Sputnikmusic's Scores

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For 2,596 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 53% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 45% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 72
Highest review score: 100 Exit
Lowest review score: 10 The Path of Totality
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,936 out of 2596
  2. Mixed: 572 out of 2596
  3. Negative: 88 out of 2596
2596 music reviews
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    • 85 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    This Is Why
    That dichotomy between the visceral and the lackadaisical defines This Is Why instead of its value as a snapshot of this decade's global chaos, and in that sense, this LP is neither their best nor their "most mature." Regardless, there's nothing to stop you from reveling in this album's own chaotic dynamics, seriousness and passiveness juxtaposed. It's a worthy if mildly disappointing addition to Paramore's canon.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Strange Mercy
    Even if Strange Mercy is like a blender with its top blown off, it's undeniable how convincing St. Vincent has become.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    URGH
    URGH is creative, scary and club-worthy all at the same time. If you're a fan of industrial music, techno, hip-hop and/or post-punk, there will be something for you to enjoy about this album.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    Astroworld
    An hour of ambitious song structures, disparate vocal and instrumental performances, and lyrical esoterica concerning Houston, tied together by Travis Scott’s affection for autotune and lowest common denominator rhymes and flows. Which isn’t particularly characteristic of a great rapper, but is more or less the ingredients of great music.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    The Vigil
    There's some very remarkable playing and composing found throughout The Vigil, and because of the diverse range of sounds and styles that the album chooses to work with, there's something for every jazz fan to mull over.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    The All Is One
    Dropping some fresh experiments as always, we are left to discover new bits every year. This is one of their best records so far and an easy contender for album of the year in the genre’s category.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    I Don't Live Here Anymore
    Years from now I’m sure we’ll still be returning to Lost in the Dream as The War on Drugs’ indelible classic, but that doesn’t mean that I Don’t Live Here Anymore won’t possess its own well-deserved audience.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    Aura
    Aura pronounces the spirit of each piece very clearly, which is cause for gratitude; there’s enough weight to these eight intricate articulations of the ineffable that each offers a distinct glimpse at something ordinarily invisible and ultimately quite precious.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 96 Critic Score
    Shell~Wave
    What truly makes Shell~Wave unique is the uncanny ability of its creator to imprint himself in the music, making some of the most machine-like techno around sound uncharacteristically human. This was the genre’s calling card when it was invented, and decades later, it’s still the thing that makes techno interesting and exciting. Surgeon hasn’t forgotten.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    High Violet
    The National should give faith to anyone who has become disillusioned with indie music, anyone who misses a time where it didn't seem like all the musicians thought they were better than you and you could actually relate to the damn words they were singing. High Violet is another batch of cement to further supplement The National's already unshakable concrete career.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Beyoncé
    At its dizzying zenith, Beyoncé is a loaded fusion of generosity and self-empowerment. or perhaps, more accurately, it finds self-empowerment in generosity.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    evermore
    For all the razzle-dazzle of its surprise release, I’m struck by hard it is to draw a lasting overall impression from the record. It adds little to the reinvention established by Folklore and doesn’t deepen her work within this sound in particularly convincing terms. I want to credit her at least for keeping up an industrious streak, but this alone would seem patronising.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    Memento Mori
    Memento Mori’s biggest flaw is the middle section, as the respective songs don’t really stand out. Of course, they remain decent at the very least, “Before We Drown” being perhaps the one to return to most. Other than that, this is another solid Depeche Mode album with a handful of highlights that fans should definitely add to their playlists.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    R.A.P. Music
    Not only is it essential listening for hip-hop in 2012, but also one of the few records that pushes musical and cultural boundaries in general.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    On the Line
    On the Line as a whole never feels manufactured, or, really, like anything less than Lewis telling it to you straight.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Mirror Reaper
    Mirror Reaper is a challenging album to listen to on multiple fronts. On the one hand, it is oppressive and deep music, wrought with heavy themes and even heavier aesthetics. On the other hand, it challenges the listener's patience with overcooked ideas that threaten to spoil what is otherwise an immaculately produced record.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ocean Roar
    It is both gorgeous and fearsome, and one couldn't ask for anything more.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Crushing
    Few albums can make such bold statements without seeming heavy-handed, but Jacklin’s sophomore effort feels as natural as the words rolling off her tongue.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Path of the Clouds
    It’s Marissa Nadler’s most ambitious undertaking from a lyrical perspective, but she pulls it off brilliantly while simultaneously delivering an album that sounds so lush, sweeping, and powerful that all of the subtle, intricate melodies are merely the cherry on top.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    The Living Infinite
    On The Living Infinite, Soilwork have simultaneously stepped back to their past while maintaining their current sound, but they have also diversified their formula more than ever before--and they did so without a single filler track.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Any Human Friend
    Any Human Friend cements Hackman as one of the most intriguing figures in indie-pop/rock, if not for her lyrical antics then for her ability to constantly reinvent her music.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Starmaker
    This is very lush, star-lit country music that is practically breathtaking in the moment while transcending the typical boundaries of the genre. It's about time.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Little Oblivions
    On Little Oblivions, she's taken the spaces in her music that used to be empty and filled them with churning, beautiful noise.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Where Myth Becomes Memory
    Where Myth Meets Memory is the slickest, most confident tracklist Rolo Tomassi have ever laid down, and the only real candidate for their hitherto non-existent single-defining-work.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Foxes In The Snow
    This is a fine release with great emotional depth, and its oft-haunted tone is given a perfect kiss-off with the final track, which can only be described as pure - a loving ode built upon classic country song imagery.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    And Nothing Hurt
    This LP successfully condenses Spiritualized’s discography into a cohesive, 48-minute listen.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    From Dreams to Dust
    From Dreams to Dust packs all the wit, creativity, and emotionally compelling depth that you'd expect from a band leading the country/Americana charge - until now, we just didn't know that band was The Felice Brothers.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 94 Critic Score
    Singing Saw
    Singing Saw is one of those albums that immediately captures your interest, but offers enough depth and hidden intricacies to make every subsequent listen just as rewarding.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chaos for the Fly
    Chaos for the Fly might be morose, but it’s also very touching, and full of delicate little moments which make the record more than just the sum of its parts. Frankly, my biggest gripe is that its thirty-six minute runtime is a little too trim, and an epic five-plus minute storytelling track would’ve definitely enhanced the experience.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    Impera
    The production is a tad artificial at times, way less organic than the somber, daring spirit of Opus Eponymous, but every instrument is performed with impressive precision by every ghoul, and Forge's vocals sound on point most of the time, save for some grating moments when he seems to fall out of character. The added backing vocals and the meticulous arrangements enhance greatly the album's overall sound, but the question remains if these sorts of embellishments are enough for the loyal sheep to keep their faith on what the Clergy is feeding them.
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