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A Laughing Death in Meatspace
by
A Laughing Death in Meatspace Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the debut full-length release for the Australian rock band that includes The Drones' Gareth Libbiard and Fiona Kitschin; High Tension's Lauren Hammel; and Harmony/Palm Springs' Erica Dunn.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. No Ripcord
    Nov 28, 2018
    90
    Tropical Fuck Storm (also driven by ex-Drones bassist Fiona Kitschin, drummer Lauren Hammel and guitarist/keyboardist Erica Dunn) is less Gang Of Four than they are The Pop Group, a similar level of poetic critique and takedowns packaged and delivered with unsettling and risky discord, a veritable junkyard sculpture thoughtfully constructed from punk scraps, crusty psychedelia and a rhythmic articulation of ideas bred from the spoken word.
  2. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Nov 16, 2018
    90
    This whole album really takes no prisoners, and brings to mind everything that was good in the underground music scene from the eighties into the early/mid-nineties. Lyrically, the band takes no prisoners and holds nothing back shouting down religion, political leaders the world over, and anyone else that gets in their way. They also are able to do what so many modern bands fail to do, blend their influences well.
  3. The Quietus
    Nov 16, 2018
    80
    A Laughing Death In Meatspace is by no means easy listening: the playing is off-kilter, strange bursts of noise erupt from instruments, songs dissolve into a maelstrom of noises; the production, mixing and mastering bear traces of the album’s speedy composition and release; and the lyrics invite us to contemplate, without histrionics or self-deception, precisely how fucked we all are. It’s hot with anger and full of ugly truths about the ways we live our lives; and the effect is compelling.
  4. Uncut
    Nov 16, 2018
    80
    Every track hits its target. [Jan 2019, p.27]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. AllMusic
    Aug 27, 2019
    80
    Throughout the record, Tropical Fuck Storm intentionally eschew formulaic song structure, relying on unconventional songwriting rather than mining pseudo-psych-rock. As a result, the sense of apocalyptic adventure is palpable; luckily, it's a joy to go along for the ride.
  6. Classic Rock Magazine
    Nov 16, 2018
    70
    It's not a perfect body of work--perhaps these songs stretch in too many directions to really function as a cohesive whole. [Jul 2018, p.86]
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  7. Mojo
    Dec 17, 2018
    60
    Tropical Fuck Storm's wonky rock discordance is not quite as provocative as they perhaps think. Nevertheless, there's still plenty to be enjoyed here. [Feb 2019, p.90]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. anisha
    May 10, 2019
    10
    Quite simply the best rock album of the year (and that's saying something for a year that produced "Boarding House Reach", "Wide Awake", "JoyQuite simply the best rock album of the year (and that's saying something for a year that produced "Boarding House Reach", "Wide Awake", "Joy as an Act of Resistance" and "You Won't Get What You Want") and one of the best albums of both the year and possibly decade. What a fun and terrifying ride into the apocalypse!… Expand
  2. Doxxman5
    Dec 11, 2018
    10
    I don't give out "10 ratings" lightly, but this is the best and most consistent album released in quite a while, a return to form ofI don't give out "10 ratings" lightly, but this is the best and most consistent album released in quite a while, a return to form of psych-blues that is a joy to behold. The husband and wife duo behind The Drones take a minor detour in a side project with a hilarious name, only harnessing their sound to be more unified and slightly less experimental in genre jumping. Still, the band lets loose the rock n roll in the demented "Two Afternoons" and "Antimatter Animals", they work over your emotions with the languid "You Let My Tyres Down" and the militant "The Future of History", they let atmosphere take control on the strange "Chameleon Paint" and abstract instrumental "Shellfish Toxin".

    Title track "A Laughing Death in Meatspace" is their manifesto on the state of the world, and it may highlight our problems as members of humanity better than any song in recent memory. "Rubber Bullies" is the most potent blast of energy, searing everything that has come before and serving as a perfect finale. This album changes the landscape or rock music by combining everything that came before into a magnificent witches cauldron of ideas, and the aftershocks will be felt well into the coming decades.    … Expand

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