Exclaim's Scores

  • Music
For 4,923 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 58% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 38% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 The Ascension
Lowest review score: 10 Excuse My French
Score distribution:
4923 music reviews
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mixed Emotions is just the painstakingly crafted, mood-driven long-player we've been waiting for from this immensely talented duo.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's business as usual for the Wedding Present, but in the best possible way.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A modest five-song EP, from its pared-down arrangements to its monochromatic album cover, Silent Hour/Golden Mile is a surprisingly cohesive release that begs for repeat spins.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Airy, vaguely psychedelic and meaningful, Beyond the Times is a gorgeous exhibition from a thoughtful, voracious artist relishing a whole new outlet.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    New Multitudes shows, just as Mermaid Avenue did in 1998, that Woody Guthrie's work remains a living entity with a limitless capacity to inspire.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Willner is clearly letting his time in Germany shape his sound, which isn't a bad thing and it's nice to see another, mellower side to his work.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The band are more interesting when they expand their sound.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The truth is Trust are masters of delivery and flawless executioners, proving to be much better mechanics than designers.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Open Your Heart's greatest triumph is its ability to hearken back without feeling retro.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The album's ten dirty bass, hydraulically placed rhythms come off like a more focused, implicit version of the Minnesota-born laptopper's previous work.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cursive have delivered a highly stylized album with a vivid conceptual storyline that keeps old fans listening while giving new listeners a chance to experience the progression the band have experienced over the last decade.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Though the stouter vocals have given the band more confidence for moments of melodic bombast, occasionally they sound out of place.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Straightforward and simple, A Eulogy for the Damned isn't a work of great musical genius, but is refreshing in its bravado and simplicity.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A lack of variation in tempos and tones gives a sense of redundancy, yet the pace of the album, with all of its gosh-darn hooks, carries it through to the end.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A marriage of vocal house, disco and pop, it's an immediately accessible album with several decent dance floor stompers.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Reign of Terror builds on the success of Treats without breaking from it, establishing Krauss and Miller as masters of their craft.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With their traditional sound mixing well with some new elements, Utilitarian marks the next chapter in Napalm Death's impressive career.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There's no doubt the songwriting is there--but the LP's best tracks ("All Our Wonder" and Old Haunts") share the lo-fi production that was a boon to the atmospheric beauty of their EP.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This is a release worth snapping up on vinyl when it finally comes out.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    As songs pulse and glow bright in the most dynamic of ways, it's almost bittersweet to see Mouse on Mars sounding so comfortable delivering house music, losing a bit of their identity with each passing beat.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Temple Beautiful is the sound of a mature rock'n'roller continuing to reach for new heights.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Personality comes off as expert techno done in a peculiarly conservative manner, an unadorned but sturdy tugboat floating amongst dubstep's rising tsunami.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    To the casual listener, it may sound like a shadow of their greatest work, but fans will find it rewarding.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    For a stopgap collaboration, Underrated Silence sits comfortably with some of Schnauss's best work.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The music contains all of the trembling beauty fans have come to expect from Alcest, combined with a sense of vitality and wanderlust.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The record is their most musically ambitious to date, while still maintaining the unrelenting, thrash-influenced Southern heavy metal they do best.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With a fine balance of clean singing between Scabbia and Ferro, atop the technicality of strings and beats, there's something for everyone.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Never in recorded history has there been an album of such audible variety, distinctive fidelity and lyrical intensity.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's a raucous, vibrant, but well structured musical approach that brings along recognized artists (like current lead singer Corey Glover and local rap legends Mystikal and Mannie Fresh) for the ride.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The profound sadness imbued in Mr. M, something that hasn't necessarily been as apparent on previous Lambchop albums, lends a consistency that produces a satisfying meditative effect.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It's clear that White's bravery in baring his soul has resulted in a quiet masterpiece.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Plumb is a rich, complex album, with the songs spilling over into each other.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's unburdened by obligatory connections to what's come before and as a result, has a renewed amount of energy.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The fact that it's both artistically bugged out and immediately rewarding is just the icing on the cake.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sinéad O'Connor's eighth full-length album, and her first in five years, is a revelation.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    On their new full-length, much-anticipated Epitaph debut On The Impossible Past, they exceed expectations once again.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's a wide landscape that Tindersticks illuminate with a palette of both vivid and muted colours.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Though not the punchy, great leap forward it could have been, Rose finally proves that she's far more than just a part of her former groups.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Windy & Carl deliver yet another significant and sublime release that's perfect for late night listening.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This record collects the works of Austrian composer Franz Schubert and morphs them into a gloomy meditation on the sure, comforting absurdity of existence.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Their brand of quirky indie pop runs throughout, but the slower numbers are as effective as the upbeat tunes.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Far from essential, Hotel Sessions is a glimpse of a once great songwriter in mid-process.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    They're still more than capable of cranking up the guitars and making the kind of caustic, spiky noise that's been their trademark for more than 30 years, especially live.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Reenergizing the band after a lackluster sophomore effort, the move [of switching guitars for synthesizers] has led to an atmospheric, assured and largely compelling record.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Six Cups is a "fun" record, sounding less serious in melody and experimentation than Lindstrøm's previous work, but it was undoubtedly crafted with the intentions of being taken equally seriously
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Though a touch disjointed, at times, The Search Engine is a trip.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Suitably cinematic, percussion-heavy and mostly instrumental, it's enjoyable as a standalone album, but it will be interesting to see how it works alongside the film.