“The band describes itself as sincere, and its uplifting motto is ‘to not let anybody tell them what to do with their life.’ It must take some luck, talent and a Beemer full of payola to live by Fonzie’s golden rule, and Yellowcard certainly have two of the three.”

— Cody B. Nabours

“Yellowcard: Young Pop-Punk Romantics Headline Annual Autumn Bash”

Oct. 6, 2005

“‘Soobax’ … is probably the first song about warlords you won’t be able to get out of your head.”

— Simone Wilson

“Beat Poet K’naan Brings the Craft Back to His Home Turf – the Streets of Somalia”

Nov. 9, 2005

“Born to Run isn’t humble, but that’s the charm: Sometimes you need to grab your girl by the arm, leap into your hemi-powered suicide machine and speed off in an everlasting embrace — if only in song form.”

— Cody B. Nabours

“Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition”

Dec. 1, 2005

“Go smoke a blunt, Matisyahu, and then we’ll talk.”

— Riley Salant-Pearce

“Matisyahu — Youth”

April 20, 2006

“Mobb Deep, now in their late 30s, probably will never record another album, and if they do, G-Unit’s 15 Cent, Phony Yayo and Lloyd Janks can’t help much.”

— Adam Staley

“Mobb Deep — Blood Money”

May 4, 2006

“Confession: Ever since this reviewer was but a wee girl (well, almost), she dreamed that one day Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, would get together with Elliott Smith. In their perfect love, they would combine vulnerability and tender, subdued despair into a ball of naked emotion unsurpassed since the late Nick Drake.”

— Gaëlle Faure

“Cat Power — The Greatest”

Feb. 2, 2006

“Fitty, getting plugged doesn’t make you hardcore; you’ll need to die first (see Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.).”

— Charles Nguyen

“Worst Musician In a Movie: 50 Cent”

March 2, 2006