About SCQ / Ratings

About Skeleton Crew Quarterly

2007 to Present. There used to be a naive mission statement here, outlining how SCQ aims to honourably blog about the best new music without accepting the pitfalls of slandering bands or judging personal tastes. The write-up also went on at length about the power music-bloggers can attain from the hands of magazines like Rolling Stone and Spin, now crippled by the internet’s democratization of music and criticism. I still believe every word but none of it is really worth sharing, save this one sentence: Skeleton Crew Quarterly is in it for the love.

At no point will SCQ waste time tearing a record to pieces because it isn’t our particular glass of sangria. Yes we’ll hold an artist or band accountable if they deliver something that we find demeaning to their talents and you can count on SCQ for occasionally venting some disappointment or confusion. That’s all part of the journey. But we’re not into targeting a release for the sake of raining out its parade or jumping on its corpse. Go read an Amazon customer review if you need that fix.

SCQ Ratings

Albums will be reviewed within the confines of each respective artist’s catalogue. If Band A receives a 78% on their release, while Band B gets a 60%, that in no way means that Band A’s effort is better than Band B’s. Instead, those grades are given by considering the album-in-question’s merits next to those that its artist released previously. That said, the only failing grades SCQ will ever deliver are in the event of a trusted and wonderful band releasing a record of breathtaking carelessness. The majority of reviews fit into these categories:

50% - 59% are troubled albums that show enough potential to warrant mentioning.

60% - 69% are serviceable albums, with engaging material to warrant repeat listens and being reviewed.

70% - 79% are recommended albums; ones which SCQ might fall over for months at a time despite recognizable imperfections.

80% - 89% are, in some cases, albums worthy of topping year-end lists; the kind that end up encompassing entire seasons of your life.

90% - 95% are the albums that you welcome into your life like a friend, lover or family member, in that once you know it inside out, you truly don’t know how you ever got by without it. Its songs, mood, cover-art and impressions are deeply rooted in your heart.

96% - 100% are the albums you want people to hear at your funeral.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SCQ prioritize when it comes to reviewing?

First and foremost, I’m reviewing new and old studio albums released by artists I love. That said, for the fifty or so albums a year I look forward to, there are usually four times as many new artists and albums I unexpectedly run into. Trying to spread the word on these new artists is just as important. Albums released in the current year are reviewed on the homepage. Records from years passed go directly to SCQ Review (unless involved in a homepage feature).

Band and Label Press/Promotions?

The Skeleton Crew Quarterly is always interested in new music. While the majority of content revolves around rock, electronica, jazz, folk and country, SCQ enjoys being worked over and proven wrong by new albums. Physical copies rule and our mailing address is available upon request. MP3 downloads are also cool; just be sure to give us an idea who you are (e.g. a single Mediafire link with no context won’t arouse our curiosity). 


Unsolicited CDs that pop up in my mailbox are always welcome but we cannot promise coverage. It's always safer to contact us first.

Any questions, complaints or press kits and promotions can be emailed to theskeletoncrewquarterly@gmail.com. We will do our best to get back to you.