AllMusic's Scores

  • Music
Select another publication »
For 18,299 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: 15,348 out of 18299
  2. Mixed: 2,925 out of 18299
  3. Negative: 26 out of 18299
18299 music reviews
view
per page
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Blue Chips 7000
    Scuttling percussion, noodling electric pianos, and rubbery basslines remain suited for Bronson's nasal, humor-laced self-praise and subtle jabs at himself, whether he's boasting about his swimmer's body and celebrity chef friends, lamenting his inability to dunk, or proclaiming "Your shit lack quality/I'm sittin' right behind my chick makin' pottery."
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Punishment of Luxury
    It may be a little old-fashioned in places and there's the occasional track that doesn't work 100-percent, but the album is another strong showing from a band that could have packed it in years ago and become a nostalgia act, but have instead continued to make fine pop art.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bicep
    Bicep's debut album essentially delivers what fans have come to expect; for newcomers, the duo revisits some of the more open-hearted elements of '90s dance music without succumbing to the period's cheesiest trappings.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Toy
    A Giant Dog's greatest strength, however, remains their ability to tap into the enduring elements of rock's true grit and create feelings that are appropriately cathartic, dangerous, and fun.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Isotach
    Isotach means a line on a map that connects points of equal wind speed, and this feels like an album that's attempting to achieve some sort of equilibrium--a fragile balance that Bourne goes some way to accomplish.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Inheaven
    New cuts like "Real Love" and "Velvet" add depth to the album, and suggest there's more to the band than skillful pastiche.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Light Information
    More than anything, Light Information feels like a pop record, albeit one that is tonally warped and distorted to represent VanGaalen's distinctive worldview.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Concrete and Gold
    Foo Fighters show that they're in love with light and shade, fury and quiet, every twist and turn they can make with their instruments, and even if Concrete And Gold isn't about much more than that, it's refreshing to hear the Foos embrace to the logical flashing conclusion of Grohl's allegiance to real rock values.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Forced Witness
    While it's easy to admire the craft behind Forced Witness, it's a little harder to embrace the album as a whole--and not necessarily in the ways Cameron may have intended.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Out of All This Blue
    Overall, Out of All This Blue is a bold experiment that succeeds, and once again demonstrates the depth and breadth of Mike Scott's talent.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Hanged Man
    With a couple more killer songs and rougher production, it will all come together eventually. Until then, this is a fine place to mark Leo's welcome comeback.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    All the Light Above It Too
    He's a back porch strummer and fireside singer, playing for comfort, and that's precisely what All the Light Above It Too provides.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Shade
    Anger can be power, and the musical and emotional furor of Shade is a powerful and much-needed weapon in a chaotic time.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Parallels
    Parallels is the sound of an artist regaining perspective after a devastating setback, and while he still makes music to drift away to, it's more focused than ever.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A Moment Apart
    A Moment Apart is a further expansion of the ODESZA empire, and the duo's most ambitious, widescreen work yet.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Luv Is Rage 2
    Although Uzi's post-breakup pain rears its head throughout the entirety of the album, many of the tracks are too fun to get too bogged down in emotions.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Deer Tick, Vol. 2
    Unlike Vol. 1, which ran out of steam during its last third, Vol. 2 keeps its momentum from beginning to end, clattering and shambling through its 33 minutes without a false step.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Take Flight
    Considering the sheer volume of material, it's inevitable that not every track on Take Flight resonates, but it does contain a generous number of highlights. At least initially, it seems best to approach the album as background listening and let the tracks reveal themselves over time, rather than attempt to concentrate on them all on the first go-round.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Under Cöver
    Many of these tracks have been released before, and there are few revelations for loyal fans, but Under Cöver is an enjoyable reminder of Motörhead's ability to bend any song to their will, even as they let some of the personality of the originals shine through.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Stranger in the Alps
    Front-loaded with a trio of deceptively powerful singles ("Smoke Signals," "Motion Sickness," and "Funeral"), the ten-track set loses some focus near the end, but Bridgers remains such a compelling presence throughout, that even her less immediate material bears weight.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Thrice Woven
    Thrice Woven marks the welcome return of the power and dark majesty of one America's most original metal bands.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Haiku from Zero
    Haiku from Zero may be Cut Copy's most Cut Copy album yet, full of hooky songs and breathlessly danceable songs. The only thing it is missing is inspiration or invention, which also means it is their least successful record yet as well.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    ununiform
    While this LP is yet another release that is not Maxinquaye, compared to the average Tricky album, it's accessible, mostly focused, and offers a handful of moments that remind listeners of his early promise and hold attention until his next effort.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay
    As a whole, Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay is a welcome step further ahead from Hammer of the Witches in its force and economy, and even with its missteps it's a stronger album for it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    La Confusion
    For an act that has been operating creatively since the mid-'70s, Amadou & Mariam once again prove their art can thrive in just about any setting.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Spark
    There's a lot to love here, especially on some of the more idiosyncratic offerings like "Airfield" and "Shinrin-yoku," but listeners expecting to bloody themselves in the electronicore, stadium-screamo assault of past outings might want to take a pass.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Amulet
    Longtime listeners will know the drill, but newbies looking for some frame of reference might want to imagine Sigur Rós, Mew, and Sunny Day Real Estate in an art school lunchroom brawl.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Visions of a Life
    A reflection of a young band trying out all its possibilities, Visions of a Life is more scattered than My Love Is Cool, but its best songs hint at even more potential.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I'm a Harmony
    I'm a Harmony isn't the revelation that Parallelograms was, but it's not a letdown, either; this is the work of an artist whose singular creative viewpoint hasn't dimmed with time. She still has a great deal to say, and those who loved her debut will discover she hasn't lost her touch.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ease My Mind
    There is a sameness to the tone and tempo of many of the tracks causing much of the album to blend together, but if the whole affair doesn't quite reach the artistic highs of earlier releases, the band certainly make good on their soothing intent.
Page: