Urb's Scores

  • Music
Select another publication »
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:
  1. Positive: 856 out of 1126
  2. Mixed: 256 out of 1126
  3. Negative: 14 out of 1126
1126 music reviews
view
per page
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Stankonia
    To call Stankonia the album of the year would be easy. It would also be somewhat incomplete. The Atlanta duo's fourth album is more than simply a great record; it's a complex tome that enmeshes contemporary hip-hop values with a timeless Southern soul, while pushing the envelope damn near off the table. [#79, p.134]
    • Urb
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    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."
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Madvillainy
    Boatloads of fresh, clunky beats land ashore with narrative tongue trickery. [Apr 2004, p.86]
    • Urb
    • 92 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Boy In Da Corner
    Dizzee's production style is impressive.... His flow is urgent and coherent. [Mar 2004, p.109]
    • Urb
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The ArchAndroid
    Either allow this the dignity of being played through a quality sound system or go invest in a pair of Beats by Dres. This is far less an album than a cinematic experience.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Original Pirate Material
    The Streets' novel pairing of dance music and wordplay hits the mark more often than not, and it's a step in a potentially interesting direction. [Nov 2002, p.93]
    • Urb
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    London Zoo
    The lyrical presence and content of guests is what sets London Zoo apart from other dubstep producers.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
    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.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Untrue
    The anonymous producer behind the work of Burial is letting his dubstep sounds progress and on his impressive sophomore album he can be found chasing the transient hints of beauty to be found in the confines of urban desolation.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rounds
    Simultaneously builds and deconstructs the strides made with Pause, resulting in an even more organic blend of quiet but muscular compositions. [Jun 2003, p.93]
    • Urb
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Last Exit
    But wait, you say you're sick of disingenuous irony? Well so are we, which is why Junior Boys is such an astounding relief, boarding on rapturous in their melancholy. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.125]
    • Urb
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Merriweather Post Pavilion
    With Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective have proven themselves to be at the forefront of progressive pop, as deadly with their textures as they are with their melodies.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hypermagic Mountain
    One of the most rewarding and noisy records of the year. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.103]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II
    His timing, precision, and craftsmanship in regards to everything having to do with this project has been impeccable. It's not a classic. But it's damn close.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ta Det Lugnt
    Absolutely endearing. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.101]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bad as Me
    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.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dear Science,
    Overall, Science expands the band’s already-vast palette that continues to defy and recontextualize any definition of a “rock” band.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Return To Cookie Mountain
    Give up now, guys, because it rarely gets better than this. [Jun 2006, p.113]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Up In Flames
    Laptop pop that shimmers, shakes and twists like the precocious child of Aphex Twin, Spiritualized and the Beatles. [Aug 2003, p.89]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Destroyer's Rubies
    Fey and whimsical, these songs are challenges that reward. [Apr 2006, p.96]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fishscale
    Frankly, this record makes me wish I could snort bass lines through my ear holes. [Apr 2006, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Arular
    M.I.A.'s singsong cadence is both child-like and streetwise, perfectly mirroring the smiley-faced menace of the electro-informed palpitations behind her. [Mar 2005, p.113]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Person Pitch
    An album this undeniably imaginative, consistent and immersive comes as a wonderful surprise and proof that maybe music isn't as lost as it seems. [Apr 2007, p.107]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    College Dropout
    Manages to be both visceral and emotive, sprinkling the dancefloors with tears and sweat. [Mar 2004, p.111]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Showtime
    [A] solid sophomore effort. [Nov 2004, p.98]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cold House
    Experimental hip-hop and moppish guitar pop *can* go hand in hand. [#90, p.118]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Franz Ferdinand
    Unlike their inspirations, they've ditched the Marxist polemics in favor of dance-driven ambiguous tales of fumbled romance. [Jun 2004, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Airtight's Revenge
    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.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Suburbs
    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.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Kala
    Her most anticipated follow-up is again the most cross cultural jam you'll hear this year. [Sep/Oct 2007, p.129]
    • Urb
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Phantom Power
    Phantom Power is pretty much your perfect experience, certainly alongside some jazzy cigarettes and a nubile lovely. [Oct 2003, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Sound Of Silver
    The vocals are where Murphy has developed the most, trading in his Mark E. Smith yelp for various crooning styles. [Jan/Feb 2007, p.75]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    One Word Extinguisher
    Still more for headphones than headspins, but offering plenty for the heads. [#104, p.96]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Earn
    With entertaining lyrics and even better themes, yU draws the listeners to his adventure that is The Earn.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Welcome To Mali
    But if this is not a problem for you (there’s hardly a word of English), then you’ll enjoy the warm dialogue and glacial crooning of an ancient tongue presented over a psychedelic mix of some of the dark continents finest.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mirrored
    Every song on the 52-minute masterpiece builds and bridges until everything self-destructs and the only thing left to do is dance. [May 2007, p.92]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Bon Iver
    In an industry flooded with trumpeted artists not worth their weight in salt, Bon Iver's abstract ruminations more than warrant the hype.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    How I Got Over
    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.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
    Immersive and woozy, brittle yet supple, a twittering, throttling piper of spectral drones. [Jul/Aug 2004, p.126]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Hercules And Love Affair
    The songs are expertly arranged and succinct, staying away from the lengthy workouts of most of his DFA contemporaries. [Jul/Aug 2008, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Minimum-Maximum [Live]
    This [is] all the Kraftwerk you need, if you didn't need all the Kraftwerk ever made. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.106]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Space Is Only Noise
    Space Is Only Noise is not a perfect album, he could have done without the fillers, but it's a perfect listening experience.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    LCD Soundsystem
    It's mostly about a rollicking anti-frat party, where grizzled indie kids take ecstasy and discover the primal appeal of the dance floor. [Mar 2005, p.112]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Futureheads
    Explores the previously uncharted territory where shouty alt.rock meets a cappella vocals and skinny-tied new-wave melody. [Nov 2004, p.99]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Truth Is Here [EP]
    Ali's lyrics and Ant's production have more to say in a few bars than most MCs and producers are able to in an entire song.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Authenticity
    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.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine
    [A] full clip of club bangers and radio rockers. [Mar 2004, p.108]
    • Urb
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    OST
    Nearly every song here can be called seminal without the slightest flinch. [Oct 2002, p.102]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Third
    It's hard to leave your comfort zone, especially with unrealistically high expectations, but the band successfully redefines itself without alienating their core audience. Welcome back, guys.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pause
    An utterly modern, far-out reverie of an album. The whole thing works like a charm. [Oct 2001, p.128]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition
    9th [Wonder]'s impassioned beatwork's sole shortcoming is there's not enough of it, as this album runs less than 40 minutes. [Apr 2004, p.83]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Hail To The Thief
    The band seems more comfortable in the studio than ever. [Aug 2003, p.88]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Beauty And The Beat
    With an awe-inspiring imagination in tow, Edan drops his own distinct magical mystery tour. [Apr 2005, p.101]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    For Hero: For Fool
    It's almost like Subtle, as a collective, is afraid of letting loose or having too much fun. [Oct 2006, p.130]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Budos Band III
    The Budos Band III is a remarkably cohesive album, and despite the lack of surprises, it's one tremendously enjoyable listen.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Veckatimest
    Combine some of the best pipes in the game with Grizzly Bear's newfound comfort in executing the grand & epic, and you've got Veckatimest; a total triumph that threatens to dwarf their own previous "House."
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
    A perfect album. [Sep 2006, p.143]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Crimes
    They rant and roil through aggressive blasts of adrenaline and youth... like their nads are on fire. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.94]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ys
    She surpasses the level of comparatively hook-heavy songwriting set with The Milk-Eyed Mender by evoking a dramatic weight people will still be talking about years down the line. [Nov 2006, p.137]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kish Kash
    Pushes the boundaries so far it's difficult to even call what they do "house" anymore. [Nov 2003, p.88]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    This Right Here Is Buck 65
    While the melding of country with hip-hop might seem dubious, from Buck's perspective, they may as well be symbiotic. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.94]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Emeritus
    Emeritus concludes Scarface’s tenure as one of the genre’s favorite artists actively recording. It’s a depressing thought, yet this is an album that stands proudly among an already hugely influential back catalogue.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Lookaftering
    Bunyan's lilting ballads are as darling as ever. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.102]
    • Urb
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fever To Tell
    Easily one of the best albums of 2003. [Jul 2003, p.94]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Kaputt
    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.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Geogaddi
    Perhaps it's one of those unlikely Warp releases that manages to pair technical precision with an all-too-rare feeling of humanity. [Apr 2002, p.119]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bow Down To The Exit Sign
    An album that blends genres and forms to spawn a rare breed of funky breakbeat-inspired rock.... Unfortunately, the vocal collaborations with the likes of Jon Spencer, Bobby Gillespie, and Martina Topley-Bird are a bit ill-fitting and disappointing. [#79, p.124]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Serena-Maneesh
    The group maintains its own modern, unique sound while capturing and reimagining the familiar. [May 2006, p.95]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Medulla
    [A] powerful statement. [Oct 2004, p.101]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    This Is Happening
    In it’s complete scope, the album contains all the master works we’re usually too scared to expect from a full-length these days.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Donuts
    Experiencing multitudes of brief bangers is a rare treat. [Mar 2006, p.113]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Lost And Safe
    They posses a talent for identifying the raw, emotive aspects of sound and speech in random statements and simple chord progressions. [Apr 2005, p.101]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Feels
    To call these songs ambitious would be an understatement. [Oct 2005, p.76]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Takk...
    Eventually the payoff makes all the setup completely worth it. [Dec 2005, p.99]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Lost in Translation OST
    Amazing new music from Shields.... The perfect soundtrack to a brilliant movie. [Dec 2003, p.89]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Crane Wife
    This is an amazing, innovative, storytelling record that takes you on [a] fantastic, fun trip. [Oct 2006, p.118]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Beginning Stages Of...
    This record sounds like nothing else in your collection. [Oct 2003, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tarot Sport
    Tarot Sport goes far beyond it's sonically daunting reaches and succeeds at being a deeply emotional experience.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Entomology
    An overdue look into one of Scotland's most underrated bands. [Dec 2006, p.116]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Heavy Ghost
    Stith’s ability to combine sounds into a sort of post-modern tribal folk is what makes the album so enjoyable to listen to.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Multiply
    Truly strange and beautiful. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.102]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tronic
    Black thrives on his own, finding strength in lyrical risk-taking that ultimately makes the Milk name ring thicker and sweeter than ever before. [Nov/Dec 2008, p.84]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cast Of Thousands
    Their wall of sounds with lush keyboards and itchy guitars still fire strong. [Nov 2003, p.92]
    • Urb
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dr. No's Ethiopium
    Ethiopium is an instant classic that reveals its true essence after every listen, and as such, will only reward those who prove worthy.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tha Carter III
    Maybe that's how we need to view this record--a little less anxious in our anticipation and balanced out with a little more enjoyment. Then, it just might be a classic.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chemical Warfare
    His dark, gritty boom bap is back. Better than ever.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Out of Season
    Disarmingly intimate. [Dec 2003, p.87]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Game Theory
    The Roots' energy is claustrophobic and thus, jaded. It still has a prominent place on Game Theory, but when it's not subdued, it's downright bitter. [Sep 2006, p.142]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Faking The Books
    Their sound is an interesting polyglot, one as easily accessible to dance minimalists and brown corduroy-wearing emo boys, and with nary a compromise. [Apr 2004, p.86]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Between My Head and the Sky
    Love her or hate her, Between My Head And The Sky isn't terrible. Yoko Ono is still in the game, and if it's possible to find a deeper meaning to lyrics like "Why is [the elephant] so big/ He says because you're small honey," then more power to her.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Grinderman 2
    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?!
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    In Search Of... [Second Version]
    A densely brilliant sonic template. [June 2002, p.102]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    1988
    The highlight of this album is Blueprint's pensive, jazzy landscape of strangled horns and muddy synths. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.94]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Uproot
    Even with the occasional miss, the near-violent style-hopping is more than welcome where Rupture is concerned.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Blaqkout
    Despite the dead weight of his guest MC, Quik delivers a package full of heat. Nothing new or ground breaking, just good old fashioned West Coast party bounce.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    No More Heroes
    What’s really impressive here, however, is instead of crafting another album filled with ethical coaching (which was actually a pretty damn good record, by the way), the group found an interesting theme and stuck to it.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Swim
    With Swim Snaith finds success focusing his most complex notions and freeing his most straightforward ideas.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Grinderman
    An album more raw than an infected, 10-day-old open head wound. [Apr 2007, p.102]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    23
    It's a beautiful collection of songs, cinematic and powerful, never pushy. [Apr 2007, p.100]
    • Urb
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Drift
    On Drift, LA-based producer Nosaj Thing’s debut album, the numerous layers of synths sonically sub in for the verbalization, creating a 37-minute instrumental masterpiece.
prev
Page: