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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Get Guilty is a stirring set of memorable power-pop, given a personal spin via Newman's habit of delivering hard-to-parse pronouncements, like some kind of mad-eyed, curiously convincing soothsayer.

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Entertainment Weekly

Newman ratchets down the excess while retaining his talent for killer, off-kilter melodies.

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Paste Magazine

Newman’s second solo outing, Get Guilty, is a baroque-pop gem, on which he displays remarkable tonal control via crafty arrangement.

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Slant Magazine

Yet all of this feels like quibbling when surveying an album that's still devastatingly charming, consistently intelligent, and engaging on first listen.

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Dusted Magazine

Get Guilty isn’t an easy album at all. It just sounds like one.

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Billboard

On his second solo outing, New Pornographers main man Carl Newman gives a master class on how to merge melody and classic song structures without making music that sounds dated or retro.

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All Music Guide

Anyone who can craft a record that sounds and feels as good as Get Guilty deserves to keep on making records forever.

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PopMatters

As the album fades out to Newman and company singing, you feel drawn in to the song, much closer to the record than when you began. And that feeling is what makes Get Guilty fantastic.

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Q Magazine

Get Guilty bursts with dazzling tunes and--for him--relatively simple arrangements. [Apr 2009, p.108]

Prefix Magazine

Everything’s a little less condensed here than previous entries into the Newman catalogue, and the compositions even get to hang loose at times. That does lead to some delayed gratification, but it’s still exciting to see Newman let his hair down a bit--in an understated manner, of course.

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Pitchfork

Like Wonder, Guilty has its share of up-tempo tracks, yet its real pleasures are idiosyncratic, revealing themselves the more attentively and often you listen.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

This is just a modern rock record, and it definitely won’t change your life, but it’s more than competent and beyond clever.

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Delusions of Adequacy

Get Guilty is unlikely to bust Carl Newman out beyond his inherited fan-base but neither is it likely to disappoint those listening out for more-of-the-same, albeit with obvious but not crippling disadvantages.

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Hartford Courant

The best songs here stand alongside the best songs in Newman's repertoire, but not everything on Get Guilty lives up to so high a standard. Make of that what you will.

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Rolling Stone

Get Guilty isn't quite as consistent as a typical Pornographers record, but the arrangements are lusher. And like all Newman records, it shows off his smarts and maintains a strong hook quotient.

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Spin

Get Guilty dwells on the past, and that pensive reflection mutes the second half, turning Newman's boast into a wistful memory.

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Under The Radar

Newman is only Guilty of more predictable excellence here, running up his streak of impressive artistic success. [Winter 2009]

Uncut

The songs here reveal their author's love of The Beattles, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Elton John et al, and confirm Newman's growing status as college rock's most tasteful magpie. [Apr 2009, p.91]

Blender

ven the weaker material is nothing worse than pleasant, but it outweighs and obscures the better-than-pleasant; the middle of the album dissolves into an anonymously sweet haze.

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No Ripcord

Get Guilty is best enjoyed in chunks, as nearly all the tracks are great pop songs. But a full listen through can be an ordeal.

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The Phoenix

Too many of the songs rely on a stilted, march-like rhythm that makes them sound formal and restrained, especially when paired with Newman's arch lyrical delivery.

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Alternative Press

It's surprisingly how generally lukewarm the music is on Newman's sophomore effort, Get Guilty. [Feb 2009, p.103]

cokemachineglow

Even with their glut of talent (Bejar not included), the band is sputtering for ideas.

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NOW Magazine

This disc comes off like an early home demo for a mediocre New Pornographers recording before all the bright colours and drama get added.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Eric C gave it an8:
I wasn't a big fan of the Porno's quieter sound on Challengers, and the first time I heard a few of these songs, I wasn't too hopeful. But now that I've spent some time with this album and actually dug in to Newman's subtle and honest songwriting, I'm definately going to be returning to Challengers. Newman doesn't get the credit he deserves for being one of indie's top songwriters, mainly because the artsy kids are too busy fawning over Dan Bejar (not that Bejar and Destroyer aren't awesome). But I hope this album, while not his best batch of songs, will help get him in the much deserved spotlight.

Jeff P gave it a9:
I think the album is a grower (took me two listens to totally dig it), but like most of Newman's music, once it catches on, it sticks and you can't get it out of your head. Also, with each listen, something new is discovered and a new song becomes my favorite each time. A.C. Newman once again proves he is one of the best songwriters of the decade. Dynamite album and the first great release of 2009.

tom m. gave it an8:
Generally agree with cokemachineglow, but they got the review dead wrong with this effort. Similar in feel to the slow wonder, slower and more introspective than new pornographers, but hardly grasping for ideas.

[Anonymous] gave it an8:
This album both suffers and benefits in the same way that all New Pornographers albums do: they take a few plays to really catch you. Sure enough, when I listened to this disc for the first time I was left with a feeling of, "Oh, is that all?" with only two songs sticking out as "decent" to my ears. But after a couple more chances (which I'm always willing to give to an artist I admire...), a lot of the latent greatness was revealed, and soon enough five or six songs were getting stuck in my head throughout the day. In other words, I suggest that before anyone judges "Get Guilty", they listen to it three times on separate occasions. It's a strange kind of alchemy Newman has that causes his songwriting to be the equivalent of a timed-release pain-killer: it doesn't feel like much at first, but eventually the full brunt is felt. The album has its weak points, sure, but its strengths certainly outnumber them.

Jesse gave it an8:
A pleasant solo outing by this Canadian musical stalwart. Oh, why can't he move home?

DAVE G gave it an8:
How do the critics complain about this music? Great arrangements, lyrics, a tight band, and catchy songs-- this is almost unarguably an "A" album, even if it isn't quite as inspired some of Newman's previous work or push boundaries like some of his contemporaries. If you're looking for something to turn on while you shoot the breeze, give this a shot!

Tyler K. gave it an8:
Not quite slow wonder, but well-crafted. Too many slow numbers.

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