Album Reviews8/10
Charli XCX’s Charli Makes Strange and Sweet Pop Work Together, Earning an 8/10
Charli XCX's third record weds strange production to sweet pop hooks, a wild once-in-a-while triumph of nerve and craft.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Category: Album Reviews
Records we have scored.
Album Reviews8.2/10
Billie Eilish’s Debut Trusts Silence as Much as Sound
A debut of quiet dread and bare basslines, wherein a young singer's fears become fit matter for song. Fourteen tracks, no waste.
Album Reviews8.6/10
thank u, next: Grande Turns a Hard Year Into Her Most Confident Record
A record of confession and control, twelve songs written in the raw middle of a hard season, weighed and reviewed.
Album Reviews7.1/10
reputation: Taylor Swift’s Darkest Gamble Mostly Pays Off
Taylor Swift's reputation trades her clean pop start for a darker, electronic turn — a record full of bite, revenge, and one quiet, tender moment.
Album Reviews7.3/10
ANTI at 10: Rihanna’s Riskiest Record Still Wins the Trade
A record of sixteen dirges wherein Rihanna forsakes the easy hymn for the discordant and the deeply felt.
Album Reviews8.7/10
Dirty Computer: Janelle Monáe Names Her Own Terms and Never Backs Down
A daring, joyous record naming its own truth, fourteen tracks of proud, personal song.
Album Reviews9.2/10
Lemonade at 10: Beyoncé’s Most Complete Statement Still Hasn’t Aged
A woman's fury, grief, and pride, wrought into one record of betrayal turned song — Lemonade, examined track by track.
Album Reviews6.8/10
Neil Young Chases Urgency, Not Polish, on ‘The Visitor’
A raw, restless record of rage and hope from Neil Young and Promise of the Real, uneven yet full of life.
Album Reviews6/10
Neil Young Puts a Full Orchestra Behind Ten New Songs on Storytone — Only Some Survive It
Neil Young's 35th studio work weds ten new songs to orchestra and big-band grandeur, a bold experiment that swings between triumph and excess.
Album Reviews8/10
Alone With a Guitar and Daniel Lanois’ Sonic Warping, Young Makes Le Noise Mostly Work
A solitary guitar, a haunted voice: Neil Young's Le Noise, a raw and singular record from an artist who will not rest.