The White Stripes – Elephant

“Jack White makes picking ‘Album Of The Year’ stupidly simple – for the third time in three years, he and his fake sister have unleashed the best record on earth.” (#1 Album of The Year)– Spin Magazine

“Elephant is where Jack White becomes a star – a modern-day Clockward Orange droog with a guitar. But it’s also where he transforms himself into a one-man repository of American music at its most un-tamed and poetic….They remind us how volatile, unpredictable, raggedly beautiful, and exuberantly alive the music used to, can, and should be.” (#1 Album of The Year)- David Browne in Entertainment Weekly

Belle And Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress

“[Dear Catastrophe Waitress is] the best album the band has ever made, and one of the best pop records you’ll hear this year.” - New York Observer

“On Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the band filters everything from new wave to ‘70s soul through its unique perspective to deliver its best album in years.” - Billboard

“…the pop salvation of the summer, fall and winter.” – Paper Magazine

The Concretes – The Concretes

"On their self titled debut, Swedish dream-pop collective The Concretes deliver a wonderfully peculiar work that sounds immediately familiar and unlike anything else on the rock landscape today." - Billboard

“Cool as bright-white wall of sound, with organs, trumpets, harps and blondes who worship the Supremes in all their evening-gloved glory…a snow globe of an album that’s sparkling, brilliant and only held back by gravity.” (5 Stars) - Alternative Press

“The Swedish octet The Concretes are exquisitely anti-rock and pro-pop, brand new and unique…More like a weird family than a conventional pop-group, their sound is full but somehow minimal, melancholic, warm, and conspiratorial.” — Flaunt Magazine

Tilly And The Wall – Wild Like Children

“Remember those high-school nights spent riding around in your best friend’s car, looking for a party or a gig or just some place to hang out and get drunk? When it felt like youth would last forever, and every emotion was particularly profound because it was so new? Omaha quintet Tilly and the Wall do — and they capture it, perfectly, on their exuberant debut.” — Nylon Magazine

“…Wild Like Children [is] one of the year’s most exciting debut albums.” — Time Out New York

“It will make tap-dancing fools of us all.” — Magnet Magazine

Super Furry Animals – Lovekraft

"The Welsh quintet have achieved greatness before, but Love Kraft is their greatest album". - Filter Magazine

Orange Juice – The Glasgow School

“This set, containing Orange Juice’s four delightful Postcard singles and an album’s worth of demos, reaffirms (Edwyn) Collins’ brazen precocity in the age of PiL and Joy Division: his combined vocal and songwriting passions for Al Green and Noel Coward; the jolts of Chic in the tangled-Byrds guitars of “Simply Thrilled Honey” and “Poor Old Soul”….the sound of a bright young scene being born right in front of you.” – David Fricke in Rolling Stone

“The band’s hooray-for-fey, anti-rockist manifesto translated into terrific pop music pitched at the intersection of Chic’s funky guitars and the Velvet Underground’s bristling guitars, while frontman Edwyn Collins was suave lounge lizard, snake-hipped soulboy and lovelorn bookworm all at once…in today’s climate, they could scarcely more relevant.” – Blender Magazine

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

“Old-school British-rock fans used to wear buttons proclaiming GOD SAVE THE KINKS. Now those buttons will have to read GOD SAVE THE KAISER CHIEFS…the Kaiser Chiefs make you want to sing along with practically every song by the second chorus. They predict a riot? They already are one.” — Rolling Stone

“Say the name out loud, right now: Kaiser Chiefs. Say it now, because everyone will be saying it later…this band is the best new music-maker of the year.” - The New York Post

“…dizzying synth swirls and gleefully biting lyrics…will have you pogoing around the room…raucous fun.”- People Magazine

Teenage Fanclub – Man-Made

“Man-Made shakes the quartet out of stasis with a crisp, contemporary slant on its dependable pop classicism. Eerie and lovely, this is the sound of a band that’s managed to mature with dark dignity”. – Rolling Stone

“This is the liveliest disc the band has put out since Bandwagonesque in 1991.” - Paste Magazine

“While Teenage Fanclub’s new CD “Man-Made” is its most understated and stylistically loose record, it’s also one of its most quietly memorable and rewarding.” - Chicago Tribune

The Black Keys – Rubber Factory

"Direct, consistent, powerful, and loud, the record is one of the best rock release of the year." - The New Yorker

“Only two strong, they make brawny, brutal noise…For sludge, Dan Auerbach’s fat, rocketing riffs are rivaled only by his Delta-dipped drawl, while Carney injects crude stomps with zip and pep.” - Blender Magazine

“The Keys have bested not only themselves but just about everyone else this year.” – Entertainment Weekly

The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

“Thrilling…It’s an album so strong and so unexpected that it may change the way people hear all its predecessors. And that’s just a start. Listen long enough, and this album might change the way you hear lots of other bands, too.” — Kelefa Sanneh in The New York Times

“…an explosive hybrid or under-the-radar Americana, scraggly hip-hugger rock and 21st-century innovation.” - Lorraine Ali in Newsweek

“If you happen to be a rock band, and you don’t happen to be either of the White Stripes, it so sucks to be you right now.” – Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone

The Faint – Wet From Birth

"...richly imagined, well-written and arresting...killer drumming and cliche-free arrangements...you get the sense that they're balancing 141,000 different things in their heads - and emerging with emotional music all their own." — Rolling Stone

“…the Faint’s new Wet From Birth suggest they own time travel: blinking through London in the early ‘80s, skipping the decades between, and venturing whammy-pedal-first into future postmodern fame…They are sex without complications, a dirty drug.” - The Village Voice

“…couched in a sound that’s decidedly 2019, in a Blade Runner sort of way – like going back to the future. We love this record.” — BlackBook Magazine

The Kills – No Wow

“The Kills are an edgy rock duo from London who make music so sexy and unsettling it can make you sweat on a cold night…In a period when so many acclaimed bands have had trouble living up to the promise of debut or breakthrough albums, the Kills improve upon their promising 2002 debut in almost every way in their second CD.” - Robert Hilburn in The Los Angeles

“Together, they caress and torture their guitars for a sound that’s bleak, minimal and makes no distinction between sexual excitement, anger and despair…Give it some volume and the music’s spidery insinuation will pull you in.” – Rolling Stone

Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

“What separates Bloc Party from too many other post-punk revivalists is that their music holds a spirit of urgency that's matched by a gift for scrambling their sources. The band conjures frenzy with neat strategies that keep unleashing surprises: steady drumbeats that sporadically burst into a gallop and guitar parts that juggle blunt chords, glassy high notes, fierce scrabbling tremolos and sudden jabs. And just when the music threatens to become pure propulsion, a melody line appears.” — The New York Times

Giant Drag – Hearts And Unicorns

“Annie Hardy as the seeming love child of Kurt Cobain and PJ Harvey…the record is bursting with enough growling riffs and lyrical invective to have critics hailing the advent of a new grunge movement – with Giant Drag at its core” – Spin Magazine

“The perfect balance of dreamy and creamy, peachy and fuzzy.” (4 Stars) – Blender Magazine

“A melodically moody match made in musical heaven…a lush collection of gorgeously grungy rock anthems and moody melodic soundscapes.” – Interview Magazine

Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

“.. the most absorbing singer-songwriter collection since Bob Dylan’s ‘Time Out of Mind’ eight years ago. It’s uncomfortable and maybe even unfair to make so many comparisons to rock’s most celebrated songwriter. At the same time, Dylan’s music set a standard of excellence that remains a challenge to every songwriter who picks up a guitar. No one in years has come as close to answering that challenge as this other angelic-looking young man from the Midwest. 4 stars.”— Robert Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times

“I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning is a masterpiece of country-flavored heartland angst, plowing the musical ground between The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and the Cure’s Seventeen Seconds…these are the most intense [songs] he’s ever written, one instant classic after another.” — Rolling Stone

“A confessional singer with a disarming voice, Oberst has crafted an acoustic country-folk masterpiece with indie-rock audaciousness. He’s an insightful and incisive lyricist who writes his observations with grace, candor and equal measures of youthful urgency and old-soul empathy…The bright future of Bright Eyes is underway.” — USA Today

Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

“It’s easy to see why the band drew a national following…It seems less like something recorded in a studio than an instant crystallization of an intensely experienced life. It’s that immediate, and though the Yorkshire accent is thick, the action will ring true most everywhere in the modern world. ” - Los Angeles Times

“…a stunning debut. Frenetic funk chops and riotous garage ram-a-lama lay the soundtrack for the most literate, lacerating, and witty tales of small-town life since—well, a while….Whatever People Say I am is 21rst century pop at its most vital and visceral.” –BlackBook

“The album is every bit as good as its cheerleaders claim.” – Blender Magazine

“You probably won’t hear a better CD all year long.” –Kelefa Sanneh in the New York Times

M.Ward – Post-War

“Matt Ward is one eccentric troubadour worth your lunch money…his fifth album shows a true familiarity with the clear-eyed mortality and dusty tunefulness of classic roots music…it all sounds familiar but strange, and beautiful enough to suck you in.” –Rolling Stone

“With Ward’s hushed, moody vocals, acoustic-guitar-driven atmospherics and a mysterious allure…this disc sneaks up on you and catches hold….Post-War is the kind of album you meditate on through the night while the rest of the world is asleep.” – People Magazine

“Ward’s fifth album cuts through the cobwebs without losing the warmth….Ward’s talents have never been more persuasively showcased.” (Grade: A) – Entertainment Weekly

Cold War Kids – Robbers & Cowards

"A sound so original and timeless you wonder how it sprang from the LosAngeles suburbs and not the dark, rich loam of the bayou" – The Los Angeles Times

"One of the most enjoyable listens of 2006" – People Magazine

“Over cave-stomp drums and post-punk guitars, the Los Angeles band channels the dark gothic spirit of the Deep South” (4 Stars) – Rolling Stone

Dinosaur Jr – Beyond

“..the eleven new songs (including the knockout opener) sound just like classic Dino, with Mascis’ blistering Neil Young-ish solos bolstered by Barlow and Murph’s heavy accompaniment.” – Rolling Stone

“…a triumph of melodic post-rock, with Barlow crushing out wave after wave of overdriven bass that seems to literally bleed with emotion.” –Bass Guitar Magazine

“But for all the ubiquity of Dinosaur then and now, I can’t think of one band but Dinosaur Jr able to do what they do.” – Pitchfork Media

“Their lyrics set them apart, with verses that can stand alongside those by Stephen Sondheim, Nas, and Dylan Thomas…The Monkeys grew up on hip-hop and while they’re not rap-rockers, they know how playful poetics and regional flavor can be more pleasurable than mass-market lingua franca. …It’s the sort of wisdom, and emotion, of which rock poet laureates are made.” – Entertainment Weekly

“The new songs are more melodic and even more meticulous than before. Arctic Monkeys have almost ruled out standard punk strumming. Instead they have zeroed in on the counterpoint of the two guitars, neatly separated on the left and right channels and clawing fiercely at each other. The songs take pride in that bitter clarity.” – Jon Pareles in The New York Times

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga

“After the arty folk of "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" and the electronic pop of "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," its twin albums from 2005, this mix of rollicking soulfulness and textured experimentation is a natural and notable advance for Bright Eyes and adds a welcome urgency to Oberst's vision.” (4 Stars) – Richard Cromelin in the Los Angeles Times

“Weaving from romantic sagas to doomsday prophecies, Oberst delivers his most mature and connected work to date. His sharply written heartland vignettes are set to graceful melodies and swaddled in lush orchestration and layers of breezy acoustic instrumentation…prospects for the music’s creator look bright indeed.” – Edna Gunderson in USA Today

Rilo Kiley – Under The Blacklight

“It’s an intraband breakup album, a public reading of private diaries in the tradion of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. It’s also a perils-of-L.A postcard, like the Eagles’ Hotel California or GunsN’Roses’ Appetite for Destruction….incessantly catchy and well-made.” (4 ½ Stars) – Blender Magazine

“Under the Blacklight is the sonically richest Rilo Kiley record yet.” –Ann Powers in the Los Angeles Times

“Brimming with an intimate lyricism and stellar musicianship, the album is full of illuminating moments, from the eclectic musical history implied throughout to the sensual musical vocabulary that guides the way.” – Flaunt Magazine

Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely

..evokes the thrill of playing hooky on a Friday afternoon.” - Entertainment Weekly

The Raconteurs are singing, more often than not, about desperate characters. But that desperation only makes the crunch of the music more euphoric.” – Jon Pareles in the New York Times

Kills – Midnight Boom

"Boom’s nicotine sting – and the pair’s push-me-pull-you chemistry – is still ridiculously sexy”- Entertainment Weekly

"The albums final two tracks- the slink Velvets with a beatbox “What New York Used To Be” and the bewitching Mazzy Stones country-blues balled “Goodnight Bad Morning”- demonstrate that true artisans don’t necessarily need more tools in their box to make magic. Whether cutting a dance track or cutting a diamond, the great ones jut need enough time to carve deep enough to let the light come streaming from dark heart of the rock.”- Paste Magazine

She & Him – Volume One

"With actress-turned-indie rocker Zooey Deschanel at the helm and multi-instrumentalist M. Ward right behind her, She & Him bring a deft touch to timeless soul-pop songs." – Los Angeles Times

“blasts the ‘actors attempting music’ stigma to happy smithereens” – Entertainment Weekly

“Each of the tracks oscillate between 50’s doo-wop and classic country, courtesy of Ward’s impeccable production talents. Steel guitars, vintage-like percussion, and intricate mastering create Jackie DeShannon meets Roseanne Cash in this successful partnership.” – American Songwriter

The Killers - Day & Age

“The brightest new hope of rock radio…” – The New York Times

“…a respectably vivacious dance-rock album…every track inflates steadily to echoing heights...the Killers deliver quite a spectacle.” (3.5 stars) – Spin

“All killer, no filler…a fresh and immediate arena-rock triumph…The sound isn’t just bigger, it’s transnational, yielding the kind of radiant, whip-smart rock album you seldom hear in this day and age.” – USA Today

Lykke Li - Youth Novels

“Lykke Li (is) a charming, globe-trotting hippie kid whose Abba-rific debut shows how dance pop and quirky indie invention can co-exist happily.” – Rolling Stone

“The genre-hopping firecracker combines organic instrumentation with her unique voice and a distinctly danceable sensibility, to mesmerizing effect.” – Paste Magazine

“An amalgam of prim electronic pop, chilly new wave and melodic folk, it is musically assured.” - New York Times

Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe

“Dave Gahan's voice is as captivating as ever and Martin Gore's songwriting is still in full form..it serves as foolproof evidence that Depeche Mode has no plans for retirement.” -Filter Magazine

“Sounds of the Universe is Depeche Mode’s most tune-packed and sonically adventurous album for over a decade.” -Mojo Magazine

“Sounds of the Universe is the band’s 12th album and arguably one of its best, reminiscent of the group’s “Violator” heyday of catchy dance beats with a hint of darkness.” - Billboard Magazine

“…a crisply produced, lushly layered dreamscape” -USA Today

“…a graceful evolution.” - Entertainment Weekly

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

“Complex vocal harmonies of a Baroque choir ….irresistibly sweet pop melodies…gloriously eccentric.” - New York Magazine

“The fog has lifted and now we can see an entire city, not just a house.” -The New Yorker

“It is compositionally and sonically airtight…. truly remarkable” Pitchfork

“Suffused with gorgeous choral harmonies ….a lush mix of ornate art rock and swooning pop hooks” – Rolling Stone

“ Finally, the promise of full-blown pop grandeur arrives…Veckatimest is a triumph, a meticulous production of psychedelic organs and guitars and the kind of vocal harmonies that will haunt you for days.” – GQ

K’NAAN - Troubadour

“2009 Artist To Watch” - The Los Angeles Times

“3 1/2 Stars” - Blender Magazine

“’Troubadour’ is an album that displays raw emotion coupled with genre-bending song composition…If you’ve been looking for a breath of fresh air look to “Troubadour.” - The Source

“The convergence of neo-soul and adult hip-hop while exhibiting the rapper’s fiercely humanistic intelligence” - The New Yorker

“A fusion of traditional African folk music and socially conscious, street hardened-hip hop… K’NAAN is set to invigorate a scene burned out on braggadocio and posturing.” - Spin Magazine

Simian Mobile Disco – Attack Decay Sustain Release

“…Simian Mobile Disco pumps out straightforward dance-floor propulsion. But the charm is in how well Simian Mobile Disco understands textures, tunes and pop hooks…Simian Mobile Disco sets up steady beats only to send analog sounds ricocheting, spattering and twittering in between.” – New York Times

“…electro-pop with slogan-ready chanting…” – Rolling Stone

“…a breath of fresh air, with some music magazines – upon hearing debut album Attack Decay Sustain Release – declaring Simian Mobile Disco to be the saviours of dance music.” – Fader

“Attack Decay Sustain Release grabs dance music’s percussive backbone and transplants it into rock ‘n’ roll’s sinuous body.” – Paste

Lenny Kravitz – It Is Time For A Love Revolution

“This is the best album Lenny Kravitz has ever made” – Rolling Stone Magazine

"*** 1/2 stars" - Spin Magazine

"...rarely has this classic-rock disciple delivered his message with more passion and hook-heavy punch." *** 1/2 stars - People Magazine

The Duke Spirit - Neptune

“Moss has a voice that recalls the brooding banshee wail of Grace Slick…occasionally breaks out a blues harp and blows a Dylan-esque solo – shakes a tambourine while simultaneously nailing Axel Rose’s serpentine swivel.” –Rolling Stone

“Liela Moss brings sultry power to every surface the band scratches.”- SPIN

“a feral yet glam guitar-blitzed stomper.” – USA Today

“The driving force is singer Liela Moss, a woman born to put her foot up on a monitor and shake her platinum blond hair back and forth. In the same sonic league as PJ Harvey or the Heartless Bastards’ Erika Wennerstrom, Moss stays in a whiskeyed lower range, conjuring and commanding.” – The New Yorker

The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement

“My Mistakes Were Meant For You slinks like a lost Bond theme.” – Blender

“Their debut pays homage to the moody symphonic sound of early David Bowie, Lee Hazlewood and other stars of the late 60s and early 70s…While reverb-swathed acoustic guitars churn in minor keys against a backdrop of drooping strings, Turner croons midnight-of-the-soul confessions.” – Rolling Stone

“(The Age Of The Understatement) boasts galloping rhythms and vibrato guitars that are indebted to the work of spaghetti-Western soundtrack maestro Ennio Morricone and lovely orchestrations that call to mind pop-melodrama king Scott Walker…an auspicious work.” – Entertainment Weekly

Spiritualized – Songs in A & E

“From the bitterness, it’s said, man learns the sweetness of health. The same can be said of the transformative effect the gorgeous wall of sound known as Spiritualized has on its listeners.” Filter Magazine

“The music reflects a less abrasive Spiritualized - feedback and heavy reverb have been replaced with softer arrangements, highlighting violins and acoustic guitars, ultimately casting Pierce’s voice in an almost angelic-sounding warmth;” Billboard

“…the album is nothing short of inspiring.” Time Out New York

Songs in A&E “is a welcome return and a confident entry in the Spiritualized canon.” Alternative Press

The Faint - Fasciinatiion

“The music…is appropriately futuristic and unsettling – but distinctly infectious.” – Blackbook

“Ten effortless tracks of nightclub-decimating electro-rock.” – CMJ

“…clashing guitar and keyboard hooks hammer home The Faint’s central theme – the chaos of a world in conflict. (3.5 stars) - Spin

Diane Birch - "Bible Belt"

“Amy Winehouse-style retro pop, minus dysfunction… Her welterweight voice is strong and fetching… “Fools” conjures Carole King, “Nothing But A Miracle” echoes Aretha…the melodies stick, and girl’s got taste.” – Rolling Stone

“Move over, Amy, Adele, and Duffy: The British blue-eyed soul brigade gets some serious competition from this Yankee on her debut.” – People Magazine “Critic’s Choice Review”

“…she pays tribute to the classics too—Motown, Delta Blues, old-fashioned pop—without sounding musty, combining the emotional sensibility of Diana Krall with the soulful backbone of Lucinda Williams.” – Vanity Fair

Baaba Maal-- Television

"Mr. Maal's socially conscious songs float in a sensuous bubble of electronica." -The New York Times

"fearless and all-encompassing, fresh yet timeless." -CNN

".surprisingly swift and jamming, a blend of electronic dance pep with West African cool" -The FADER "Groundbreaking, embracing the quirky, post-electronica eclecticism of the new guard, while bringing the spine-tingling voice and rock-solid musicianship that made him a star in the first place" -National Geographic

Brendan Benson- My Old, Familiar Friend

"...a typical masterstroke. "- Rolling Stone

"My Old, Familiar Friend is an impeccably crafted power-pop gem long on catchy melodies and lovelorn lyrics."- Billboard

".a melodically rich near-classic."- American Songwriter

"Back in the 1970s, Benson would have surely been held in the same esteem as many of those aforementioned AM titans (the Raspberries, Todd Rundgren, Wings). Here in 2009, he's merely the kind of best-kept secret you want to share with anyone who will listen."- Pitchfork

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

“It's an exuberant collection of songs with electronic ambiance, powerful drum beats, punked-out fuzz bass, soaring lead guitars, raucous horn sections and even a little flute. And when vocals belt out the chorus, you get the big collective sound of Broken Social Scene.” - NPR

“Five years after their last album, the leaders of Toronto’s indie scene have regrouped. Though they’ve trimmed their lineup to seven members, the band’s repertoire of art-rock anthems and hazy fold jams has survived intact.. Newly official bandmate Lisa Lobsinger’s voice lends several tunes a sublime dreaminess.” - Entertainment Weekly

“Another epic LP overflowing with charismatic rompers, boldly pushing listeners into the summer season.” - Paper

Kele - The Boxer

“Okereke brings his love of electronic music to the fore on his debut solo album, ‘The Boxer’” - Billboard

“The Boxer is grounded in sharp-edged electronic music—hard house, jungle, 2-step garage—but finds plenty of room to roam.” - NYLON

“Like a sanguine traveler desperate to test his limits, Kele doesn’t rest on his laurels, instead forging ahead into strange new territory.” - Black Book

She & Him - Volume Two

“The duo’s impeccably assembled retro pop is unmistakably regional, with puckish hooks and reverb-heavy production that recall California dreamers like the Mamas and the Papas...It’s the sunniest sad record you’ll hear all year – pretty love songs set in a ‘nation’ where summer never ends.” - Rolling Stone

“The new album proves again that she’s not a dabbler, just as it proves again that she and Mr. Ward, her producer, share similar ideals…It’s breezy but sturdy, impeccably styled.” - New York Times

She & Him - Volume 2 “The sound of a duo making music as much for themselves as for an audience.” - Time

“’Vol. 2’ (March 23), is a bolder affair, featuring string arrangements and a Motown echo on Ms. Deschanel’s vocals.” - Wall Street Journal

Sleigh Bells - Treats

“Their debut suggests The White Stripes’ White Blood Cells by way of M.I.A.’s Arular” - Rolling Stone

“Harsh and sweet, dense and airy, flippant and serious, blatant and subtle — Sleigh Bells works all those polarities, and more, on its all-out blast of a debut album, “Treats.” Even after wide Internet exposure of their demos, and brief yet clamorous live sets, the album versions of the songs maintain or increase the impact. The tracks don’t just rock — they detonate.” - New York Times

“It's as if every element of Sleigh Bells' genre-swerving sound — primitive guitar fuzz, pastiche beats, sugar-buzz vocals — bypasses the default snark button and burrows directly into jaded listeners' punch-drunk pleasure centers.” - Entertainment Weekly

Au Revoir Simone - The Bird Of Music

“Three hot indie chicks with synths, the ladies of Au Revoir Simone create ethereal electro-pop pefect for a lazy Sunday morning.” – Rolling Stone

“From the dreamy, accomplished sound of their debut album, The Bird of Music, you’d never guess that Au Revoir Simone took to music on a whim.” – Nylon

“Powered by vintage keyboards, a lockstep beat box, and gorgeous, wide-eyed warbling, the Simones create make-out music for your inner android” – SPIN

Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant

“…the band is among this year’s breakout rookie rock acts…” – Rolling Stone

“…Slide guitars provide sizzle and grease on the Kentucky quintet's sassy, sneering, uncomplicated blues-rock.” – USA Today

”…the Kentucky-based quintet remains unstoppable.” – Guitar World

“…a refreshing blast of head-banging guitar grooves and sweltering vocals… raucous, fist-pumping live shows.” – Austin American Statesman

David Gray - Foundling

“An evocative, folk-inflected album in which you can lose yourself in” People Magazine

“all warm arrangements and real emotion,” Entertainment Weekly

“ ‘A Moment Changes Everything’ is his most infectious single since 2000's ‘Babylon.’ ” USA Today

Jakob Dylan - Women + Country

“rootsy and elegant” Los Angeles Times

“The singer/songwriter examines hard times with grace and bite” USA Today

“some of the best songs of his life” NPR

“…Dylan is at his best” Rolling Stone

Juliette Lewis - Conviction

What the press is saying about Juliette Lewis’ latest performance in critically acclaimed drama Conviction….

“Scene stealing moments by Juliette Lewis as Kenny's vibrantly devious ex-girlfriend” Time Magazine

“The best is a haggard, broken-tooth, chain-smoking Juliette Lewis as one of Kenny's exes” Los Angeles Times

“Steals her scenes as Kenny’s bitter, live-wire of an ex” People magazine

“Watch Juliette Lewis turn scene-stealing into grand larceny in just two big moments” Rolling Stone

“Juliette Lewis reminds fans why we want her to run free forever” Entertainment Weekly

“Juliette Lewis has an indelible role” USA Today

Mark Ronson - Record Collection

“Ronson is the rare DJ-producer who is as fluent with melodies as he is with beats….He's a connoisseur with a heart.” (3.5 stars) – Rolling Stone

“…a fun hodgepodge of original material…the album flows like a mixtape…with Brooklyn funk band the Dap Kings laying down a unifying groove and Ronson’s love of vintage ‘80s synthesizers providing a stylistic thorough line…” - Spin

“He’s a master sonic architect….an excellent record….Given a few listens it begins to plant itself firmly into your subconscious. …one of the best party albums of the year. Indeed, Mark Ronson is still firmly a true master of his craft.” – ABC News

“Record Collection is a thumping party… a bold shift from Ronson's two previous studio albums, but he flourishes in the new territory.” – Associated Press

Maroon 5

“Brightest sounding and poppiest album yet.” Rolling Stone

“Super-catchy hooks” Entertainment Weekly

“…spirits and grooves prevail.” USA Today

“It’s fun and funky, which is the prime directive of Maroon 5.” The Associated Press

Nive Nielsen - Nive Sings

"the incredibly talented, multi-multi-instrumentalists Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children (...) the heir to the Arcade Fire" - Filter Magazine

Nive Nielsen and her band are playing a calm, easygoing set. Nielsen is a genuine Greenlander, and has a song called "Vacuum Cleaner Killer." She also doesn't make her man coffee in the morning, despite promising him as much. - Chart Attack

Greenland folk princess Nive Nielsen brings warmth and experience. - Hour.ca

She is unsigned but I guarantee this won’t last much longer. This girl can flat out sing. The music is simply inspired and touching. - LoudVine

Brandon Flowers - Flamingo

“Flowers has become our staunchest Born to Run- era Bruce Springsteen revivalist, and on his first album as a solo artist he pumps up the pomp, delivering surging synth-rock crescendos….” – Rolling Stone September 2010

“Flamingo, the Killers front man’s solo debut, perfects the haunted shimmering quality of the Vegas quartet’s 2008 international hit Day & Age.” – Vanity Fair

“…propulsively kinetic…” – Elle

“…a kaleidoscopic pop rocker with dramatic keys and a heart as big as Flowers' outsized, cannonball of a voice.” – Las Vegas Review Journal

Trash Talk - Eyes & Nines

“Almost 20 years later, Nirvana seems tame compared to Trash Talk.” – The Fader (Cover, November 2010)

“What has hard-core punk been doing over the last 25 years? Building up pressure… When Trash Talk, from Sacramento, Calif., starts a song at a show, it sounds like a jar opening and releasing the vacuum seal: the snap, the coordination, makes audiences do kablooey.” – New York Times

“Trash Talk let it fly” – Spin

“California hardcore is alive and well with Trash Talk” – Nylon

“And though you can probably listen to the album more than once on your morning commute, it still works as a full-immersion experience, its sludgy roar hitting hard on a visceral gut-level.” - Pitchfork

Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

“Though 2011 is still young, it’s unlikely there will be any debut this year in rock and pop that’s as striking as ‘Anna Calvi.’ It’s a compelling album that promises a long, fruitful career for her.” - Wall Street Journal

“Calvi is an outstanding performer, armed with a twangy Fender Telecaster and a voice most anyone would steal if they could… Her self-titled debut is one of the first big surprises of 2011 … It's a potent and yearning set of songs, replete with shimmering chords and Calvi's stunning but vulnerable vocals.” – Bob Boilen, NPR

“The velvety singer-guitarist’s gripping, pin-back-your-ears ode to ‘blue and gold and fire’ would leave David Lynch in a puddle”- Spin

The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

"Dipping into blues, psychedlia and even funk at will, Sea is badass rock" - People Magazine

"The group's debut oozed with chemistry, and that musical empathy has just grown stronger and tighter here. And both in songwriting and musical execution the Dead Weather has crafted the equivalent of a taut, expertly directed movie thriller." - LA Times

“The Dead Weather's second album is packed with the kind of thumping, snarly, bluesy hard rock that just begs to be played loud.” – Associated Press

Bright Eyes “The People’s Key”

“…a return to the bruised-angel indie rock of his earliest albums… The People’s Key contains some of his most weighty songwriting…He manages to be everything at once: folkie and punk, old soul and eternal boy, high-plains drifter and hipter heartthrob. He’s busy being born again every time he strums a chord.” – Rolling Stone

"This is the best record Bright Eyes has ever made. In fact, it's the best record the band's frontman, Conor Oberst, has ever been a part of... The People's Key is a career-defining work of art." - Robin Hilton, NPR Music

“Oberst’s trembling, echo-drenched vocals, biting lyrics and an air of sadness… a pop-smart pop record maybe his best yet”- Vanity Fair

Wanda Jackson - The Party ‘Aint Over

“Jack White's collaboration with rock's original trouble girl is at once reverent and uproarious.” – Rolling Stone

“Jackson's gritty mobile-home-park vocals elbow their way through a mix where the outcome is as much punk as it is rock and the Queen confidently executes both with unexpected exactitude.” – Filter Magazine

“Her thin, raspy voice retains plenty of sass six decades on, and White's live-sounding band conjures the ambience of a gritty gig in some back alley bar for a rowdy crowd of mariachi bikers. Well done, Grandma Wanda.” – LA Times

“…few writers have snagged more candid interviews from cagey subjects like Bob Dylan…page-turner…” (4 stars) – Rolling Stone

“…fascinating, intimate rock ’n’ roll moments…” – New York Post

Alison Krauss and Union Station - Paper Airplane

“Otherworldly vocals and musicianship….these performances will linger in your wounded soul” –USA Today

“…the band is back — in shining, dramatic, beautiful form — and that seven-year hiatus is worth it when you hear the result.” - NPR

“Paper Airplane rises to the impossibly high bar set by its predecessors to form what may well be the finest album Krauss has ever released.” – Paste

“Exactingly performed and lushly produced, Airplane exudes a bone-deep tranquility…” – Entertainment Weekly

Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger - Acoustic Sessions

“…’Candy Necklace’ flatters the vocal blend between Mr. Lennon… and Ms. Kemp Muhl… achieving a slow-drag bliss. And ‘The World Was Made for Men,’ an apocalyptic love song, benefits from a haunting a cappella arrangement, multitracked and echo-caressed: part Brian Wilson, part Danny Elfman.” – New York Times

“It’s one thing to hear others echo John Lennon, but quite another to hear his son Sean do it… the songs have a sunny psychedelic side. ‘We’ll make kites from our bones,’ the couple sing on ‘The World Was Made for Men,’ culling playfulness from deep darkness.” 3.5 stars – Rolling Stone

“The duo’s voices mix and meld in constant harmony throughout, twisting and turning around phrases, weaving in and out of each other, and creating the perfect atmosphere for these otherworldly tunes.” – Under the Radar

Elliott Smith by Autumn DeWilde

“De Wilde, an acclaimed music photographer who’s shot iconic images of The White Stripes, Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse, knows how to take a picture that speaks 10,000 words, and in this lovely tribute, she manages to capture a piece of Smith’s soul.” – Zink Magazine

“The results (of Elliott Smith by Autumn de Wilde) are impressive – and affecting, thanks to the obvious bond shared by the photographer and her subject.” – Nylon

“Accompanied by a bonus CD of unreleased material, it serves as a moving, and, at times, funny memorial to an artist de Wilde respected and allowed to changed her life.” – Bust Magazine

“De Wilde, an acclaimed music photographer who’s shot iconic images of The White Stripes, Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse, knows how to take a picture that speaks 10,000 words, and in this lovely tribute, she manages to capture a piece of Smith’s soul.” – Zink Magazine

“The results (of Elliott Smith by Autumn de Wilde) are impressive – and affecting, thanks to the obvious bond shared by the photographer and her subject.” – Nylon

“Accompanied by a bonus CD of unreleased material, it serves as a moving, and, at times, funny memorial to an artist de Wilde respected and allowed to changed her life.” – Bust Magazine

Feist - Metals

“(Metals is) her best album…delivers an emotional gut-punch.” – Rolling Stone

“Feist’s best and deepest album yet!” – New York Times

“Metals is full of dynamic outbursts…” – Pitchfork

“With Metals, she recaptures her career” – Wall Street Journal

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

“(The) sound is massive enough to match the big hearted emotion…” Rolling Stone

“They step it up in class with producers Flood and Alan Moulder…the pair give Peggy Wang’s keyboards a widescreen ‘I Melt With You’ swoon and remind the rhythm section that My Bloody Valentine could be a dance band”

Spin(8/10) “ ‘Belong’ is a bigger, bolder, and brighter follow-up that adds new dimensions to the Pains' sound while nearly equaling the songwriting of their debut.” Pitchfork (8.2/10 Best New Music)

Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

“Three albums into her career — her new one and her best, “A Creature I Don’t Know”…sounds startlingly grown up, with a dusky voice and songs that conjure fables and revelations alongside piercing human insights.” – New York Times

“…every song is chillingly badass” – Spin

"Those who fell for Joni Mitchell's 1974 'Court and Spark' will find similar charm, ache, and genius in British folksinger Laura Marling's new album...(this) collection of melodic riffs and self-reflective lyrics are as pretty as they are cerebral, making her a standout in the frozen tundra of female lyricists." - Elle

“...Marling's scarily impressive self-possession actually spills over into a kind of wickedly controlling glee, as she adds domineering theatrical flourishes to certain words and phrases in a manner that comes reasonably close to matching Harvey during her mid-1990s reign.” - Pitchfork

M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion

“Ward sheds his old-blues-man tics for a soul-folk croon – and the guitars, as usual, are sublime” – Rolling Stone

“…A Wasteland Companion shows yet again why Ward can be placed in the higher echelon of contemporary American songwriters. He is bold, creative, and has clearly not forgotten that behind every stellar production resides an equally stellar song.” – American Songwriter

“A Wasteland Companion opens where other albums might naturally end, basking in a moment of hard-won redemption…Ward's songs are at their best, and at their most enduring, when his songwriting bears the weight of mistakes made and life lived.” - NPR

Hot Chip - In Our Heads

“In Our Heads, the group's fifth full-length, is their most playful and colorful record yet…” - Pitchfork

“As demonstrated by the complex build-ups and multi-faceted breakdowns bookending each track on In Our Heads, Hot Chip is very much so a modern pop-anthem machine with the rare ability to make a mess of creativity and control it in the form of infectious, intricately arranged dance floor standards.” – Paste Magazine

“In Our Heads is, by a margin, the best Hot Chip album yet.” – Prefix Mag

“Hot Chip’s music has a far more individual and emotive core. Better, it always keeps the song at its center, balancing melody and beat.” – NY Daily News

Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

(October 22, 2012; Capitol Records)

"Spacious, boldly orchestrated, and emotionally rich, Khan's latest is another step forward for the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, and one of the year's most beguiling albums. (8.4)" - Pitchfork

"For all its dark and mysterious overtones, Natasha Khan's music lets rays of hope and joy leak out of every shadow." – NPR

Bloc Party - Four

(August 21, 2012; Frenchkiss Records)

“… Bloc Party once again tweaks its sound…permitting drummer Matt Tong to play big and loud. Russell Lissack's waves of raging guitars are still present in the midrange…but there are metallike riffs and chopped chords, too… its tracks reflect a band eager to experiment and explore.” – The Wall Street Journal

“…still has the vertiginous pulse and snarling riffs that have been Bloc Party trademarks since the band’s breakout 2005 debut.” – The New York Times

Tanlines - Mixed Emotions

(March 20th, 2012; True Panther Sounds)

“Tanlines' formula — putting complex rhythms over solid club bass drums — adds up to a dangerous cocktail for dance parties and dangerous dance music for cocktail parties… is rich with sunny, danceable songs like "All Of Me" and "Cactus," it's safe to say it will rock many a barbecue in July.” – NPR

"...An album of big, gorgeous songs that seem destined to dissolve into the air and linger there like summertime water vapor. ... Tanlines have done exactly what they set out to do: They’ve made an album that will sound absolutely stupendous when you’re driving during the daytime with your windows down all spring and summer. " - Stereogum

M.Ward – Transistor Radio

“Though he’s traversed wide-ranging musical terrain in his dozen years on the scene—from dusty folk to backwater blues to throaty ballads—the indie sensation M. Ward has managed to forge a sound that is wholly his own: hushed and weathered, unusually sensitive and deeply personal.” - The New Yorker

“Each song feels like the next stop on an FM dial. Ward, a timeless folk-rock troubadour, holds it all together with his peerless musicianship and his wild voice, a Tom Waits rasp without all the gloom and irony.” - Newsweek

“His sparse, whispered lullabies and thumping honky-tonk romps—coupled with an ear for subtle melodies—fill the album with a dusty, sepia-toned nostalgia that would sound right at home crackling out of the speakers in a deserted dustbowl diner.” - Interview Magazine

Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song

“Love is All is a band that makes rebellious, intoxicating rock music that manages to sound at once like something from 15 years ago that influenced all the Johnny-come-latelys of today, and an equal-opposite reaction to them….they are full of lip-snarling confidence and effortless shrugs, a certain fuckoffitude.” – The Fader

“One of the most exciting discoveries of the year…” – The New York Times

“Olausson’s brash squeal runs rampant over melodic guitars – with the blaring alarm call of the saxophone on nearly every song – to create a hybrid of Madness-era ska-pop, Cyndi Lauper-style balladry and dissonant punk rock.” –Nylon Magazine

Autolux – Future Perfect

“Future Perfect is a work of unimpeachable brilliance, an album that takes its listener hostage and doesn’t release him until each of its 11 demands has been voiced and met.” - LA Weekly

“Future Perfect is easily one off the most fulfilling psych-rock records you’ll hear all year — a wave of soothing minimalism mixing naturally with excessive pomp — and, unlike nearly every other album that’s been met with such stilted accolades, doesn’t come off like a broken promise.” - Alternative Press Magazine

Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

“There hasn't been a more immediately disarming rock album all year than this self-titled debt…. The music combines the dance-hungry seduction of Roxy Music and the Pet Shop Boys, while the lyrics deal in such extremes of romantic pathos that they become uplifting and, at times, even sweet.” – Bob Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times

“Not a sweeping artistic statement, not a cultural zeitgeist and not a scene-creating revolution, but a smoking stompbox of tunes guaranteed to light up a Friday night from the first beer to the drunken stumble home…Franz Ferdinand emerges as the first great rock album of 2004.” - Alternative Press Magazine

“…the coolest thing to come out of Scotland since Sean Connery.” - People Magazine

The Go! Team- Thunder, Lightening, Strike

“The word ‘exuberant’ has been sitting around, making the best of it, while waiting to attach itself to The Go! Team, a multiracial band of young men and women from England. Every musical genre is harvested for its shining, airborne, and positive qualities: group chants from old-school hip-hop, flutes from children’s music, strummed choruses from sixties pop. It’s moving to hear how openly their debut, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, embraces the bright side of life, though there is just enough clangor to balance out what sounds like a non-stop smile.” — The New Yorker

“…a funky mess as infectious as the flu…this U.S. release is full of exuberant, childlike pastiche pop that is the perfect antidote for anyone sick of self-pitying emo boys and stern hip-hop thugs.” (Grade: A) - Entertainment Weekly

Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better

“Inventive yet accessible, the punk-dipped pop on SO MUCH BETTER bears signs of madcap creative energy and none of the sloppy craftsmanship one might expect from a young band this young and confident. Franz…delivers a superb album that’s witty, muscular, exciting and surprisingly disciplined…” - USA Today

Jenny Lewis – Rabbit Fur Coat

“From the Gospel rhythm and secular doubt of “The Big Guns”…to the blue-eyed soul of “You Are What You Love,” each song has a sense of narrative motion…Lewis knows which moments call for delicacy and which demand emotional belting.”- Time Magazine

“…her voice lustrous as a dime-store diamond, as the avant-gospel duo the Watson Twins testify behind her…Lewis can’t stop rising to the challenge.” (4 Stars) – Ann Powers in Blender Magazine

“Sweet as a writer, supple as a singer.” ( Grade: A)–Robert Christgau in The Village Voice

The Noisettes - What’s The Time Mr Wolf?

“What’s The Time Mr Wolf? (is) a smart, relentlessly exuberant thirty-eight minute demonstration of chutzpah and musicianship, despite the band’s affinity with the fizzy amateur energy of punk… On stage (Shingai) ignores the tendencies of indie rock: slouch, stand still, lean, and hop, if pressed. She leaps, crouches, bands the floor, runs around, and waggles her tongue, if necessary.” – The New Yorker

Stephen Marley – Mind Control

“…patois-dusted hip-hop tracks like the beatbox-driven single “The Traffic Jam” makes this the best Marley album in a generation.” – Entertainment Weekly

The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers

“Expectations were sky-high, but the Raconteurs exceed them all.” (4 Stars) - Rolling Stone

“The songs are wrapped frequently in striking psychedelic textures that make them a headphone delight. (4 Stars)” - Robert Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times

“One of the most charismatic pop/rock albums this year.” - Newsweek

The Fiery Furnaces – Widow City

“With their hit-and-run fuzztones and songs bathed in anything from fairy-time flute sounds to blaring synths, the Friedbergers come off like bastard children of Frank Zappa.” – New York Post

“Matthew Friedberger’s lyrics remain a bizarre word salad, but sister Eleanor delivers them with a seductiveness that recalls Nico (minus the ice). It’s enough reason to keep listening – and guessing.” – Time Magazine

“Is there a more consistently enjoyable art-rock act in America? Nope.” ( Grade: A)– Entertainment Weekly

Bat For Lashes – Fur And Gold

“Everything she does sounds dreamlike, but there’s nothing vague about her precise voice (those floating notes always land in the right place) or her sharply written pop songs.” -Kelefa Sanneh in New York Times

“Khan packs the record, Fur And Gold, with eerie dreamscapes and earnest fables, all held together by her confident delivery.” – Paste Magazine

Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block

“Writer’s Block is full of elegantly crafted, low-fidelity Swedish pop that articulates those existential corners of love that most American fluff fails to capture.” – Details Magazine

“The album is laced with spacey, distorted guitar fuzz, delicate ‘60s pop melodies, groovy basslines and winsome lyrics that coalesce into a unified group of songs from start to finish. If there’s “Writer’s Block” on this disc, we sure don’t hear it.” – Billboard

“Alternating between breezy Bacharach-inflected Euro-pop and twitchy new wave strains, they cut a jaunty swatch that demonstrated ample evidence of rock history smarts, but no inclination toward creating museum pieces.” – Variety

Mark Ronson – Version

“Regardless of who’s on the mic, Version succeeds thanks to Ronson’s singular vision of smooth ‘60s- and ‘70s-era soul merged with contemporary pop. All in all, it’s a bouncy, people-friendly party starter.” (Grade: A) – Entertainment Weekly

“Ronson is totally genuine and his enthusiasm is contagious. This enthusiasm is in every note of Ronson’s wildly unorthodox album, Version, and equally heady and visceral fusion of retro and futuristic beats and bleats featuring a battalion of shit-hot players..” – Paste Magazine

“Sharp arranging skills and suitably angular performances… a stylishly sweaty summer party.” (4 Stars) – Spin Magazine

Interpol – Our Love To Admire

“As with so many classic albums, it’s apparent from Love’s first notes that something transcendent and fiercely magical is about to unfold.” - Alternative Press

“A worthy heir to the New York noir tradition of the Velvet Underground and Television…” - Los Angeles Times

“The consistency of the band’s songs, with their soaring guitars, esoteric lyrics, and brooding atmospheres, have made this band a model of resilience among New York acts to emerge around the turn of the millennium.” - The New York Sun

The White Stripes – Icky Thump

“It’s astonishing how much The White Stripes have achieved….Over the course of six albums they have sidled up to the rock ‘n’ roll mainstream without softening their approach. They still sound as rude and unhinged as ever, especially compared with the emo and alternative bands with whom they share the modern-rock radio airwaves.” –Kelefa Sanneh in The New York Times

“If music has any future as a physical object, The White Stripes are likely the band to hand it to us.” – The Los Angeles Times

“Icky Thump is evidence that the longer the Stripes stay together, the more relevant they become.” – Alternative Press Magazine

Carla Bruni – No Promises

“Bruni turned the poems of Auden, Yeats, Emily Dickinson and Dorothy Parker among others, into songs with graceful melodies and languorously strummed guitar.” - BlackBook

“Bruni shapes the poems into songs with such skill that the words of Dickinson and Dorothy Parker sound modern and personal.”- Harp Magazine

“No Promises is at once peaceful and insightful.”- Flaunt Magazine

"Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge

“…Rich, lushly orchestrated pop-rock – adding classical strings, woodwinds, banjo, and a good share of Saddle Creek’s countrified twang.” – SPIN

“Songs like ‘Tell Me What It’s Worth’ and ‘Midnight Surprise’ might be lyrically dark and introspective, but they’re also lush, softly strummed and sweetly sung…” – Nylon

“Hynes’ poppy solo debut is packed with romantic ups and downs and love-induced nausea, making for an easy listen of well-produced, structurally sound guitar/piano folk.” – Filter

Noisettes—Wild Young Hearts

“Every string-swept disco flourish or arena-rock guitar break heightens an unflappable poise that bypasses rote R&B melisma for soul-shaking celebration. 9/10” - SPIN “…echoes of girl groups, electro, the Beatles, funk, punk-pop, Motown and anything else that Ms. Shoniwa can top with her sassy quaver.” - New York Times

“The kind of record that could change the life of someone who just picked it up for fun.” --Los Angeles Times

“What fun! A near-perfect synthesis of disco, funk, ‘60s soul, power pop, Phil Spector-ish girl-grop sass and Shirley Bassey bombast. ****” --USA Today

Clinic - Bubblegum

“acoustic guitars, soothing ooohs and psychedelic electronics” – New York Times

“vintage psychedelia” – Pitchfork

“full of lavishly-textured, tightly-constructed songs.” – Venus Zine

Harper Simon - Tracyemin

“…a gorgeous collection of vintage-sounding country-folk tunes….his well crafted, breezily pretty melodies keep you coming back.” – Rolling Stone

“…a cohesive album of interlocking songs…it’s Simon’s blithe alto and buoyant melodies that give the music a fresh feel.” – USA Today

“Like a photograph held in solution, the many charms of this lovely record slowly but definitely develop…Harper Simon’s debut tantalizes…a real star in the making.” - American Songwriter

Jenny And Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now

“J&J's vocals blend beautifully throughout — sweet harmony that makes discord go down easy.” – Rolling Stone

“The songs are upbeat and breezy, looking back to folk-rock and 1970s California pop. I'm Having Fun Now isn't a collection of sentimental love songs. There's far more sparring banter than romance....(and) throughout the album, their barbs are wrapped in smiles and irrepressible tunes.” - New York Times

“On I'm Having Fun Now, the duo's chemistry is audible: Lewis and Rice sing with the confidence of a more seasoned songwriting team, as they trade verses and craft beautiful harmonies throughout the album's 11 pop-driven tracks. Their smart lyrics, laid out over a solid pop-rock foundation, help make the album a rare find: a sweet pop record that reveals more with every listen.” - NPR Music

The Kills - Blood Pressures

“The chemistry between Mosshart and Hince must be more intense than ever, because their fourth album is also their finest… All over Blood Pressures, the Kills build up a mood of seething sexual tension – like everybody in the club is getting hot but nobody’s getting lucky.” 4 stars – Rolling Stone

“... Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart flesh out… their fourth album with thicker textures, big harmonies and lethal beats. A dark, seductive, primal heat pulsates within that maelstrom of feedback and guitar fury, which sets The Kills apart from its art-of-noise brethren.” – USA Today

“The Kills’ trademark fuzzy guitars, deadpan vocals and drum-machine minimalism are all there, too, but bumped up to a new level… Make no mistake, Blood Pressures is still characteristically sparse, but it’s also highly nuanced – no easy blend considering the two play everything save for the tuba.” – Los Angeles Times Magazine

TV on the Radio -

“(TVOTR is) triumphant on its latest” Wall Street Journal

“(Nine Types of Light) is pure heaven (4 Stars)” Rolling Stone

“The best album so far of 2011.” Esquire

“(Nine Types of Light is an) album full of such a brilliant clarity” Los Angeles Times

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

“…an exuberant rush of guitar pop…sleek and clean…” – Rolling Stone

"...precision-tooled pop that somehow retains a sense of urgency and playfulness - an impressive balancing act consistently slam-dunked by effortlessly ingratiating choruses." - Spin

"With their trademark mix of rock, electronica, and unabashed sentimentalism, their new album…is their most ambitious to date." - Vogue

"Phoenix have finally gotten the hype they deserve...You'd have to be deaf and sober not to like this." - GQ

Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

“Sigur Rós’ fifth album is the Icelandic band’s most worldly, varied and…impetuous…The band achieves a new unity in variety here, winding from near-glam romp and fireside-folk warmth to slow-climb grandeur with an attention to the repeated payoff in a sturdy hook and hum-along chorus.” (4 stars) – Rolling Stone

“Old-fashioned psychedelic grandeur…is revived with otherworldly majesty and inexorable crescendos…a typically majestic but uncharacteristically summery album, with jolts of percussive energy and connotations of sunlight and air.” - New York Times

“Sigur Rós has never released goosebumps like this…it’s a thing of singular beauty. The kind of thing that keep you staring, fogging up the windows as your eyes and ears glaze over in wonderment.” – Paste

“Sigur Rós quickened the pace, increased the volume and amplified the joy, all without losing its strange, hallowed beauty.” – New York Daily News

Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim

“Ms. Marling has learned more than tunes from the British ballad tradition. She has also absorbed its absence of self-pity and its determination to chronicle sorrows as clearly as joys, calmly outlasting them all.” Jon Pareles in The New York Times

“Marling’s lyrics and melodies belie her age and have a woeful and fatigued quality, delicately clear-cut in parts and raspy in others.” Nylon

Black Kids – Partie Traumatic

“The Florida fivesome’s oddly appropriate upbeat take on the dramatic – for example, a failing relationship founded on equal parts apathy and obsession in ‘Hot the Heartbrakes’ – is ultimately satisfying as the band speed past the spectators rubbernecking the wreckage left behind.” Filter

“Youngblood’s tunes are so clever it’s easy to overlook the commitment to new wave it took for him to avoid wasting his love of wordplay on folk music.” Blender

“These Flordians still toss out an impressive 10-song party grenade.” Rolling Stone

“Already number one contender for the feel good hit of the summer.” MOJO

“Partie Traumatic is a gloriously original debut chock full of youthful enthusiasm.” The Times

Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty

“What makes it all cohere so beautifully is the songwriting, which is as sharp as the sound is blurry; Nathan Willett reels off loopy-literate one-liners like Morrissey on an absinthe bender.” - Entertainment Weekly

“Bluesier, murkier and even more spare than its predecessor, Loyalty to Loyalty is loaded with jagged, swooning rhythms and jabs worthy of Tom Waits.” - Time Out New York

“Once we pull the car into the driveway, we’ll go straight to our rooms, put on this album, and play it at full volume.” - Filter

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

“Lewis is indie rock’s most sharp-elbowed songwriter, a crafter of taut mediations on love, sex and politics that are full of violent emotion and, occasionally, plain old violence.” Rolling Stone

Jenny Lewis “has evolved into a sort of modern-day torch singer – a hip-swaying, soul-tugging chanteuse with a country-gospel heart.” Entertainment Weekly

Jenny “lyrically throws herself on her own sword, telling excruciatingly personal stories about her childhood and love life that make you want to be her shining knight.” GQ

“Acid Tongue is immediately pleasurable, brimming over with hooks and songwriting techniques that announce themselves with openness and surety.” Pitchfork

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight

“With their third album they firmly establish their highly enjoyable resemblance to the Kinks – relentlessly melodic and hook-filled, caustic and romantic, gentlemanly but cruel with a little bit of Kylie Minogue-inspired synth sordidness.” Details

“How did Scottish people have sex before the existence of Franz Ferdinand?” Spin

“Even at just 42 minutes, Tonight is relentless, yet the comedown exquisite.” Spin

“The jagged two-guitar attack and cocksure attitude remain, with flailing leads and sing-along choruses adding a sinister edge to songs that are largely steeped in devil-may-care hedonism and emerging regret.” Under the Radar

Peter Bjorn and John – Living Thing

“This Stockholm trio’s fifth album offers more of what made “Young Folks” (2006) an international hipster anthem; infectious electro-acoustic tunes framing tales of romance and its discontents…Living Thing is a record for beat mavens, with clattery drum-programming propelling songs that nod to Depeche Mode…and South African township jive…” 4 Stars – Rolling Stone

“…while the record is undeniably catchy, it is also refreshingly experimental, incorporating everything from synth pop and doo-wop, to Ghanaian rhythms and homemade percussion.” - Interview Magazine

“This is an album of spontaneous originality and should be appreciated as such.” 4 ½ Stars - Alternative Press

Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

Pounding on pianos, cranking out delicate little click-clack beats and shivering through choruses with an ultraromantic soprano, Khan proves shes a powerhouse. (3.5 stars) – Rolling Stone

“…duality motifs…that overflow with moonstruck sensuality.” – Spin

“Two Suns is a self-contained galaxy…” – Fader

"Natasha Khan returns with the rhythmically complex Two Suns, which signals her daring sonic transition from goth-pop indie darling to high-concept sorceress...Two Suns brims with warm, burbling electronics, delicious psychadelic piano pounding...and indelible melodies..." - BlackBook

“…stunning vocals and obvious talents…Khan is a pleasure as she weaves eerily beautiful tales…– Alternative Press

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

“Alt-rock slayers show they’ve still got it...The band’s original line up hasn’t lost a thunderous step. Avalanching metal riffs and spit-polished solos reach for the sky with a classic-rock charisma the band never went for in its youth.– Rolling Stone

“Farm sounds like old-school Dino – gnarlier, snarlier, and better than it has any business being.” –SPIN

“Farm demonstrates what the trio has always done best – moody, melodic cacophony.” – The New York Times

“ ‘I Want You to Know,’ from forthcoming album Farm, hits the ground thudding, Murph and Lou Barlow filling the tune’s fat bottom with a healthy amount of swing (and, yes, swagger) as Mascis power-chords his blues away…8.0 / Best New Music” – Pitchfork

The Dead Weather - Horehound

"...an excellent album of sex sweat, bourbon breath, gun smoke and guitar sleaze...these are all top-notch songs...what a lovely way to burn." 4 Stars - Rolling Stone

"...when you listen to clattery Horehound tracks like "So Far From Your Weapon" or "Treat Me Like Your Mother"...you imagine a sort of Tennessee Williams, kitchen-knife-wielding scenario, starring an unhinged Nick Cave and PJ Harvey circa "Henry Lee."" – Spin

“The 11 songs on the album…are spare and sexy, with the vocals often distorted or submerged beneath grinding, snaky rhythms.” – The New York Times

La Roux - La Roux

“On La Roux, the duo’s alluring debut album, they display an ear for synths that would have been at home in London, New York or Minneapolis anytime in the mid-1980.” The New York Times

“The duo's playful, effervescent sound is heavily influenced by early '90s rave music and '80s synthpop.” USA Today

“Elly Jackson is the perfect… pop star of the moment” - **** Rolling Stone

“…a top 10 smash.” – Entertainment Weekly

“A perfect pop hook backed by bubbly eight-bit bloops” Spin

“La Roux has scored a slew of devastatingly addictive hits (including the disco-inflected “Bulletproof”, an “I Will Survive” for the Facebook generation.)” Elle

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

“Her subtly accomplished guitar parts defy any thoughts of fragility. She makes music that’s haunted, but somehow, through sheer stoic willpower, serene.” - New York Times

“A winsomely pretty English folksinger with a flair for old-fashioned lyrics and plaintive, timeless melodies.” - American Vogue

“To say Marling evinces wisdom beyond her years on I Speak would be a criminal understatement, considering she's created a haunting, fully flowered gem of an album…She's a wholly developed artist in full command of gifts that may not yet be finished arriving.” - Pitchfork

“Laura Marling’s second album contains whispery narratives and brassy love ballads, a show of range that should dispel any and all comparisons to other British pop tarts” - BlackBook Magazine

Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk

“…a satisfying and surprisingly cohesive project.” – New York Times

”…Monsters of Folk yoke together a quartet of folk-minded rockers at the top of their game…[and] create something that’s often greater than the sum of its parts.” (4 stars) – Rolling Stone

“…a harmonious and occasionally electrified blend of folk-rock, country, and white soul.” – USA Today

The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack

“At a time when a lot of retro-garage types are playing it languid and low-fi, the Soft Pack exude wide-eyed angst.” – Rolling Stone

“The Soft Pack makes fast, scrappy music full of guitar riffs that ricochet between low-fi recklessness and sunny euphoria.” – Los Angeles Times

“Mr. Lamkin’s foul moods are a source of vitality on this gritty and amiable album, his songwriting accomplishing loads in compressed, tightly shelved spaces.” – The New York Times

“If ‘garage rock’ connotes beer-soaked simplicity (or beer-soaked simpletons), then The Soft Pack may reclaim the term for smart kids.” – SPIN

“Picking a highlight from the Soft Pack’s debut album is a tough task. Each of the 10 songs is concise yet full formed, bursting with energy but never in an over-the-top manner, with Lamkin’s husky voice and disaffected delivery setting the tone.” – Washington Post

The Temper Trap - Conditions

“The Temper Trap…plunged into anthems of self-discovery with the martial drive of U2, vocals heading for falsetto and instrumental buildups that were clearly aiming for arenas.” - New York Times

“These excitable lads draw obvious inspiration from U2’s grandeur but add enough of their own charm to make such arena- majestic sounds seem almost fresh.” – Spin

“The band’s music is atmospheric, approaching grandeur…This band is on the cusp of fame.” - New York Post

“… tracks on the band’s album, Conditions- which is brimming with falsetto harmonies, delayed riffs, and slow- burning synths- live up to the hype.” – Nylon

Tricky - Mixed Race

“This is 30 minutes of melting pot magic” - Billboard

“His music sounds as visceral and committed as ever… the ravaged voice that sounds both sexy and sinister; the oppressive atmosphere he can still conjure effortlessly; the way his slow, bleary rapping meshes so beautifully with low-key female vocalists” - Pitchfork

“his strongest set in years” - Mojo (3 stars)

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

“WU LYF have made an album of exhilarating expanse and passion that sounds like indie rock and yet feels way bigger. (8.4)” - Pitchfork (Best New Music)

“Mysterious, ballsy Nick Cave-loving Manchester post-rock crew WU overlap fractured guitars with fervent, tortured vocals on songs with titles like “I Got Dem Wu Wu Busted Teef Spitting It Concrete Like The Golden Sun God.” The results are weirdly mystical-feeling, religious.” – Stereogum

“….music that’s an exhilarating blur, swathed in echo and cymbal sizzle. The songs are tremolo-strummed anthems that suddenly bound ahead with African-style guitar filigrees and drum syncopations…Tucked amid the surging major chords are lyrics full of mayhem and desperation.” – The New York Times

Matisyahu- Light

"Light has the ability to push musical boundaries, dipping into everything from guitar driven rockers to stripped down acoustic tunes"- Billboard

"Light punches up his earnest ruminations on faith and inspiration with sleek hip-hop beats and shiny pop-rock guitars." -Spin

"Skittering percussion, Middle Eastern strings, layered beat box and bass synth make a hip-hop hotbed for showcasing Matisyahu's strongest material yet." -The Onion

Savages - I Am Here Live EP

(September 30, 2012; Pop Noire Records)

“… bee-like guitar riff, propulsive beat and dissonant harmonies.” – New York Times

“ … rumbling and explosive post-punk shriek.” – Pitchfork

Sleigh Bells - Reign Of Terror

(February 21st, 2012; Mom + Pop Music)

“The new record is unmistakably Sleigh Bells, with dense but bigger production that puts Ms. Krauss’s voice into sweet relief over Mr. Miller’s dark metal peals. It is even more guitar driven … more narrative and lyrical, with a crisper focus on arrangements and harmony over beats.” – The New York Times

“Reign of Terror is a brash, hyperactive set of songs, but Miller and Krauss' synthesis of disparate strands is exceptionally graceful, with traditionally macho and girly sounds flowing together seamlessly in dynamic, often ecstatic pop tunes. (8.2 out of 10)“ – Pitchfork

Sigur Ros

Valtari (May 29, 2012; XL Recordings)

“…the kind of inexorable crescendos Sigur Ros has been known for from the start.“ – The New York Times

“Vocalist Jonsi Birgisson takes his spectral vocal style to uncharted realms, soaring over sublime hymns that stagger in their cumulative force.” – Rolling Stone

Jonsi - Go

“Like Thom Yorke, Sigur Ros vocalist Jonsi Birgisson courts an electronic muse when he’s away from his rock band…this restless, electro-acoustic solo debut has his most hyperactive music yet.” - Rolling Stone

“On his solo debut, Jonsi Birgisson—Sigur Ros’ spectral voice and six-string skyscraper—embraces a lithe, lush pop his main band is too monolithic to accommodate, and it’s revelatory.” 8/10 - Spin

“While Sigur Ros albums seem to come from some gray, mystic would of deathless winter, Go is Technicolor spring: sunshine, bubbling brooks, rainbows, daffodils. It’s the kind of album that makes you want to run along the seashore barefoot, flying a kite.” - NYLON

Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

“On its third album, ‘Romance is Boring,’ the members of seven-piece rock act Los Campesinos! expand their musical range by utilizing more instrumental and melodic variety than found on the band’s 2008 sophomore effort…The group is still concentrating on proclaiming the unending angst of love through toe-tapping dance ditties.” – Billboard

“Their latest record of maximal guitar pop never tires of holding all the sex, sadness and certainty of young adulthood up to the light like a kaleidoscope and watching the colors spin.” – AM New York

“Los Campesinos!’ latest packs all the same urgency, punch and indie-rock prowess of their earlier efforts while simultaneously expanding their musical palette with orchestral flourishes and synthesizer drop-ins…it’s self-assured, deliciously Welsh and—as always—a real good time.” – Filter

Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much

“…With Rock of Ages-style bombast, classic Disney-score playfulness, tap-dance-routine cabaret, and stomp-your-Louboutins stadium rockers, it’s a Technicolor pop explosion…” (A) – Entertainment Weekly

“Somewhere in the cosmos, Freddie Mercury must be happy. His legacy lives on in the hands of Mika…he has found his calling…” – Rolling Stone

“…one of the most entertaining and energetic performers to hit a New York stage this year.” – New York Post

Soundgarden - Telephantasm

“…Soundgarden delivered an explosive set of classic '90s songs… Kim Thayil proved he's one of rock's greatest guitarists, taking traditional hard rock riffing to its extreme. Cornell often felt like the counterbalance to Thayil's sub-sonic playing. He's the consummate rock frontman…” – Rolling Stone

“The show was a head-throttling reminder of all things grunge….the band kicked into an epic set that was the sonic equivalent of a blueprint of the Seattle sound: heavy, loud, and full of metal guitar heroics and classic rock pomp.” - Spin

“a grunge grenade…” (Black Rain) - USA Today

“The rhythm section thunders with genuine fierceness and, moreover, the sludge-factory propulsion is tight, cohesive and forceful….the Seattle quartet exceeds expectations and confirms its place as one of the last great hard-rock bands to emerge in the last 25 years.” – Chicago Tribune

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

“Lykke Li is a different kind of Swedish wunderkind: an ingenious oddball. Her second album is a weird-pop gem- torchy love songs that nod to Sixties hits but are stretched into all kinds of shapes (four stars).” - Rolling Stone

“Wounded Rhymes is an album of stark, scintillating contrasts: between fantasy and reality, between the powerful and the vulnerable, between the brash and the quiet, between the rhythmic and the melodic.” Best New Music (8.3) - Pitchfork

"Wounded Rhymes' stylish dance-pop and crystalline ballads are an impressive step up from her debut, 2008's Youth Novels."- Spin

“…she’s no minimalist, at least not anymore. “Wounded Rhymes” has thumping drums, Farfisa organs, girl-group vocal harmonies and darkly pealing guitars. It also has songs of desolate stoicism and disconsolate fury.” – The New York Times

The Killers - Battle Born

(September 18, 2012; Island Records)

“Family, broken romance and nostalgia thread the passionate tunes on the Las Vegas band's fourth studio album, gleaming with modern sonics while echoing the hearty melodies and emotional thrust of U2 and Bruce Springsteen.” – USA Today

“Beginning and ending with a bang, BB rises and falls and accelerates and slows down with a classic LP arc that disappeared when frontloaded CDs took over…the ballads are as memorable as the dance cuts…tackles maturity and mortality with a newfound sense of gravity. But all of this wouldn't matter if the songs didn't soar, and it's the combination of lyrical weight and melodic weightlessness that makes this record work. (8 out of 10)” – Spin.com