Wall of Sound's Scores

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For 232 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 68% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 29% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.2 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: 92 Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
Lowest review score: 20 When It All Goes South
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 198 out of 232
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 232
  3. Negative: 2 out of 232
232 music reviews
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    • 72 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
    Manson's most ambitious, musically accomplished, and -- dare we say it? -- mature album to date. Holy Wood treads too much over the same nihilistic territory, raging against a God he claims doesn't exist, and describing in detail a life that he says isn't worth living. That said, there are some musically powerful moments on the album, notably the eviscerating power chords on "The Fight Song" and the galloping rhythms of "Disposable Teens."
    • 56 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Bridge
    The members of Blues Traveler, new and old, still play better than they write songs, but there's no denying that the group's indefatigable spirit remains engaging.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Binaural
    A formless collection that drifts from one tune to the next, weighed down by a general sense of murk that pervades everything from Tchad Blake's production to the song arrangements and the lyrics.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    At Last
    The main problem on At Last is that despite her best intentions, many of the tunes are so sappy that they just don't live up to the high standards a veteran singer can and should aim for.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    NakedSelf
    NakedSelf feels more like a transition than a treatise, like a little bit less when more is actually called for.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    Phantom Moon
    When all the elements of Phantom Moon align -- as they do on a handful of songs ("Mr. Chess," "Requiescat") -- the results are mesmerizing.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    Come to Where I'm From
    Because the songs jump so radically between styles, the ultimate reaction to Come to Where I'm From is confusion. Arthur seems to be looking for an identity but not feeling totally comfortable with any of the ones he adopts.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Happy Ending
    A perfectly serviceable modern-rock record-
    • 73 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    All For You
    But for all its emotional directness and prodigious length, there's a point on All for You where it all starts wear thin and Jackson's moments of celebration and vindictiveness seem played out rather than genuine...
    • 76 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    The Optimist LP
    Underlying The Optimist's base -- two complementary voices highlighted by beautifully executed acoustic guitar -- is Turin Brakes' bent existentialism, an expansive vision that adds a feeling of fatalism to many of these songs.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Black & Blue
    Surprisingly and disappointingly tame.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Tomorrow's Sounds Today
    Tomorrow's Sounds Today belies its promising title by breaking no new ground, and, in fact, retracing some pretty well-known boot-scootin' steps.... If nothing else, it's still a pleasure to hear on Tomorrow's Sounds Today what producer and guitarist extraordinaire Pete Anderson can do with material that is only average.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    ANThology
    Lyrically, they've got a ways to go.... That said, Alien Ant Farm shows some real potential.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Tha Last Meal
    It gets tiresome, sure, but should this Dogg be put to sleep? Not yet. He's still coming up with funky beats and rhymes (like every single day).
    • 72 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Dusty Trails
    Too often it sounds only half completed...
    • 60 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Conspiracy of One
    There's not much fat here, but there's not much meat and bone, either. If the Offspring, still the most successful of all the latter-day Southern California punkers, once had interest in teasing and amusing its fans, it has largely hidden those qualities this time around.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 61 Critic Score
    The Fifth Release From Matador
    Fifth Release is an intoxicating cocktail of beats and colors that swirl and explode like a Roy Lichtenstein collage. When Pizzicato Five gets in this zone, which they do repeatedly here, all the world's a runway, and everyone's a size four and working it on pinpoint stilettos.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 61 Critic Score
    Rule 3:36
    Unfortunately, Rule 3:36, which does feature a few worthwhile moments, doesn't string enough strong tracks together to be a cohesive, effective listen.
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