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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Quicksand / Cradlesnakes
Universal acclaim
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 15 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Thrill Jockey
Release Date: 18 March 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Alt-Country
Summary
Featuring basically the same lineup as the defunct Chicago band Red Red Meat, Califone makes their Thrill Jockey debut with this mix of country, blues, folk, and electronic elements.
Also By This Artist: Heron King Blues Roots & Crowns
Also On The Web: Thrill Jockey
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...
Spin
The best record they've made. [Apr 2003, p.107]
All Music Guide
Is less a bold statement of principle as it is a blossoming into maturity.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The songs, interludes, pacing and sequencing are all as they should be, helping to make Quicksand/Cradlesnakes Califone's best record.
Read Full Review >Billboard
It's a strange balancing act that Rutili and crew capably pull off, straddling the chasm between the straightforward and the self-consciously left of center.
Read Full Review >Uncut
This is one glorious murk. [May 2003, p.91]
Magnet
A more ambitious and confident document of Califone's ability to catapult old sounds into a new millennium. [#58, p.84]
Alternative Press
It's roots music that hums and rattles, hearing the dissonant sound of America singing and finding beauty in the collision of opposites. [Apr 2003, p.73]
Junkmedia
Quicksand/Cradlesnake establishes Califone as an ambitious band with the songwriting chops to back up its penchant for studio strangeness.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Quicksand / Cradlesnakes is a fine display of what they're capable of, and should please anyone in the mood for roots music that's a bit unrooted for a change.
Read Full Review >Mojo
The highest of hi-technicalia and lo-fi acoustic instruments alternately clash, embrace, or pull apart, but ultimately, like Siamese twins, can't be parted. [Jun 2003, p.110]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
garrett m gave it a10:
fuck. yes.
Classified gave it a10:
Once when I was a sailor, I saw something in the water, something...unusual, mystical...it put me in a trance of sorts. I told the other sailors aboard, "Oy, over here, there's some sort of unusual somethings in the water down here!" They came a running, a skipping, singing, all the things sailors love doing. So we end up getting this thing out of the water, its a stranged shape treasure box with a lock. I find a sledgehammer near by and smash the lock. Slowly I bend down...the sailors anxiously waiting to see what is to be found in this contraption. I open it, gold light comes pouring out, and in this box...Califone's album Quicksand/Cradlesnakes perfectly presereved. I take it out, give it a lookover, amazed at its beauty, and hand it to the captain. He takes his pipe out of his mouth and says the first thing he's said since 7 years back, "Califone...my god, I thought...I thought..." And then he got down on his knees and put his hands up to his face and sobbed for what seemed like an eternity, an eternity of beauty. 20 minutes later we all go into the room where the only cd player is. I take the cd out of the case, place it in the stereo, and put my finger up to the play button...I look back to all the sailors, they are saying to me, "Come on, push play, hurry." So I push it, and what hits my ears is an instant orgasm. We have the cd on replay and listen to it for hours and hours all sitting down just staring blankly. It is now one year later and I still play this album and it is still as wonderful as it was on the ship one year ago. So please, if you have to steal this thing...do it, if you go to jail for stealing, it was definantly worth it. Enjoy my friends, enjoy... --- Sweet Cheeba Mantaray AKA Blue Tiger
sarah r gave it a 10:
it envelops you. its hard to rank it, because its more than perfect.
Wolfgang J gave it a 10:
Only b/c there's no 11...best record I've heard in almost a decade...
Jason B gave it a 9:
Incredible release, seeing these guys live is something you can't miss out on. They are dead on. The new CD impressed me tons. I would have to say this will be their biggest commercial success.
Hedy L gave it a 10:
This is going to be one of the finest releases of the year. If you liked wilco's YHF, don't miss out on the complexity of the sonic textures and sheer fine tunes in this one as well.
reid s gave it a 10:
A triumph in compsure. Subtle, almost minimal. Refreshing compared to our mainstream over-produced cycle of pop music.
