Under The Radar's Scores

  • TV
  • Music
For 5,850 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 40% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 56% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.6 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 68
Highest review score: 100 Kid A Mnesia
Lowest review score: 0 Burned Mind
Score distribution:
5850 music reviews
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The rest is solid enough--existing fans will find plenty to love. But this chaos is well under control. [Summer 2010, p.84]
    • Under The Radar
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It's hard to deny the Nashville charm of The Ettes, back for their fourth album, as they drive you down a back road with their blues-tinged rock, gliding as smoothly as Southern moonlight. [Jul 2011, p.89]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The tension of is-this-a-joke-or-serious is perhaps the largest aspect of the album's subtle, growing charm. [#10, p.105]
    • Under The Radar
    • 37 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All 10 songs on the album include strings, including the arena-ready 'Air Traffic Control' and the nine-minute 'Hopesick.' Whether these changes represent an improvement for Louis XIV is debatable--mostly it is hit and miss. [Winter 2008, p.83]
    • Under The Radar
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Live on Ten Legs is a nice summary collection from one of the best performers around.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Callahan eschews the gorgeous rococo arrangements that guided Eagle in favor of bare-bones guitar, muted fiddle surges, and a generally more restrained approach on Apocalypse, with ample space left for an emphasis on his rich baritone and trenchant lyrics. [may 2011, p.83]
    • Under The Radar
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There's enough creative progress here to prove that the band isn't in a holding pattern, though they're shrewd enough to still be easily recognizable to the audience that formed around their debut.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Mould's classic works cemented his legacy. Life And Times proves he is still vital. [Spring 2009, p.72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The album is a whole, steady listen. [March 2012, p.78]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It's not quite background and not quite foreground. But probably more background, like a film soundtrack--that could be fixed with just a little more variety. [Spring 2009, p.64]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Cults is a solid first album from a very interesting new voice in pop music. [May 2011, p.76]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In a way, the clear stylistic changes here put a spotlight on how diverse the group's discography really is. Just when you think you know somebody....
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Although the band cites Gentle Giant, Focus, and early King Crimson as influences, True Entertainment sounds a lot like Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones fronting Men Without Hats. An interesting combination, I’m sure you’ll agree. Occasionally, it works.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There’s an odd sense of everything being so damn tasteful that you almost want him to overreach and miss some notes. [#15]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While admirably demonstrating that they're no one trick pony, the album is plagued with moments so awkward it makes most first dates seem preferable-promises of pop pleasure be damned.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This is an album full of sophisticated late-night hangout music colored by '80s synths and blurry, desperate vocals. [Jul 2011, p.89]
    • Under The Radar
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Work (work, work) is a desolate, urban lullaby, deceptively simple and definitely suffocating, but worth a little immersion.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fort Nightly has some strong moments, but much of it is hit and miss. [Summer 2007, p. 86]
    • Under The Radar
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Their first offering isn't foolproof but presents enough noise to tide listeners over. [Spring 2009, p.75]
    • Under The Radar
    • 64 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fluorescence boasts some highly refined and not-so-mellow results. [Feb 2011, p.62]
    • Under The Radar
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sounds and feels like most Nada Surf albums do - shimmering, mid-tempo guitars clashing with knee-buckled notebook poetry. [#39, p.69]
    • Under The Radar
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The confident genre-jumping of these contrasting songs makes for a bizarre journey, but tere's so much here, you're bound to find something you like. [Fall 2008, p.87]
    • Under The Radar
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The score works best when the syrupy Hollywood strings are designed to interact meaningfully with M83's chunky John Carpenter-style synth work.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The remastering job has done wonders for the songs, which sounded limp in their original format. Here they pop and sparkle. [Fall 2008, p.90]
    • Under The Radar
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    "Cold Canada" is inscrutable, as much of this fine record is, but give it time and the tunes will ingratiate themselves into your psyche. [Feb 2011, p.65]
    • Under The Radar
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    That eye for harrowing detail is Cohn's greatest strength as a writer and occasionally his biggest weakness, as one minute he's effortlessly bringing to life sons who shoot heroin with their fathers and the next stumbling into awkward rhymes about UFC fighters. [Jul 2011, p.91]
    • Under The Radar
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While the shift to a kinder and gentler sound doesn't live up to the spectacular music of past efforts, you can't fault the band for trying something new to broaden their appeal. And even with a few shortcomings, Violence still has enough alluring music to make it a worthwhile endeavor.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Lack of pop structures be damned, the Norwegian duo have created a freewheeling, pleasant affair--even if we get the feeling we've heard it all before.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The closing title track is a pleasant enough number but reverts to the more safe James sound, a slight disappointment after the forward-sounding songs of the late middle of the album
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A few throwaway tunes, but probably the best Pretenders album since "Get Close." [Winter 2008]
    • Under The Radar
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    His mid-year gamble may not have paid off fully, but his textured worlds remain fruitful. [Winter 2010, p.68]
    • Under The Radar
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin have found a way to freshen up the formula, and the end result is their best album in years.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    To wit, Last Night is tailor made to be a guilty pleasure album. And, in this case, that is not a bad thing. [Feb 2011, p.66]
    • Under The Radar
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Long on spirit and short on hooks, it's an album whose main appeal is that it offers the listener a window into what one assumes musicians do for fun when no one else is around. [Jul 2011, p.91]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Balmorhea's spare and beautiful album finds inspiration in the negative space and elegant pacing of the cosmos. [Winter 2010, p.72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It's the act's best and nost fully realized LP to date. [Feb 2011, p.66]
    • Under The Radar
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The beguiling and unique pop element he [Tyondai Braxton] brought to the table left with him, and Battles haven't quite figured out how to replace it. La Di Da Di is an energetic step in the right direction. [Aug-Sep 2015, p.61]
    • 56 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This anthology of both new and classic mixes reminds us, if nothing else, that Depeche Mode remain an inspiring and influential force in modern music. [Jul 2011, p.91]
    • Under The Radar
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Mostly a lot of the same stuff that made you enjoy Grrr...
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Black Bananas mostly keep things tight throughout the record. [#39, p.66]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This is just the album to inspire you to turn your bedroom into a disco. [Spring 2009, p.79]
    • Under The Radar
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While Alexander, is not exactly the most varied albums, it is pleasantly--and impressively--cohesive, balancing just the right amount of sun-drenched melodies and unhinged heartache. [May 2011, p.83]
    • Under The Radar
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All the usual thematic motifs make an appearance, for good or ill. [Jun/Jul 2014, p.84]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Baby 81 still contains a decent collection of songs, it’s just that not only do most of them not stand out from the band’s previous work, they also pale in comparison. [#17, p.82]
    • Under The Radar
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The original record was decent but not especially memorable, and the remixes rarely rise above the level of a discarded Caribou B-side.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Influential they sure were, for better or worse, but right now, as heroically, monumentally crazed and unconventional they may be, Royal Trux are more a curio than compelling.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Entanglements is wildly ambitious and refreshingly out-of-step with its indie peers. Unfortunately, such a sustained state of effusive mania makes the album's 32-minute running time feel infinitely longer. [Fall 2008, p.82]
    • Under The Radar
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It's brave pop omnivorism, with Daniel and friends grabbing whatever they need in the name of reinvention. [Winter 2010, p.66]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All You Need Is now represents a step in the right direction, and you can sense the band getting back into shape. [Feb 2011, p.70]
    • Under The Radar
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Though it at first struggles to find its legs, Odditorium is as satisfying as anything the band's ever done. [#10, p.106]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Dystopia leaves you wanting more. [Summer 2008, p.94]
    • Under The Radar
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Steady but not stupendous. [Fall 2009, p.64]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This is music that needs to be ruminated on during late nights. [May 2011, p.79]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    What remains is a strong EP blown up into a flawed full-length. [Apr-Jun 2017, p.82]
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While intended as a love letter to their longtime fans, this 23rd LP from the Japanese rockers feels more like an optimal entry point for newcomers.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Overall, it's refreshing to hear an album so disarmingly free of pretense... but those who like their rock with a little more edge are advised to look elsewhere. [#7]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The sorrow-filled lyrics are balanced by jubilant choruses, which are playful and heart-wrenching at once, with the overall tone being one of acceptance. [Feb 2011, p.73]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    >> is always lurching forward, riding on a bassline here, a synth pattern there, or marching along on pumping rhythm patterns. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.116]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This time, tUnE-yArDs, Ebony Bones, and Cibo Matto provide the three most interesting re-creations. Given the strength of their contributions, and the fact that Ono remains such an inspiration to so many experimental female musicians, it's a shame that more women weren't invited.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    'The Reaper' is a fine blend of noisy guitars and busy rhythm, but a minimalist cover of Stevie Nicks 'Wild Heart' makes the most lingering impression. [Spring 2009, p.75]
    • Under The Radar
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    What this all amounts to is the fact that, in most relatable terms, The Dissent of Man sounds very much like Bad Religion, with all the good and bad that the characterization entails.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Their latest finds the band mixing a haunting calm into songs such as the 13-minute "Let The Right One in." The band can still do heavy with the best of them, though. [Winter 2010, p.72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The lack of highs and lows in each song gives the album a repetitive and anti-climactic feel. [#7]
    • Under The Radar
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It can't quite replicate the experience [of their live show]. [#8, p.111]
    • Under The Radar
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While not scaling great heights, Wildwood is modern, bluegrass-tinged Americana of undeniable warmth. [Summer 2010, p.88]
    • Under The Radar
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There is much potential here, and once you get past all of the sound-like gestures, the band's abilities can shine through. [Spring 2009, p.71]
    • Under The Radar
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In the end, the comfort if a Sondre Lerche album is what also makes it forgettable. [May 2011, p.79
    • Under The Radar
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While Play it Strange is a solid album worthy of many repeat listens, the second track "Waterfall" tends to overshadow the rest of the album.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Perfect Pussy is almost definitely a band to be experienced live rather than on record, but as statements of intent go, Say Yes to Love is an incredibly powerful one.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Any self-respecting DBT fan will enjoy this bluesy, grim and determined changeup. [Feb. 2011, p. 72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Stagnant Pools make a drone-y noise out of only guitars and drums. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.122]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Hard-Fi don't quite have the lyrical prowess or songwriting chops yet to make the dent they'd like. [#13, p.92]
    • Under The Radar
    • 87 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    For all its foreboding themes, Dig, Lazarus Dig!!! is melodically accessible and a very neutrally pop album. [Spriung 2008, p.74]
    • Under The Radar
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While the stark quality here isn't necessarily harsh, it maintains a sharp sense of calm that rattles deep inside the body with its intensity. [#39, p. 73]
    • Under The Radar
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Ultimately You're Welcome is just another Wavves album, another collection of sugary anthems.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    They're maturing gracelessly, still in love with the fool's gold myth of rock and roll, which is precisely why Angles succeeds as a record.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Occasionally too sweet for its own good, Fink's atmosphere of perpetual twilight never fails to soothe, even as it unsettles. [Fall 2009, p.58]
    • Under The Radar
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Gorillaz was once a creative outlet that allowed Albarn to explore new territories. But Cracker Island suggests that the concept has grown stale. Those lovable animated creatures feel like they’re on an island of their own, isolated and untethered to what’s actually been churning the project forward all along.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Holsapple and Stamey cover a lot of ground on Here And Now, but the common element is the glorious melodies and natural harmonies that can only be borne out of decades of musical partnership. [Summer 2009, p.74]
    • Under The Radar
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Out Into The Snow dissects the tragedy of the human condition with surgical precision. [Fall 2009, p.72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A pretty set of songs, but this time out, it appears that Sigur Rós's reach has failed to exceed their grasp, resulting in an album that is simply good rather than outstanding.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sly and Robbie provide an adequate musical magic carpet for the singer to float on, but it fails to complement her as much as it should. [#11, p.108]
    • Under The Radar
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There’s a wealth of experimenting going on in the studio with Puzzles Like You, and it creates a timeless A.M. radio sound. [#14]
    • Under The Radar
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    [They're unquestionably still the same band, but--just like many of their longtime listeners--they're all grown up now. [Nov/Dec 2014, p.63]
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While it's good to have Rodriguez writing her own material again, it's also nice to have talented friends. [Jan-Feb 2013, p.94]
    • Under The Radar
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Untamed Beast is more of the same but with a ratcheted-up rock-and-roll attitude.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    What it lacks in real energy and excitement is more than made up for with a deep sense of place and atmosphere which truly consumes the listener.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    It's familiar territory for fans, and a fun passage in his substantial discography. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.123]
    • Under The Radar
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Musically, the 17 songs here are mostly dark and sweeping, Amos hesitatiing to provide the big melodies to latch onto, rather roping the listener in with a feelinga and entrancing with her lyrics. [Summer 2009, p.64]
    • Under The Radar
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Though Wildlife is undoubtedly meditative in nature, the most solemn and somber album in the band's catalog thus far, one can also hear Headlights rising above, pulling itself up oyt of the emotional mire. [Fall 2009, p.58]
    • Under The Radar
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    On its sophomore album, Priestess pulls no punches and delivers all blows in menacing fashion, borrowing heavily from the gods of metal's yesteryear.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    As Wild Beasts records tend to go, Smother is par for the course in terms of its opulent eccentricities and its magnificently polished arrangements. This time around, though, the Beasts have been tamed. Frankly, that's a disappointment.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Bumped up to the majors for Tell Me, like its predecessor produced by Auerbach, Mayfield evinces maturity in both her sonic approach and her writing. [Feb. 2011, p. 72]
    • Under The Radar
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There is a delight in the frivolity that is unabashed in its goal of primal regression and targeting of the id. But this perpetually "in the red" energy level is both the charm and biggest fault of this album, as by the end you find yourself wishing that the finish was a little way back.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Williams and White seem born to sing together. Their natural vocal chemistry makes Barton Hollow a satisfying listen straight through. That said, the album is heavy on made-for-TV dramatic balladry, the sort of thing that features so well on Grey's Anatomy.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Unfortunately, five tracks have been trimmed from the original release, the most conspicuous being previous standout "Chordaroy," leaving an album that feels a bit slight when taken as a whole.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The main drawback of Lust Lust Lust is that it might be a little too lo-fi and fuzzy. [Winter 2008, p.84]
    • Under The Radar
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Wisely, he opts for eqar-popping sounds, great humor, and good times. [Spring 2010, p.70]
    • Under The Radar
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    FOMO is seldom revelatory, but its concise pop never wears out its welcome.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While those EPs were the energetic documents of a hungry band at a creative peak, [this album] too often seems to fall flat. [#17, p.88]
    • Under The Radar