All tracks by Adam Franklin except Theme From LSD by Adam Franklin/Steve George/Jeff Townsin[1] David Raposa of Pitchfork said "his first official solo album sounds tired and worn-out, both in a good and bad way".

[2] Tim Sendra from AllMusic was enthusiastic about the album, stating "guitars are to the forefront on 'Bolts of Melody', and Franklin uses every color in his six-string paintbox – backward solos, wah-wahed riffs, layers of reverb, waves of distortion, gentle acoustic strumming, and epic soloing ... but the guitar heroics never overshadow the songs, as Franklin has written some of his most memorable songs".

He concluded by opining "the album is damn good, and you'll be blown away by the guitar heroics, restrained emotion, and inspired songcraft on display".

[3] In his review for Drowned in Sound, Dom Gourlay commented that the album is "a diverse collection of songs that quite possibly represents Franklin's most satisfying body of work in almost two decades".

[4] John Bergstrom from PopMatters stated the opening song, "'Seize the Day' is driving guitars, an exhilarating chorus, pounding drums ... all coming in at under three minutes ... a top down jolt of adrenaline ... then, it’s a disappointment that most of the rest of 'Bolts of Melody' consists of slowies".