To clear up any misconceptions, here is a generic explanation for my ratings. I will try to detail as many variables as possible and list examples.
In General:
My ratings are NOT permanent. My constant exposure to more music styles, genres, and concepts may offer insights that change older opinions.
These ratings are NOT objective although I try to be as diplomatic with my acclaim as possible. I do not criticize records for hitting me in the wrong mood, as I relisten to many albums until eventually the right mood-music combo strikes. It's whether or not the music satisfies its intended mood that determines its value.
1/10
A true 1/10 for me is virtually unachievable. Anytime I have given an album a 1/10 score I inevitably regret it and reexamine the music to give it a higher rating out of principle.
Some early 1/10s that have upgraded with time: Hello Kitty Suicide Club - ^ - ^; Nostalgia Critic's The Wall
2/10
It's one of the worst things I've ever heard.
2/10 Example: Smash Mouth - The Gift of Rock (their Christmas album)
2.5/10 Example: Linkin Park - One More Light
3/10
It's bad.
Impressions are boredom or annoyance.
I can't even enjoy it at a superficial level.
This bypasses the minor indifference/annoyance of a 4/10 to a feeling of actual malice. I'm not just unenthusiastic about it, I want to avoid it if possible.
3/10 Examples: Beatles - Beatles for Sale; Bob Dylan - Under the Red Sky
3.5/10 Examples: Bob Dylan - Shot of Love; Eminem - Marshall Mathers LP 2
4/10
I'm mostly indifferent to it or minorly bored/annoyed.
Impressions are unenthusiastic.
I may enjoy listening to it at a superficial level.
It may contain one or two good moments; it could also have one or two terrible moments, but they are excusable.
4/10 Examples: Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks; Bob Dylan - Self Portrait; Eminem - Encore
4.5/10 Example: Lady Gaga - The Fame
5/10
Mixed impressions. Indifferent in a conflicted way.
It has its moments, good and not-so-good.
A 5.5/10 indicates a leaning for a generally positive experience on my part, though I still feel that the music's drawbacks should be advised.
5/10 Examples: Death Grips - No Love Deep Web; Beatles - Rubber Soul; Gorillaz - Demon Days
5.5/10 Examples: Bob Dylan - Love and Theft; MGMT - Little Dark Age
6/10
It's good, but not great.
Impressions are pleasant and satisfied.
Occasionally I list a 6.5 release in the best of that year if I feel its 6.5-7 boundary is close enough.
6/10 Examples: Beatles - White Album; Gorillaz - Gorillaz; Pink Floyd - Animals
6.5/10 Examples: Beatles - Sgt Pepper; Weezer - Blue Album; Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
7/10
It's great! :D
Impressions are enthusiastic and empowering.
The 7 or higher range qualify the album as a best of that year.
7/10 Examples: Nirvana - Nevermind; Beatles - Abbey Road; Radiohead - OK Computer
7.5/10 Examples: Soundgarden - Superunknown; Daniel Johnston - 1990; Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
8/10
It's amazing!! :O
Impressions are awestruck and stupefying.
Changed the way I listen to or think about music. (Not including early experiences with music in my teens.)
The 8.5 range qualifies the album to "best ever" status.
8/10 Examples: Doors - The Doors; Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited; Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
8.5/10 Examples: King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King; Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
9/10
It's one of my favorite albums ever.
Impressions are like that of an 8/10 but with an elite gratification and certainty of their value. These are the "landmarks" of music history, or just pinnacles of what my taste is looking for.
9/10 Examples: Suicide - Suicide; Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat; Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
9.5s are very rare, usually to the runner-ups to my all-time favorite album. So far it's only the Velvet Underground's Velvet Underground & Nico
10/10
It's my favorite album of all time: Faust (1971).
This is the only thing that has captivated me endlessly, from my initial impression to the long-term impact of hearing it multiple times since. There isn't even a fraction of its runtime that doesn't engage me in some way, be it emotional or cerebral or whatever. This is simply the best music-listening gets for me.
Reserved for one item only, which is at the moment Faust's self-titled debut.