Achilles Heel
by Pedro the Lion
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Almost Cool
    60
    I'm not sure if it's the lack of a clear-cut conceptual idea or something else, but the 11 songs on the release just seem to plow along through waters that the group has already rowed many times before.
  2. Pitchfork
    47
    Whether it's the lack of plot, insight, or collaborators, Achilles Heel also finds Bazan's music stuck in a room with no exits, with one loping distortion-pedal crawler after another.
  3. Alternative Press
    100
    A heartbreakingly brilliant album that unravels itself slowly if you just stop and listen. [Jul 2004, p.132]
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  5. PopMatters
    80
    Ultimately, Bazan continues to sound more like a distillation of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and The Counting Crows' Adam Duritz than the latest flavor of pop star.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    40
    An affectionate, fuzzy-felt melodic alt.country rocking affair with sugarcane barbed lyrics. [26 Jun 2004, p.54]
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  7. Logo
    80
    Bazan will never sound truly happy on record, but here he’s as content as anyone could have hoped for, and all the healthier for it.
  8. The A.V. Club
    70
    Achilles Heel may not cohere as well as its predecessors, but its best moments still chill the blood in wise and winning ways.
  9. Splendid
    80
    Write good songs. Record them simply. Don't preach. There's a concept that works.
  10. Under The Radar
    40
    One of the most easily forgettable albums in recent memory. [#7]
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  11. No Ripcord
    70
    Although it’s good stuff, there are few innovations here, and while the simplicity is welcome, you may not always notice that there’s an album playing.
  12. Delusions of Adequacy
    60
    Nothing here is horrible, but nothing here is great.
  13. AllMusic
    90
    A hallmark for the band, a culmination of their previous work, and -- upon its release -- their best album to date.
  14. Stylus Magazine
    40
    Rather than show true sympathy by exploring the nuance of even the superficially simplest lives, Bazan makes drearily deterministic morons out of his supposed objects of pathos.
  15. Trouser Press
    60
    The band's attempts to diversify the tone are not always successful.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. [Anonymous]
    Oct 4, 2004
    10
    Devastatingly Beautiful!!!! Spend a few listens alone with this album, and it will take you over...
  2. BenjaminBunny
    Sep 17, 2004
    5
    The Lion's poorest album in the sense that it's the most forgettable. There are no standout tracks, no real stinkers either...just The Lion's poorest album in the sense that it's the most forgettable. There are no standout tracks, no real stinkers either...just a blase collection of mid-tempo numbers without real choruses that blend together seamlessly because they all sound the same. Check out the folksy "It's Hard To Find A Friend" or the more rock-oriented "Control" if you're interested in hearing prime Pedro; "Achilees Heel" is for completists only.… Full Review »
  3. dorisd
    Jun 11, 2004
    9
    I've already listened to it more times then Bazan's other albums combined. A few of these songs are perfect; the rest are merely I've already listened to it more times then Bazan's other albums combined. A few of these songs are perfect; the rest are merely really good. Fine, two of them suck. But overall it's exceptional.… Full Review »
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