Exclaim's Scores

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For 5,105 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: 4,324 out of 5105
  2. Mixed: 753 out of 5105
  3. Negative: 28 out of 5105
5105 music reviews
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    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Oczy Mlody
    The best moments here are either instrumental or wordless, when Coyne's voice--which, though never technically impressive, always fit perfectly with each album's sound, whether it was the ragged bombast of their Soft Bulletin-era epics or the hushed haunt of The Terror--becomes a whispering (or even whistling) texture. Lyrically, though, Coyne appears to have exhausted any last nuggets of profundity he once had.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I See You
    For the first time on record, the xx sound happy. Lyrics about growing and taking a chance, especially, resonate throughout "Dangerous," "Say Something Loving" and "I Dare You," further substantiating the already-palpable sense of ambition here.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Return of East Atlanta Santa
    It comes in flashes, and then it's back to a sort of dull, flat affect.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stillness In Wonderland
    With this fearlessly vulnerable, triumphantly anthemic album, Little Simz asserts herself among the queens of her genre--Janelle Monáe, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu. Stillness in Wonderland is a wonder to behold.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'
    Not only is Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' loaded with hits, but it also draws attention to Cudi's renewed sense of self. Cudi has finally slayed his demons, and he sounds all the better for it.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Not the Actual Events [EP]
    Rather than offering a bold new step in Reznor's long, winding career, Not the Actual Events feels more like tentative first steps towards something bigger.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Run the Jewels 3
    If "bloody," "urgent," "enraged" and "heartening" were enough description to sum up El-P and Killer Mike's latest Run the Jewels album, this review could end here. But they aren't; this late 2016 LP, along with the duo's various collaborative tracks with several DJs and rappers all year, have officially placed RTJ high on the shelf of the "hard to describe" category.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Do What Thou Wilt.
    Ab-Soul is more successful when he mines his own sorrow.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Epoch
    On Epoch, Hansen, Brown and O'Connor are in the prime of their careers.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    TerraForm
    TerraForm may not be groundbreaking, but it's an enjoyable album that begs to be turned up loud, and sometimes that's all you need.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sweet Creep
    [An] astoundingly distinctive album.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dark Sacred Night
    Dark Sacred Night is a non-traditional Christmas album, but one of great import nonetheless. It makes a perfect companion for those of us whose Christmas experience is absent of the typical festivities and jubilation.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    What's Your Sign
    On What's Your Sign?, Oneida and Rhys Chatham show that sometimes the most obvious collaborations are the ones that end up surprising you the most.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide
    While the self-examination he committed to tape this time around isn't quite as pointed as those of other figures in the genre this year, it's a worthwhile story to hear as we welcome Hodgy back to the mic.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Darkness and Light
    Darkness and Light comes off balanced and bursting with humility knowing and being what it is--mainstream soul framed by pop parameters.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A Hand Through the Cellar Door
    It may be a bit platitudinous, but Temple's delicate voice and songwriting make it an enjoyable listening experience.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    4 Your Eyez Only
    It's a love letter, and yet, it's astonishing just how hard-hitting it is.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Heart Song
    Though a lot of this material might come from a damaged place, by foregrounding that, a defiant perseverance shines through on Heart Song. Williamson isn't revelling in self-pity--rather, by carving out her insides, she demonstrates agency, action and an embittered sense of hope.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Honest Life
    Andrews grasps her songs tightly. Her lyrics are considered and heartfelt, her vocal performances are clean and pure and the songs are produced and arranged with nuance and precision.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Last Night on the Planet
    Last Night on the Planet is a solid followup with enough variety to please listeners both on and off the dance floor.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Worry.
    With WORRY., Rosenstock builds on last year's We Cool? not by dealing himself a new hand, but by stacking his cards a little higher. The fast songs are faster, the slow songs are slower and the big songs are bigger.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Young Death/Nightmarket [EP]
    The London producer emphasizes structural variety over substance, and relies on former sonic signatures to push a release that remains distinguished within the electronic landscape. However, in the context of his oeuvre, Young Death / Nightmarket listens like just another cut of the same.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Box
    Although Box oddly and quite disappointingly omits Voigt's 1995 Modern EP and 1996 self-titled debut, the vinyl version adds in tracks that were previously unavailable in the format, along with the inclusion of 1999's Oktember EP and the hard-to-find "Tal 90" single.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter
    Surrounded by ambient hiss and faint female backing vocals, The Benoît Pioulard Listening Matter shows Pioulard expressing emotion through simple but intensely personal songwriting.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    W:/2016ALBUM/
    While the album is far from his best work (the disjointed opening track is a strong first clue), it still merits a listen.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Joy
    Brandt Brauer Frick are still immensely talented, and you can hear glimmers of greatness crop up in the background here, but they've sadly jumped the shark on this one.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    "Awaken, My Love!"
    Despite this galling blunder ["California," an infuriating interruption to an otherwise cohesive project], Gambino knocks Awaken out of the park.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Broken Knowz
    Broken Knowz does hit a few snags, with some tracks pushing the six-to-eight-minute mark and remaining pretty much static throughout (single "Knowledge of Selfie" comes to mind, the eight-and-a-half-minute track perhaps mirroring the constant repetition in our self obsession), but its shorter, more contained tracks override and stand out, showcasing what Daniel has to offer.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    All the Right Noises
    Tonality and instrumentation aside, the overture of All The Right Noises is subtle, reserved and warm.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    On the Green Again
    The songs on On the Green Again are long, and some listeners might find the album a little wearying by the end. But Tiger & Woods are first and foremost purveyors of party music, and in the hands of a skilled DJ, all these tracks should be able to ignite a floor.
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