Paste Magazine's Scores

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For 4,075 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 67% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 30% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 76
Highest review score: 100 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [50th Anniversary Edition Deluxe Version]
Lowest review score: 10 Songs From Black Mountain
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,639 out of 4075
  2. Mixed: 400 out of 4075
  3. Negative: 36 out of 4075
4075 music reviews
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    • 76 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Gossamer
    Passion Pit is only getting better.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Owl John
    Fans of Frightened Rabbit will feel right at home with the dynamic song structures and visceral lyricism while newcomers will be able to appreciate this album as much more than a one-off solo release, but rather a refreshing take from a songwriter looking to jump out of his comfort zone.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Juice B Crypts
    To be sure, Juice B Crypts contains many moments of unabashed oddness as well, but in allowing for a sharper contrast between the odd and the beautiful this time, Battles ultimately get further with both.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Watch the Throne
    When two legends unite, you expect pure, unfiltered brilliance. Watch The Throne has moments of that. On the whole, this album is a half-hearted victory lap.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    To Survive
    On To Survive, her second release under the moniker Joan As Police Woman, she casts the same torchy, seductive, chamber-pop spell that made her debut "Real Life" such a pleasure, only doing it even more effectively this time.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Yours, Dreamily
    Yours, Dreamily is far from a bad record; it’s just not as punchy as fans would hope it would be.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Thao & Mirah
    It turns out the two are even better in cahoots than they are solo, each buttressing the other with her own set of complementary idiosyncrasies.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    Zammuto
    The album is a statement of self-sufficiency born of creative tensions, between man and woman, people and land, performance and recording. Within these dualities, Zammuto has created something whole.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Ultramarine
    While this album’s forays into club kid territory miss the mark, there’s plenty to like about it.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Untethered Moon
    Perhaps the only real drawback of the LP is that it never quite reaches the emotional resonance that we’ve seen from Built to Spill in the past. But it wisely steers clear of overly reflective ballads.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Amused to Death [Reissue]
    The meticulously crafted music is bold and robust, with same panoramic sweep as The Wall, Waters’ magnum opus he created while with Pink Floyd.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Blue Wave
    Blue Wave is not about moving forward, but using the past works of artists to create something fun and mildly pleasurable.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Tuns
    In the end, TUNS holds up just as strongly to any of the member’s legendary bands, and they are making their own legend along the way.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Dead Cross
    Each track doesn’t just bleed into the next, they hemorrhage into one another like the elevators at the Overlook Hotel.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Town Burned Down
    Town Burned Down is a record made possible by youthful anger, but it’s not too hot-headed for its own good. Had this album been released in 1990 following its original recording, I reckon it would have a place among the decade’s best country-adjacent albums.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 73 Critic Score
    Cloud Symbols
    The album feels like a strange reaction to our troubled times, misplaced optimism rubbing uncomfortably against our current straing ubiquitous outrage. It’s not a bad thing to hear Parker sound so nestled into a comfy chair with all his needs met, but it wouldn’t hurt to have him in the trenches with us.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    ALL
    The results--as evidenced by such songs as “Gwennilied,” “Aom” and “Koad”--are lush, lovely and inspirational, all exquisite examples of sublime repose simulated through delicate, dreamlike designs.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Three Dimensions Deep
    Three Dimensions Deep will doubtless make it onto many a Spotify playlist; the record boasts club-ready bops and chill bangers that can please almost any aural palate. When you dig beneath the surface, though, Mark imparts universal wisdom and gives listeners a much-needed moment to appreciate ourselves.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Unreal Unearth
    Unreal Unearth is packed full of poetic lyricism, heavyhearted remorse, hopeful anticipation and an honest expression of the joys and sorrow of being a human. This is undoubtedly his best work. The more straightforward tracks may be too saccharine at times, but Hozier’s gravitational artistry more than makes up for any slight missteps off the path.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Odd Couple
    The Odd Couple rewards repeated listens, revealing intriguing new sounds each time, from heavenly organs to cartoon noises.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 73 Critic Score
    Come Home To Mama
    At the end of Come Home To Mama, I find myself most appreciative of Wainwright's confessional style of writing, how she reveals her main characters' flaws without shame.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Era Extrana
    Part of what makes Era Extrana a great follow-up to Psychic Chasms is that it features the same lazy summer feel that made Neon Indian's debut so popular.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Heartland
    As a set of songs, Heartland has its hits and misses; but as a single work with an admittedly fanciful narrative throughline, it has its own peculiar charms.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Holy Fire
    As a whole, Holy Fire is a bold effort from Foals, but like on Total Life Forever, there are few clear standout tracks admist a lot forgettable mood-setting filler.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    Do Hollywood
    Do Hollywood is a stylistically complex album. This fusion creates instrumentation that allows lyrics that would normally sound too simplistic to sound just right.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Ruminations
    Though these songs were recorded hastily by some standards, their welding of forlorn lyricism and comforting listenability makes the songwriter admirable not just for his craftsmanship, but for his ability to pull through an arduous time with what could be a benchmark album in his already prolific career.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    V
    V is a fun, water-glistening record that waves hi to the palm trees and lies down to take a sun-nap with the sleepy sand dunes. Neilson’s reclamation of his identity in the context of space, sound and story is executed beautifully and is heard with authenticity and keenness.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Perils from the Sea
    It’s not a matter of this being where one person’s influence ends and the other’s begins. Instead, it’s pure amalgamation, synthesis and alchemy.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    Close It Quietly
    Close It Quietly sees the band take a few steps forward, sideways and back—an aural square dance that’s well worth your time.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 73 Critic Score
    Fine Line
    Fine Line is entirely inoffensive, but it’s also open-ended, and maybe those questions are the reward. Maybe Harry Styles just wants to keep us guessing.
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