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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- Critic Score
At its best, Arms is a pleasant album, one that sounds good on the surface or as background music. For most bands, that's perfectly acceptable. But for a group like Band Of Horses--whose ambitions have always intersected with being meaningful and transcendent, too--somehow just being acceptable makes Arms fall short.- Alternative Press
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Pyramids can sound like several songs playing at once, a psychedelic instrumental played backward, or the muffled recording of a session two rooms away. [July 2008, p.155]- Alternative Press
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Here, vocalist Yuki Chikudate's stacked, reverberating vocals sparkle like the glint of light off of fresh morning dew. [Apr 2009, p.134]- Alternative Press
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Del wisely keeps things simple on the audio front, lubricating many of his basic, old-school beats with the good old P-Funk bottom of his early years. [Mar 2008, p.147]- Alternative Press
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It's not bad, but it's no zobie romance, that's for sure. [Mar 2009, p.113]- Alternative Press
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Yeah, they've been putting out pretty much the same album for the last 10 years. [Jun 2007, p.158]- Alternative Press
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Somewhere Else is only rewarding if you can stay awake. [Feb 2013, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Jan 23, 2013 -
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The Sneak Attack proves this pioneer and innovator's run is far from over. [Aug 2001, p.90]- Alternative Press
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Speakers and Tweeters is an admirably varied effort from a band whose Two-Tone jones is just the starting point. [June 2008, p.137]- Alternative Press
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Sleep Forever is a fine album, but you get the sense that if the band focused on their pop sensibilities as much as they do their more seemingly aesthetic inclinations, it would have been a great album.- Alternative Press
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All too often it feels like the band are ignoring the part of their name that gives them carte blanche to experiment and toy with expectations.- Alternative Press
- Posted Jun 13, 2011
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Despite the obvious problems with continuity and flow (not to mention the general concept of time, as in the amount of actual time it takes to comb through 99 tracks), there's still a lot of good music on Occupy This Album.- Alternative Press
- Posted May 29, 2012
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Contributions from Chuck D... and Dan The Automator... elicit[s] enough blips on the heart monitor to keep the album from flatlining. [Dec 2004, p.158]- Alternative Press
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This doesn't say the labum doesn't have its moments, but when you consider the amount of time and patience it takes to get to tthat point, it's hardly worth the payoff. [Apr 2008, p.153]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
- Posted Sep 17, 2012
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It's a great album to have on hand for a wild party, but piping it through your headphones will have you skipping tracks. [Feb 2011, p.89]- Alternative Press
Posted Feb 1, 2011 -
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Tellingly, 'Angelika' and 'Maria Leonza' only get comfortably loose and silly when halfway finished. With a Strokes-y guitar part and a driving backbeat, the innovative '16th & Valencia, Roxy Music' is hopefully what Banhart will be in the future. [Dec 2009, p.108]- Alternative Press
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Electrified certainly isn't the most original album you'll hear this year, but crunchy pop like this doesn't have to work very hard to impress the indie set. [Jul 2005, p.176]- Alternative Press
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The album's best moment is "You've Got So Far To Go," which is straightforward without sacrificing nuance or energy. If only the rest of Damnesia could have been on that same wavelength. [Aug 2011, p.112]- Alternative Press
Posted Jul 8, 2011 -
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Plays out like a sequel to BF5's last album... with one key element missing: humor. [May 2005, p.172]- Alternative Press
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Tori Amos fans will be thrilled, but those hoping to continue on a hard-rock bender will be left puzzled. [May 2015, p.100]- Alternative Press
Posted Apr 10, 2015 -
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Amon Tobin and Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman have created some truly interesting sounds, but the end result is sadly just another trip-hop excursion with lame rapping over the top. [May 2009, p.123]- Alternative Press
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A record of bittersweet delights that resonates with the brain and the heart. [Nov 2004, p.149]- Alternative Press
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After blowing out of the gate with the blondie-tinted delight 'Ecstatic Appeal,' Pearl ends up coasting on fumes. [Nov 2009, p.114]- Alternative Press
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Coheed's fourth album simply doesn't deliver on the suspense that's been loaded into it. [Nov 2007, p.155]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
- Posted May 15, 2014
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Bull drags on with minimal memorable hooks and far too much guitar feedback. [Jun 2012, p.76]- Alternative Press
Posted May 2, 2012 -
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Admittedly, this kinder, gentler Half Japanese lack the shambling brilliance of earlier incarnations, but, hey, we all lose a step with age. [#155, p.76]- Alternative Press
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The abundance of derivative electronic tricks diminishes Beautiful's successful updates of Garbage's sound. [Nov 2001, p.73]- Alternative Press
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There's enough classic songcraft here to ensure Forgetting isn't forgotten. [Mar 2012, p.97]- Alternative Press
Posted Feb 13, 2012 -
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The Southern-rock grit that used to make Band Of Horses spellbinding is in dangerously short supply, but there's nothing else there to replace it. [Oct 2012, p.84]- Alternative Press
Posted Sep 12, 2012 -
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Their newfound nods to pop music... overshadow the expected balls-out rockers. [Apr 2006, p.220]- Alternative Press
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The 13 tracks here are improbably edgeless, all love-me-do/love-me-don't plaints that evaporate on impact. [Sep 2001, p.91]- Alternative Press
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Li(f)e's musical concept is great, but he's been better on the mic. [Jun 2010, p.105]- Alternative Press
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Tennis offer a solid but unspectacular album by a band capable of great beauty but one who seem to struggle translating that into great songs.- Alternative Press
- Posted Feb 17, 2012
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Mohager ultimately forgets there's a fine line between homage and aping, but if your dream gift is a time capsule from the Reagan Years get ready to discover your new favorite record. [Jul 2011, p.107]- Alternative Press
Posted Jul 14, 2011 -
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This batch of cobbled-together love songs and lullabies makes for instantly likable pop regardless of its source material. [#155, p.77]- Alternative Press
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Herren's gift for finding order--and even melody--amid such chaos is too strong to allow this collection to be written off as self-indulgent. [Apr 2006, p.224]- Alternative Press
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This 18-song, one-hour compilation is a spawling, hit-or-miss affair. [Jan 2011, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Feb 8, 2011 -
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The riff-roaring arena anthems "Racon Eyes" and "The Firebird" are among the most infectious tracks Priestess have ever written. Elsewhere, the band's retro-fuzz machinations don't fare so well. [Mar 2010, p.98]- Alternative Press
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- Alternative Press
Posted Jun 4, 2012 -
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But under the ill-fitting vocals, Deep Down & Dirty has some dubby, dark tracks that work if only because they don't try so hard to be "Connected" sequels. [Jul 2001, p.85]- Alternative Press
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There’s enough inventive, Jamaican-inspired music on Free The Universe to make it worth hearing--but here’s hoping Diplo keeps things Kingston-centric again next time around.- Alternative Press
- Posted Apr 12, 2013
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The net effect is unsettling distance, not pointed commentary. [Apor 2009, p.134]- Alternative Press
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It's a shame that in those rare moments Lacuna Coil do stick out their necks, the results are the uninspired, tepid radio rock of Shalow Life's 'Unchained' and 'The Pain.' [Jun 2009, p.104]- Alternative Press
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Ellipse is balanced but doesn't break ground. Fans of her past work will likely find little to quarrel with, but they won't be challenged, either. [Sep 2009, p.105]- Alternative Press
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With primarily organic instrumentation and warm, low-fi production, nothing is forced--although in some instances, the tracks feel a little too barren, and overall there's not much to distinguish between the songs. [Sep 2009, p.108]- Alternative Press
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At times, Iwrestledabearonce could almost pass for In This Moment. Whether that's a compliment or not is your call. [Sep 2013, p.90]- Alternative Press
Posted Aug 29, 2013 -
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If you’re in the market for something sullen, you could do a lot worse. But if you’re yearning for any of what likely drew you to Moving Mountains in the first place, you probably need to hope it happens the next time around.- Alternative Press
- Posted Sep 11, 2013
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Ably backed by bassist Michael Cotterman (ex-the Loved Ones) and Andrew Black on drums, if there's any flaw to the Title Tracks formula, it would be that they could make a few moments more flawed. But that's just the Q And Not U fan talking.- Alternative Press
- Posted May 24, 2011
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There's no trace of the zany sass that made the Go-Go's an institution to begin with. [Jul 2001, p.68]- Alternative Press
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A perfectly pleasant background score for pasta-making, garden work, and other stuff 40-something yuppies waste their time on. Which makes it my definition of hell, actually. [Jul 2001, p.60]- Alternative Press
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Pariah isn't without its merits, and diehard fans will likely find few flaws anywhere. But for the casual listener, the album might seems a little less "Of The Room" and a little more "Rent." [Jul 2009, p.126]- Alternative Press
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Sadly, the electro-plated Evil Heat is neither evil nor particularly molten. [Jan 2003, p.99]- Alternative Press
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Dominated by sparse instrumentation and lyrics that are merely good... relatively lifeless tunes. [12/2000, p.115]- Alternative Press
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Although memorable hooks are few and far between... there's no denying the album's ferocity. [Mar 2005, p.132]- Alternative Press
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The Church's languid melancholy sedates rather than seduces. [Feb 2004, p.88]- Alternative Press
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Though there's little here to entice newcomers, fans should rejoice. [Mar 2002, p.77]- Alternative Press
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One can only wonder how Sinners Never Sleep would have fared had it been more consistent. [Nov 2011, p.98]- Alternative Press
Posted Nov 15, 2011 -
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The 15 songs here chart a typical course through the American songbook, with paradoxically straight-faced camp, morose show tunes and orchestral chamber pop without the aid of an actual orchestra. [Apr 2012, p.96]- Alternative Press
Posted Mar 2, 2012 -
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Though their sometimes generic juddering occasionally dulls the impact, it's still clear the Color Morale are trying to be more than just "another one of those bands." [Apr 2013, p.88]- Alternative Press
Posted Apr 4, 2013 -
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Instead of cleverness, the polished songs indulge here sentimental broken heart. Bandmate M. Ward is mostly content to stay out of the way vocally, but he builds up a castle of retro-instrumental heartbreak for Deschanel. [Jun 2013, p.102]- Alternative Press
Posted May 3, 2013 -
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Today, yet another album filled with introverted hip-hop instrumentals--even one with occasional moments of beauty radiating from the murk--is doomed by comparison to the more innovative work the label has been offering lately. [Mar 2006, p.138]- Alternative Press
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It's rad that Finch are back together sounding sharp, but the creative differences that led to this album being nearly a decade in the making remain apparent. [Oct 2014, p.100]- Alternative Press
Posted Sep 26, 2014 -
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The least pretentious--and most accessible--thing AYWKUBTTOD have ever released. That's probably because it sounds a lot like your record collection. [Feb 2005, p.92]- Alternative Press
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This restless, rootless disc suggests Cex hasn't settled on his future destination just yet. [Aug 2006, p.222]- Alternative Press
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God Says No is the sound of a band heading toward the charts, full-speed.... This is a disappointing record for longitme fans; maybe new ears will dig it. [#153, p.81]- Alternative Press
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Teetering between genius and madness, Repo is a few hooks shjort of a successful fishing trip for experiemental music, left mostly with "experiemental" and not much in the way of traditionally defined "music." [Jun 2009, p.102]- Alternative Press
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While it's enjoyable for what it is, you can't help but wonder where all the songs went when after an half-hour or so, you recall literally nothing. [Oct 2012, p.92]- Alternative Press
- Posted Sep 12, 2012
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When the twins harmonize, the results are sweeter than sugar-dipped honeysuckle. What they really need, though, is some fire in their bellies. [July 2008, p.151]- Alternative Press
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There’s passion cooked into each Antemasque song, but it is curiously unmoving.- Alternative Press
- Posted Nov 12, 2014
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Much of Dust is nearly indistinguishable from the British trip hop Muggs' tripped-out productions helped inspire. [Apr 2003, p.82]- Alternative Press
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Gone are the Mary Poppins samples and the rest of the duo's anything-goes ethos; Breakfast is filled instead with Cap'n Crunch-y nuggets of pure, sweet, mainstream hip-hop. [Mar 2012, p.97]- Alternative Press
Posted Feb 28, 2012 -
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While there are moments of buzzing, high-flying bliss on Githead's third LP, one can't escape the sensation of horizon-hugging deja vu. [Jan 2010, p.94]- Alternative Press
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An album full of songs so lethargic, it sounds like it needs a nap halfway through. [Apr 2002, p.71]- Alternative Press
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While there are some nice moments of orchestral pop here, that's hardly enough to carry an entire album. [Aug 2006, p.208]- Alternative Press
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There are enough sparkly pop moments here to suggest Rooney could become, like the best Hollywood exports, a guilty pleasure. [Aug 2003, p.105]- Alternative Press
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Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, p.106]- Alternative Press
Posted Aug 8, 2011 -
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The energy makes it feel like there's too much going on, leading to songs blending structurally, downplaying hooks.- Alternative Press
- Posted Oct 9, 2013
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Only the blindly in love will fully appreciate Suitcase, which is chock-full of bruised and blemished tracks, though it's not all throwaways. [#147, p.94]- Alternative Press
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While dissonant noise is the main component of the duo's slacker shoegaze, hidden beneath those layers of distortion are some moments of melody. [Jul 2014, p.102]- Alternative Press
Posted Jun 20, 2014 -
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Could pass for a set of lo-fi synth demos Sir Paul McCartney cooked up one long weekend for shits and giggles. [Feb 2006, p.130]- Alternative Press
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Hypnotic Nights has the feeling of an album created by Venn diagram, with the outer edges of glam, psychedelia, garage rock and hard rock connecting to create "the ultimate rock album…you know, for kids!"- Alternative Press
- Posted Jul 17, 2012
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Posted Mar 6, 2015 -
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Posted Jun 2, 2011