A Sleep & a Forgetting
by Islands
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Prefix Magazine
    Feb 22, 2012
    80
    Thorburn anchors every note, every contribution with a personal outpouring of emotion and heartbreak, the likes of which we've never seen from him before.
  2. Pitchfork
    Feb 15, 2012
    79
    It's the most cohesive-- and, possibly, the out-and-out strongest-- Islands record yet.
  3. Filter
    Feb 15, 2012
    76
    The album is a bit of a departure for Islands in sound and even more so in content, but rather than a misstep, A Sleep & A Forgetting fits neatly within the band's catalog.
  5. Beats Per Minute
    Feb 13, 2012
    73
    While A Sleep & A Forgetting is a bold new statement for the band, the album occasionally treads on the mundane level, due to its similarly-orchestrated tracks.
  6. PopMatters
    Feb 29, 2012
    70
    Simplicity is A Sleep's best value.
  7. Sputnikmusic
    Feb 14, 2012
    70
    [Maybe for] the first time, A Sleep And A Forgetting gets at the heart of an artist who, over years of project changes and name switches, has remained frustratingly opaque.
  8. Exclaim
    Feb 14, 2012
    70
    Their brand of quirky indie pop runs throughout, but the slower numbers are as effective as the upbeat tunes.
  9. AllMusic
    Feb 14, 2012
    70
    Anyone with a little distance from their own pain will find much to admire in the honesty and craft of the album.
  10. Magnet
    Mar 16, 2012
    60
    Asleep and a Forgetting is [mellifluous], only crankier and somehow more personal than anything previous, soaked in the moody nuances of laughter and forgetting, memory and momentary lapses of such. [No. 85, p.55]
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  11. No Ripcord
    Feb 21, 2012
    60
    It gets a bit boring, a bit sleepy, and altogether, it's a bit forgettable.... But, you know? It sounds good doing it. That has to count for something.
  12. NOW Magazine
    Feb 16, 2012
    60
    It might be an imperfect stepping stone, but the staircase he's climbing here shows great promise.
  13. Alternative Press
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    There's enough classic songcraft here to ensure Forgetting isn't forgotten. [Mar 2012, p.97]
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  14. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 13, 2012
    60
    It's not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. But it also feels (not necessarily is) like someone forcing a turn in their art instead of allowing it to naturally come out of them.
  15. Under The Radar
    Mar 21, 2012
    50
    [Fans] will undoubtedly identify those elements that make the band special on this fourth album, though the intensely personal nature of Thorburn's songs and his vocals tend to make this seem at times more like a solo effort. [Mar 2012, p.84]
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  16. Slant Magazine
    Feb 13, 2012
    50
    This is mildly composed, generally genial pop, with a few good hooks and ideas scattered throughout.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. AlexxTrusc
    Apr 26, 2012
    6
    The fourth LP of Canadian indie rock Islands group has kept a lethargic mood which can clearly indicate the evocative name of album. We haveThe fourth LP of Canadian indie rock Islands group has kept a lethargic mood which can clearly indicate the evocative name of album. We have here a typical acoustic playing: "Oh Mary" or "Do I Love You" assisted with accents of electric guitars and gentle synthesizers. We'll also find little blues "No Crying" or reminiscent of indie rock ballad - "Cold Again", which does not mean that there wasn't more energetic compositions such as the Beatles styled "Never Go Solo" or "Hallways".… Full Review »
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