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Splendid

Mass Romantic more than repays any musical debt owed by the good people of Canada. In fact, it’s going to take some pretty strong efforts by America's best and brightest to match The New Pornographers' achievements here.

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All Music Guide

It's an album that reveals its charms through repeat listens, and makes a listener wonder how the band can master so many different musical styles via so many vocalists while still maintaining a fiercely cohesive sound.

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PopMatters

The New Pornographers have made such a great album, tuneful, overdosed with hooks, that all the past sins of our Northern neighbors are forgiven. Well, maybe not Rush, but close.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

More than the sum of its influences--even if it occasionally feels like a stack of Cars, Cheap Trick, and early XTC albums melted together--Mass Romantic throttles from strength to strength.

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Pitchfork

Their peppy, gleeful, headstrong guitar pop sounds a hell of a lot like yesteryear's Britpop.

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CDNow

A record that's certain to be name-checked by pop savants 20 years from now.

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Austin Chronicle

They borrow from Cheap Trick, the Beach Boys, Big Star, Roxy Music, Buzzcocks, and Robyn Hitchcock, and concoct a dizzying potion that sounds remarkably fresh and unlike anything that's come before it.

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Q Magazine

A rather erratic affair. [Apr 2002, p.119]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

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

Justin B. gave it a10:
I see this album has only 8 critic reviews and it's an 87 which looks rather good until i look at the scores. No 100s! a 60!!!!?what the fuck? this is one of the best pop albums you will ever hear.

Ju B gave it a10:
Simply a pop gem. It'll be a long while till someone puts out a pop album like this.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Their best album for sure, in an entirely different league with electric version and twin cinema, not to say those albums aren't damn good either.

Jared gave it a10:
Duh!

Static Shock gave it a10:
outstanding album

Andy S gave it a10:
This is just such a catchy peice that it's hard to find fault with it. I hate to be one of those people who use 10 out of 10, but I'm just astounded there's no way to put more than 9 otherwise. Some of the songs are just so genius and far from what everyone else is making. Compare this to any other indie band, and you'll find that this is much more fun. Jackie is a plain old clever song with a dark undertone, but the song is still fun. Slow Decent is a brilliant song that is just so happy you might be tempted to not notice the darker lyrics. It's such a wide range of emotions at the same time; although that's true of the whole album. And the underrated Fake Headlines is brilliant with its catchy melancholy.I The range of this album is amazing. Truly stellar.

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Mass Romantic

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