The Boston Phoenix's Scores
- Music
For 1,091 reviews, this publication has graded:
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63% higher than the average critic
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3% same as the average critic
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34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: | Pink | |
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Lowest review score: | Last of a Dyin' Breed |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 956 out of 1091
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Mixed: 88 out of 1091
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Negative: 47 out of 1091
1091
music
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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- Critic Score
Craft Spells certainly live up to their name on this six-song EP, with the charm of its effortless, pixie-light production and the warm, plangent harp sounds of their major-key melodies.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 16, 2012
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- Critic Score
If at times the album works as dancefloor aerobic-pop, its true utility is in providing the soundtrack for two people to get lost in the vortex dance of each other's eternal-seeming embrace.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 15, 2012
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- Critic Score
Sonically, it's jaw-dropping, particularly on headphones: every cymbal splash and synth squiggle purr up-close and personal. But most of these 10 tracks are so subtle, they might drift past unnoticed if you're not listening hard enough.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 8, 2012
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- Critic Score
This stirring collection makes Father John Misty's debut one of the best solo efforts this year, a true freak-folk standout.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 8, 2012
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- Critic Score
Dr Dee's well-defined boundaries mean it lacks the sense of adventure found in previous efforts, but Albarn deserves kudos for such artistic fearlessness.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 8, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 8, 2012
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- Critic Score
The only (and major) downside to the record is how it contains no standout tracks or surprising twists if you're already into Reagan-era hardcore.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 7, 2012
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- Critic Score
Bloom is a sonic boomerang: resist if you must, but you'll inevitably end up right back where you started - sucked into their heavenly sonic utopia.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 7, 2012
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- Critic Score
Not only does this new song cycle retain the Euro-tastic sheen of its predecessor, it outdoes it in sheer dance-floor whump.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 2, 2012
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- Critic Score
Enlisting uber-producer Jacknife Lee (Bloc Party, Kasabian, R.E.M.) has brought some magic that keeps the mid-'90s flame--if not eternal--then at least at a reliable glow.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 2, 2012
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- Critic Score
The music here is visceral enough that it holds its own in the legacy of the project.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted May 1, 2012
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- Critic Score
The dreamwave immersion and haunting power of Hunter's vocals invite comparisons to fellow Baltimore mood-wizards Beach House, but whereas Teen Dream aimed for beauty even at its darkest, Lower Dens keeps things weird.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 27, 2012
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Johnny Jewel's trademark retro-futuro-electro production sound underpins this 16-track set with a dreamy, after-the-afterparty atmosphere that feels like it could go on all night long.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 25, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 24, 2012
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- Critic Score
Danceable escapism for Urban Outfitters shopping that won't make you question the prices, much less start a riot.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 24, 2012
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- Critic Score
This is a subdued, atmospheric affair, rooted in bangs-in-the-face, black-polish-on-the-fingernails '80s rock.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 23, 2012
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- Critic Score
Like the Go-Betweens or the Field Mice, Europe is top-notch indie-pop, with upbeat music and literate lyrics coated in a wistfulness that can be debilitating if you indulge in it too often.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 19, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 17, 2012
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- Critic Score
In a sense, the veil is lifted ever-so-slightly with this new [album]: although they still wump you with weird on sonic gauntlets like "Molochwalker" and the title track, they also hit on some great choruses and comprehensible songcraft that, unlike most of their earlier work, is commendable for something other than the effort it took to create it.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 17, 2012
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- Critic Score
If world domination is in question, hooks could be more defined, production could be less flat, and Paternoster's yodel most resembles the forgotten Lunachicks. But she and this Brunswick, New Jersey–born trio have staked an impressive claim.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 17, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 17, 2012
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Beware and Be Grateful's main flaw: an occasional quirk overload.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 17, 2012
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- Critic Score
The great news is that even the bad news is good news: Alabama Shakes have a hell of a lot of growing to do, but even their slightest tunes pack a punch.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 10, 2012
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- Critic Score
Spine Hits as a whole is a tighter operation, less intended to soundtrack your mushroom trip, but a worthy attempt to bridge the gap to the mainstream.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 10, 2012
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- Critic Score
As dense and diggable as it may be, however, its sheer quantity of intel and change-ups can be euphorically overwhelming.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 10, 2012
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- Critic Score
Anyone's pop cynicism should have a hard time getting out of bed on this one.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 5, 2012
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- Critic Score
One of his best, no doubt, and arguably one of the best-sounding records so far this year.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 3, 2012
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- Critic Score
A Wasteland Companion isn't a sonic tidal wave, per se - it's built on some of the folk troubadour's quietest, most intimate tunes in years. But where emotions are concerned, it pummels.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 3, 2012
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Luckily for fans of music and controversy alike, Madonna's compulsions reap musical dividends as she continues to bang into a dance-tastic G-spot, and the results are part sour, part sweet.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Apr 3, 2012
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- Critic Score
The structural maturity, in this case, is merely a Trojan horse, meant to smuggle in the music's core brutality in a facade of lean indie mournfulness.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 29, 2012
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