The songs rarely cohere into anything greater than the sum of their individual parts.
The harrowing character sketches and wry declarations of self-loathing that populated the Mountain Goats’s previous releases are in short supply here.
Blood Pressures works mostly because of how fully the duo believes in the junk they’re spitting out.
Countrypolitan Duets is respectful of both Wilson’s jazz-singer aspirations and her day job as an in-demand pop-country songwriter.
Laserbeams and Dreams is perhaps a bit too glum for its own good.
Raven in the Grave is a sloppy misfire.
Ravishers show promise as songwriters, but their disavowal of all things gimmicky or outlandish leaves them sounding indistinct.
A thunderstorm can be awe-inspiring, but it also doesn’t give a shit whether or not you get bored halfway through.
“E.T.” finds the singer taking on the role of an extra-terrestrial goddess who changes outfits more often than Cher during her Vegas stage show.
Could the dissonant production techniques of Tyler and his Odd Future crew already be wheedling their way into mainstream rap?
“Brick By Brick” is a promising first piece in Arctic Monkeys’ “vintage” jigsaw.
Never an especially technical rapper, Khalifa doesn’t take his game up on Rolling Papers.
The album abandons the ambient syncopation and experimentalism of Living Thing in favor of energetic, straight-to-the-point melodies.
Belong showcases a young band operating at an impressive level of cohesion and consistency.
Safari Disco Club is a definite breakthrough for Yelle, though it lacks for distinct leadership.
The 1000 Softcore Tourist People Club often sounds like the soundtrack to a video game we’re not allowed to play.
Mind Bokeh is fluid and formless, committing to pop structure and melodies one moment only to eschew them the next.
“Stolen Dog” effectively balances ambient and trance atmospheres.
The cute-to-ick ratio is significantly more favorable than it was last time around.
Even for a band that specializes in making gray-scaled musical monoliths, True Widow could benefit from the occasional pop of color.
Vices & Virtues is arena music at its most inane.