Anthony Fantano

“If Death Grips isn't the fourth horseman of a hip-hop apocalypse, its music at least tests the genre's threshold of extremity: The trio's abrasive, jittery style teeters on the edge of palatability, and plays toward a morbid curiosity to which many listeners won't succumb.”

“Naturally, underground music often gravitates toward experimentation and the abstract. That's understandable, and more often than not, it feels great to dive into a difficult album and swim a few laps.”

“A lot of bands change, and a lot of bands break up, but only a few grow.”

“The musical era depicted in 'Round and Round' may not be pop's brightest moment, but rather than abandon its ideas, Ariel Pink reclaims them for himself and holds on tight.”

“Rather than highlighting music's differences, Kids & Explosions' Josh Raskin mixes songs together based on their surprising common ground, making them blend rhythmically and melodically.”

“There's always going to be a moment where it's out with the old, and in with the new. That's probably going to happen to me one day.”

“Seabear's love of soft folk sounds is unquestionable, but that doesn't stop the Icelandic band from infusing its music with layers of instrumentation.”

“For more than 15 years, Mogwai has built a reputation on its monstrous ambitions for rock music.”

“I'm not trying to rub shoulders with any record executives. If rubbing shoulders in the industry is what I wanted to do then I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.”

“Tightly embracing guitar effects and tape loops, Mission of Burma made sound an important commodity in rock 'n' roll, and its members carried that tradition into their first album after a 19-year hiatus, 2004's 'ONoffON.'”

“From 'The Money Store,' 'I've Seen Footage' seems to run the beats from Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing' and Salt-n-Pepa's 'Push It' through a rusty meat grinder.”

“Grooves are important to John Talabot - they're pivotal. That's the case with most dance-music producers, but there's something especially sleek about the Spanish producer's debut album, 'fIN.'”

“Cryptic messages and abstract statements are littered throughout the music of Happy Birthday, but it hasn't made the band's sun-baked pop-rock any less infectious.”

“A Hawk and a Hacksaw may be from America, but the band's music sure isn't: Since the beginning, Eastern Europe has been an unwavering source of musical inspiration, not to mention fertile touring ground, for the group.”

“Stay adventurous with that musical taste.”

“I just love a great groove.”

“The Internet has essentially democratized the music industry in terms of what is popular and it's democratized the music journalism industry as well.”

“Tame Impala is more about impact than innovation, sure, but the music still stuns on contact.”

“Justin Broadrick's career isn't widely celebrated, but it's still shockingly uncompromising. From his place at the beginning of grindcore with Napalm Death to his role in Godflesh's expansion of industrial metal, the U.K. musician specializes in artistic hairpin turns.”

“Electronics, samples and vocals are all fed into The Log.Os' music, and a fresh take on soul comes out. The band's songs splash around in the same gene pool as neo-soul artists like Erykah Badu, but they reach forward to pull ideas from glitch-hop producers such as Flying Lotus and Prefuse 73.”