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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Venice

Universal acclaim
Based on 14 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Touch
Release Date: 22 March 2004
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic, Experimental
Summary
Vienna's Christian Fennesz, who creates ambient electronica based on processed guitar sounds, returns with his first solo studio effort in four years. David Sylvian guests on one track.
Also By This Artist: Black Sea
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
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...
Pitchfork
With every album, Fennesz's music has become prettier and more accessible yet still retains his distinctive style-- and Venice is no exception.
Read Full Review >The Wire
There's at once a sense that Venice is weightier and more purposeful than its predecessor. [#243, p.56]
Uncut
Humanely crafted, with a warmth unusual in the avant-garde. [Jun 2004, p.96]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Fennesz follows precursors from the whole of ambient electronic music, but his dense and weightless structures owe as much to the cascading builds of shoegazer rock bands like My Bloody Valentine.
Junkmedia
Fennesz does an excellent job of balancing the IDM portions of his sound with more challenging layers of material, making music that is both individual in approach and eminently pleasing to hear.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Fennesz makes Boards Of Canada sound like Daft Punk and My Bloody Valentine sound like Oasis.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
The fact that Venice takes a few missteps before getting into full strut inevitably takes its toll on the overall body of work.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
Venice doesn't hold together as well as Endless Summer, but it still proves another fascinating, creatively gallant album from one of the more vital artists currently operating in the world of electronica.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
The result is computer music not reserved to the cold harshness so often associated with it, but that breathes, ebbs, and flows.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
I find Venice quite beautiful and downright stunning in places, yet simply good in others.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Fennesz excels when he squeezes something truly sublime and undeniably human through his gritty, labyrinthine microprocessors. [Jun 2004, p.112]
Dusted Magazine
The most pressing problem is that Venice is rarely a challenging release.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Benjamin Bunny gave it an 8:
"Endless Summer," Christian Fennesz's last LP, is a classic. This one settles for being simply excellent--lush, lovingly textured, romantic music. Swoon-worthy.
