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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Less Than Human
Universal acclaim
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Astralwerks / DFA
Release Date: 09 August 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Electronic
Summary
The latest DFA artist to create a buzz in the music press is former Six Finger Satellite guitarist John Maclean, whose "Less Than Human" is his full-length debut as The Juan Maclean.
Also By This Artist: The Future Will Come
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...
Entertainment Weekly
Overflows with ebullient beats that are both booming and bizarre. [29 Jul 2005, p.68]
Stylus Magazine
The Juan Maclean takes the mechanized side of music, the Kraftwerk precision and automated bass, but injects it with a personal, human vision and unmet, unwanted desires.
Read Full Review >Spin
It's a techno album, straight up. [Aug 2005, p.98]
Pitchfork
It's not quite the masterpiece everyone (at least me) was hoping for... but it does deliver on the hype, which in 2005 is almost the same thing.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
If the DFA medium/message commands one groove rattling under a nation, Less Than Human is evidence enough that bot-genius Maclean is just the half-man needed to bang up the plumbing so that all faucets drip lightning bolts.
Read Full Review >Uncut
A startling album. [Aug 2005, p.98]
Urb
Like attending a bombastic revival of Kraftwerk, Eno and Devo presided over by a Juan Atkins and Derrick May DJ tag team. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.102]
PopMatters
Less Than Human is hardly less than human; it is in fact a pretty damn good emulation of being human, right down to its faults: unpredictable behavior, complex textures, unsightly lumps and all. Which is precisely why Less Than Human is so exceptional: it's a uniquely 'realistic' take on dance music.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Less Than Human lives up to the [DFA]’s reputation for making quality dance records, but it also explores enough outside territory so as not to feel like the next album out on the conveyor belt.
Read Full Review >Splendid
A dance record for people who never leave their apartments, a rock record for the rave set, Less Than Human is the sound of people high on energy and sweat.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Live drums and guitars give it a feeling of anarchic playfulness. [Aug 2005, p.101]
All Music Guide
Less Than Human might not be what a lot of people expected, but it fits its format as well as any hard-hitting two-track single, and it's a lot more functional than most other albums made by dance artists.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
A record of sonic maturity and real beauty. [2 Jul 2005, p.64]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
In its deceptive simplicity, Less Than Human plays like the most focused and consistent DFA-affiliated album yet.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Very New York and strongly redolent of the whole DFA/LCD sound. [Jul 2005, p.114]
Dot Music
For some, the absence of human warmth may prove the album's ultimate flaw. Still, until there are humans out there making music like this robot, we'll settle for it.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
Less Than Human is the sound of James Murphy transforming the songs of a guy who has spent a nauseating amount of time fiddling about with Kraftwerk-y synths into an album as enjoyable at home as it is on the dancefloor.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
It suffers less from a lack of competence than a general lack of inspiring tracks and the consistency of swiss cheese.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
This is a rather stronger record than [Daft Punk's] on the whole, even if it likewise suffers from flaws in execution.
Read Full Review >Junkmedia
On songs like "In the Afternoon" and "Time is Running out," Maclean fails to add even a shred of feeling to his chilly IDM clones.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Brian S gave it a5:
Im not really understanding why this album is getting such good reviews. Apart from "Every Little Thing" there is little of interest to be heard. The female vocals sound like a lazy Miss Kitten. The beats are nothing special. Similar to the DFA Compilations it is very hit and miss, with LCD Soundsystem clearly being the only major talent on this label. And i was sooo excited when buying this :(
Paul S gave it a9:
Accidentally heard this CD while shopping at Tower and picked it up as an impulse buy. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the 2005 releases.
Walter E gave it a5:
Just one brilliant song. Then nothing follows...
Terrence O gave it an8:
While far from flawless, and to be honest not particularly interesting Less Than Human is tons of danceable fun. And thats all it aims for. Unlike many of his DFA labelmates The Juan Maclean aims for pure floor pounding dance party inducing euphoric fun, which is why this album is (at least on initial listen) less of a let down than many other DFA releases have been. All squigly synths, booming bass, catchy melodies and the occasional dead pan vocal Juan Maclean pretty much lived up to the hype and my expectations. Blast this on a saturday night in your loft with all your yuppie hipster friends like it was intended... I'll have to be content with listening to it on my head phones on my painfully long commute.
Tim K gave it a2:
This album stinks like a outhouse. Let's face it, even though we all want to love the synth, the sytnh sounds like poop.
jyotirmaya d gave it a10:
Simply awesome! One of the 10 Best CDs of 2005 so far.
Scott C gave it an8:
"give me every little thing" is amazing. it's not heavy music -- but then, not everything needs to be.
