NOW Magazine's Scores

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For 2,812 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 43% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 55% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 6.9 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 Miss Anthropocene
Lowest review score: 20 Testify
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,287 out of 2812
  2. Mixed: 1,452 out of 2812
  3. Negative: 73 out of 2812
2812 music reviews
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    • 79 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Noble Beast
    There are some sweet la-la-la bits and a bit of cheery whistling, but nothing jarring or abrasive which might prevent listeners from lapsing into a deep sleep by the sixth track.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Brill Bruisers
    Emotionally, this album doesn’t live up to the principals’ own recent projects, but it’s an energetic, feel-good summer listen--in traditional New Pornographer’s style.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Magic
    The Magic is not their best album, but it's an excellent Deerhoof album, and they are the greatest of all time at what they do.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Nothing's Real
    Sonically, Nothing's Real is in line with the gliding, easy-listening 80s pop that's back en vogue thanks to Blood Orange, Haim and La Roux.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Biophilia
    Biophilia is one of Bjork's best and most challenging records; it's in a galaxy all its own, one that's not for the faint of heart.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Long Live
    Gesundheit's tunes have an intimate lullaby quality, like a more playful Julie Doiron, and her airy voice sends them into flight. She has amazing range, inventive melodies and vivid lyrics held steady by her plucking guitar.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Oh, Mayhem!
    Her strong voice (think Kim Deal or Liz Phair) remains the focal point, though wild guitars and thunderous drumming give it the foundation it needs to soar.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Testimony
    Alsina’s narrative-driven niche is criminally underrepresented on the pop charts right now. Judging by the way he effectively turns his wounded past into the catalyst for a bright future--he has potential to dominate the lane.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bahamas Is Afie
    As always, these include gorgeous guitar playing and pristinely arranged harmonies, and the gospel-inflected moments are especially effective.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Master Volume
    Master Volume is a delightful, precise record. The band are at the top of their game on it, but it still feels like a no-stakes basement jam session between three friends. Maybe that’s why they’re so contagious: the Nil aren’t for the culture, they’re for the kids.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Hope Six Demolition Project
    Harvey sings with unshakeable poise, and her melodies are as sticky as ever--to the point where you can imagine some songs working as barroom singalongs.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hold Time
    His latest disc could be his best yet.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    I Am a Problem: Mind in Pieces
    There's relative lack of confrontational left turns and endurance-testing meltdowns, which might divide long-time fans over whether this is Wolf Eyes' most boring album or their most "mature."
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bend Beyond
    With fewer experimental throwaways, the album puts the band's best foot forward: toe-tapping, harmony-laden kernels of pop.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Desperation
    It’s a nice record, just not a great one, though it seems like the kind of thing that’ll age gracefully.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cody
    They’ve become better musicians, better songwriters and better at expressing life’s frustrations without jeopardizing too much of what made them so cherished in the beginning.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Glitter And Doom Live
    The 17 tracks emphasize the latter half of his career, but he’s toned down his more avant-garde tendencies somewhat and injected a bit of R&B swing and jazz vibes.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Coexist
    Its low frequencies, irregular rhythms and slow-burning dance beats creep into the songs and draw us in deeper.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tio Bitar
    A well-considered 10-track song cycle of mostly shorter and tighter compositions that combine the catchy, guitar-oriented pop aspects of Ta Det Lugnt ... with the darker freak-folk stylings of 2002's Stadsvandringar.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    4
    It’s a totally mellow set where flute often takes precedence over guitar. Thankfully, Ejstes’s tight arrangements leave little room for wankery, and none of the songs deal with flying dragons.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Father, Son, Holy Ghost
    Girls' have traded their early work's immediacy for something that requires more patience but goes much deeper if you've got the time.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Post Pop Depression
    He seems caught in a place between wizened wild child and something kookier, but he’s apparently too content to go whole hog in either direction.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Before The World Was Big
    The straightforwardness of their songs recalls great indie pop bands of yesteryear like Beat Happening, but also causes some of their songs to blur together.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Backspacer
    There’s a casual feel to this recording that generally works in its favour. Nothing sounds too laboured, and you get the feeling that they banged out the tunes quickly in an attempt to capture some live urgency. On the downside, the unpretentious approach often borders on unambitious.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Hip Hop Is Dead
    A few flashes of brilliance, but no sustained heat.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sexwitch
    Impressively, the album was recorded in a day, and it swells with atmosphere.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Schmilco
    Schmilco is also sly and great, but superficially it feels like complex, mid-life personal stocktaking.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Distortion
    While the Jesus and Mary Chain might have been limited by their musical ability and knowledge, Merritt and company understand the pop principles they’re working with.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    D
    They're all talented musicians, so it's actually a pleasure to hear them go off on the occasional jazz fusion tangent, which they approach with the raw enthusiasm of a garage-punk band (except that they sound closer to King Crimson).
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son
    Sure, stripped-down, acoustic versions of the songs could’ve worked, but with help from producer Richard Swift, they’re fleshed out into psychedelic dreams dappled with field recordings, Latin guitar and Jurado’s serene vocals, raising existential questions that don’t quite get answered.
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