The Observer (UK)'s Scores
- Movies
- Music
For 2,622 reviews, this publication has graded:
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37% higher than the average critic
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4% same as the average critic
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59% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.9 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 68
Highest review score: | Gold-Diggers Sound | |
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Lowest review score: | Collections |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1,234 out of 2622
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Mixed: 1,370 out of 2622
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Negative: 18 out of 2622
2622
music
reviews
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- Critic Score
This reissue (effectively 2008’s Collector’s Edition plus three excellent unreleased songs) proves that Radiohead’s reputation derives from their music’s depthless humanity, not its instrumentation.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jun 26, 2017
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Amid the homespun (often leaden) renditions of Hank Williams, Ian & Sylvia et al is a clutch of nuggets, among them the bluesy Silent Weekend and the country moan Wild Wolf. A still mysterious, wondrous chapter in Dylanology.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Nov 3, 2014
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If the grain of this album is purposely rougher-hewn, with boxy acoustics trading off with the odd sub-bass boom, the songwriting remains complex and elevated.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Apr 20, 2020
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[The two previously unreleased songs] comprise a fascinating companion piece for two classic albums.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Nov 8, 2021
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While Lamar’s extended metaphor of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly begs for greater self-knowledge and transcendence. That bit might get old quickly. The rest won’t.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Mar 23, 2015
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Ultimately, all are visions, alternately haunted and comforting. Subtle evolutions in mood and instrumentation come to peaks that are made all the more stunning by their scarcity.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Oct 7, 2019
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Bevan has jettisoned the sleep paralysis pop of his early work for something even more dissociated and peripatetic. You might head for the vicious rave of Rival Dealer or Nightmarket’s sumptuous, pealing melody first, to swerve some long, austere, beatless passages, but this is a compilation of rare bravery and beauty.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Dec 16, 2019
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This is a sexy, sparkling snapshot of borderless youth in 2023, with Amaarae emerging as an ascendant star.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jun 12, 2023
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- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Apr 24, 2017
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Here, beautiful songs are played with discretion and near-telepathy; a luminosity hovers above the slow miniatures.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jun 22, 2020
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A punk disposition suffuses many of these nine tracks, immolating assumptions around the j-word. Fly Or Die III (for brevity) rocks, rolls and generally throws itself around.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Aug 29, 2023
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Home recordings, small group experiments and the spoken credo of I Am an Instrument make for a rich, eventful ride.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Nov 30, 2016
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In an increasingly fraught world, it’s an unashamedly sunny sound. It makes for a gorgeous record in which to lose yourself for 40 minutes.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jun 15, 2020
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Conflict of Interest, his third studio release, has both cinematic scope and tear-jerking moments.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Feb 22, 2021
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Skeleton Tree shares sonic DNA with its predecessor, 2013’s Push the Sky Away, but there is something inward-facing here, something of the solo, piano Nick Cave, or of The Boatman’s Call.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Sep 12, 2016
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The song structures of the demos here don’t differ radically from those on the finished album, but shorn of the string section and piano that embellished the final versions there is a more intimate feel.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Oct 1, 2020
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The album’s feminist slant is “implicit” and reggaeton – the Latin American style heavily influenced by Caribbean sounds – powers a handful of sassy party flexes, a first for this artist, better known for her flamenco background. Staccato rhythms figure heavily, maintaining this unconventional pop artist’s edge. All that energy is balanced out by heartbreak on quieter ballads such as Como Un G and a handful of tracks where Rosalía’s first-class voice is allowed to take more traditional flight.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Mar 21, 2022
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If Disc 1 has more room for unreleased fun – a terrifically roiling live take on the sprawling Last Trip to Tulsa, a standout from Young’s self-titled debut album - Disc 6 doubles down on introspection.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Nov 23, 2020
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Given that these songs are really, really good, you pity the competition when Griff: The Opus finally lands.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jun 21, 2021
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Cynics will cry foul, that Beyoncé remains an entitled superstar, raging at a paper tiger. Those cynics will be ignoring one of this year’s finest albums.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted May 2, 2016
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Summer is traditionally the season for unearthing treasures from the jazz archives, and this is a real prize.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Aug 17, 2015
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To get the full effect, listen to the album from start to finish, over and over again. It’s a blast.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Feb 7, 2022
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The humour is often savage--a sprightly accordion heralds a story of damaged troops--but Cooder's aim is true. He's become a Woody Guthrie for our times.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Sep 6, 2011
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Over eight CDs (or a big download) is the story of one of the most intriguing partnerships in British music: the silvery folk-rock duo Richard and Linda Thompson. It is a tale worth retelling – and shelling out for.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Sep 22, 2020
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You Want It Darker could be addressed to fans pining for a return to Cohen’s bleakest songwriting; or a lover, or a higher power.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Oct 24, 2016
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Only at two or three points in the album does it feel like Ocean is actively courting heavy radio play.... The rest of the album, however, feels too offbeat and diffuse to trouble the top end of the charts. Is this a bad thing? Not at all.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jul 18, 2012
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It’s typical Monk--angular, mercurial, introspective--played by his regular quartet of the time, plus French saxophonist Barney Wilen.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Jul 31, 2017
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Dave’s Mercury prize- and Brit award-winning debut, Psychodrama, became a classic overnight; now it has a rival for introspection, operatic quality and wordplay. Tender piano arrangements, unadulterated storytelling and sermon-like verses flood this topical album that is part confessional poetry, part social commentary.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Aug 2, 2021
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There’s no shortage of killer hooks deeper into the album – a commitment to bangers matched by BLK’s wise words about personal damage and heartbreak on songs such as the excellent title track.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Oct 4, 2021
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Ultimately, it is Titanic Rising’s fusion of ancient and contemporary, 70s singer-songwriter tropes and electronic burbles, that convinces; the beauty Weyes Blood offers has its eyes wide open.- The Observer (UK)
- Posted Apr 8, 2019
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