THE RIGHTOVERS

5 AllMusic Mis-Scores

AllMusic is a good, useful index of music. But sometimes they lie.

  1. Guided by Voices – Alien Lanes (3.5 stars—a generational album that is of course is an easy 5 stars)
  2. Clinic – Walking With Thee (again, 3/5 stars, deserved 5—it’s a career peak)
  3. Jan& Dean – Save For a Rainy Day (3 stars, deserved 4.5 or 5—there’s a reason it still sounds good)
  4. Devo – Duty Now For the Future (3.5, deserved 5; important album)
  5. TIE: Skee Mask – Compro / Barker – Utility (both got 4 stars, deserved 5—high points of modern IDM)

Side category: 5-star albums that Allmusic inexplicably gave 4.5 stars. Why didn’t they just award the extra half star?

  1. My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
  2. Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth
  3. Meat Puppets – Up On the Sun