Exclaim's Scores

  • Music
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:
5096 music reviews
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    He has his own sound and stands out as an artist, with this album possibly being the one to distance himself from being overshadowed by other Chicago rappers. He does hold it down for showing his upbringing through his music as a Chicago artist in a more authentic way this time around.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    As the album comes to a close, "Rest" and "Hidden" begin to work off of fuzzy, pulsating beats and slow, trancelike synth passages, proving that Rival Consoles certainly holds a blueprint to the dreamworld contained within Persona.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tinashe's Joyride is a stop-start journey that doesn't quite stall out, but does feel like some ground has been lost. It does move, however, and it will be interesting to see where things go from here.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Much of The Lookout is subtly fraught.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Isolation works because Uchis displays impeccable command over her voice and her style. She bends genres to her will rather than allowing them to absorb her identity, making for an impressive effort that will only improve as it ages.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A dizzying array of sounds and vocals that probably would have come off as a sonic mess if not for Mouse on Mars' crystalline vision.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Loud Patterns is an overtly ambitious first album, which fittingly captures Molleson's "difficult to define" approach.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    They avoid mere imitation, but a sense of aimlessness still floats through the record.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    12
    12 is arguably the most well-rounded album they've made since 1999's underrated Between the Bridges.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Iit's her softer singles that add a new dimension to her artistry. While Cardi B's own relationship with Migos's Offset has been thrown into the spotlight, Invasion of Privacy feels like her Lemonade moment, one that magnifies her insecurities for public consumption.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    From start to finish, the album is a mix of complete swamp-rock songs, only to be broken up by confusing, short bursts of instrumentation.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Everett has always been loathe to stand in one place for too long so it's quite possible that we'll see yet another side of him in a matter of months. For now, The Deconstruction is a rather rote and lackluster return.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yes, Erase Me also features more singing and less metalcore than has been standard in Underoath's career, but it straddles Sleepwave's experimentations, landing on the catchier side ("Rapture," "Wake Me"), more energetic side ("It Has to Start Somewhere," "Hold Your Breath") or somehow pushing both extremes ("In Motion," "Sink With You").
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Golden is bereft of relative stinkers, but there's little to bring listeners back.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A charming and disarming album.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Bark Your Head Off seem like a gamble, given its broader palette. It only takes a few listens to realize that it is really the fulfillment of the band's potential, though. ... Hop Along are truly a band at the top of their game.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While Sex & Food is a disjointed effort with Nielson's usual ingenuity wavering at times, fans will undoubtedly find favourites in certain tracks. It's an anxious, up-and-down affair, with moments of reward sprinkled within its lethargic haze.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It is an album dense with meaning, with excellent, full-throated singing, tempered guitar playing, and an elusive, decorative prettiness.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ortega's musical composition revels in an outlaw spirit, echoed vocal acoustics and a Spanish waltz. She masters the equilibrium and stability amid light and dark, which is regularly touched on in her earlier works.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Frontwoman Jenn Wasner and multi-instrumentalist Andy Stack skillfully synthesize their last three albums into a glossier blend of synth-laced dream pop. It's the product of a band that know their strengths and work around their limitations.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's a cerebral style that takes a certain willingness to go along with, but if you do you'll come away with an enhanced notion of what contemporary techno has to offer.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    New Material's subjects are too broad for incisive commentary, and its themes of disenfranchisement and helplessness are played too straight for dark comedy. Ultimately, it's about as expressive as those one-word titles would suggest.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Virtue is as fun as it is challenging and is both catchy and complex.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    McMahon's most deeply personal work to date.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    In adding back into the mix that layer of unpredictability that's served him so well, the EP adds yet enough layer of complexity to an already diverse discography--while placing a few more musical bullets in the chamber for the next world tour.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sometimes the way Nash has structured the songs becomes hard to follow, or downright abrasive, as heard in the vocal changes in "California Poppies." Yet there is always a feeling of purpose dictating the clear vision behind "ugly" moments.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Drank is an interesting take for fans to indulge in, but not an album you're likely to take any inspiration from, given its lack of real exploration.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This beautiful collection is a fitting tribute.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    There's a distinct old-world Havana big band feel here, filtered through a postmodern lens. Steered by the vocals of Pepito, piano melodies sparkle, brass blare bold and percussive sounds punctuate a overarching vibe of joy.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The 67-minute album features 25 remarkably accessible tracks.