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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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The Menace
by Elastica
The long-awaited follow-up to the band's 1995 eponymous debut features a guest contribution from The Fall's Mark E. Smith and a cover of Trio's 'Da Da Da.'
| LABEL: |
Atlantic |
| RELEASE DATE: |
22 August 2000 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Alternative, Rock |
NOTES: Released in the UK in April 2001.
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...
80
Alternative Press
While The Menace isn't as coruscating as Primal Scream's funk-noise plasma wall, Exterminator, it does offer enough twists, turns and fractured sensibilities to make listening to music an active experience again. [#146, p.88]
80
Rolling Stone
The Menace, the long-delayed follow-up, finds Elastica in an unrepentant mood, scuffing up their terse, trashy guitar rock with fun-house noise while adding a handful of ambient mood pieces that sound like Aphex Twin castoffs.
80
All Music Guide
Naturally, it would have made more sense if it appeared in late 1996 or 1997, since it sounds like a simple step forward instead of a great leap into the unknown -- the kind of record that was bashed out in a few weeks by a band desperate to deliver a sequel to a hit record.
80
Wall of Sound
Although its moods swing across the dial, it more than delivers on the group's initial promise.
80
MTV.com
Gone is the preciousness of Elastica. Instead we get a confident and comfortable Frischmann, her voice, ever cool, fronting a rejuvenated punk-loving band.
80
CDNow
The prickly edged new wave of the band's debut has morphed into keyboard-addled post-punk on The Menace.
80
Mojo
The Menace is a far more varied and ambitious LP than the first and, one suspects, than the Elastica album we'd have got four or three years ago. A very pleasant surprise.
70
Spin
They still make totally successful, totally stupid modern rock anthems pumped up on three-chord riffs, an abiding love of the sci-fi sex-kitten archetype and a separate track for handclaps.
70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's hard to imagine Elastica's fans being patient or loyal enough to care much either way about The Menace, though it's artistically solid enough to warrant consideration.
70
Sonicnet
Simultaneously more tossed-off and expressive than 1995's Elastica album, The Menace is a frustrating listen, oscillating between actively courting the listener and fashioning a more tangential state somewhere between punk momentum and wearisome breakdown
70
Magnet
Sounds like lovelorn, half-baked philosophy for the Mariah Carey set.... Lucky for Justine Frischmann and her reconstituted Elastica, rock 'n' roll doesn't require lyrical profundity, just great beats, riffs, and attitude. All are here in spades... [#47, p.90]
70
Launch.com
What "Menace" lacks in continuity it more than makes up for with brass balls and a sense of adventure.
60
Billboard
Another satisfying collection of quick, riff-happy new wave/punk rock that, while no match for its first album, was nonetheless worth the wait.
60
Q Magazine
Compared to the angular new wave of yore, the Elastica sound has matured into something far more interesting.
60
New Musical Express
Without the gritty substance of the first album, it has all the depth of a packet of peanuts.
60
Spin Cycle
There are hints of the stuttered hooks that snared listeners on the band's '95 debut, yet they're so snarled in manic sound, you're unsure whether you're being grabbed or gagged.
50
Neumu.net
Elastica throw out crackling melodies with little regard for the listener.
50
Entertainment Weekly
While sleek, skilled production on The Menace keeps their tightly wound new wave tracks from sounding dated, Frischmann's lackluster (often tuneless) songwriting stutters.
10
L.A. Weekly
A 38-minute spoonful of slop, the sound of a band pissing it all away.
The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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