apr 2006, p.84]

21 is just a logical, major label extension of her girl-ish, diary-dream optimism.

Although Compass is certainly different from his other albums, it’s also just as certainly distinctly Jamie Lidell, and just the latest step in an ever-growingly impressive career.

Reminiscent of our favorite moments from groups like Radiohead, ColdPlay, and Kings of Leon, Everyone I Ever Met is sure to garner the vintage Schwinn- riding guys from Oregon some well deserved props from music lovers world-wide. Do not miss this stellar release.

The Brothers reach unmistakable heights of blood pressure... but also deliver slow, melodic goodies. [Oct 2006, p.118]

Everything here–like his entire songbook pretty much–is delivered with presence and vigor.

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).

A schizophrenic journey into the mind of a man who clearly embraces myriad genres. [Oct 2004, p.103]

They stick to the band's strict formula of melodic, thematic, well written music.

It takes a minimum of three full listens to really appreciate what’s going on here, so take some time with Time:Line, and reap the rewards of cross-country wav file transmission.

Very simplistic in melody and progression, each track on 200 Million Thousand is a tube-driven, distorted mess, complete with classic Brit-punk vocals. Twangy and overdriven guitars are matched with screams and pissed-off vocals full of attitude, creating a highly energetic punch, reminiscent of a Black Lips live performance.

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

As with most album trilogies, this first one is promising.

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

[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]

While Subtle remains as challenging as ever, there's less exhaustion in finding the nugget, for a record that finally capitalizes on the potential of Subtle's raucous live performances. [May/June 2008, p.94]

Lykke Li manages to combine Feist’s beautiful crooning with Robyn’s playful spunk in her own impressively unique way.

Darnielle displays a newfound glimmer of strength adorning his melancholic tales. [Oct 2006, p.122]

Sound[s] like the most genuine "no wave" tribute album yet. [Jun 2004, p.83]

It is quickly clear that Gotan Project have focused and finely tuned their mission during their hiatus. [May 2006, p.86]

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