The Line of Best Fit's Scores

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For 4,495 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 77
Highest review score: 100 Adore Life
Lowest review score: 20 143
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,040 out of 4495
  2. Mixed: 438 out of 4495
  3. Negative: 17 out of 4495
4495 music reviews
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    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Angel
    All things considered, Angel probably lacks the invention and imagination that it’d really require in order to be counted amongst the genuine candidates for the business end of the year’s ‘best-of’ lists; the sheer stylistic versatility that they’ve demonstrated, though, in swapping the claustrophobia of Crawling Up the Stairs for Angel’s wide-open spaces, should be enough to ensure that they’ll be there or there abouts.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Nocturnal Koreans
    The collection instead represents more of an expansion on their current sound and scope, and finds a band still willing to take risks 40 years into an exalted career--still not caring what we think of it, but daring us to follow them where they lead before the Wire factory goes quiet once again.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Jaded & Faded
    What makes Jaded & Faded great is the fact that you can still be stuck humming the buzzsaw riffs or cooing a vocal line to yourself hours or days later.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Pura Vida Conspiracy
    There is as much tenderness as there is explosiveness on Pure Vida Conspiracy and the band once again demonstrate their depth, breadth and potential for excellent showmanship.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Grassed Inn
    Grassed Inn anchors itself with sturdy, rhythmic melodies, which is the biggest testament to Blank Realm’s mission of increasing focus and tightening up their ship.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The King of Whys
    Throughout, the unifying characteristic is the richness and warmth of the sound, a million miles from the lo-fi of old; this is the prettiest Owen record to date, and there’s no shortage of strong contenders for that particular title.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Honey Locust Honky Tonk
    A surprising and moving step forwards in the restless career of a master melodian.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1. [EP]
    As brief as it is, and as unadventurous as the remixes are, Music Industry 3 Fitness Industry 1 may just be the mouthful of Mogwai nourishment needed by those left wanting more after Rave Tapes.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    ii
    It’s a record that’s weird in all the right ways, and signals the emergence of an exciting new experimental force.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    It's Up to Emma
    Imbibing such personal performances with a universally relatable humanity is the greatest strength to a record that makes fragility sound pretty devastating.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Nabuma Rubberband
    It’s yet another release from one of Sweden’s many stunning exports that make us want more of their “less”.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Deleter
    The band’s fun and pretty new full-length, Deleter, continues this growth and expansion. To wit, it’s the album that least resembles their first.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Brilliant Sanity
    As a whole Brilliant Sanity is as fresh as it is reminiscent, as catchy as it is challenging and thoughtful--a welcome nod to what has been, with a firm eye on the horizon.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Warmth
    Blondes' third album sees them take several steps forward, delivering a piece that's often mesmeric and always distinctively theirs.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Every Open Eye
    Every Open Eye is full of epic singles that reverberate dizzingly around the head.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Let It All In
    Let It All In is another strong album in I Am Kloot’s canon, and one which should hopefully see their status as songwriting legends confirmed.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Portrait of an Ugly Man
    Self-produced and mixed, A Portrait of an Ugly Man feels all at once familiar and fresh.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    AM
    While it might not be the masterpiece some people are looking for from this band, it is nevertheless a more than worthy addition to their canon.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Centralia
    It’s probably fair to say that if you’re not a fan of drone or ambient music then Centralia is unlikely to change your perception of the genres. However as a document of the music of Mountains, it’s their finest work to date.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Angel Guts: Red Classroom
    With Angel Guts Stewart once again manages to dig his nails into the grubby under layer, not returning with any transgressed beauty but instead stark honesty and brutal truth. You may want to turn away, but you might not be able to.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Teens of Denial
    Toledo’s 13th album as Car Seat Headrest, captures inherent self-loathing and turns it into something to be proud of.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Jem
    Jem is an auspicious debut, a worthy volley from a city whose popular music reputation has been built on genre splicing and boundary pushing that’s sat a bit quiet as of late.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Don't Let the Kids Win
    On Don’t Let The Kids Win, Jacklin proves herself to be an unlikely alt-country heroine, delivering an impressive, if at times understated, album that shows she has enough wit and wisdom to fill up a canyon or two.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    color theory
    This is a record written in a time of blues, yellows, and greys, but the overarching feeling is that of purification. Color Theory is an album both of pure catharsis, and proof of musical prowess.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    More Rain
    On his eighth solo studio album, More Rain, Ward once again taps into the familiar echoes of musical history, crafting a breezy, uptempo collection of tracks that show off his songwriting talents as well as his wide array of influences.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Pickpocket's Locket
    Mercer has allowed his lyrics to become more expansive and less cohesive. For this reason, they need room to resonate, to sink in.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Live Wild Die Free
    Scandinavian pop clearly plays an influence alongside contrasting splashes of psych-rock and raw, grungy punk, and the unique little fantasy worlds they create with it are a great form of escapism.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    There's a Riot Going On
    On their dense, careworn new LP (their fifteenth studio effort), indie stalwarts/college rock heavyweights Yo La Tengo have shown that can still bring fresh ideas to the table, despite the album being fifteen tracks long, and it being over thirty years since their first album.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ladytron
    Long term fans won’t learn anything new here, but a good Ladytron album is better than no Ladytron album, and seeing how they didn't even seem to exist a few years ago, this is something to be thankful for.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It
    Rolo Tomassi are a band still looking to push themselves further forward creatively, while remaining just as focused on retaining the dramatic core of their sound that has long set them apart from any contemporaries.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    iii
    The misfires on iii are few, and this is a record that deserves spins not only from Miike Snow diehards, but also those who believe the group may not be their cup of tea.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Wherever I Go, I Want To Leave
    A lusciously uninhibited collection of songs, bringing together a host of collaborators from across the world of indie, rock and pop, providing an introspective accumulation of intimate musings, indie bangers and synth-pop sounds.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Volume 3
    It is a good record, brimming with lavish, romantic nostalgipop that will rekindle your love for Grease, neckerchiefs and pomade.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Breakfast
    Teleman have made a damn good start.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Wake in Fright
    The album digs for transcendence by jackhammering away at the ills and addictions that afflict individuals and hold us back collectively. Uniform’s journey to zen through anger leads to draining music for the morning after.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    On Your Own Love Again
    Pratt sings of trying to trust in love once more, and with On Your Own Love Again we need not look far for proof that her music is a sign of a wonderful, maturing talent that we can believe in.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Sugar at the Gate
    At first listen, Sugar at the Gate could be deemed overly saccharine, but the production is so flawless they inevitably give you permission to revel in all of your rose-tinted dreams.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Clash the Truth
    Picking standout moments is as difficult as finding instances where the record’s charm wears off--there’s not a stage where the latter ever happens, but such is Beach Fossils’ way of doing things there are never really any huge lifts in quality either.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Wide Awake
    Thankfully, despite everybody and their dog comparing Baxter to legendary musicians and writers, he has managed to make an album that not only does justice to those comparisons, but actually warrants them.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Estoile Naiant
    Much like its creator and artwork, it remains unidentifiable, borderline incomprehensible even, but never less than thoroughly enthralling.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ceremony
    Ceremony is not going to be to everyone’s taste, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a stunning piece of work, which--with the time and attention it deserves--proves to be a thoroughly rewarding listen.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    4 Your Eyez Only
    Cole’s most affecting statement to date.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Lines
    It’s a slow-burning beauty and is certainly amongst Cunningham’s best work to date. His next moves will be closely measured against Lines, as this is a soaring debut made to last that will resonate with people for years to come.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Daughter of Everything
    Despite Daughter of Everything’s brief runtime, its sheer number of tracks and subgenre bending lend it a sprawling quality, not unlike Robert Pollard.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ti Amo
    The album works best when you bear in mind the turbulent times that inspired it. Ti Amo has a romantic heart, and Phoenix use it to find the bright spots in a tragic world, without losing sight of the tragedy itself.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Makes a King
    There’s no doubt that it’s a more sober affair than their previous work, but as a snapshot of a country in turmoil, it’s a weighty, sometimes euphoric and completely compelling encapsulation of time and place.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Chills on Glass
    When all’s said and done Chills On Glass is an exhilarating record with a variety of shades, but its biggest achievement is its ability to create such weird and wonderful sounds whilst maintaining the potential to appeal to more than a small minority.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Feast of the Broken Heart
    Butler has sculpted a complete, resolute collection of high-grade dance music.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    No Better Time Than Now
    This one’s a slow burner. And it’s nice to be reminded that sometimes, that’s a good thing.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Floatr
    As the band continue to explore the elements of shoegaze, jazz-melodies and saccharine pop at the edges of their well-worn indie-rock, Happyness find themselves back in top form and ready to reach out once more into a chaotic unknown.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Oh No
    Lanza's second album is brief, bright and sophisticated, and while it doesn't push any boundaries or cross borders/genres as much or as often as a fan might hope, it does deliver on the sonic and melodic promise of her debut and offer that chance of a wider audience that has been promised since her first appearance.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Plaza
    Quilt are a group well aware of their strengths but not willing to overplay them at the cost of their distinctive balance, and Plaza is stronger for it.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Origins
    They still unleash stunning music on Origins without always seeking to shock.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Lady from Shanghai
    Its gentle musical cacophony is tipped over into truly scary territory by the lyrics of sole constant member David Thomas--all delivered in murderous mumbles and frustrated, elongated moans--transforming Lady From Shanghai from a run of the mill quirky rock album into a thrillingly worrying piece of art.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Murder of the Universe
    Murder is hellishly dark, terminally weird and subsequently very funny.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Cool to Who
    Walrus convincingly display a sense of contentment on Cool To Who, guided by a sound redolent of late-'60s/early '70s songwriting; a format that, while not revolutionary in and of itself, is executed with enough style and supple brevity to denote an increasingly honed command of structure in their output.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    When We Stay Alive
    Taken all together, When We Stay Alive is the sound of an individual and a band finding a new purpose, a new way to live and create – even if it is within the confines of familiarity.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Sillion
    Sillion will leave you feeling drained, but also enriched. It's a piece of art.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Exai
    Exai operates within a comfort zone--one that’s dazzling, but given the sheer length of this thing, also far from easy to stomach as a whole.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Dungeonesse
    Dungeonesse have brazenly managed to distill the best parts of modern and classic pop radio down to a sweet, everlasting core while creating their own sparkling, sugary sound in the process.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Only for Dolphins
    The eclecticism yields some misses along, like the paper-thin reggae of “Cliff Hanger”, and the Bronson’s one mode just about outstays it’s welcome by the album’s final moments, but he remains colourful, deeply entertaining and stubbornly unchanging.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Cheatahs
    While the band leads us down roads we have assuredly traveled before, that doesn’t make the sights and the sounds any less interesting or intoxicating this time around.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Island Intervals
    The wondrous melodies sometimes come across as overly whimsical and fey, but Death Vessels create a communicative link from the human heart straight to the unknown realms of the cosmos.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Cursing the Sea
    However cloaked in black this record often feels (the closing track “Sister” deals viscerally head-on with the issue of rape with passion and extreme clarity), it’s rarely at the expense of any listening pleasure; sure there’s little let up in the mood but when the writing is consistently good you really can’t quibble about wanting more colours on the palette.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Central Belters
    Whilst Central Belters has plenty of great music on it, it’s a confused marathon of a listen. There are too many obscurities for the casual fans, too many hits for the dedicated.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Where Shine New Lights
    Each tone, note, or scrape here seems deliberate and purposeful without ever feeling overly controlled.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Trap Lord
    Trap Lord is not an A$AP record; it is an A$AP Ferg record, sui generis, and that is its greatest achievement.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Romaplasm
    This highly visual, lyrically-driven mode of storytelling might not appeal to Baths fans who appreciate the minimal vocals and delicate restraint of his earlier work. ... Romaplasm, however, is clearly an album made by an artist who has made the choice to create in a way that works for them, blending innovative electronica with the storytelling of a comic book artist to produce a truly innovative LP.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Good Graces
    It might be a little light on lyrical substance, but it’s gorgeously melodic and irresistibly mellow; they don’t make pop records like this any more.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Silver Dollar Moment
    This really is just a trio of mates having a bloody good time celebrating their heroes while making something dazzlingly new.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    (It Was) Because I Was In Love [Deluxe Reissue]
    The scale of Van Etten’s ambition--musical and otherwise--is now such that we’re never likely to see her make a wholesale return to this kind of territory; as a document of her songwriting origins, though, (It Was) Because I Was in Love is fascinating.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    In the Shape of a Storm
    Although the switch to stark monochrome from the blazing multicolour of the Maraqopa trilogy can seem underwhelming and slight at first, further listens reveal In the Shape of a Storm--boosted by Jurado’s hypnotically committed, intimate performances--to hold together surprisingly well considering the disparate origins of the material.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Hairless Toys
    Hairless Toys is no mere pastiche of a scene; there is no major departure in terms of style for Murphy. It is, however, a surreal and poignant exploration of an iconic cultural movement.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Knowing What You Know Now
    Knowing What You Know feels like a journey, one that’s filled with mountainous climbs and treacherous lows, each to be consumed with reckless abandon, because that’s exactly what Marmozets are--a force to be reckoned with.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Morningside
    Though there is some tightening up to be done, and a feeling that Murray has some more grand moments like “Misread” waiting, Morningside is a wonderful half hour spent in her company.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Wild Crush
    On Wild Crush, Archie Bronson Outfit deliver a record which feels as organic and honest as all of their previous releases, but it has a little something extra about it.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Eurgh!
    Their ability to approach very specific and often delicate subjects with appropriate levels of silliness makes Eurgh! a fun and relatable listen, especially if a dude has ever pretended to read bell hooks to get you into bed.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    June Gloom
    June Gloom marks another confident step forward in the band’s quest to live up to their name in the indie-rock landscape.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Another One
    Another One feels like some kind of sonic intermediary--showcasing the breezy, lo-fi approach that made 2 and Salad Days critical successes, while also offering a sample of what’s to come on future full-length releases.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Blood
    The themes tackled on BLOOD have been tackled a million times, so the album is much more reliant on how it tells the story than what the story is. Luckily, how it tells the story more than makes up for the story itself. Milosh’s vocals are as beautiful as ever, and the lush tones that paint the album wash over you like a silk bedsheet.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Kidsticks
    Beth Orton has fluidly transformed her trip-hop+singer/songwriter roots into a fresh, original sound, which will surely resonate with both her longtime fans and new listeners alike, while providing a rich foundation for Orton to build upon during her third creative decade of casting intoxicating musical spells over us all.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Freaks of Nurture
    It’s unassuming and introverted, an odd mix of murk and clarity which proves to be ever more intriguing with each listen.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Foreverland
    The essence of these songs is exactly what the essence of The Divine Comedy has always been. Expanded, with more intricately woven textures, Foreverland is an ode to everything that lasts: from historical characters to our own enduring emotions, the record celebrates the importance of importance on every level.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Hex
    It’s a deeply engaging, consistently great release from a uniquely interesting artist. It’s just a damn shame that he’ll never get the chance to do it again.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Air Con Eden
    Most of the songs on Air Con Eden are enveloped in this haze of hallucinatory imagery and soporific instrumentals. The wrenching “Water” is a shock to the system. Grounded, unironically sentimental, and unlike anything else on the album, it’s a gorgeous piano ballad about unbearable loneliness.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Tim Melina Theo Bobby
    Driven by the same melancholy curiosity that has epitomised the band’s trajectory to date, it instead makes for a wonderfully apt ending to this particular Kinsella adventure. At least for now.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Collector
    The direct intimacy with Slone’s inner-thoughts, witnessed both in terms of its creative flourishes and depressive ramblings, is also indicative of this vividly local feature. It'll be the challenge of managing this aesthetic as they continue to grow, especially following the release of such an excellent record, that could prove central as to where they head next.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Lookout
    Ultimately, at minimum, The Lookout treats us to exactly what we’d expect from Laura Veirs in well-crafted and thoughtful songs delivered with a warm and reassuring familiarity. Those listeners tuning in a little more keenly and willing to try these songs on time and again, though, will undeniably be rewarded with some of the finer fruits of one of the most dependable singer-songwriters working today.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Faith
    Faith is a very, very good album – most likely their best since their debut.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Good Nature
    On the whole Good Nature brightly evokes the feeling of leaving your room and opening the doors and stepping outside.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ones and Sixes
    Its slight downfall is a lack of lyrical dexterity, recycling phrases as a crutch, perhaps. The overriding feeling, however, is that this record indicates no end to the creativity of a commercially undervalued act whose longevity was never prophesised.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    QTY
    More than ever, new guitar bands have to have a hook to differentiate them from the masses, and it’s the combination of Lardner’s witty company and QTY’s idiosyncratic approach to a well-loved sound that makes their debut a delight to spend time with.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Tourist in This Town
    It’s a record of reflection, of trying to piece together just what exactly killed the relationship.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Slowness
    Slowness is not as instantly catchy as Outfit’s previous releases, but this should not deter listening from beginning to end; on the contrary, the record demands it.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Body Music
    It’s a record certainly fine enough to ensure the pairing will have no issues sprinting to the upper echelons of pop aristocracy.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Everything Sacred
    It makes for a beguiling, snuggling sort of a record, easy to float away to at times, wild and cinematic at others, but always with a warm and unconstructed feel.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    +++ (Crosses)
    For the majority of its running time, Crosses is a slow, steady and comforting listen, very rarely raising above anything more than a laid back ebb and flow.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Heritage
    Beautiful and with a hint of danger, Heritage is approachable and voguish, a slice of neon noir as atmospheric as it is sleek, and a testament to Grellier’s formidable world-scoring talents.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A New Place 2 Drown
    It may ultimately be a footnote in his prolific career, but the album's restrained, nuanced intelligence is a testament to Marshall's pure talent and compelling persona.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Other Rivers
    Whilst lyrically, there’s a strong thread of longing and the past, musically, it’s constantly moving forwards, and after MatA’s somewhat leisurely start, it’s nice to see this promising progression.
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