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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    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Two
    Though they took over a decade to follow up their first album, Two still sounds like a band a decade ahead of its time.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Jhelli Beam
    There's a lot of Busdriver on Jhelli Beam, while his themes and lyrics have become even more dense, which makes for a challenging listen that only fitfully rewards the scrutiny.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Hands of Glory
    Produced in the same Luddite fashion as Break it Yourself, Hands of Glory takes that austerity one step further by recording all of the proceedings on a single microphone, resulting in a set that sounds both out of time and incredibly immediate.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Developer
    Developer feels like the work of a group constantly pulling new rabbits out of hats just as things seem to have peaked, which can only be promising for their future work.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Explains
    Sonically, Explains is breezy, effortless, and warm as a Pacific Ocean sunset, and its laid-back vibe helps tame some of Field's more manic, pop culture-laden diatribes like "Light Brang" and "Where."
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    How Can I [EP]
    Going against the grain of both pop and club music, Park's songs are intuitive expressions rather than obvious floor-fillers.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Wayfinder
    A midtempo set almost from beginning to end, among Wayfinder's relatively livelier, full-band entries are "A Lot to Ask" and "Big Fan," which features wide-ranging backing vocals by Jay Som's Melina Duterte. Even still, the album never quite steps out into the sun.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Event II
    Deltron veterans will get the most out of this return, as their cherished classic goes from secret to high-profile, all while keeping the legacy intact.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Luminous
    Luminous proves the Horrors still have a sense of adventure; they sound comfortable, but not too comfortable to try new things.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cautionary Tale
    Lyrically LeBlanc is still mired in the faux-verisimilitude and myopic ruminating that are the bane of all twentysomethings, but with Cautionary Tale, his finest outing to date, he's stepped far enough out of his shell that the world around him is starting to come into focus.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Living Proof
    Like Skin Deep before it, Living Proof is distinguished by these bold, clenched blasts of sonic fury, but here the production has just enough grit to make the entire enterprise feel feral, and that's a greater testament to Guy's enduring vitality than any one song could ever be.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Born with Stripes
    Born with Stripes, is a quietly enjoyable listen, something where emotions get expressed with often restrained energy--but, crucially, never lacking that core energy to start with.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Bones
    Bones is undeniably still a solid follow-up that should consolidate their second-tier status, but they'll have to change the record next time around if they want to move into U.K.'s alt-metal big league.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Fast Moving Clouds
    Fast Moving Clouds is superb smart pop for a lazy afternoon; it's also an impressive first salvo from Sarah Bethe Nelson, who as both a vocalist and a songwriter confirms she's an artist to watch.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    New Gen
    At 17 tracks, it covers a lot of ground and not every track is a winner, but there's a decent number of promising artists here.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    PRhyme 2
    Big K.R.I.T., Rapsody, and CeeLo Green boost PRhyme 2 with their distinctive voices and energies. At a time when multiple producers and playlists/mixtapes rule the rap game, the focus and intent on PRhyme 2 are comforts that PRhyme effortlessly nail.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Time Flies
    Despite his busy release schedule, Jim Lauderdale seems incapable of making an album that isn't heartfelt, well crafted, and thoroughly engaging, and Time Flies is further proof that he's making some of the best country music in the 2010s.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Missiles
    While the rewards are there, the hooks are few and far between, resulting in the kind of overly personal transitory album that can either lay the seeds for a full-blown masterpiece, or render the garden infertile.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Silver Eye
    At once balanced and eclectic, Silver Eye may be the first Goldfrapp album to represent all the sides of their music equally well--no small feat, considering how long they've been dancing to the beat of their own drum machine.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Beyond the Sun
    Beyond the Sun plays it cool and plays it authentic--these aren't reinterpretations, but sincere homages--and if this doesn't have much grit, it has plenty of style and heart.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Spacehopper
    Its spacy, half-dreaming vibes remain close enough to Earth to keep things accessible and not swamped in reverb but still pretty far out by merit of the band's own inventiveness.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Royal Sessions
    The Royal Sessions is enjoyable: it sounds like Rodgers is having a good time, so it's easy to have a good time too.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Reincarnate
    With so much confidence and gothic swagger, it's hard not to be entertained by this album, and listeners who may have been thrown by their inconsistent early work would do well to dive back into the abyss with this third effort.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Future Hearts
    Ultimately, with Future Hearts, All Time Low have delivered an almost perfect blend of stadium-ready fist pumpers, ballads, and fuel-injected pop hits.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Meow the Jewels
    Whereas the original Run the Jewels 2 was a perfect soundtrack for a night of mayhem, Meow the Jewels is the comedown after all that rabble-rousing.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Prospect of Skelmersdale
    A much different but just as powerful statement as their debut, the Magnetic North have once again crafted something that is wholly unique.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Small Hours
    There's a looseness to the sound that gives it some needed warmth and dynamics, while there are still enough vintage synths and spacy overdubs to keep it weird and home-cooked. So, the best of both worlds.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A Broke Moon Rises
    To some ears, this album might sound like demos or unfinished sketches, but its simplicity seems to be Pajo's way of saying that sometimes it's best to appreciate things for what they are, and just be happy you're alive. He seems to be at peace, and that carries a great amount of significance.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    My Name Is Safe in Your Mouth
    At its best, My Name Is Safe in Your Mouth is a hauntingly lovely reintroduction to an underrated talent.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Songs of the Recollection
    This band have maintained a creative vision that's served them beautifully, and their commitment to the power of dynamics and finding the details of a song by leaving room to ponder the details and textures has led them to write some great material and also find unexplored landscapes in the work of other tunesmiths. Songs of the Recollection captures them doing the latter with grace and intelligence.
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