Exclaim's Scores

  • Music
Select another publication »
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
view
per page
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Friday
    Serving as an exercise in humility, Black Friday is a testament to the value of tenderness in a world steeped in trepidation. For new listeners, the album should function as a cohesive introduction to a band on the rise — and a great point of entry to an already impressive discography.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nighttime Stories
    Nighttime Stories is the most memorable Pelican album since 2009's What We All Come to Need. They're showing no signs yet of slowing down yet.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Final Transmission
    Final Transmission feels like an intimate farewell letter to a lost friend, and a fitting tribute to former bass player Caleb Scofield.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    1634 Lexington Avenue
    By paying proper homage to his soul elders, while also employing more distinctly subtle singing and a greater relatability via his plainspoken lyrics, Smith sets himself apart with 1634 Lexington Avenue.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Out of Sight
    The album isn't perfect; it is a little too slow in spaces, a little too quiet, and sometimes it is too serious. Fussell is capable of being goofy, but even the humour here never rises above a wry chuckle.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lust for Youth
    At eight tracks, some might criticize it on grounds of length, but these are robust, well-crafted songs that, even after multiple spins, reveal fresh details between the more obvious hooks.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Polymer
    Polymer is their darkest record to date. It still sounds undeniably Plaid, but tracks like "Meds Fade" and "Recall," which sounds like barrage of error messages knocking on your front door, will have you reaching for the light switch. Now they can add ominous to their established repertoire of complex and simple.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Samsara
    While none of Samsara is necessarily bad, there are moments where tracks start to blend together and lose focus. This doesn't necessarily take away from the amazing moments of the album, but as a whole it could use a bit more variance. That being said, the record makes it clear that Venom Prison are destined to join the top of the new-school death metal pack
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    We Get By
    A little more understated than her recent collaborations with Jeff Tweedy, who similarly wrote songs and produced them for Staples, We Get By is still a gem and Mavis Staples and Ben Harper clearly hit upon something special in working together.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Dépaysé
    Dépaysé is for fans of Sinkane; new listeners might stop for a minute to appreciate the vibe before moving on.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Piano Works
    Yes, Pianoworks does have its beautiful moments of levity; Cooper is great at that. But the experience of listening to it feels very passive. It's happening, but you, the listener, are not so much involved as you are just in the vicinity. It doesn't wrap you up and envelop you the way Eluvium works often do.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Omoiyari
    In spite of minor missteps, Omoiyari manages to condense its political themes and historical scope into an impactful experience.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Football Money
    Though Football Money is not without its moments of pessimism, at its core, it's a coming-of-age record about doing what you can with what you have--a bright-lights-big-city story scaled down to Canadian proportions.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Apollo XXI
    An intoxicating mix of celestial soul, sprightly funk and glossy, luxurious rock'n'roll, Apollo XXI is a self-assured and sonically robust exploration of love, lust and identity politics. Lacy scatters pearls of post-adolescent wisdom in the lyrics, and drives the album forward with infectious melodies and an angelic falsetto. But Apollo's chewy production is where Lacy makes his mark.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Last Word
    With The Last Word, The O'Jays end their legendary career on a peak.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Valley
    While it's tough to imagine Whitechapel ever topping This Is Exile--one of the most important deathcore albums ever--this record is an extremely close second. The Valley solidifies the band in their current musical direction and is easily Whitechapel's most diverse and well-composed album.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Act Surprised
    True to its name, Sebadoh's latest proves that, even after all these years, the band are still capable of making music that is thoughtful, humble, and, at times, surprising.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fever
    At the end of the day, this project shows Megan Thee Stallion in her most refined element--confident, powerful and never submissive.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Eternal Forward Motion
    The album is captivating from beginning to end, and shows Employed to Serve have mastered the art of making chaos digestible.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ecstatic Computation
    It is big, bold and absolutely electrifying.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Injury Reserve
    Stepa J. Groggs and Ritchie with a T are solid, if not remarkable, rappers. And that's fine. What sets them apart is that they feel like real dudes. ... Injury Reserve's real driving force, though, is producer Parker Corey.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Flamagra
    Flamagra plays like a staggered daydream, where you occasionally return to consciousness, only to slip back into slumber soon after.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    We Fall
    Throughout, We Fall is a slow, contemplative record, perfect for those introspective, late evenings. It occasionally has some interesting post-rock vibes, especially on the guitar-driven tracks, but elsewhere the slow piano playing is closer to older ambient records.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ranaldo/Jarmusch/Urselli/Pándi
    Lee Ranaldo/Jim Jarmusch/ Marc Urselli/ Balázs Pándi is an egoless collection of ideas from four musicians who sound like they've been working together for an eternity.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Father Of Asahd
    DJ Khaled knows how to produce a hit with any number of artists, but his 2019 effort could have used some more growth like Asahd.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Destroyer
    The fifth Black Mountain album is their most driving album yet, literally. It was edited on the road, directly influenced by the feeling of being behind the wheel. Of the 22 tracks recorded, the eight that made it are as propulsive as you can get, hard-edged cerebral space trucking.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
    Fun and compelling as such high points can be, nothing on this album reaches the strata of the title track.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Atlanta Millionaires Club
    Contradictions and duplicities abound. But Webster is not putting us on. For all of its facades, Atlanta Millionaires Club is a work of arresting candour.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Reward
    Reward is a lucid rush of avant-pop. Dreamy and sonic echoes, layered with Le Bon's sotto voce lyrics, make this her most compelling album.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 10 Critic Score
    California Son
    For the most part, Morrissey sounds like a cheap facsimile of himself; an aged crooner without any latter-day grace. Moreover, the features list on this album, including Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, occasionally comes into play with no impact. Coupled with Morrissey's complete lack of finesse in his vocals are the instrumentals, which are, for the most part, the dictionary definition of clinical.
Page: