Urb's Scores

  • Music
For 1,126 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 63% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 35% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Lowest review score: 10 This Is Forever
Score distribution:
1126 music reviews
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With this charismatic effort, Sandman has proven to be the audio equivalent of creeper weed.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    This is not a bad record, just not what the game needed from De La at the moment.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This is a disc with massive high points and few low moments.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With entertaining lyrics and even better themes, yU draws the listeners to his adventure that is The Earn.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This is just one entertaining ride for hardcore hip-hop fans all the way down the corridor, one that economically rocks your knot at just under 42 minutes.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nothing stays as it seems for long, but the dense ethereality they've created with Narrows definitely leaves a lasting presence on even passing listeners.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The whole album is deep and atmospheric, with the right amount of up-tempo treats.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    An album that hardcore fans will appreciate but isn't likely to help garner any new followers.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Armed with the most awesomely peculiar voice in American music, Waits understands the necessity of reinvention to keep the wheels turning after decades and decades of recording. The approach pays dividends on Bad As Me.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    There's always something a bit fresh to the way Cox decides to articulate his musical notions, and this album shows that regardless of the ways his influences and ideas phase around each other, the impressions he presents are among the most appealing to be found.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    XXX
    That's the magic of XXX: whether joy, sadness or disgust, Mr. Brown will make you feel something.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    There's More To Life Than This contains no weak tracks, only a few slightly bland moments.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Nothing will blow you away here but a good listen taken in total.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite running a bit long, this is clearly one of the year's better releases.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Bleak and beautiful, Family & Friends is an absolute beast.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    In an industry flooded with trumpeted artists not worth their weight in salt, Bon Iver's abstract ruminations more than warrant the hype.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Pressure and Time is revivalist rock inflected with just the right hue of the now.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Grieves still knows how to make catchy, emotive indie rap with the best of them.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Golden Age of Apocalypse has an extremely rich and cosmic-like atmosphere, making you instantly reach for the repeat button. Stephen Brunner is no more a sideman; he's a solid jazz cat that doesn't need to jerk off with his bass wizardry.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Do not sleep. The lush soundscapes of the vivid and fascinating world of Paul White await.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Overall it's a great promissory note to the world, and a view of what's to come in the dance world. If anything, all I can hope for are more divas and fewer bros dominating the scene.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Why is it so easy to cling onto certain bodies of work and wish for each subsequent effort to bear resemblance? Well, the easy answer is because both of these men are very good at telling specific types of stories.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    At the end of the day, I'm Gay (I'm Happy) proves that he is a much better artist (and role model) than anyone was led to believe.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite waiting four years since getting noticed, their throwback beats and rhymes still hit things right throughout their LP debut, When Fish Ride Bicycles.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    10 tracks of pure seamless joy.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Milk, Guilty Simpson & Sean Price have that triple threat chemistry a la Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler & Dirk Nowitzki. Any album that makes you want to cop the instrumental version gives it legs and Milk has clearly emerged as one of the top producers in the game.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All the same basic elements--classic synth leads, intricately pulsing rhythms and pop vocal stylings--are back again for It's All True, but for this album the screen is completely gone, and Junior Boys are as front and center as they've ever been.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rise Again is a highly listenable experience and except for a few bizarre lyrics (E.T. and Inakaya), it's 11 accessible tracks, soaked in sunny vibes.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It's all clean, instrumental, cold techno. A sparse start builds and warms up to colder, bigger tracks. Along with the Egyptixx record, Fever might be the electronic underdog of the year.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    It's an unusual back-and-forth that delivers rapturous results on the seven piece band's sophomore record Own Your Ghost.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    So while Born This Way for the most part is great, I just don't think she's at her peak musically yet.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Like much of the dark electronic pop that's come before WhoMadeWho's latest, the drive behind the music is the key to success.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The insanity in Tyler's ever-more-popular rap character feels real because he too recognizes it. He's crazy and it's crazy that we're listening, but maybe that makes the actual world slightly more sane. Oh, the horror.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Following a seven year gap between studio albums, Sacramento's CAKE is back with the compelling, yet inconsistent Showroom of Compassion.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    He merges genres and styles, and it's impossible to resist his bass heavy and chest bursting productions.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Space Is Only Noise is not a perfect album, he could have done without the fillers, but it's a perfect listening experience.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    21
    21 is just a logical, major label extension of her girl-ish, diary-dream optimism.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sure, the album title is about as random as their name and the way they originated, and yes, their sound is a crazy jumble of gritty, primal punk rebellion, but not for one moment does it not work. Openly stated, they have their shit together--no pun intended.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Discerning heads will notice that the stellar rhyme schemes and heartfelt storytelling resonates much louder than the accent.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Reminiscent of our favorite moments from groups like Radiohead, ColdPlay, and Kings of Leon, Everyone I Ever Met is sure to garner the vintage Schwinn- riding guys from Oregon some well deserved props from music lovers world-wide. Do not miss this stellar release.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    it is pretty much the same thing we all loved from Hercules and Love Affair. Does that mean this album is bad? No, it's fabulous. There was just no risk, no movement.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The young studio maverick has given us something entirely new, but it's not perfect. It's not an inconsistent album, but it has a few unnecessary fillers. His unrestricted, deconstructed, sparse and minimal productions are unique and he deserves all the hype surrounding him.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The refreshing thing about bands like Cut Copy is that they're consistent. Far too often do artists change direction throughout their careers and sometimes lose touch with that thing that made us all fall in love with them in the first place, but this isn't the case with Zonoscope.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Talib seems to be coasting just a bit on this cut-and-paste session. As in, from a pure musical standpoint, outside of a few of repeat-worthy tracks, Gutter Rainbows, is no cure for your current cabin fever.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The sounds here aren't quite what people are going out of their way to find these days, but these songs stick around for more than just a casual listen.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Red Barked Tree captures the sharp and fiery hallmark defined by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis and Robert Grey some thirty-odd years ago to strike a pressure point relevant to younger generations.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sonically, the joy comes from the triumphant, painstaking arrangement that undoubtedly went into the production of tracks like "Power," the aforementioned "All Of The Lights," and the album closing "Lost In The World."
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's creative, enlightening, and altogether fun.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    What I realized listening to this studio masterpiece is that Phonte, Dwele, and Aloe Blacc are all former MC's with new grown and sexy albums out this year worth purchasing.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    His throaty, gnarled vocals--best showcased on the meandering, Dilla-esque Cloudlight--lend his music a gothic mood. [Nov 2010, p.109]
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Filtered drum patterns, neo-gospel arrangements and plaintive piano jams, along with curious and catchy enough melodies, obscure Cudi's guttural talk-raps for a bit.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All platitudes aside, I have to say that there is some filler - mostly packed into the album's second quarter where most artists tend to hide their more mediocre material.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If Pilot Talk was the daylight that showcased Curren$y's talent to the world, part 2 is that evening's afterparty.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The signature post-rock and cleverly monotonous Stereolab aesthetic is still present, and continues to be refreshingly innovative.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Books have found their way out of convention, and they've been kind enough to invite us all along with them.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Experienced as a whole, Condors is a multi-course meal that features some familiar dishes and some foreign with ingredients that require a bit of acclimation-but they're all delicious.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    We Can't Fly is over the top, trying to embrace everything Vito De luca ever loved about radio, or all the music he ever loved, period. It's a cosmic mess of styles and guests. People who are fans of his DJ sets will not feel at home in this setting, with no crowd pleasers except for the title track.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    What Sufjan did in The Age of Adz is so beautiful and rich and complicated; he ended up telling the story of what life is for so many people who just end up turning the gears of the larger machine.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Metallic Spheres, a collaboration with electronica legends the Orb, represents his boldest and most satisfying footnote to date.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If IDM is that pudgy guy with the thick glasses who won't shut up about Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Gold Panda is the shy boy in the corner that somehow gets the coolest girl at the party to make him breakfast.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Producer Stephen Hilton's light-handed touches mesh well with the mood of the brooding Briton, but the hints at electronica keep things lively enough throughout.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Swanlights is seemingly effortless - the mark of a master at work.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite the scattered feel of the album, its individual components are undeniably solid and easy to listen to.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It might be difficult to differentiate after nine full-lengths, but Mixed Race may be the least engaging album we've heard from Tricky to date.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    No Age might be what you've been seeking this whole time. If you're just a music snob and pride yourself on some peculiar yet ostensibly good sounds, this is definitely for you's as well. If you're looking for something else, something that utilizes more traditional instruments toward a particular and thought-provoking sonic texture, I sincerely recommend mathematical rockers No Age as a band altogether and thus unreservedly their work on Everything in Between as well!
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Although Abe Vigoda was fun and games when they first started, they show true courage in their new music.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Modest protest songs, lack of money and painful love is the platform on Good Things. He deals with hardship in an uplifting manner and with smart lyrics.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Upon first listen, the crew miss the mark with the unfortunate single, "If You Want It," a trainwreck attempt at a new audience. However, there is nary another song on the album so reprehensible. In fact, there are at least 5 cuts that will have many of you reaching for your disco biscuits and hoping for a Skytel page with the coordinates of an epic warehouse sweatfest.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    At the end of the day Maximum Balloon is not a great departure from the TV on the Radio sound. And it's hard to say that's a bad thing.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Albums such as Wake Up! – best intentions aside – run the risk of coming across as entirely cheesy and contrived. Unfortunately, John Legend and The Roots are no exception to the rule.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Their precise work is only weakened by 2 anemic post-punk tracks, but 9 out of 11 ain't bad. You should expect to hear a lot more from the duo in the instant future.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    From the Cradle to the Rave has a high cool factor, almost too cool; perfect for any semi-ironic hipster party.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The defining thread running through Chromeo's body of work is earnestness: you might scoff at the Lothario-obsession, the legs on display in the artwork, the almost-religious adherence to '80s stylistics, but in the end you either have to a) give it up for their studiousness, or b) just dance.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Even though love and religion may be his False Priest, Barnes can't escape their torrid ties, and despite the struggle being a lost cause, there is much cause to rejoice on of Montreal's tenth album.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    While many of Cave and Co.'s albums celebrate redemption and salvation after an emotional battering, Grinderman 2 is about release, musically and otherwise – what else would you expect from a photo of a rabid wolf about to piss on then or tear a hole in someone in an opulent house?!
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Thirty years into their collaboration, Underworld's Rick Smith and Karl Hyde continue to sit at the forefront of dance music innovation. Barking is just further proof that Underworld isn't going anywhere.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    His sixth record fuses together the best of his ability, the remarkable piano compositions and absurd lyricism, with production outsourced to Berlin electronic producer Boys Noize.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite not being as mesmerizingly immense as some of his earlier output, the record is still a far-out journey of dramatics ("Restart" and "Levels"), hooky winners ("Robots" and "Think It Over") and real-world lament ("Flying" and "Think It Over"). In short, the wait paid off.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Banks leads his dark orchestra with aplomb on Interpol's most cohesive effort since Turn On The Bright Lights.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Berlin's long-running tendency toward grit-glitz, which musicians from Bowie to Peaches have channeled in their work, is the inspiration for this fourth record of functional fun.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Surfing The Void unfortunately isn't a break-through or even a repeat of the past success.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The cumulative results of his efforts are a masterpiece both dark and striking. Dear is putting forth an open invitation to tour these shadowed places of his imagination, and this is one offer too good to miss.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Overall, this is an interesting departure from their work in the past, but hopefully, Darker My Love won't continue to drift further from the sound for which they are known.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sadly, Camu Tao passed on before he had the chance to fully craft his magnum opus and one has to applaud the decision to let the world hear what is and what could have been.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Budos Band III is a remarkably cohesive album, and despite the lack of surprises, it's one tremendously enjoyable listen.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It seems semi-impossible for Montreal's held-in-holy-regard Arcade Fire to top their previous two albums, but with The Suburbs they seem to have at least met their own standard.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Though adhering to this formula/non-formula, this self-produced long-time-comin' sophomore release relies on an even more augmented eclecticism than their 2004 guitar-driven Future Perfect (not better or worse, just OK Computer to The Bends differences).
    • 75 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 is El-P at his weirdest and finest, a dystopian symphony of other-worldly drums, funk horns, and brilliantly-culled samples.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Too often, bands are promenaded across the web, heralded in a way that makes everyone a name-dropping music connosieur, only to fade too fast....hopefully the same won't happen to the latest interwebs It Chick, Bethany Cosentino b.k.a. Best Coast.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Major Lazer have never been bashful about appropriating musical styles where ever they find them; every song they make seems to be trying to remix the entire global street culture all at once. On Lazers Never Die they manage to duct tape all their influences together into a fun, listenable package.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Earnestly sung lyrics in the vein of Jack Johnson or John Mayer, 80s-style instrumentation (percussion, guitar licks, synths), and constant rhythmic switch-ups are elegantly crafted. This album isn't boring, it's just too polished for the raw sounds and styles it draws influence from.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    M.I.A.'s schizophrenic style does not please this time around. The industrial and mechanical soundscape lacks both genuine protest songs or club jams.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Like many bands before them who similarly created magic with their debut albums, this Brooklyn trio can't quite harness the same level of energy for their sophomore effort.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Despite all of it's successes, the fact is that the album doesn't reach perfection, which I imagine is what most Jets fans might have been expecting from it. I will argue that it's a superior piece of work and certainly one of the better hip hop releases so far this year.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    He possesses flawless rap skills, artiness, tasty hooks and smart production. There are lots of strong tracks, but his debut is highly enjoyable as a complete listening experience.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Long-time Kelis fans might be initially surprised at the sonic switch-up-it's more dance than quirky R&B-but there's something totally right about the way Kelis tackles electronic music.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Her return to electro-pop form on Aphrodite–Minogue's 11th studio record in 23 years–is on point, maybe even better, than much of her discography.
    • Urb
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Again and Again is an atmospheric album, but it suffers under often nonsense lyrics, uninspired vocals and borrowed production. It doesn't leave a lasting impression.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    While How I Got Over is cut from the same cloth as their last album, the fabric of it is unique to itself. It's dark and tragic in places, but also enlightening and empowering.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Eclecticism has always been the strength of the Chemical Brothers and with their seventh studio album Further they continue to develop musically.