Slant Magazine's Scores

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For 3,121 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 35% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 62% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 7.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 65
Highest review score: 100 Who Kill
Lowest review score: 0 Fireflies
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,691 out of 3121
  2. Mixed: 1,319 out of 3121
  3. Negative: 111 out of 3121
3121 music reviews
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    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Entanglements
    Conceptually, Entanglements has been done before, but lyrics are reprised and musical sentences are repeated in such a way that it creates a singularly cohesive, linear narrative piece.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The New Year
    Fortunately, no surprises are really needed, as the New Year's technique, while somewhat dated and profoundly unadventurous, still holds solid in all its sleepwalking, ponderous glory.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Little Wild One
    It isn't as robust--musically or vocally--as their first collaboration.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Caught In The Trees
    The simplicity of Jurado's writing is matched with a tender tone and a lack of condescension.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Me And Armini
    Accompanied by sultry electric guitar licks, reverb-y finger-snaps and breathy grunts, 'Gun' might be one of the sexiest bloodbaths on record--and the highlight of an album that's filled with them.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Soft Airplane
    With a lack of lyrical development, an emphasis on sound effects is insufficient to make Soft Airplane memorable.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    That Lucky Old Sun
    In many ways, Wilson updates his style, while still paying tribute to the things he loves.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Block
    The Block falters when the New Kids try to have it both ways.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Recession
    There's a unique pleasure in hearing a once one-dimensional rapper discover complexity, and for that Recession is nearly indispensable.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Shall Noise Upon
    Their new album, Shall Noise Upon, is intellectually thinner, more musically pedantic, and not quite as tongue-in-cheek.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sex And Gasoline
    Still, even at its most strident, Sex and Gasoline is topical and fiercely intelligent in a way that few modern country albums are.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hummingbird, Go!
    Andersson has outsourced wisely, with poet Jessica Faust and Fröberg splitting lyrical duties throughout. The trio achieves a kind of symbiosis of character on Hummingbird—without a credit sheet, you might not even know who did what.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Forth
    While Forth is certainly flawed and overreaching, there's enough to suggest that the Verve, assuming they're able to keep it together, can use the album as a foundation for something as compelling as their '90s output.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    L.A.X.
    With the Game's third and best album, LAX, which drops without the baggage of a high-profile beef, we learn more about who the rapper really is: a guy who loves hip-hop, from top to bottom, and is as comfortable giving shout-outs to Will Smith and Uncle Luke as he is to Wu Tang and NWA.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams
    Venturing off into the unknown plays well for Solange--the mix of organic, old-school instrumentation and more electronic elements makes for a loose, fun and reverent record.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sunshine Lies
    The album works just as well as a collection of terrific standalone singles, though, since Sweet keeps the focus of Sunshine Lies on some of the most compelling pop hooks he's written in years.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Ode To Sunshine
    Catchy and pleasant but ultimately flawed, Sunshine is a solid effort from this up-and-coming band, and if they're able to harness their Southern revival hymns with the bravado of '70s guitar rock, Delta Spirit will be a force to be reckoned with.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Youth Novels
    Overall, Li manages not to get swept away by Yttling and Mårtén's resourceful accompaniments....Her bashfulness is, in fact, an asset.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Rhumb Line
    Counting a violinist and cellist among their ranks, Ra Ra Riot has fashioned a gritty yet polished post-punk sound fit for a Sofia Coppola film.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    You & Me
    You & Me is a thoroughly Walkmen-esque album, however tautological it may be to say so.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Earth To The Dandy Warhols
    Their smug posturing makes the Dandy Warhols a difficult act to like, but the sheer quality of their songcraft on Earth goes a long way toward earning them a measure of goodwill.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Remember [Live]
    Remember will not win the Fiery Furnaces very many new fans, but as it is likely the closest thing to a greatest hits album the unconventional Friedbergers will ever produce, it goes a long way toward definitively documenting their trippy, ingenious maunderings.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    How To Walk Away
    With her most polished, accessible production since 2000's slept-on "Beautiful Creature" and her ear for a memorable pop melody evident for the first time in years, Walk Away even stands to appeal to an audience beyond Hatfield's devoted cult following.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Recovery
    Since Wainwright is such a clever and insightful lyricist, even his weakest material is worth a listen, so Recovery is never unpleasant, but the song selection is unjustifiably uneven.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us
    Though Nothing's eerie lullabies are sweet in their own sing-songy way, the album's more energetic moments only serve as a frustrating indicator of Thibodeau's potential—if only he would think outside of his usual (voice) box.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Moody Motorcycle
    Moody Motorcycle is easily Thorburn's least ambitious effort, evidenced by the inclusion of song sketches like 'Ode to Abner' and tracks that seem like outtakes from his Islands work (for example, the title cut and 'Pretty Hair'), and yet in its many moments of off-the-cuff beauty the album proves, perhaps even more than the meticulously executed "Arm's Way," the extraordinary talents of this oft-misunderstood Canadian.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Worried Well
    31Knots deserves encomium for their daring and ingenuity.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Pro Tools
    More than anything, it serves as a satisfying example of a hip-hop artist who has not burnt out or sold out his craft to be an industry kingpin.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Fast Paced World
    The Duhks should only continue to build upon their reputation as one of the most compelling acts on the roots scene with World, which puts to rest any doubts as to how they would carry on with their new incarnation.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The '59 Sound
    While they might not be the most original band on the block, the Gaslight Anthem's interpretation of their influences makes for one of the more rewarding punk albums of the year.
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