New Musical Express (NME)'s Scores
- Music
For 5,983 reviews, this publication has graded:
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55% higher than the average critic
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4% same as the average critic
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41% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.9 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 71
Highest review score: | to hell with it [Mixtape] | |
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Lowest review score: | Maroon |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 4,209 out of 5983
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Mixed: 1,621 out of 5983
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Negative: 153 out of 5983
5983
music
reviews
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- By Critic Score
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- New Musical Express (NME)
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- New Musical Express (NME)
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- Posted Apr 8, 2011
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Given what we know about Cuomo’s eccentric inner world, it’s hard not to find those dazzlingly perfect melodies kind of hollow.- New Musical Express (NME)
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They have the relentless persistence needed to stick to the wall long enough (this is their third self-released album), but despite their striving for the grandiose (Kings producer Ethan Johns provides the country-ish bluster) and breaks (a spot in rom-com Going The Distance for last album "Union"), there's still that dark sparkle missing.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 28, 2011
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Unfortunately, in trying to take on all comers at once, there are parts of Queen that feel like an overreach. There is a better ten track effort hiding in Queen, but you get the impression Nicki kept tracks like ‘Miami’ to hedge her bets in a bid for streaming success. The Queen is back, but only just.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 13, 2018
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Hushed vocals, strummed guitars, creeping cello, and an all-encompassing sense of politeness are the order of the day. [19 Jun 2004, p.57]- New Musical Express (NME)
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We find exquisite Beatles-indebted pop, moments of effortless lyrical and melodic brilliance and a few tunes which drift dangerously close to easy listening.- New Musical Express (NME)
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Where it works best is that clear marriage of anger and aspiration, interwoven with Furman’s melodic drawl, musical tenderness and reverb. In parts, though, ‘All of Us Flames’ is an example that sometimes less is more.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 26, 2022
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This ain’t ‘Chinese Democracy’. ‘Still Sucks’ doesn’t feel laboured or overthought and never overstays its welcome.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 3, 2021
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The result is a soothing, slow-burning collection which reflects on times and friends gone by.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 17, 2021
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In parts Riz's flow is slightly awkward, but his rhymes are tight and full of razor-sharp quips, and the production is slick and energetic.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 6, 2012
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For all its prettiness, though, Passerby is a record that boasts about as much excitement as a gentle breeze, and its rewards are too few and far between.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 4, 2014
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If there’s a criticism of Broken Politics, it perhaps that the record doesn’t broadcast this voice often enough.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 18, 2018
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For all Hemerlein’s prodigious talents, you can only have your heartstrings tugged for so long before it all gets a bit wearing.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 24, 2014
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- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 14, 2011
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Swirling synths abound, but remain encased in four-minute micro-epics which sometimes mine the icy ambition of pre-megastardom Simple Minds.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Apr 16, 2012
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Although clearly Canibus is undoubtedly one of the best freestyling lyricists of his generation, he's still to find the right production team to match his vocabulary.- New Musical Express (NME)
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Twist[s] both the ultra-familiar and the obscure into awkward new shapes. [21 Jan 2006, p.35]- New Musical Express (NME)
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A little shade among the sugary rays might not go astray, but maybe that's just the goth in me talking.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted May 18, 2011
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It's not without charm--the needle-jump static of 'Dolly And Porter' gently drives a sweet melody; stroboscopic flickers of synth make a gripping arrangement for 'Closer To The Elderly'--but too often it's just Taylor's fragile voice cooing drab, introspective mantras over sparse electric piano.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 9, 2014
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If you've ever wondered what growing up in middle-class 1970s America would have been like, these deeply personal revelations are for you. [30 Apr 2005, p.64]- New Musical Express (NME)
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Constant jangle blurs the songs, and a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Revolution Blues’ only emphasises Ranaldo’s newfound likeness to the Canadian in one of his dirgier moods.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 25, 2014
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The album could do with being at least half of its 70 minutes, to cut out the self-indulgent meandering.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted May 7, 2013
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Uncanny Valley is like listening to a latter-day Oasis album: too weakly reminiscent of past achievements to really satisfy.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 31, 2013
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Sometimes, on Magick Songs, you may wish they would--there’s a little alienating insularity here, but it’s still inspiring to see the band follow their instincts.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 12, 2018
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Ultimately, this is just a rock album that does exactly what it says on the tin. They are head-banging, pitch-altering rock songs that may not change the world right away, but they’ll give yer head a little wobble at the very least.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 17, 2018
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Presented as a 96-minute opera, his fourth studio album is a haughty gesture weighed down by its own folly, scanning instead as pathos.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 12, 2023
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The rough edges that gave them their early oddball indie pop character have been sanded off in favour of earnest but uninspiring anthemic rock.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 11, 2012
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So one third's great and two thirds grate, which is an improvement at least.- New Musical Express (NME)
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Ultimately, it lacks the variety or the startling sonic leaps that would make it essential. Interesting, but no cigar.- New Musical Express (NME)
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A good seven years out of date, Doom Abuse is pure synth-pop mania, frequently teetering between unadulterated Trent Reznor pop brilliance and impressions of Skrillex driving a monster truck through a Savages gig in a video arcade.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Apr 7, 2014
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- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 26, 2019
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This is, primarily, experiential music, meant to be enjoyed communally at their ear-splitting live shows.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 13, 2018
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It's often hugely clever... but tends to forget that the best metaphors are the ones that make you crack involuntary smiles, not the ones that require five minutes and a dictionary. [26 Feb 2005, p.66]- New Musical Express (NME)
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Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor has his production paws all over San Franciscan quartet The Morning Benders’ second full-length effort, and while Big Echo has more than pastiche to offer, a great deal of it still sounds a bit too familiar.- New Musical Express (NME)
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Shelter From The Ash is a more sedate affair, full of ghostly baroque folk stories that feel disappointingly ethereal.- New Musical Express (NME)
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‘Convocations’ is a mature work, but its length and intricate creation makes it difficult to get under its skin, the record’s wonderful honesty hidden behind layers that you wish could be peeled back.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted May 28, 2021
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As with everything The Indications do, ‘Private Space’ is incredibly listenable, yet for all their efforts to expand their sound, they still rest often on the formula of old.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 30, 2021
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- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 4, 2011
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A few strokes of fortune might send this London quintet--or, say, Clock Opera or Fixers--towards stratospheric hugeness.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 6, 2012
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It's those constant and predictable superstar interjections that prevent the album from standing out as much as it had potential to do.- New Musical Express (NME)
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She’s as frustratingly twee as a hailstorm of cupcakes. Her second album’s adventures into electronica on the squelchy, sulky ‘Kill My Darling’ and the unsettling ‘Next Summer’ are more remarkable.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 14, 2013
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This may not be a groundbreaking record, but it’s definitely one that delivers bops befitting of a woman who keeps on performing even when she’s served with court papers on stage.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted May 16, 2019
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Though ‘shame’ is no wild departure, its voice feels stronger. Cutting loose clearly suits IDER – this independent follow-up finds them free to pick apart all the complicated facets of shame in a slow-burning, smouldering fashion.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 5, 2021
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It may not be the most exciting project to be released by the singer, but it’s complexity and composition make for a perfect power-down playlist.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 1, 2018
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The band batter you around the head with the kitchen sink in an attempt to get you to sit up and take notice, sometimes to the point where it simply gives you a headache.- New Musical Express (NME)
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As a platform for Taylor’s softer side, ‘Silence’ is a success, but it’s not the sound of him firing on every single cylinder.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 15, 2021
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- Posted Feb 7, 2011
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Respectful enough to rouse any struggling family gathering but knowing enough to amuse those in on the joke, The Teal Album at once satirises the covers album and makes a decent stab at perfecting it.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jan 25, 2019
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At points it gets too much, but Heavy Trash's steel-toed pillaging of the past still makes them a punk-rock Time Team.- New Musical Express (NME)
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Most of the time, though, Be Your Own King is so chipper and catchy it comes over like an indie version of Alphabeat.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 19, 2013
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When the energy levels fall off entirely on the maudlin piano-powered closer ‘Never Again’, Idiots' early signs of promise seem a pleasant but distant memory.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 21, 2013
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Bread And Circuses isn't bad enough to be s death knell, but neither is it good enough to be their commercial rebirth.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Mar 23, 2011
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Though there is plenty of positive change across ‘Surviving’, it’s clear that their strengths still lie as a fists-in-the-air rock band; the monumental ‘One Mil’ shows this best.f hope and rebirth in their own way, digging as deep as Adkins himself is.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 16, 2019
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The blues kings show no signs of turning off their well-beaten path here, but they’re still capable of conjuring enough magic on the journey.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted May 12, 2022
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They tag-team across the record with a cheery glint, a self-deprecating wink and a boundless charm that's hard not to like.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Nov 17, 2011
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There are sparks of brilliance on ‘Love, Death & Dancing’; Garratt’s multifaceted talent is undeniable and his honesty is admirable. But, please, less is more next time.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 12, 2020
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Overall there is a sense that this is the sound of a band brushing their hair and fixing their make-up, trying to convince the world they're OK while secretly crumbling on the inside.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Mar 31, 2014
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‘Love For Sale’ is best when Bennett and Gaga playfully trade lines and sing in unison, with the veteran singer countering his collaborator’s belting vocal with artful restraint.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 30, 2021
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Though nothing is as memorable as Keys classics like ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ and ‘Fallin”, her melodies are undeniably lovely. ... ‘Unlocked’ isn’t strong enough to turn this into a top-tier Alicia Keys album, but it does make it a project worth investigating. With some judicious pruning and sharp sequencing, any Keys fan should be able to carve out a pretty satisfying playlist.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Dec 10, 2021
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This is some of the most focused, ferocious rapping that Lil Wayne has achieved in ages. Yet this still doesn’t necessarily result in a great album.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 3, 2020
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All boxes ticked for hip retromaniacs, but certainly not “the next millennium”.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Dec 17, 2013
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They've already featured on a multitude of soundtracks including Stealing Beauty, Shades and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Not to mention cinema ads for champagne and episodes of La Femme Nikita and er, Baywatch. That's pretty much all bases covered, then.- New Musical Express (NME)
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It's a terrible pity: when she stops politicising like a councillor on a complementary therapy summer camp, there's music here that's full of the febrile commitment and unashamed passion that marked her out as a valid icon in 1975.- New Musical Express (NME)
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it paints crudely and schematically a portrait of the artist as messed-up, disillusioned, self-indulgent twerp with an unhealthy appreciation of the mid-'80s US guitar underground, whose demo-quality doodlings (Graham plays, sings, produces and paints everything. And all to a rather average standard) should probably have never seen the light of day.- New Musical Express (NME)
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A good album, in a well-produced way, but it's not as good or as important as it thinks it is. [24 Jun 2006, p.43]- New Musical Express (NME)
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This formulaic approach lacks surprise – once you’re a few tracks in, you’ve heard it all. It might not be a total hot Gizz summer, but at least we’ve got a few extra bangers to bask in.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 11, 2021
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Thought Forms' side peaks with the driving Sonic Youth riffs of ‘Sound Of Violence’ and the dizzying My Bloody Valentine lurch of ‘For The Moving Stars’.... Having left their label, [Esben And The Witch] are using crowdfunding to record their next album with Steve Albini, for which these raw tracks offer great.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Apr 7, 2014
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Head First, enjoyable though much of it is, is disappointingly determined to return the favour.- New Musical Express (NME)
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There are a few moments of elegant sensuality--like the tumbling, androgynous voices of 'He She'--but by and large it's like one of Jeff Koons' uber-kitsch sculptures: gleaming, opulent, but kinda hard to love.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 30, 2013
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Taylor's attraction lies in her ability to switch herself effortlessly between vastly different styles.- New Musical Express (NME)
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After singing about so much Americana for the past decade, it seems that he’s now had to cross the Atlantic in search of fresh geography to mine.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Feb 9, 2018
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Inevitably, the record descends into a series of multi-band cover-offs, the listener acting as Caesar, deciding which ‘winning’ version should really have made the cut. Half the time you feel like you’re doing the compiler’s job for them.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 10, 2021
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True Meanings tends to blend into a lilting mush over the course of 14 tracks that rarely stray from the beige end of the sonic palette.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 14, 2018
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They wisely avoid toying with any Darkness-style irony, but the Keys' insistence on authenticity does leave the album a little flat and humourless. [2 Sep 2006, p.21]- New Musical Express (NME)
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This isn’t a bad or a lazy album, and Elbow are too good a band to ever be dismissed, yet one can’t help but feel they could push their envelope a bit further.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Mar 10, 2014
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The result is an eccentric grab-bag of styles and influences, with enough harps on it to keep Joanna Newsom fans happy, and even a retro 4/4 beat dancing in on the aptly named ‘Disco Compilation’.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 26, 2013
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With a swelling back catalogue, it’s becoming increasingly clear what does and doesn’t work for Yachty’s solo output: skippable braggadocious freestyles? No. Endearing and experimental takes on hip-hop that demonstrate his more individualistic approach to being a major rap artist? Yes please.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Oct 23, 2018
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‘Mutator’ might well find favour with fans of his distant descendants like Squid, Perfume Genius, Sleaford Mods and Black Midi. A quarter of a century on, this lost rumble from post-punk vaults finds new context, as a lesson in uncompromising art from an old master.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Apr 23, 2021
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- Posted Sep 25, 2023
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It's far from bad, but if you're still waiting for a Clinic record as great as the utterly seminal Internal Wrangler, keep waiting, and probably don't hold your breath.- New Musical Express (NME)
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It’s not an easy listen and moments, notably the faux-soul of ‘Shame’, can grate, but this is a fascinating and rich record.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Mar 10, 2014
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Life And Times is unchallenging pap. But it's furnished with the odd line of lyrical craftiness and melodies that, on the whole, manage to keep the stabilisers on his career because (as always) they make the seemingly untenable emotions of their writer sound tolerable.- New Musical Express (NME)
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The nostalgic nods become wearier in the second half, but Beauty & Ruin is strong enough to add weight to the argument that alternative rock belongs to Bob Mould; everyone else is just borrowing it.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jun 9, 2014
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It'll do for a fleeting one-night stand, but Mechanical Bull isn't the rekindling of a romance that we'd hoped for.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 23, 2013
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Fever Dream is perfectly listenable, but missing the magic spark that made them smash successes when they first emerged.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 26, 2019
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There is a sense that Lifeguard will only kick on from here, finding greater balance between the competing elements in their music while also growing in confidence when it comes to taking creative leaps.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 10, 2023
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It's no classic, but perhaps the surprise here is that Manson’s music can work without the shock shtick.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jan 16, 2015
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While there’s nothing quite as dynamic as the best work of Shelton’s labelmates Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, Cold World provides a rousing listen for fans of vintage soul.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 29, 2014
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Lang struggles when he shoots for huge, belting rock’n’roll – most of the more conventional tracks fade into the background. ... Instead, Lang feels far more at home and intriguing with the intricate, slowly unfurling ‘Final Call’.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 25, 2021
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Needless to say, this is 45 minutes of Satanism, anti-capitalism, rebel protest, warfare and gore in which every form of sludge/speed/death/pop/goth/punk/armadillo metal is flung onto an increasingly gooey and formless pile, like a torture chamber’s heap of discarded body parts.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Jul 30, 2015
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The messy trip-hop of 'If I Could' and screeching synth line of 'First Snow' mean Nausea lacks consistency, but it's a clever and rewarding record.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 4, 2014
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Even if it gets a bit bedroom experimentalist, POS is Buck 65 with balls, and has more ideas and soul in one cut than an entire Fiddy wet shit.- New Musical Express (NME)
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There's a certain lack of substance throughout the album which isn't fully covered up by Rose's elegant stoner shimmying.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Mar 20, 2012
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Despite its dips, there are plenty of strong reasons here to keep Dinosaur Jr from extinction.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Aug 3, 2016
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‘Free Love’ sounds like a tug of war exertion without the fun, satisfying results of albums past.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Sep 28, 2020
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Bad Vibes Forever is better than Skins, the first XXXTentacion album released after the rapper’s death, but all of his posthumous music to date has fallen short. Even if you do hate XXXTentacion, you cannot deny his influence on modern rap. But ‘Bad Vibes Forever’ is a serious case of over-embellishing thin material.- New Musical Express (NME)
- Posted Dec 16, 2019
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