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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Lookaftering
Universal acclaim
Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 31 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Dicristina Stair / Fat Cat
Release Date: 25 October 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Summary
Coming a full 35 years after her debut ('Just Another Diamond Day'), the British folk singer's second LP finds her backed by fans/followers such as Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom.
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...
Tiny Mix Tapes
Like all works of elusive beauty, Lookaftering is something that is so immediate and accessible it will take time to realize just how enriched with subtle evocation it is.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Lookaftering is some kind of miracle. [Nov 2005, p.100]
Splendid
There are very few artists who could pick up where they left off after ten years, or even five. To do this after half a lifetime is extraordinary.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
To say Lookaftering takes up where Just Another Diamond Day left off is an understatement. It feels like no time has elapsed at all since 1970, neither in her own life nor the outside world.
Read Full Review >Magnet
If it takes another 36 years for something so sublime, I await the next 36 years. [#70, p.86]
Pitchfork
On Lookaftering, it comes as a relief to hear not only how pristine Bunyan's delicate vocals remain but that she has retained her understated abilities as a songwriter.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
The album swells with beauty, but an intimate, unapologetic beauty drained of gravity or mystery that invites and comforts in one stroke, stronger than the gravest clock and gentler than a stray sigh.
Read Full Review >Mojo
An oddly seamless follow-up to its distant predecessor. [Nov 2005, p.110]
All Music Guide
It's simply unlike anything else out there -- except perhaps Just Another Diamond Day.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
This is no appendix, no addendum to Diamond Day, but rather a second solid installment in a career we music gluttons consider to be too sparse. Bunyan's songwriting, her assembly of musicians, and especially her voice are superb on Lookaftering, possibly more so here than they were on Diamond Day.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
What makes Bunyan's return such an unqualified success is that, unlike so many of those she's influenced (Patrick Wolf excluded) she doesn't come within a country mile of the briar patch of cloying kookiness.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Pastoral doesn't quite describe it; this seems to come from some place more eco-protected than any in existence. [24 Oct 2005]
Dusted Magazine
That Vashti Bunyan had the courage to step out of seclusion and follow up her classic debut is admirable. That she was able to do so with an excellent batch of songs is a joy to behold, pure and simple.
Read Full Review >Junkmedia
Lookaftering sees her trading the overly twee vibe of her debut for a darker, more mysterious and mature sound.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
There's still something truly magical in the wistful clarity of her voice. [Nov 2005, p.131]
Dot Music
The record's treasure is folded into layers which make it an endlessly rewarding place to invest a couple of months of your life.
Read Full Review >Blender
A gentle, reflective and often gorgeous album. [Nov 2005, p.132]
Urb
Bunyan's lilting ballads are as darling as ever. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.102]
Paste Magazine
A preciously solemn soundtrack for blustery days. [Dec 2005, p.124]
Entertainment Weekly
Bunyan's wispy soprano lacks nuance, making for music that's ultimately more numbing than emotive. [4 Nov 2005, p.71]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 31 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Markus P. gave it an8:
Not as good as her first one but a fine record nevertheless. Her voice is a real winner and the guest musicians do a very nice job specially Joanna Newsom.
Julian P gave it a3:
Thin, thin, thin.
Sebastian N gave it a10:
One of my all time favorite folk albums.
Garin H gave it a9:
a beautiful album, proving that Vashti Bunyan can still access the delicate beauty that was so evident on her first record.
[Anonymous] gave it a10:
beautiful
name gave it a7:
The title to track 8 says it all: "Same But Different". It's still very good though.
C. G. gave it a10:
A rare delicatessen. An album made for music lovers. Please, flintstone hearts abstain.
