AllMusic's Scores

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For 18,310 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Marshall Mathers LP
Lowest review score: 20 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15,355 out of 18310
  2. Mixed: 2,929 out of 18310
  3. Negative: 26 out of 18310
18310 music reviews
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    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rare
    Rare proves that when she has strong songs and the producers get a little weird, she's just enough outside the mainstream to sound fresh. Add in some deeply felt and real emotion like she does here, and it verges on being something special, maybe her best record yet. If it isn't that, it's at least her most interesting one yet and that's something fans of the homogenized pop scene of the era should celebrate.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    There Is No Year
    These tight, explosive songs combine a refined poetic lyric approach in songwriting and arranging that's every bit as urgent as the album's two predecessors, yet it's so emotionally charged, it leaves the listener breathless and exhausted, as well as compelled and excited.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
    A quarter century after they formed, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories is triumphant proof that they're as passionate as ever.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Deleter
    Tipping closer to dance-pop than noise-rock, Deleter is one of Holy Fuck's most finely tuned albums, yet the band sound as spontaneous as ever.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Marigold
    Marigold offers no major surprises or alterations in the band's sound, just quality songwriting and a rather remarkable consistency.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    More. Again. Forever.
    For a band that is beloved on home soil but often gets lost in the crop of late-2000s U.K. exports, this catalog highlight is ample evidence of artistic greatness and proves that, even after the darkest of days, beauty and light are on the horizon.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Land of No Junction
    Land of No Junction is a beautifully arranged set with a strange sonic allure, but more than anything, it's Frances' excellent songwriting that holds up this very strong debut.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Manic
    Manic showcases Halsey at her nerviest and at her best.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ur Fun
    Taken together, infectious rhythms, smart lyrics, and effervescent chorus hooks that deliver throughout Ur Fun make it more than a mere amusement.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nijimusi
    No matter how many years go by between their albums, the adventures they embark on are irresistible.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Been Around
    It's fair to say that Been Around out-performs her excellent debut, both in terms of composition and execution, making it a release well worth the wait.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Thin Mind
    In concept and execution, Thin Mind is Wolf Parade in their classic form, but with a force and a sense of purpose that makes them sound fresh and vital. Losing DeCaro seems to have goaded Krug, Boeckner, and Thompson into showing their fans they still have the goods, and it works on Thin Mind.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Neon Skyline
    Quite simply, there are precious few indie songwriters who can impress as easily as Andy Shauf, and Neon Skyline is the work of an artist delivering on their significant promise.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hotspot
    Through it all, Tennant and Lowe feel as confident and progressive as ever, honoring their signature sound while continuing to push it into the future.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Big Conspiracy
    A major step up for J Hus, and the first notable British rap album of the 2020s, Big Conspiracy was a well-deserved success, debuting at number one on the U.K. album chart and spawning several Top 40 hits.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Unraveling
    The Unraveling is a dire yet vivid depiction of the American zeitgeist at a crucial time in the nation's history, and a decisive collection of songs these musicians clearly wish they didn't have to write.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Be Up a Hello
    After several records of heady composition and high-concept music, Be Up a Hello is refreshingly direct. Without simply revisiting a bygone golden era, Jenkinson reconsiders some of his old ways, taking some of his more familiar ideas to new, strange places. As always.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Silver Tongue
    Like Torres' previous album, Silver Tongue takes some time to unfold, but it's well worth it; by fluently expressing the resilience it takes to bounce back from hard times, she comes into her own.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All in Good Time
    All in Good Time is well-rounded and balanced perfectly between punk energy and poppy songcraft. Though Eddy Current Suppression Ring may not have wanted people to make a fuss about their return, it's kind of a big deal and this record is proof of that fact.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Swirlings
    Swirlings is another prime example of his brand of gorgeous, multi-dimensional sonic-shaping. Both lush and interstellar, his compositions contain drifting, spacy melodies that unfold at a natural, leisurely pace.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mystic Familiar
    Deacon reassures the listener that inner peace "starts any moment you'd like." Mystic Familiar's triumphant victory lap is "Bumble Bee Crown King," a dazzling instrumental featuring Dustin Wong's unmistakable, spellbinding guitar work.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Trophy
    Recalling contemporary debuts by names like Anna Burch and Madison Cunningham in terms of its polished sophistication, consistency, and fault-finding lyrics, Trophy introduces a songwriter fully formed.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Likewise
    While Likewise still features the singer's peculiar, leaping vocal melodies, one of the album's biggest surprises is its sweeter, softer demeanor. That quality is partly manifested in lyrics and vocal performances that channel strong currents of compassion.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Storm Damage
    The soft, subtle tension between the deeply felt songs and the smooth, sophistication of the execution is quite rewarding, since the album can alternately play like a plea or a balm, depending on mood or timing.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Foolish Loving Spaces
    While this set is not as immediate as their first two albums, Foolish Loving Spaces winds up being the one that is most rewarding after repeat listens, an enjoyable, nostalgic ode to pure affection. Coolness be damned.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If I Am Only My Thoughts
    If I Am Only My Thoughts is the work of a band already at the top of their game, and anyone looking for music that wraps them in a warm blanket of intricate sound and a calming embrace of restrained emotion could do a whole lot worse.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Darkness Brings the Wonders Home
    While Darkness Brings the Wonders Home finds Smoke Fairies toying with a new and different approach, it also reinforces what they do best; it's a detour that happens to take them someplace worth visiting.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Keeping Up Appearances
    Keeping Up Appearances is tuneful and exciting, morose and beautiful, noisy and sweet, and it should have heralded the triumphant arrival of Patrick Doyle as a solo artist. Sadly, he didn't live to see its release. The album is a fitting tribute to Doyle's music and also a tragic reminder of the great songs he will never write or play.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chaos and a Dancing Star
    The production, sequencing, and performances on Chaos and a Dancing Star reveal Almond at his most sophisticated and ambitious, at the very top of his game; these songs are beautifully written and arranged, and they arrive as deep emanations from the singer's personal well of passion, pleasure, heartbreak, sin, and loss.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Navarasa: Nine Emotions
    The instrumental pieces are a bit harder to suss out with, both "The North Carr" (laughter) and "Darbari" (peace/tranquility) coming across as more mournful than their subjects might suggest. As a whole, though, Navarasa: Nine Emotions is another strong effort from this agile and unexpectedly prolific trio.
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