Punknews.org (Staff)'s Scores

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For 32 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 75% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 22% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 6.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 78
Highest review score:
True North
Critic Score 100
Lowest review score:
Sound City: Real to Reel
Critic Score 60
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
32 music reviews
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    • Metascore: 74
    • Critic Score 100
    True North
    It's easily the band's best release in the last 10 years, and with time it will garner more appreciation in the overall catalog.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 90
    M B V
    Against all odds, My Bloody Valentine managed to put together an album that keeps enough of the elements that made us cherish Loveless, while stretching their sonic palette just enough to keep things interesting.
    • Metascore: 70
    • Critic Score 90
    Everybody Loves Sausages
    The question is then, on Everybody Loves Sausages, the band's first all covers album, can they maintain the originality that seeps through their reworkings for an entire album? Yes, yes they can. And how.
    • Metascore: 81
    • Critic Score 90
    Wheel
    Stevenson and her band have been improving in every aspect since their inception, and they've nailed it here on Wheel.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 90
    Jar
    Daylight have released an album that'll have you talking about it for weeks.
    • Metascore: 73
    • Critic Score 80
    Wolf's Law
    Wolf's Law doesn't expand on the Joy Formidable's sound so much as it cements their sound.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
    The more intelligible lyrics and mid-fi production keep things entertaining and give it the feeling of a fully fleshed-out work.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    The Bronx (IV)
    IV is a worthy return that shows the Bronx still have those chops.
    • Metascore: 68
    • Critic Score 80
    Conduit
    They really proved that they're a conduit for great music and a band that's chomping at the bit to explore and vary their style.
    • Metascore: 66
    • Critic Score 80
    Anthems
    Fans of melodic rock music with a tinge of punk attitude will find plenty to sing along to here.
    • Metascore: 81
    • Critic Score 80
    The Next Day
    It is a welcome, surprising return to form.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    New Moon
    New Moon is an exciting, challenging and rewarding listen.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Cerulean Salt
    While American Weekend had clear standouts in tracks like "Be Good" and "Bathtub," Cerulean Salt manages to maintain a consistently high quality throughout.
    • Metascore: 66
    • Critic Score 80
    Crusher
    By combining the ragged, sloppy riffs of garage rock with the minor scales of death rock and darker music, the band create a haunting sound that also rocks the hell out.
    • Metascore: 72
    • Critic Score 80
    Home
    In Home, Off With Their Heads have crafted an album that should satisfy both fans looking for more of the same, and listeners who like to see the band stretch their legs a bit, creatively.
    • Metascore: 70
    • Critic Score 80
    Afraid of Heights
    With Wavves, you know what you're getting, and while Afraid of Heights offers no major surprises, it may be their finest hour yet.
    • Metascore: 70
    • Critic Score 80
    Earth Rocker
    It's certainly Clutch's most enjoyable album in a good number of years, and any fan of the group's post-Pure Rock Fury era would do well to give Earth Rocker a spin.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Abandon All Life
    Abandon All Life isn't a radical departure, but it is the most clever use of the band's tools to date.
    • Metascore: 65
    • Critic Score 80
    My Shame Is True
    A nice rebound from the fan service of its predecessor, showing that even this late in the game, Alkaline Trio can still write better songs than the vast majority of their contemporaries and take them to uncharted waters when it feels right.
    • Metascore: 71
    • Critic Score 80
    White People & the Damage Done
    Because this album snaps together so well with such a varied texture, it does more in 40 minutes than most lecturers do in their entire career.
    • Metascore: 73
    • Critic Score 80
    Desperate Ground
    This batch of tunes has got enough of everything The Thermals do best to satisfy their die-hards (who might call it a "return to form") and would even be a good jumping-off point for new fans.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    What You Don't See
    TSSF find its true sound here and it is a pleasant spin of melodic punk.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 70
    Heartthrob
    For now, call it a calculated risk that mostly works.
    • Metascore: 72
    • Critic Score 70
    FIDLAR
    The worst songs make you wish they had more to say. Their best ones make you glad that they don't.
    • Metascore: 67
    • Critic Score 70
    13.0.0.0.0
    Some improved diversity and novel musical ideas make 13.0.0.0.0 a much more interesting listen, though, and it's nice to hear a math rock band bringing more than just math to their songwriting sensibilities.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 70
    The Afterman: Descension
    All in all, with bad songs few and far between, this was a pleasant surprise.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 70
    Meir
    Meir is a highly enjoyable record from a band who has already carved out their own niche in the metal scene.
    • Metascore: 67
    • Critic Score 70
    Infestissumam
    All the elements that make Ghost who they are in place on Infestissumam; they're just surrounded by the sound of the band trying new things, some of which work better than others.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 70
    Tape Deck Heart
    Unfortunately, Tape Deck Heart is not his strongest offering as a whole, but it features a number of fantastic tracks that could conceivably be "hits" and will surely become live staples.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 70
    Say What You Mean
    Say What You Mean is eminently listenable and thoroughly appealing.
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