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Alternative PressLike most good thematic albums, or films or books, for that matter, it's hard to put the pieces together on Album Of The Year, and just when you think you've got the narrative unraveled, you'll rediscover another lost passage or double entendre. [Sep 2004, p.122]
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New Musical Express (NME)Album of the year? It's definitely a contender. [7 Aug 2004, p.49]
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The attention to detail in the production, the punchy melodies, and the sympathetic performances by the group -- along with Kasher's writing that is nothing less than gripping and often head-shakingly brilliant -- make this record an indispensable artifact for anyone who likes indie rock with a real emotional punch.
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FilterBoldly, magnificently, unabashedly sappy. [#12, p.104]
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May be his most mature, fully realized offering to date, though not necessarily his most thrilling.
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The songs are instantly welcoming, flickering with enough hope and tenacity to outlast Kasher's heartbreak.
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[Kasher's] ability to toss off seemingly effortless melodic hooks makes one wonder just what kind of water is in Saddle Creek.
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Album Of The Year isn't as compact or viscerally exciting as the EP that preceded it, mainly because it's not as loud.
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BlenderListening to these tales of failing relationships feels like eavesdropping, but it's irresistible. [Sep 2004, p.136]
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Yes, there is a lot in the way of failing relationship therapy on here, but when it's done with such eloquence and downright elegance it'd be churlish to treat it with the disrespect more easily afforded to music's legions of professional disenchanteds.
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Allow me to offer some parting advice: just because a record expresses emotion doesn’t make it bad.
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Rolling StoneKasher... wrenches sad-eyed beauty out of slow indie-folk arrangements while eulogizing several affairs. [30 Sep 2004, p.188]
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Under The RadarAlbum Of The Year is able to sustain a listener for 53 minutes--not necessarily interest, and certainly not to inspire, but sustain. [#7]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 25
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Mixed: 0 out of 25
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Negative: 3 out of 25
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Dec 4, 2012
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Nov 14, 2011
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AndyAug 16, 2006One of those albums that needs to be heard all the way through to completely understand. The lyrics are probably the best you'll ever hear.