A Brighter Beat - Malcolm Middleton
A Brighter Beat Image
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: This is the first solo release for the Scottish artist since the breakup of his band Arab Strap.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Mojo
    80
    This is possibly the most optimistic album about depression ever made. [Mar 2007, p.98]
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  2. Q Magazine
    80
    Razor-sharp songs that do valiant justice to the desperate optimism of gutter-bound dreamers. [Mar 2007, p.115]
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  3. Stylus Magazine
    75
    For an album about all the bad things that can happen to us, it sounds pretty damn good.
  4. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    The moments of dark introspection still linger in the album's secluded corners, but overall, 'A Brighter Beat' is exactly that.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
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  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. FrancisS
    10
    Slightly more positive than his previous two solo albums, A Brighter Beat is still, on the whole, a fantastically dour listen. The quality of the songwriting is very high; splitting Arab Strap was a very sensible move.… Expand

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