12 Desperate Straight Lines
by Telekinesis
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Feb 15, 2011
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Feb 17, 2011
    83
    While the hooks on 12 Desperate Straight Lines sink in easily, they're far from painless.
  2. Prefix Magazine
    Mar 1, 2011
    80
    12 Desperate Straight Lines is Lerner's second LP under the Telekinesis moniker, and it finds his introspection all the more labyrinthine, but his chops as a genuine architect nothing if not totally satisfying.
  3. Alternative Press
    Feb 23, 2011
    80
    For fans of hook-laden music, the album's a must. [Mar 2011, p.99]
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  5. Rock Sound
    Feb 23, 2011
    80
    Lerner's pop sensibility is still there, but now buried beneath distortion and throbbing bass, making this an intriguing, if not entirely welcoming, listen
  6. Clash Music
    Feb 18, 2011
    80
    The second Telekinesis album suggests that Michael Lerner's gift for hooky, college-radio friendly indie-pop shows no signs of abating.
  7. Under The Radar
    Feb 18, 2011
    80
    No one would fault this solid sequel if it wanted to add some of its own exclamation points to its title.
  8. Spin
    Feb 17, 2011
    80
    Upbeat sentiment is scarce, yet there's barely a downcast moment -- no insignificant trick -- and somewhere Alex Chilton nods his approval.
  9. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 17, 2011
    80
    Lerner has every inch of the stadium-indie minefield mapped out and slapped in plain view on his sturdy pop-machine's fulcrum.
  10. Beats Per Minute
    Mar 18, 2011
    72
    12 Lines is enjoyable enough to be worth its existence without seeming rehashed and a solid improvement over his debut.
  11. Filter
    Mar 28, 2011
    70
    While Lines doesn't escape the limits of its genre--a little more substantial than an EP, consistent but not expansive--it plays its role well, and has enough moments to hold up beyond the first couple listens.
  12. Dusted Magazine
    Mar 9, 2011
    70
    The charm of these songs won't last forever. They'll have their season in your heart or car stereo, their refrains will seep gently into your vocabulary, and at some point you'll stop needing them, but it's welcome company while it lasts.
  13. No Ripcord
    Feb 18, 2011
    70
    In an indie-rock landscape where so many bands climb to eminence on the shoulders of pseudo-academic attention-seeking, a shrug and a good pulse can go a long way.
  14. AllMusic
    Feb 17, 2011
    70
    For 12 Desperate Straight Lines, the songs are still there, only this time some of the looseness of the self-produced sessions comes into play and the end result ends up being a marked improvement.
  15. Pitchfork
    Feb 17, 2011
    66
    If Lerner just keeps on doing his thing, he's clearly getting better at it.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. altInterstate
    Feb 23, 2011
    8
    The power pop sound of 12 Desperate Straight Lines does resemble Telekinesisâ
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