The A.V. Club's Scores

Select another publication »
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
view
per page
    • 78 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Sirens of the Ditch
    Sirens is the sound of a freshly liberated songwriter scouring his soul - and coming up full-handed.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Desire
    Monch makes a lean 47 minutes seem epic in the best way.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Super Taranta!
    On Super Taranta!, the NYC-based gypsy-punk crew is as energized as ever.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    The Con
    Lyrical wallowing is almost a required element for this genre, and ultimately even The Con's failings work in its favor, providing a macro version of what the best Tegan And Sara songs do, by stumbling along recklessly, then falling together.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    The Friends [EP]
    Ever the brilliant craftsmen, Gene and Dean display a sharp eye for genre-specific details, offering just the right amounts of cheese and hooks (not to mention their trademark vulgarity) on splendidly stupid songs.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Fort Nightly
    Rarely has the Inferno sounded this inviting.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
    Multi-instrumentalist/producer Junior masters JS's many loves without having to scale them down, and expands Don't Stop's compact party into a show of force.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Challengers
    If previous New Pornographers albums are the musical equivalent of Jolt Cola, Challengers is the caffeine-free diet version: less sugary, more mature, initially not as invigorating, but ultimately just as addictive.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Andorra
    In its journey from form to formlessness, the record feels like Caribou reaching back toward a primordial pool of sound.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Ear Drum
    Sexual and spiritual, conscious and just plain fun, Eardrum is a master class in lyricism from a man supremely comfortable in his own skin.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    From the Corner to the Block
    When the guests fall back on what's always worked well enough, Galactic seems to take that as a challenge, and takes enough risks to make it sound a little fresher.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    La Radiolina
    He's a one-man musical melting pot who synthesizes several continents' worth of ideas, sounds, and slogans into one swinging all-night dance party. This is internationalism at its funkiest.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    I'll Follow You
    Oakley Hall's almost indescribably transcendent quality burns through in songs like 'All The Way Down,' which rides amplified waves of fiery guitar and tuneful wailing, while evoking the reassuring fellowship of church camp.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    White Chalk
    Harvey has one of the most forceful voices around, but here she relies on her silk-thin upper register to create a delicate album that skates across despair without ever quite sinking into it.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Planet of Ice
    While not a huge sonic leap forward for Minus The Bear, Planet shows the band eager--and more than able--to take a deep breath and explore its emerging maturity and depth.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Trees Outside The Academy
    Moore turns inward and turns down, which works to his advantage.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Let's Stay Friends
    Let's Stay Friends is LSF's comeback--and frontman Tim Harrington and crew have picked up precisely where they left off.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Washington Square Serenade
    An angry Steve Earle is something to behold, but watch out for the man when he's in love.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    In Rainbows
    Elsewhere, it's business as usual--mostly amazing business, to be sure, but never entirely unexpected.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Cease To Begin
    Cease To Begin, doesn't deviate much from its excellent 2006 debut, "Everything All The Time," the record's relaxed, understated grace is distinctively Southern in its lack of self-consciousness.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    La Cucaracha
    La Cucaracha is just another sprawling Ween record--fans will love it, neophytes will be confused—but it's the best sprawling Ween record since 1997's "The Mollusk."
    • 83 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    American Gangster
    Judging by this surprisingly strong return to form, Jay-Z might want to consider spending less time in the office and more time at the movies.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Ire Works
    Ire Works is a near-perfect pileup of craft and chaos--and it shows that Dillinger's recent injuries left some beautiful scars.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    The Cool
    Though its conceptual component feels fuzzy and abstract at best, The Cool oozes geek chic with terrific songs, smart, dense lyrics, and nimble, eclectic production.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Do You Like Rock Music?
    While DYLRM? lacks the wild-eyed spits and howls of "Decline Of British Sea Power," it's definitely BSP's most rocking effort yet, replacing the sterility that plagued its sophomore slump, "Open Season," with stadium-sized bravado.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    In The Future
    Loud-quiet-loud has never been so dizzying.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    The Golden Age
    Eitzel's trademark gloom still dominates, but his ability to bend glacial chords around pure poetry remains vital. In fact, it's stronger than ever.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Promises Promises
    The venom is still there, and it's just as potent, but it tastes a little sweeter this time around.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    For Emma, Forever Ago
    Wisconsin singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, who records as Bon Iver (a bastardized version of the French phrase for "good winter"), still manages to put his own stamp on a moribund genre with his quietly startling debut, For Emma, Forever Ago.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    Seventh Tree
    The disc is buoyed by an underlying pop sensibility, epitomized by the bubbly 'A&E' and 'Caravan Girl.'
Page: