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Upcoming Release Calendar
64
A Camp Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Challengers
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The Canadian indie rock band's mellow fourth album.
| LABEL: | Matador |
| RELEASE DATE: | 21 August 2007 |
| DISCS: | 1 disc |
| GENRE(S): | Rock, Indie |
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...
The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 61 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Warren W. gave it a6:
Where Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema succeed, Challengers fails. The aforementioned certainly are poppier, and that isn't the problem with this album, it's that they don't really have anything new to say, the choruses are repetitive to the point of boredom and while it is slower and darker, it's just old hat at this point. Not bad, just not up to the standards they've already set for themselves.
RLB gave it a9:
The best Pornographers yet. Neko adds immeasurably, as always. Great, great songwriting. Very original, edgy, and flat out rocking!
Chris E gave it a9:
Really a great album that is a grower but does not take that long to grow on you. I totally agree that those who gave it a low score did not give it much of a chance. There are at least 9 or 10 really solid tracks o here and some like "Adventures in Solitude", "Challengers", "My Rights versus Yours", "All the Showtoppers", "All the Things that Go to Make Heaven and Earth", "Go Places", and "Myriad Harbour" will be on my favorites play list for quite some time. A must have for anyone who likes pop music.
Eric S gave it a10:
My favorite album of the past few years. As mentioned before, it takes a few listens, but the rewards are substantial. This is a great group and this is my favorite effort of theirs.
Justin gave it a9:
Yes, my first impression of this album was lukewarm, but with nearly a month of repeated listens, I now find this album engaging, gentle, and, more than anything, tremendous. "Adventures in Solitude" is one of the best songs the band has ever recorded. Both "Myriad Harbour" and "Mutiny, I Promise You" deserve permanent places in their live show, and "Challengers" feels like the Scorpions meets classic Fleetwood Mac. Once again, the critics speak too soon on an album.
J Max gave it an8:
This is a great album, but it will take you a while to really "get it". Best tracks are "All the Old Showstoppers", "Unguided", "Challengers", and "Adventures in Solitude"...this a more mature album full of songs about regret and sadness. It's probably not as good as "Twin Cinema" ("Sing Me Spanish Techno" was the best song of last year, with "These Are the Fables" not far behind") but it's a much different kind of album. I think that this will be one of those albums that people will go back and listen to in 15 years and realize its brilliance. If you need instant gratification, this is not for you, but it's an incredibly deep album that needs to be listened to for a while to truly appreciate it. "All the Old Showstoppers" will be in your head for months, and expect to hear "My Rights vs. Yours" a LOT, especially in a politcally-charged climate.
Jason L. gave it a9:
Note to critics: it helps to listen to an album properly before reviewing it. Not that we care, we know this is a great album.
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