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The Hour of Bewilderbeast

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: XL Recordings / Beggars Banquet
Release Date: 03 October 2000
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative
Summary
The debut full-length album from Damon Gough (who records under the Badly Drawn Boy name) earned Britain's Mercury Prize for Best Album in 2000.
Also By This Artist: About A Boy [Soundtrack] Born In The U.K. Have You Fed the Fish? One Plus One Is One
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Select
A work of warm-hearted ambition, embracing ragtime, disco beats, melodic Johnny Marr-isms... and echoes of Bacharach.... A classic debut LP with a lifetime's worth of triumphs and tragedies packed into it. [July 2000, p.112]
Entertainment Weekly
A slippery and surprising little record -- an oblique song cycle tracing a relationship from balmy beginning to corrosive end.
Read Full Review >Billboard
A wonderfully offbeat blend of atmospheric folk and lo-fi rock that never fails to charm.... One of the year's most well-rounded and consistently satisfying albums.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Despite all attempts to sabotage his songwriting and production with innumerable experimental tidbits, songs within a song, and (seemingly) tossed-off arrangements, Damon Gough has to face the fact that He wrote and produced over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The loose, scatterbrain album operates much like the early solo endeavors of Paul McCartney, with 80% developed gems flowing effortlessly from the damp, rustic English countryside.... Piano, strings, harps, and wurlitzer attach insect wings to the lovely songs. They'll swarm and pester your head for days.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Quirky, spunky and really quite beautiful, this is British pop at its finest.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Musically, he's a little more conventional than one would hope. [12/2000, p.90]
Almost Cool
Although a couple tracks towards the end don't work quite as well, it doesn't detract from the album as a whole very much.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
It doesn't disappoint, if beatific, rhythm-infested melodies, resplendent in wondrous brass, stark string accompaniment and obscure found sounds are your bag.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
At about an hour, Bewilderbeast is uneven, but at its best it exudes a sense of mystery, ingenuity, and wonder that portends even better material to come.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
It putters here and there across 18 ditties and doodles gracefully arranged, but played with two left feet and recorded to match.... This English Elliott Smith's got a plainspeak voice that compels with repeated listenings, and the subtle tunes are likewise sneaky, enlivened by all sorts of quirky bits...
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Sounds like Elliott Smith's English cousin, or Nick Drake's almost-upbeat nephew.... sweet, gently burning songs.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Yet in his desire to create a self-consciously classic album, BDB has erred on the side of generosity. At 63 minutes, 'The Hour Of Bewilderbeast' is true to its title: there's simply too much to sustain one's unswerving attention.
Read Full Review >Ink Blot Magazine
These songs are sonically interesting and pretty as Mom on Easter, but they don't really ring true...
Read Full Review >CDNow
With 18 songs that clock in at over 63 minutes, The Hour of Bewilderbeast meanders too much, and the quirky pacing (there are many random instrumental interludes) makes it difficult to enjoy as a whole. But taken in sections, it's a bit of a grower.
Read Full Review >Spin
Gough's dewy little tunes are mere scribblings in the margins of alt-folk's dog-eared hook-book, while his too-cool-to-care singing is drip-dry dreary. [12/2000, p.232]
Magnet
At its best, Bewilderbeast promises pastoral beauty.... At its worst, the album's faux-jazz workouts, painful disco homage, sappy ballads and pointless instrumentals stretch a decent EP into a bloated, hour-plus opus. [#47, p.84]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
CHRIS gave it a9:
nifty.
Jared SS gave it a 10:
Absolutely brilliant! Arguably the best album of the last five years. As a whole, it works better than a Pink Floyd album and the Beatle-esque melodies will ring in your ear long after hearing them. Do yourself the privelage of giving this masterpiece a listen or two....or five.
Benjamin Bunny gave it a 6:
Lyrically banal, the folksy tracks strike me as a pose (Damon Gough comes across as a sure-fire Elliott Smith fan)--not groundbreaking by any stretch, but consistantly listenable throughout. The follow-up, "Have You Fed the Fish?" is a more singular and assured vision from this artist.
phil l gave it a 9:
A rare pop talent - this album is loaded with memorable songs.
geoff h gave it a 10:
every song is better than the last! good for busrides and dinner
Ric N. gave it a 10:
Just played it and played it and played it. This guy is reminiscent of Lou Reed in his lighter moments - surely destined to be a major artist - acknowledged or not
