Exclaim's Scores

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For 5,096 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 57% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 38% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Vol.II
Lowest review score: 10 California Son
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,315 out of 5096
  2. Mixed: 753 out of 5096
  3. Negative: 28 out of 5096
5096 music reviews
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    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Foxwarren
    This debut is a more than pleasant listen. Here's hoping a sophomore release won't take a decade to surface.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    For Lovers [EP]
    With For Lovers, Octo Octa has delivered a set of tracks that are not only dance-floor-ready, but deeply personal and moving, creating a listening experience that is ultimately fulfilling and one that will be urging you to revisit it more than a few times.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Take Off Mode
    The influence of R&B is like a silky-smooth cloud over the proceedings, raining drops of liquid gold that permeate the music. Those looking for the energy of Da Trak Genius might be disappointed by the polish, but true footwork junkies will find shining moments worth drooling over
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Quiet River of Dust, Vol. 2
    Parry's work here is sombre yet uplifting, as he goes after the hard stuff with impassioned resolve and a rich and varied musical landscape (there are maybe a million instruments employed on this out-of-genre release) that is as singular as it can be.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Love & War
    The couple's adoration for each other is every bit as potent as their social consciousness, on "P.A.L" and "Fruitful," two of the cosmic quiet storm cuts that comprise the album's second half. And when Aloe Blacc drops by on "Smile," something's seriously amiss if your body doesn't move.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Show Pony [EP]
    As short a release as it is, the tight six-track EP packs a punch. This is essential material for both country listeners and fans of Orville Peck, who, through his dedication to authenticity in aesthetics, joins the likes of Shania, Reba, Dolly, Johnny, Kenny, Merle, Hank and countless others among the genre's greats.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Entering Heaven Alive
    The songs of Entering Heaven Alive probably won't become the genre touchstones that White's heavier tunes are, but they're a fresh glimpse into a songwriter who, long considered a retro traditionalist, now continues to get more unpredictable with each album cycle.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    When No Birds Sang
    As a genre-defying work, When No Birds Sing is the perfect middle ground for two bands who relentlessly battle against the lazy pigeonholing of scenesters and critics.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ultraviolet
    Rich and vibrant musically while raw and emotive lyrically, Ultraviolet is Kylesa's highest achievement to date.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    COW / Chill Out, World!
    On COW / Chill Out, World!, the Orb's easily digestible and absorbent songs make it simple for the listener to take the album's titular advice.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Bodywash
    The album has all the material necessary for a great release; it's simply lacking in its arrangement and execution.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Velvet
    Tracks like the funky "Can't Fight the Feeling," "Love Jones" and "I Feel a Change" aren't '60s soul throwbacks so much as they are genuine articles, with the now-trademark Daptone sound feeling fresh and vintage at once.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    For Better, or Worse
    It's a true joy to hear talented women juxtapose their obviously more gifted vocals with the rough-hewn Prine in dramatic, textured contrasts. On For Better, Or Worse, they help this old mailman deliver once again.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tenderness
    The upbeat Euro-tone with a dark edge that characterizes Tenderness is tidily executed, evocative and catchy to boot.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Bonny Light Horseman
    Bonny Light Horseman's eponymous debut is rich in folk history and offers a fresh take on centuries-old traditions. For trad-folk fans who like to dig deep, this record is a perfect launching point — there are endless avenues of history to be found here.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Answer Is Always Yes
    The whole album is chock full of songs that scream road trips and beach days, pulling from a grungier vision of Sheryl Crow and latter-day Liz Phair's fun-loving pop rock, shot through with a synthesised yet vulnerable twinge that was already apparent on Lahey's first two albums.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Made by These Moments
    The story goes that Alabama red clay sticks around, its residue leaving a stubborn, permanent presence. The Red Clay Strays are here to stay, their story written in a cloud of red dust that's far from ready to settle.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Love You To Death
    The record does play a bit like a return trip through familiar terrain, but for the most part, Love You to Death finds Tegan and Sara offering another solid soundtrack for summer romances and road-trips alike.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Beast in Its Tracks
    There is plenty to enjoy here, though many of his long-time fans will be hoping for a return to the bigger picture next time out.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ash
    Ash doesn't feel as world-shifting or momentous as their debut, but operates on a more intimate level.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Alberta Cross
    Alberta Cross' familiar '70s rock soundscape is lush and relaxed--ideal for the self-reflection that's fostered by long drives, Sunday afternoons and quiet dinner conversations with friends.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Exhausting Fire
    Exhausting Fire synthesizes and fuses those sounds with their more doomy roots.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Oxymoron
    Rambunctious and irreverent, Oxymoron blasts bullet holes in the theory that gangsta rap can't sound fresh for 2014.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    DJ Koze Presents Pampa Vol. 1
    Overall, Vol.1 is a satisfying snapshot of a label that does a very specific sound very, very well.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fabric 90
    Set against the billowing fog, blinding strobes and distant sirens of 3 a.m., Scuba's fabric 90 is a versatile mix that draws heavily on the experiences now held forever captive behind the closed doors of the legendary nightclub.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shades
    Shades spotlights a band with diverse influences and the ability to cogently and cohesively re-contextualize them. Additionally, the album features one infectious melody after another, Raisa Khan emerging as one of the more intriguing voices of her generation.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    This World Is Going to Ruin You
    While not everything works out as intended, the seeds have been sown for growth and refinement. The album does a great job of acknowledging the band's past, and where one can expect them to move forward.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    MartyrLoserKing
    It's heady stuff to dive into, and Williams isn't particularly concerned whether listeners sink or swim, so long as they get wet.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tragicomedies
    Suffice it to say, Zygadlo comfortably defies the sophomore album slump with this one.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    23 Live Sex Acts [Live]
    Sure, some of the performances aren't perfect, at times sounding downright ragged and sloppy, but that's the glory of a loud, fast and sweaty live punk rock show, here captured in all its glory as the band plough through songs from all eras of their history, finding the common thread between the old basement-punk anthems and the slick arena-punk rockers of later years in a shockingly profound manner.
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