Alternative Press' Scores
- Music
For 3,071 reviews, this publication has graded:
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64% higher than the average critic
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3% same as the average critic
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33% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.5 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: | Major/Minor | |
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Lowest review score: | Results May Vary |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 2,331 out of 3071
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Mixed: 695 out of 3071
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Negative: 45 out of 3071
3071
music
reviews
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- Alternative Press
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- Critic Score
Sadly, much of Welcome Interstate Managers is bogged down by forgettable midtempo slush. [Aug 2003, p.104]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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It's a deathfest of sound and fury, quietly melancholy and fiercely apocalyptic. But it's a tale that grows wearier with every listen. [Sep 2004, p.122]- Alternative Press
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A precious orch-pop labyrinth that unfolds with sudden melodic left turns and zany shifts in dynamics and instrumentation. [Aug 2001, p.94]- Alternative Press
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Some of [Daniel's] stripped-down material sounds gaunt. [May 2005, p.166]- Alternative Press
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The cohesion that made their previous records so captivating has been significantly diminished. [Dec 2005, p.204]- Alternative Press
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Sounds like a good Wallflowers record. [Mar 2003, p.98]- Alternative Press
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They're so busy crafting the perfect pop song... that they've made a uniformly dull album. [Sep 2003, p.102]- Alternative Press
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Drummer George Barnett's military-precision beats are way up in the mix, but the band dynamic that made "Pyramid" so engaging, vibrant and coruscating, is virtually non-existent. [Apr 2010, p.130]- Alternative Press
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It's not an album that will change your life, but it could alter the way you look at bits of it. [Feb 2003, p.64]- Alternative Press
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His world-music diversions should challenge even those who aren't pedestrian Iron & Wine fans--but that's what EPs are for, right? [Apr 2005, p.116]- Alternative Press
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You may be surprised to learn that the roadside corpse does more than twitch; it gets up and positively rumbas in places ("Girls of Summer"), while "New Birds" heaves with the same fidgety agitation that occasionally made Joy Division seem special. [#147, p.83]- Alternative Press
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The songs explode with more energy than the whole underground combined. This makes it very hard not to love Los Campesinos!, and makes it easier to forgive the fact this record could have been better served as an EP. [Nov 2008, p.162]- Alternative Press
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Stag for the most part rocks with biting fierceness and vibrant energy. [#155, p.81]- Alternative Press
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Musically, it doesn't seem like Chan has gone anywhere. [March 2003, p.88]- Alternative Press
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A whole that's less than the sum of its parts, a bittersweet pill that's best taken in small doses. [Feb 2005, p.88]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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Misguided in points, Contra shows a more accomplished and daring Vampire Weekend--albeit a less endearing one. [Feb 2010, p.97]- Alternative Press
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Both participants' artistic weaponry [is] set for "stun" instead of "kill." [Dec 2005, p.216]- Alternative Press
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There's a foundation for true duality somewhere, but a lot of growing pains as well. [Nov 2014, p.94]- Alternative Press
Posted Nov 4, 2014 -
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Call it growing pains for a storied discography, but the result leaves the album feeling unbalanced around the gems and less rewarding over multiple listens. [Sep 2014, p.110]- Alternative Press
Posted Aug 8, 2014 -
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It was probably inevitable, but having raised the bar so high for cut-and-paste music, Shadow spends a little too long here looking up at it. [Jul 2002, p.96]- Alternative Press
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Far from essential, but... a good jazz starting point for the unitiated. [Mar 2003, p.90]- Alternative Press
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It's important that albums like Ghost exist--but unfortunately, those albums don't always make the most enjoyable listens. [Aug 2004, p.116]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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Distractingly crowded soundscapes throb like an all-night rave, leaving you too exhausted and battered to pay attention to the words, a major deficiency for a hip-hop album.- Alternative Press
- Posted Dec 8, 2011
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Being lacks enough urgency to sustain nearly 38 full-throttle minutes and becomes an analogy for the unvarying capitalization on its record sleeve.- Alternative Press
- Posted Jul 26, 2012
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In Many ways, No Age have successfully distilled the pop essence of early-90s Sonic Youth: no mean feat, just not as memorable as last time. [Oct 2010, p.116]- Alternative Press
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With Ancient Melodies, Built To Spill are concentrating more on developing a single idea rather than worrying about the patchworking of the past. This fails to play to Built To Spill's strength: their firm handle on alt-guitar dynamics. [Aug 2001, p.78]- Alternative Press
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She's gone from being an indie rocker's wet dream to sounding like the most NPR-friendly singer-songwriter your parents haven't discovered yet. [Mar 2006, p.124]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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Without the usual suspects, The Slow Wonder just seems like a well-produced demo of songs he's readying for Electric Version's follow-up. [Aug 2004, p.116]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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There are enough interesting moments... that each spin reveals a new nuance that makes this genre roundrobin worth signing up for. [Nov 2005, p.218]- Alternative Press
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For every great line on the album, there are three throaway verses. [June 2003, p.96]- Alternative Press
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It's not brilliant, and some tracks are just dumb. [Jun 2007, p.156]- Alternative Press
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Occasionally he resembles a Pakistani Bryan Ferry. Is this a good thing? It is if you like Pakistani Bryan Ferrys. [#155, p.70]- Alternative Press
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Unfortunately, many of the tunes wear out their welcome, overextending a single inspired idea. [Apr 2004, p.88]- Alternative Press
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Too many tunes struggle to remind listeners of their catchiness. [Aug 2005, p.166]- Alternative Press
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Don't get too far ahead of yourself--a sing-along is virtually impossible since deciphering HEALTH's lyrics is quite a challenge. They may have mature a bit, but some things will never change. [Oct 2009, p.110]- Alternative Press
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Unfortunately, everything is so finely polished on Alternative To Love that his brand of rock lacks any grit. [Apr 2005, p.124]- Alternative Press
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Strange Geometry is a comely piece of old-fashioned melancholy pop, but it can also quickly turn into sonic wallpaper if you have a wandering mind. [Dec 2005, p.202]- Alternative Press
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More power to those who can do it, but from this perspective, it's nearly impossible to enjoy Man Man's Six Demon Bag while sober. [Apr 2006, p.222]- Alternative Press
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Instead of building on their strengths, frontman Jaz Coleman & Co. have backslid into subdued sogginess of the band's mid-period. [Jan 2010, p.91]- Alternative Press
Posted Dec 16, 2010 -
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So it is wuth British quintet Hot Chip, whose progression toward traditional songcraft has reached a satisfying plateau. [Mar 2010, p.94]- Alternative Press
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[It] feels more put-on than intimate, more tried than true. [Feb 2007, p.109]- Alternative Press
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A match-up like this one needs the right balance between angel and devil, and... Campbell's fragile alto is just no match for Lanegan. [May 2006, p.162]- Alternative Press
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Most of Ward's quiet, contemporary folk songs are mere sketches, mediocre if not unmemorable. [Apr 2005, p.126]- Alternative Press
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Overall, the band seem to be running long on ambition and short on ideas. [Jul 2005, p.172]- Alternative Press
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Unlike more polished bands with little to say after two releases, the Walkmen sound like they're gradually striding into some big shoes. [Mar 2004, p.106]- Alternative Press
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While their occasional reliance on wide-eyed sloppiness isn't endearing, when the band clean up, they have some irresistible pop nuggest in them. [Apr 2003, p.80]- Alternative Press
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Lewis still sounds like she's trying to figure out where she belongs. [Feb 2006, p.118]- Alternative Press
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Much of ex-Lives is encumbered by well-trodden ground turned muddy and attempts at atmosphere. [Apr 2012, p.96]- Alternative Press
Posted Feb 29, 2012 -
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May be the weirdest record Malkmus has made since Pavement's Wowee Zowee. [Jul 2005, p.174]- Alternative Press
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The Life Pursuit is less confused than the three albums that precede it, but it's also just as forgettable. [Mar 2006, p.124]- Alternative Press
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Finn employs an arrhythmic delivery... sounding like Jello Biafra covering Talking Head's "Once In A Lifetime," or a snake-oil huckster participating in a poetry slam. [May 2004, p.96]- Alternative Press
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Hypnotize isn't a radioactive pile of suck, but had the Down boys offered some genuine hairpin turns in their aesthetic, there might be more reason to pursue a more meaningful dialogue that transcends the tired notion of "System just being System." [Jan 2006, p.127]- Alternative Press
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Cellar Door is clearly the work of a musical mastermind who has never met an instrument he didn't like--or a song he couldn't ruin with it. [Mar 2004, p.96]- Alternative Press
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Though the music on Revelling/Reckoning ranges from brilliant to mediocre, DiFranco's bold, descriptive lyrics (as usual) redeem any shortcomings. [#155, p.75]- Alternative Press
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At times their odes to the long-gone era of '60s psychedelia get lost in their lofty ambitions. [Apr 2004, p.84]- Alternative Press
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If he isn't a sage yet, he does sound like a future star. [Feb 2005, p.94]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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The record tends to fade into the background and become something so indistinct that it's forgettable, even after multiple listens.- Alternative Press
- Posted May 10, 2012
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The combination of thundering drums with whimsical vocals and melodies can be charming, insanely catchy and headache-inducing, sometimes all at once. [Feb 2007, p.114]- Alternative Press
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The trouble is, not much sets this new album apart from their career benchmarks, like 2002's Nothing or 1998's Chaosphere.- Alternative Press
- Posted Mar 26, 2012
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Everything All The Time is almost pitifully lacking in soul, and it suffers from a few real snoozers, to boot. [May 2006, p.162]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
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It's meticulously arranged and inoffensive, but well-played enough to keep you from falling asleep. [Aug 2002, p.80]- Alternative Press
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A middle-of-the-road OTC record heavy on angelic vocal harmonies and light on innovation. [Apr 2002, p.84]- Alternative Press
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Rather than try and move these songs into new territory, everyone involved seem hellbent on remaking Lewis into something closer to Sheryl Crow or Shania Twain. It’s a weird place for her to be in, yet one that she looks to be acclimating to quite easily.- Alternative Press
- Posted Aug 1, 2014
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- Alternative Press
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Sonic Nurse is better than 90 percent of new rock, but with younger combos like Lightning Bolt and Liars stealing their thunder, these well-meaning vets come off as old and in the way. [Jul 2004, p.134]- Alternative Press
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Unlike Treats, Reign Of Terror never feels new, fresh or exciting; it just feels like a chore.- Alternative Press
- Posted Feb 17, 2012
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Their uncalculated sound puts them a step above their shamelessly careerist peers like the Von Bondies. [Jul 2005, p.182]- Alternative Press
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The second half loses momentum slightly. When in concentrated form, however, the Mountain Goats still manage to reach their peak. [Apr 2011, p.115]- Alternative Press
Posted Mar 29, 2011 -
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The pieces don't always fit comfortably together, but the picture remains remarkable. [Jul 2013, p.102]- Alternative Press
Posted Jun 25, 2013 -
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There's not a single song that's captivating enough to hold our attention. [Dec 2006, p.188]- Alternative Press
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"Black Balloons" is built on a riff exactly like Bon Iver's "Perth" sped up, and hearing the grating lyrical wail of "Columbia" and you're left wondering if so much time away was a result of writer's block. [Feb 2013, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Jan 17, 2013 -
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There's nothing on Everything Ecstatic the likes of Madlib haven't already done better. [Jul 2005, p.186]- Alternative Press
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Thnakfully, as the album continues, the songs grow more developed as orchestrally augmented tracks "Right Place" and "LA Rain" showcase Burhenn's distinct vocal abilities. [May 2010, p.108]- Alternative Press
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Red Barked Tree is something of a letdown, oddly placid and even soothing. [Feb 2011, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Jan 11, 2011 -
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The best songs... are the ones heavily influened by the Posies' Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. [#154, p.98]- Alternative Press
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Repetitious choruses and monotonous, middling tempos make the songs blur together. [Oct 2003, p.126]- Alternative Press
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The result is a record that is frequently too busy. [Feb 2015, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Jan 6, 2015 -
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The result captures him turning into an old-fashioned troubadour, one fueled by big issues and a country/hip-hop hybrid that's never sounded catchier. [June 2008, p.131- Alternative Press
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A bit too jammy at times, but this is another solid effort for both artists. [Oct 2005, p.158]- Alternative Press
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It's smooth going down but lacks any real notable songs. [Apr 2008, p.153]- Alternative Press
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The album may have neen best served as an EP; it's an uneven mix of energetic jams and unfocused duds. [May 2008, p.132]- Alternative Press
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It's about as close a facsimile of the fractured and foreboding scattershot thoughts that haunt most of us at night as one can capture on record. [Feb 2008, p.115]- Alternative Press
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Against Me! were great because of their flaws, not in spite of them--White Crosses just isn't that much fun to listen to. [Jun 2010, p.102]- Alternative Press
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Coxon's solo career has long suffered from the Bob Pollard syndrome of self-indulgent quantity over quality--a setback that, unfortunately, also plagues much of Happiness In Magazines. [Mar 2005, p.132]- Alternative Press
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The recording quality is awful, but the glee with which these legends dust off forgotten gems like "Never Been In A Riot" easily makes up for it. [Feb 2004, p.76]- Alternative Press
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Chris Conley's metaphorical lyrics remain earnest enough, but because of studio trickery, his vocals sound annoyingly nasal. [Oct 2003, p.120]- Alternative Press
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Decidedly mellow and acoustic in nature, 'Excuses' continues [Neil] Halstead's love affair with country, folk, and pop.... masterfully written, recorded, and played. [#147, p.103]- Alternative Press
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Somewhat mirthless and at times downright android-sexy, The Eraser is what many Radiohead fans have come to expect from Yorke in recent years. [Sep 2006, p.228]- Alternative Press
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The Nirvana box set isn't the Holy Grail. The Nirvana box set isn't even Incesticide. [Jan 2005, p.105]- Alternative Press