The A.V. Club's Scores

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For 4,544 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 The Life Of Pablo
Lowest review score: 0 Graffiti
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,663 out of 4544
  2. Mixed: 771 out of 4544
  3. Negative: 110 out of 4544
4544 music reviews
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    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dirty Gold
    A labored crossover grab that mistakes conviction for substance, Dirty Gold marks Haze as just the latest in a long line of promising mixtape rappers to whiff a major-label debut.
    • 42 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    What The...
    Demons used to be what drove Black Flag toward hitherto extremes of punk-rock brinksmanship, and there are glimpses of that savagery on What The.... Mostly, though, it’s a footnote to a legacy that never needed one.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Britney Jean
    Far too much of Britney Jean defaults to EDM-by-numbers and the numbing lyrical repetitiveness that appears to be Will.i.am’s calling card.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    ARTPOP
    For as flamboyant as she is, Gaga’s never lacked sincerity; ARTPOP’s lack of substantial personal connection and its tenuous grasp on reality makes it a tough record to like.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Magic Hour
    Nostalgia-driven fan-funding is a useful way to see which short-lived phenoms have anything left in the tank, but Magic Hour suggests Luscious Jackson is a little too far removed from what drove the group to make music in the first place.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Matangi
    The problem is that the record sat on the shelf for so long... that anything that may have once seemed fresh on the record now seems more than a little tired.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Prism
    As a whole, Prism is forgettable. It’s neither good nor bad, and it’s not inspirational enough to set anyone on fire who’s not already an 11-year-old girl, closeted teen boy, or existing Perry fanatic.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Let's Be Still
    Let’s Be Still falters in its lethargy.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Uncanney Valley
    Uncanney Valley is curiously conflict-free--and for a band that always thrived on friction, that can make for a frustrating listen.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Magpie and the Dandelion
    These songs are nice and they’re pretty, but have no bite, no substance, and no real pizzazz.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Defend Yourself
    The sound remains the same, but the songs aren’t always there.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Wise Up Ghost and Other Songs
    At this point in his career, an album-length experiment like Wise Up Ghost seems to satisfy Costello artistically, thanks to his chameleon tendencies, but there isn’t much to add to the best of either catalog.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You
    An album of songs that seem to be about love and loss but never quite connect emotionally, almost as though Case is so wrapped up in seeming ladylike that she never really remembers to let go.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Doris
    It often feels less like a finished work than a sketchbook, a jumble of beats and raps (about half of them from guests) with little in the way of hooks, choruses, or general songcraft to tie them together.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Push Any Button
    She doesn’t capture that magic consistently on the rest of the album, though, which leaves Push Any Button feeling jumpy and unfocused.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Testimonium Songs
    By the album’s end, there’s no definable takeaway aside from the fact that Testimonium Songs would have benefited from being a true Joan Of Arc record as opposed to a small piece of a larger puzzle.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    In a World Like This
    The group's musical personality feels somewhat whitewashed; many of In A World Like This' songs are indistinguishable from ones by OneRepublic, The Wanted, or The Script.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Unreal
    Blumberg’s drowsiness gets the better of him. When pitted against chunkier hooks and punchier songs, his voice shambles winningly.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Me Moan
    On Me Moan, he stretches too far. It’s a shame, because his beautiful voice is one made for quiet crooning, not bold wailing.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 42 Critic Score
    Magna Carta Holy Grail
    The bulk of Magna Carta, however, really is just an obscenely rich dude gloating about his spoils. Where West continues to introduce new twists in his ever-unfolding story—with Yeezus, he’s reinvented himself as rap’s most compelling villain—Jay-Z has remained static, frozen in permanent victory.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Ciara
    Though Ciara is a perfectly competent album, it’s the least interesting one she could have made given the winning hand she was dealt, and as she should know by now, winning hands only come around so often.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Gifted
    Whatever survived of the brain behind Mixtape About Nothing has been permanently atrophied by luxury and laziness. At least the crisp, live-band production, a carryover from Ambition, remains a treat.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Soft Will
    The tempered songs of Soft Will, however, don’t feel thoughtfully restrained as much as deflated of enthusiasm.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Damage
    Damage doesn’t offend, but it doesn’t offer much that’s memorable, either.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    13
    The head of steam 13 builds in its second half flattens with “Dear Father,” which concludes the album with an anticlimactic plop.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Ready to Die
    With Ready To Die, Iggy And The Stooges have begun to spring back to life. Or at least shown signs of becoming convincingly zombified.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Praxis Makes Perfect
    In the end, Praxis Makes Perfect is an uneven mix of gleaming ’80s homages and tunes burdened by their own ambition.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Desperate Ground
    Desperate Ground has a tendency to sound monochromatic and homogenous.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Wolf
    After three albums of unfiltered angst, the one-time wildcard now seems like a stubbornly static figure, an impression that’s supported by his monochromatic self-production on all of Wolf’s 18 tracks, which rarely build on the synthesized strings and tranquilized pianos of his other releases.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    My Shame Is True
    When Skiba’s on fire, he’s one of pop-punk’s best tunesmiths; but when he’s coasting, as he is throughout My Shame Is True, his songs feel less black than beige.
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