AllMusic's Scores

  • Music
For 18,280 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:
18280 music reviews
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The words offer a lot of food for thought, but the music and arrangements are every bit as remarkable.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's another quiet gem from an artist in the full bloom of his talents.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    For all of its epic grandiosity, May Our Chambers Be Full only clocks in at a mere 37 minutes, but in doing so leaves a more indelible impression.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Second album Glitch Princess is more futuristic than yeule's past work and perhaps more dystopian as well.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The deep involvement of McClenney, assistance from additional producers such as Wynne Bennett and Alissia Benveniste, and the familiar presence of Peter CottonTale all nudge and stretch Woods' sound into new realms of left-field pop, folk, and funk without squeezing out a drop of soul.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    With Hell-On, Case has once again given herself an ideal showcase for her talents as a vocalist, songwriter, and producer; it's lush but intimate, and one of the strongest and most satisfying records she's delivered to date. Which, given her catalog, says a great deal.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    There are two expertly executed albums here, each highlighting just how this group has grown from being rascally jokesters to hardened, concerned members of society. As far as swan songs go, Heaven :x: Hell is a heartfelt goodbye to fans, an overly generous gift that aims to please the full spectrum of diehards and thank them for all their years of dedication.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pure Comedy is indeed a very grand record, an old-fashioned major statement designed to evoke memories of classic long-players from the '70s. Often, its stately march and decorated pianos call to mind early Elton John, suggesting the hazy vistas of Madman Across the Water.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    When Art Department stick with their signature sound, even though it might not be exactly unique--it's easy enough to trace a lineage through seminal Chicago jack tracks, early-'90s disco house and the sleeker end of electro-clash to contemporary peers like Soul Clap and Benoit & Sergio--the results are nothing short of mesmerizing.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    While it's hard to talk about Two Hands in 2019 without the context of the stunning U.F.O.F., the album's quality stands on its own, offering its own grade of intimacy, sound, and feel for alternate moods.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Uneasy offers a portrait of an emergent trio discovering a multivalently complex language while simultaneously articulating its myriad possibilities. The end result is centered, action-oriented music that is at once gloriously colorful and brilliantly articulated.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ys
    Yes, Ys is a demanding listen, but it's also a rewarding and inspiring one.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Matthew E. White's Hometapes' debut, Big Inner, is as frustrating as it is cosmically transcendent.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    They're in an increasingly crowded field but hover well above all of their contemporaries.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ode
    While the title may reflect a a certain ponderousness, these 11 tunes are anything but.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Big and bold the whole way through and with nary a stumble, Something Else is another triumph from Tech.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Broken Lines' only downfall is that it isn't as cohesively arresting as its individual highlights. Having said that, those highlights pretty much eclipse this.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    side from the cultural relevance of his lyrics, Choi's songwriting is catchy, vibrant, and brimming with melody and moxie on this excellent follow-up.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Coral Island is the band at their best, effortlessly conjuring up the glorious ghosts of rock & roll's past and turning those sounds into something timeless and instantly rewarding at once.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    As good as OFF!'s previous releases were, they (in classic hardcore style) sounded like they were produced in hit-and-run style, with the band cutting them live with minimal overdubs. Free LSD, on the other hand, aims to be something more; in its intensity and vision, it succeeds, and it's a gloriously weird triumph.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    With Say I Won't, Bass Drum of Death evoke the sweaty album rock of the '70s, infusing it with an undeniably raw and sultry immediacy all their own.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Like all Tinariwen releases, Amatssou is compelling and strange. They are a musical entity like no other, translating the essence of their culture through creative exploration and complementary collaborations, yet always attuned to their inner compass.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It's fitting that such a thoughtful work reveals more shades with each listen, and while grasping all facets of reality may not be achievable, Le jour et la nuit du réel expresses Colleen's truth brilliantly.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It's that sound of love, the fantasy vs. the reality of a relationship, that fascinates McAlpine and makes Older such a lovely and bittersweet experience.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Memento Mori: Mexico City is one of the stronger live sets in their discography since Devotional, buffered by the strength of the songs on the tour's parent album and the choice to include so many beloved crowd pleasers.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With Dacus' warm vocals and melodies leading the way throughout, Home Video is an engrossing set steeped in life lessons and nostalgia.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    On this soul-nourishing tour de force, her one-of-a-kind mix of innovation and emotion is as inspiring as it's ever been over her decades-long career.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    There's a marked feeling of newfound ease that flows through The Comeback Kid. The always unstable elements that make up Stern's sound are still potent and volatile, but gone is any dread or confusion that may have pushed her music forward in the past, replaced by a sense of triumph and euphoric self-acceptance.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Kish Kash may be the best dance record of 2003, but it's the least imaginative LP the duo have ever released.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    A dense, plunderphonic kaleidoscope of an album with giant, noisy jazz breaks and groovy electronic synthwork.