Clash Music's Scores

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For 4,422 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 58% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 37% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Dead Man's Pop [Box Set]
Lowest review score: 10 Wake Up!
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,768 out of 4422
  2. Mixed: 623 out of 4422
  3. Negative: 31 out of 4422
4422 music reviews
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    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Are We All Angels
    These 11 tracks are relentlessly melodic, channeling the soulful pop-punk of Descendents and anthemic grunge of Hole rather than any of Scowl’s pit-stomping hardcore peers. Moss’ ruthless scream makes a handful of notable appearances, such as on ‘B.A.B.E’ and titular closer, however, the main focus here is an elegant sense of rock euphony that manifests via a range of differing but cohesive songwriting approaches.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Iradelphic
    This is an album self-assured in its odd-ball-ness, yet confident enough to step out into territories typically less habitual to it's maker.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Faraway Reach
    Faraway Reach is a happy place full of group hugs and big shiny grooves.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Angles
    While The Strokes have outgrown any notions of being rock's saviours, in doing so they could just have delivered what might be their best album since Is This It. It's certainly their most diverse.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Someone New
    Some fans may be disappointed by the more subdued nature of ‘Someone New’. Yet her ability to combine woozy guitars with killer synths and endlessly catchy melodies hasn’t disappeared, only softened and matured, as the title track, the brilliant ‘Pale’, and ‘Dog’ prove.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    True Meanings
    It’s a lengthy, beautiful work, and undoubtedly a late career high from one of the most important, courageous songwriters in the country.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Superbloom
    “Mr Valentine won’t you be mine / Don’t be shy cos I’m sure you’re just my type”, she sings in the jovial boogie-belter ‘Mr. Valentine’, partly mimicking ’00s girl group pop. .... “Don’t you know who I am?” she exclaims with a touching and stoic delivery in the eponymous power ballad of almost Bondian scale.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Volcano
    It’s rich in intricately layered synths, blending swathes of influences into a more distinctive sound.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Join the Dots
    TOY get the balance exactly right here, perfectly mixing noise and melody.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Silver Cord
    Taking listeners on a trippy journey through a landscape of organic musical complexity, there are also Beastie Boys vocal nods similar to those found in ‘Sadie Sorceress‘ from last year’s ‘Omnium Gatherum‘ release. Combining techno, disco, electronic and rap, this makes for a truly special combination.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wake UP!
    With a new sharpness, Hazel English has delved into a sophistication that dynamically blends her previous music to create an oscillation of hard and soft that exudes in her tonality.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tell Me if You Like To
    Raw, rambunctious, rollicking and rowdy, Spring King’s debut offering is further proof that the future of rock ’n' roll is achingly thrilling.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hotel Shampoo
    Hotel Shampoo shows off a simpler, stripped back Rhys - whose lyrics are placed front and centre of beautifully arranged tracks, each imbued with an infectious energy.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    What a Devastating Turn of Events
    A thrilling, needle-to-the-red experience, ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ never sits in one place.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Talkies
    Primal, raw and unformed - and ultimately not an album for the faint-hearted - its lyrical content alternates between the absurd and the everyday.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Jungle Revolution
    Interjected with dusty dubplate samples, gun-finger shots and clashing MCs throughout, what Jungle Revolution lacks in variation it makes up with genuine spirit.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Spare Ribs
    A raw snapshot perfectly designed to capture the ugliest sides of Britain, it’s obvious that the duo is happy to knock at our doors once again. There’s an ongoing need for this portrayal of relevant topics, and their sharpness and humour are as strong as ever.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    I DES
    The 36 minute ambience of ‘Drone In B’ allows space to contemplate all that has come before; and the conclusion is that ‘I DES’ is a celebration of future possibilities, and a truly beautiful listen.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Strange Pleasures
    The feel is consistently of an eerie twilight, perched high above a near-future city.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lazaretto
    Coming two years after his debut ‘Blunderbuss’, a vitriol-filled purge that dropped in the wake of White’s divorce, Lazaretto does sound like a transitional step.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Heavy Heavy
    ‘Heavy Heavy’ sees them fully marry their two sides; is this a very fun album from a very serious band, or a very serious album from a very fun band? Why not both? Young Fathers can have it both ways.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Contrepoint
    Out of something very, very old has come something deliciously new.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    TOY
    A strong, self-assured debut offering, 'TOY' represents a band who are capable of channelling multiple identities without losing sight of their own.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    New Bermuda
    Deafheaven have managed to craft a lengthy, complex offering that could be considered the antithesis of their lauded second album, but also proves to their doubters that they're here to stay.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Circles
    Despite the sadness that clearly surrounds this project there is plenty of positivity: the production of the album is impeccable, and the overwhelming message that shines through is of hope for the future.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lout [EP]
    Harkening back to the days of ‘Strange House’, but also moving forward, this industrial future for The Horrors is an interesting and welcoming one. It’s just a shame it’s only three tracks long.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Big Bad
    18 thunderous tunes.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kelly Lee Owens
    A debut that is full of depth and one that exposes the scope of electronic music beyond just the club.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ears
    A magnificent aural topography of Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s inspired imagination.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Dream Outside
    This is savvy, intelligent music.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kinder Versions
    Kinder Versions may not be a fully formed classic, but it demonstrates that the band’s ambitions are no empty threat.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
    The rapper fails to assert creative delineation over this sprawling mesh of music. That said, ‘Featuring’ is peppered with career highs.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Drunk Tank Pink
    Each track feels like its own ecosystem, tackling its own demons and fighting with its own musical journey. It’s certainly an album created with plenty of thought and various concepts tackled within its 40-odd minutes, leaving a sweet aftertaste, and the urge for an immediate re-listen.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Loves of Your Life
    Sonically ‘The Loves Of Your Life’ is a Wurlitzer whirlwind of nostalgia, however the glimpsed memories that lie at its heart are so charmingly dazzled to life - they are testament to the humanist eye of a songwriter as vividly inspired as he has ever been.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lucky Me
    Phoebe Green explores and elevates her creative visions with ‘Lucky Me’, with helping hands by some of pop’s most innovative producers; Kaines and Tom A.D as well as lead producer for the album, Dave McCracken.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Strangers to Ourselves
    His inspired wordplay is consistently great and occasionally brilliant.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    TFCF
    Fifteen years on from their first album, it reminds you that this band's trajectory is beholden to nothing except Andrew's own insatiable curiosity. Long may it remain this wayward.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    And Nothing Hurt
    If this is Spiritualized’s last – and Pierce hasn’t fully rowed-back on that threat, given his lucubrations drove him “crazy”--it’s a very satisfying denouement. If not, it’s still a stellar addition to the Spiritualized® catalogue, matching the vitality of ‘Songs in A&E’ or the richness of ‘that famous one from 1997’, even if it doesn’t say anything especially new.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Alpha Games
    ‘Alpha Games’ is an exciting return with addictive hooks and array of infectious album stand outs.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Flux
    Poppy is ready to leave her mark upon the world again with this hook-focused album that favours front-to-back consistency over constant mayhem and it makes you wonder what’s next.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    V
    As a double album, ‘V’ is a hefty commitment and is therefore unlikely to win many new fans for Unknown Mortal Orchestra, but it’s a coherent and mature piece of work which will be worth the wait for this well-established act.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Era Extrana
    Era Extrana is a collection of brooding, eddying and actually kinda loud indietronica that wears its Joy Division and New Order influences on its (mixing) sleeve and contains enough catchy melody lines to flirt with pop... and take it all the way to second base.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Surrounded by Time
    A world away from his genial role on Saturday Night Television, it’s a 12 strong song cycle that finds Tom Jones doing exactly as he pleases. It’s an extraordinary balancing act, another vital page in this remarkable ongoing chapter.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Another Eternity
    With more revealed in every listen, Another Eternity shows that there's much more to Purity Ring than initially meets the eye.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Red Barked Tree
    The band's third generation began just after the turn of the century and this LP completes a trilogy of new work that is confident yet vulnerable, refined yet earthy, moody yet flippant, representing a highly commendable contribution to the current scene, suggesting they are more relevant today than ever before.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    House in the Tall Grass
    Delicately beautiful, this is a real trip.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    World Record
    ‘World Record’ is a thrilling ride through some admittedly familiar pastures. But then, perhaps that simply underlines how potent Neil Young remains, and the increasing resonance of his eco-politics.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Acts Of Fear And Love
    Say what you like about the album, it’s impossible to deny it is blazing with confidence and a witty, abrasive humour. What we loved about Slaves when they emerged into the DIY punk scene has returned into the mainstream, and about time too.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sour Cherry Bell
    'Sour Cherry Bell' doesn’t quite come out of the blue in the same way as its predecessor. Even so, there is a sense that the artist has once again quietly stepped out from the shadows to deliver this, her second record - apt for someone whose music has an absorbing habit of unfurling before the listener into full bloom from seemingly nothing,
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Change the Show
    If you are looking for ‘all the feels’ on a cold winter’s morning, ‘Change The Show’ will warm the cockles of your heart and make you yearn for the carefree and hazy festival days of summer.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Reason to Smile
    The album really feels like it was years in the making. Somehow the neo-soul-leaning cuts (‘Anywhere’) complement the heavier-set tracks (‘Pusher Man: BWI’) with genius levels of curation.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bunny
    ‘Bunny’ is an album that rewards listening with a sense of naivety. Basking in its summery sheen is more than enough to draw pleasure from. But if you allow yourself the time to uncover all of its layers of depth, that glow only becomes brighter.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Electricity
    Bright, buoyant, and continually innovative, ‘Electricity’ is a project dominated by colour, vitality, and – crucially – a ruthless pop instinct.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    T2: Trainspotting [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
    An effortless blending and renewed celebration of genres like punk, new wave, techno and hip-hop is all made possible with the inclusion of long time Trainspotting favourites Iggy Pop, Blondie and Underworld and extra additions in Queen, The Clash, Run DMC and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Falling Faster Than You Can Run
    Simple, unaffected songwriting with a direct emotional pull, Falling Faster Than You Can Run is swarming with undercurrents, with nuances that only become more marked over time.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ungodly Hour
    It’s not a full-bore masterwork: the first half of the record packs a stronger punch than the latter. But it’s a more cohesive, complete listen as a result of tighter sequencing. The Ungodly Hour is a soothing salve for a world on fire.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    From King to a God
    Forceful and atmopsheric, ‘From A King To A God’ punches through the glass ceiling, its purposeful swagger leering out of the speakers. His third full length project in 2020, ‘Conway The Machine has hit escape velocity.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    EUSEXUA Afterglow
    It may lack the pop-accented immediacy of ‘EUSEXUA’ tracks like ‘Perfect Stranger’ and ‘Room of Fools’, but there’s a surfeit of transcendent dance music on offer here, deftly undercut with a sensual, inventive, hi-definition approach that is always gesturing towards the future.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Corpse Wired for Sound
    It’s a beautiful album, and it’s the sound of a band realising they can finally do anything they want with sound.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shields
    Shields is an engrossing, beautiful work which could only come from Grizzly Bear, and only at this point in their career.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Modus Vivendi
    Although ‘Modus Vivendi’ has oodles of instant appeal, the minute the rule book is thrown out the window, Shake is at the top her game.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Set It Off
    A glittering project that underlines Offset’s status as one of American rap’s MVPs, ‘SET IT OFF’ doubles as an emotional mirror, as a form of autobiography. All that glitters isn’t gold – and very often the finest moments on this album are its most humble.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Source
    Garcia allows these songs to ebb and flow without a clear end point in mind, allowing the interplay between her band-members to become this album’s primary draw. She has proven herself to be just as formidable a composer as she is a performer.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Double Infinity
    It does not lose sight of its subject, and goes from strength to strength after each listen. There is no doubt that ‘Double Infinity’ will be a milestone release for Big Thief – for the band’s past, present, and future.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    False Lankum
    The record swells and retreats at will as the group flex their musical dexterity.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    There Were Seven
    Broadly eclectic throughout, it's a buoyant return.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Calm
    CALM is a refreshing evolution from the days of their self-titled debut. Their latest effort is by no means perfect, but the album is a testament to their growth.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Love Streams
    Less reliant on theory or process, Love Streams is a testament to Hecker’s innate musical sense of direction.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Eagulls
    It may not be original, but in a time where bands prefer to gaze wistfully at their shoes or navels, Leeds’ Eagulls are like a necessary breath of fresh air.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Give You the Ghost
    This record is an exploration into the synergy of reengineering technology and humanity. Let yourself be taken on the journey.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Factorycraft
    Criminally under exposed.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Manzanita
    Lyrically, the album represents one of Shana Cleveland’s most daring and open song cycles.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Honey
    Melancholy remains the primary colour in Robyn’s work, though it continues to sparkle.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Blue Water Road
    Kehlani can still be thorny and tempestuous but they’ve also never been more holistic and soulful than on ‘Blue Water Road’.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Arc
    It is the sound of a band working out what they are good at and turning the quality control up to eleven.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Depression Cherry
    Fifth effort Depression Cherry is no different, and whilst haters could accuse the duo of being a one trick pony, you must ask yourself if you truly care when the pony is so damn gorgeous.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Deceiver
    It brings the friendly, familiar sound of a bygone time without begging for the clocks to veer into reverse, and clings to ‘90s noise-pop with the gentlest possible grip. It’s a show of strength too, proving the resilience of the band.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Heaven Upside Down
    There’s more than enough life in his work to shock, provoke thought, and inspire for another two decades.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sketches of Brunswick East
    A fluid, effortless and absorbing listen, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard aren’t just one the industry’s most prolific bands, they are also one of the world’s best.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Demidevil [Mixtape]
    Ashnikko uses cogent and wisecracking lyrics thrown in to a vat of saccharine pop, punk, rap and trap as her weapon of choice. She promotes her sex positive ideals with genuine laugh out loud humour as she explores the movement throughout the mixtape.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Out of the Black
    The absence of any high-profile pop vocal collaborations--save for Snoop Dogg on 'I'll House You', which playfully (and successfully) pays tribute to house music circa Dance Energy--and greater focus on the French house and techno that formed him, present Boys Noize at his most venerably accomplished.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chrome Dreams
    [His albums] are normally produced to the hilt, but here Neil Young sounds more vulnerable than he normally does, and this makes the songs more immediate and personal.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ignatius
    ’Ignatius’ is the album the hip-hop scene didn’t know it needed, the raw voice and understanding Jadakiss delivers here offers much-needed respite from the shallow music we seem to be swamped in at the moment. What a way to make a comeback.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Visions
    Some may find 'Visions' consistently eschews the same ground of super slick, layered vocals over chrome digital structures but this reductive palette of sonics hears the album fly towards its peak of 'Nightmusic' - a collaboration with Majical Cloudz that is camouflaged electro pop that'll keep you muttering for months.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Antidepressants
    A subversive work, ‘Antidepressants’ is confrontational, unfiltered and arguably one of their most electrifying releases to date.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    WHO
    It takes something to stay true to the original ‘Who-ish’ sound after 50 years in the game, but unlike so many others, this time they’ve managed to do so with impeccable form.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Homesick
    'Homesick' is defined by its anthemic vulnerability, truly capturing a sense of coming of age excellence. Much like the outfit’s previous releases, there is this sense of familiarity stitched into every track, making the nostalgia shine even brighter.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Orbits
    PJ Geissinger boosts his refinement, despite not being a slave to technicality, with no surrendering of dancefloor rawness.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ‘Last Night In The Bittersweet’ transports you from the hard-hitting indie rock chaos to gentle soul; his vocals being just as strong and as captivating as he moves from one end of the spectrum to another.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Loop the Loop
    While Loop The Loop isn’t a retro record, neither is it futuristic; it’s not a singer-songwriter album, nor is it an electronic beats record. One thing it does qualify as though, is a hugely enjoyable debut album.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    United States of Horror
    United States Of Horror is wired on a different kind of anger--these tracks seethe with violence and disgust, raging at dark political orders, economic inequality, racial tension and fractured society.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Blue Lips
    A record that refuses to compromise, ‘BLUE LIPS’ presents ScHoolboy Q in unfiltered form. A creative accelerator, its commitment to the individual voice makes this the LA rapper’s definitive statement.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stranger Today
    Wonderfully engaging from the first line of opener ‘Our Girl’, this cracking debut mirrors the nuanced nature of modern life with equal parts noise and softness.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Algiers
    'Algiers' is a Calexico album unlike any other. More forceful, immediate and polished, whilst still possessing the bewitching musical interplays of old.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Spaceman [Mixtape]
    Although not necessarily pushing boundaries lyrically, Octavian’s appeal lies in the whole package rather than a complex narrative. The raspy flows and melodic groans are at home over the ethereal, bass heavy instrumentals, giving each track a consistent vibe that absorbs multiple elements into a gripping end product.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Aviary
    Works of art like these elevate us beyond the material world, if only for an afternoon, and for that Holter remains worth her weight in gold.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rennen
    It’s a follow-up that interlocks with the debut perfectly, building on its foundation both lavish and coy, doing pop music that’s both bang on target and way too wise for the charts. A dot of light in the darkness that will dazzle you should you look too long.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sunburn
    On ‘Sunburn’, the American songwriter sounds the most comfortable he ever has, and as a result this sophomore record carves out his own space in the music world.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Magic 3
    Reaching greater and greater heights, ‘Magic 3’ could well be Nas and Hit-Boy’s finest hour together – the closure of this chapter allows us to analysis their relationship, but you’re still left yearning for more.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Colourgrade
    The sonics are strange and hard to recreate: they are forward thinking but in some ways ageless, a natural fit for Tirzah’s magnetic voice.
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