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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    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dance on the Blacktop
    The narrative of Dance on the Blacktop is a hard-to-swallow reality check, but flourishes in the closing "(Hope) Is Just Another Word with a Hole In It." Nearing six minutes, the song is ambitious and rewarding. When Palermo's vocals and piano come to fruition in the mix, there is a sense of optimism, as though he might be smirking at his demons.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Long Walk
    Where Wake in Fright felt lean and energetic, The Long Walk is bloated and tired, not so much a fulfilling, purposeful exercise as a slow crawl to nowhere in particular.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Mulberry Violence
    Powers has found the perfect balance between melodic sounds and a darker aesthetic, making his new creative endeavours come more into focus.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sweetener
    Ultimately, beatmaker Tommy "TBHits" Brown outshines the veterans, co-producing two of the record's more engaging tracks--"Better Off" and "Goodnight n Go"--which are inexplicably relegated to the end of the record. Those songs manage to accomplish what the rest of the album attempts: bringing a new fire to pop-R&B's familiar formulas.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    At Weddings
    Her tranquilizing balance of wandering purity and unconvincing bravery is intimately grasped and yet confronted with anxiety and disbelief that decorates her daydream-like prose in conflicting ways.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A Broke Moon Rises
    The result is a record that is powerfully alluring and timeless.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Baby Teeth
    Baby Teeth's gentle delivery and textured production creates a world in which listeners have an opportunity for reflection, situating their own experiences within the band's storytelling.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Tangerine Reef
    For fans of Animal Collective's trippier inclinations, Tangerine Reef is a pleasant bit of oceanic escapism. For new listeners or anyone looking for the next "My Girls," this is decidedly inessential.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Be the Cowboy
    The album is all the more impressive because her words and music are meticulously calculated, expertly arranged and still filled with feeling.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Midnight Hour
    It's an analogue oasis of the past that rejuvenates for the present.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Slow Air
    They've still got a solid ear for dreamy, yet captivating melodies, but with the confidence to push their sound in new directions and see where it takes them.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dissolvi
    With Dissolvi, Steve Hauschildt rediscovers his adventurous self while taking delight in the human element.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Queen
    Whether Nicki Minaj is the rightful queen of rap is up for debate, but the album, despite having several songs that were more filler than functional ("Sir," "Majesty," "Chun Swae"), highlights her ability to adapt to an ever-changing sonic landscape.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Thank You for Today
    Ultimately, Thank You for Today finds the Death Cab for Cutie of 2018 taking stock of their band, choosing to forge ahead by using the foundation of their back catalogue to harness their core identity and build upon it. The band's shared vision is clear, encapsulated in this collection of songs.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Nearer My God
    It's Foxing in a new shape, a first-hand witness of the evolution of a band that were really good just the way they were. While these changes may not be welcome with open arms, the thoughtfulness and artistry deserves a round of applause.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Future Me Hates Me
    "Not Running" and the aforementioned "Little Death" have especially great arrangements, but it's a highlight throughout Future Me Hates Me, and anyone who loves British indie punks Martha for this reason should be laser-focused on this debut from the Beths. Future you will definitely not hate this album.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Baby Grand
    Baby Grand is a wide-screen, psych-pop gem that continues to realize his potential in rewarding ways.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Swimming
    Whether Miller is singing on those funk-inflected highlights, or rapping on them with a flow that's airtight to their irresistible rhythms, he sounds like a would-be chart-topper, not to mention one of the most versatile and accomplished hip-hop artists working today. He also clearly has pop chops to rival those of his former flame.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Book of Life
    Fujita is a rare talent and Book of Life should announce him to a much wider audience as a vital composer with a unique voice, one I hope and expect we'll hear grow and evolve for many years to come.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bell House
    For a short album--only ten tracks in 24 minutes--it doesn't take long to recognize the beauty of Bell House.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    To the Sunset
    To the Sunset is relatively brief, but it marks a substantial--and very successful--shift for Shires towards a progressive, literate and ambitious blend of rock, folk and pop music. It may also just be her finest album yet.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Devotion
    For all the internal nuance of the record, Devotion is primarily an album built on the invisible ties between us, shifting between shades of love, rupture and unsteady silence. In the sparseness of its haze, Devotion feels ephemeral.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Filo Loves the Acid
    The tracks contained on Filo Loves the Acid are altogether enjoyable rhythmic excursions for fans of both Dozzy and acid techno alike to listen and dance along to.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Astroworld
    Astroworld shows the evolution of Travis Scott as an artist and is his most refined, imaginative, and rage-worthy project yet.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Someday Everything Will Be Fine
    This loose, spilling energy does not translate to a lack of moment-to-moment intensity. On "Cop Dream / Black Eye (True Story)," Spider Bags let loose with a thrashing blaze, guaranteed to conjure up mosh pits wherever it's played. The record also features some of the band's most indelible imagery.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Nature of Imitation
    The Nature of Imitation is a prime example of an established artist brilliantly redefining and redeveloping their sound to the highest degree. It's also a prime album.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Nova
    The album offers a little something from every listener, which includes pop-centric songs ("Shrine") bass-heavy bangers ("Era"), an anthemic ballad ("Atoms") and one pleasantly surprising ambient interlude ("Run For Your Life").
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Qualm
    The sounds and textures contained here will not be surprisingly new to anyone familiar with Hauff's previous work, but regardless the sum of the album's parts is an entirely satisfying whole, sounding at times like the sound of a machine collapsing in on itself, but not before letting you have one last dance first.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dictator
    Dictator is a strong release that touches on a lot of the elements of System of A Down's final albums without too many of the quirky moments from those records. Still, it comes across as the comeback record that could have been huge but never happened.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Songs for the Saints
    Chesney's folk-pop Songs for the Saints is a charity album that although compassionate and kind, carries few memorable and catchy country tunes.
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