Sputnikmusic's Scores

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For 2,395 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 53% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 45% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 72
Highest review score: 100 The Seer
Lowest review score: 10 The Path of Totality
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,773 out of 2395
  2. Mixed: 543 out of 2395
  3. Negative: 79 out of 2395
2395 music reviews
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    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    In the End It Always Does
    In The End It Always Does is a mixed bag, but I wouldn’t describe it as a minefield; it’s more like a diamond mine and a minefield are engaged in a land dispute. Amber Bain’s ethereal vocals and meticulously crafted melodies make this an album that I certainly recommend checking out, if only for the allure of the stronger tracks that constitute a little over half of the record.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chaos for the Fly
    Chaos for the Fly might be morose, but it’s also very touching, and full of delicate little moments which make the record more than just the sum of its parts. Frankly, my biggest gripe is that its thirty-six minute runtime is a little too trim, and an epic five-plus minute storytelling track would’ve definitely enhanced the experience.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Aspirin Sun
    As far as contemplative, comparatively low-energy releases go, this is one of the finest in years, carefully-crafted and delicate but full of nuance and color. However you’d like to classify Aspirin Sun, it’s a damn good record.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yay!
    This is a laid-back kind of record, inclined towards porch sitting or walks in the wods. There’s still plenty of exceptional musicianship on display, though, with the guitar work remaining immensely appealing. In addition, despite the mellowness of the material and the seemingly-throwaway album title, Yay! can be surprisingly emotionally potent upon occasion.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    Life Under the Gun
    Twenty-seven minutes is quite short, and the last couple of songs still feel undercooked compared to the slab of punk bangers offered by the first half. Despite this, the songs that bang do because they carry powerful punk riffs and relatable, Linkin Park-worship lyrics to yell.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    The Beggar
    The Beggar is definitely flawed as a front-to-back experience, but it's also the most engaging release that Swans have put out since To Be Kind.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Life Is But a Dream...
    In short, whatever your thoughts are on the band, leave your preconceived notions at the door and give it a try, Life is But a Dream… is set to be one of the best albums of 2023.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Is It?
    Is It? is his most experimental offering to date. It's not easy to follow, and it rarely does what you'd expect it to...but that's the beauty of it.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    ÁTTA
    Átta has enough going for it to warrant an inspection from the rest of us, but it's both fairer and far more flattering to view it as the conclusion to a troubled chapter in the band's history than the enthusiastic heir to any hefty expectations you might otherwise burden it with.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
    Dixon’s radiant songwriting paves the way, and his expressive style makes for an enchanting journey through blissful soundscapes.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
    It’s the end of the world every single day, and King Gizzard have just offered you its soundtrack.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    In Times New Roman...
    If you’re looking for something with a bit more bite and ambition, you might be a little disappointed with what’s on offer. In spite of that, this is easily one of the strongest rock albums to come from 2023 so far, and if you’re a fan of the band or you enjoy the genre in general, this is sure to quench the majority of people’s thirst.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Heaven Is a Junkyard
    Heaven Is A Junkyard might be a comparatively trim release, but it contains multitudes.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Purge
    At the end of the day, Purge is Godflesh doing Godflesh and doing a good job at it, but as far as how it stacks up against the rest of their discography, it’s far from a high point.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Heimdal
    Heimdal has a more organic feel than its most recent predecessors, a less polished approach that gives it a rawer edge while remaining complex and adventurous. This more unrefined blackened aesthetic, though present throughout the album, is magnificently explored in 'Congelia', which delivers a constant and overwhelming flow.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Weathervanes
    Weathervanes is a bit of a downer. Regardless, though, it’s Isbell’s reliably exceptional songwriting, the bursting-out-of-the-gate energy of the 400 Unit (just listen to the barnburner that is “When We Were Close”), and a talent for subtle but inescapable hooks which make the doom and gloom of these songs not only bearable, but rather inviting.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Shadow Kingdom
    As a whole, Shadow Kingdom might not be a revelation, but it’s an interesting experiment with plenty of solid results.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Formal Growth in the Desert
    Every member audibly leveled up with each LP and Formal Growth in the Desert again takes it up a notch. There are bits of everything the quartet crafted so far and more, all incorporated into a cohesive and intense narrative. As the instrumentals become more evocative, so does the storytelling.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    But Here We Are
    While not reinventing the wheel, and still struggling with occasional blandness, there are plenty of moments here which simply provoke more excitement and emotion than I’ve felt from Foo Fighters’ music for a while.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Bunny
    Bunny's performances are pristine: the record navigates its hooks, sonic sways and immaculate v..v..vibes with palpable ease.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality
    Its songs are generally brisk, compositions tame, nuances readily graspable and holistic color palette decidedly uniform.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Maps
    Kenny Segal, a true and varied talent in and of himself, has a firm grasp on the gift that billy woods possesses, and has doubled down on his instinct to assist, to foreground the whims of a true poet in prime form. billy woods takes the bearing, and we follow.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    All of This Will End
    All Of This Will End is the type of album that will alternately satisfy and disgruntle the existing fanbase, but for me, it’s just another uneven but worthwhile step on an emerging artist’s journey.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    Hard Cold Fire
    None of them break any new ground for the act, however, they are really tight songs overall.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Museum
    It is every bit as excellent as I could have hoped for. Museum is a haunting affair, delicate and understated at all times yet bold enough to be decidedly impressive.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Variables
    Variables is not only much more ambitious than its predecessor (sorry Bring Backs), but also the most forward-thinking album Alfa Mist has put to wax thus far, and an experience far more suited to ruminative cigarettes by candlelight than vape-assisted marathon study sessions.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Devil Music
    It’s not as seamless a blend as last year’s Ashenspire, but both idea and execution are exquisitely fresh among the extreme scene. Portrayal of Guilt always had the potential to craft a definitive album, and if Devil Music is not it, then they sure are on the right track.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Ceremony
    In all its ethereal beauty, Ceremony is an ideal companion, whatever you’re going through right now. It’s a perfectly suited album to fill your earbuds while going on a walk, or for the next time you’re lounging on a chair in your backyard as the sun shines down.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Fuse
    Fuse lands as a welcome sampler of the Everything But the Girl sound updated to the ‘20s, but not quite the powerhouse comeback they are so clearly capable of.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Spectral Lines
    Spectral Lines is a batch of quietly luminous tracks that feel just as interlocked as the secrets of the universe, sharing pianos that blossom to stunning effect, vocal harmonization that whisks your mind off toward the ether, guitars with just enough bite to lend traction, and seamless transitions that give the entire experience an effortless, elegant flow.
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