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100

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

Their beats beat Stetsasonic's.

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All Music Guide

The ladies of Northern State deliver funky breaks and tight grooves on Dying in Stereo, and keep the hip-hop flavor without being vulgar and crass.

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Splendid

It's as important to women in hip-hop as Joni Mitchell, Madonna and Sleater-Kinney were to their respective genres.

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Entertainment Weekly

Utilitarian beats, charmingly lumpy flow, and some of the more amusingly literate rhymes around.

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Spin

Northern State's skills and we-can-do-this exuberance transcend what otherwise might be shtick. [Aug 2003, p.116]

Blender

Refreshingly... [Northern State] would rather rhyme about feminism and softball than about hip-hop's tired polarities. [#17, p.139]

Urb

All it takes is a spin of their high-steppin' full-length debut to realize that these ladies are worthy of the praise. [Sep 2003, p.101]

Alternative Press

It's still early to see if they'll transcend the hype, but Dying In Stereo bodes well by keeping it real over simple old-school beats. [Aug 2003, p.108]

Rolling Stone

Both old-school and totally original, both literate and full of unpretentious New Yawk sass, both deeply catchy and underground in spirit.

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Q Magazine

An all-conquering white female rap crew? It's been a long time coming and, on the strength of this debut, may be arriving sooner than you think. [Jun 2003, p.105]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Dying In Stereo holds out a lot of promise without falling prey to the solemnity that haunts so much underground hip-hop.

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PopMatters

It's like taking hip-hop of the early '80s and jettisoning it into the now: update the metaphors, the references, and the technology but not the beats, the flows, or the vocal stylings.

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Uncut

Inpressive stuff, but like the Beastie Boys' tinnitus-inducing whines, Northern State's gonzoid yelps suffer from diminishing returns. [Jun 2003, p.110]

Mojo

Sounds like an all-girl early Beastie Boys.... The politics, though, are somewhat sounder. [May 2003, p.99]

New Musical Express

With their brattish Long Island manners, spiky wit and (middle-class) B-Girl 'tood, it mightn't be all that lazy to re-baptise them The Beastie Girls.

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Under The Radar

Their flow and their confidence argue against them being just a novelty act. [#5, p.114]

Pitchfork

Juvenile, simpering, weak, preachy, pointless and accidentally snooty, Dying in Stereo is about as empowering as Legally Blonde 2.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 3.9 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

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

Michael D gave it a9:
This album, is fantastic-i dont get why people say otherwise. Not just the brilliant beats and lyrics but what it stands for!

nigs big gave it a10:
damn fine up beat

Joel T gave it a 0:
Although I don't usually agree with Pitckforkmedia.com's reviews, their assessment of Northern State is spot on. The only reason this band is popular is because 1. they are all female. 2. they are white I hate to say this but it's true. On the surface they are something easily marketable, a bunch of new england liberal arts college girls busting into the scene. But listen to the lyrics (unimaginative and forced) and their beats (same), and you'll see there isn't much under the surface. I have seen them in the concert before the CD came out and was shocked to see all the good reviews they got. Did any of the critics actually listen to the CD? Or just look at the press kit that fell on the desk? When I saw them in concert I really thought I was seeing some B-level college band that was lucky enough to get the show. Even the other musicians in the band had a look that said "what the heck are WE doing here?" If you are hard pressed for some hip-hop that fits a bill similar to this band, do yourself a favor and get Luscious Jackson or some old Beastie Boys. And if you want a fun party band, well get some 80s compilations, probably be a lot cheaper and won't piss you off in the end. In short, this band lowers the quality of hip-hop by being so highly accoladed.

EastVillage gave it a 0:
Northern State reminds us that hip hop in no longer about race, gender, or any semblance of talent whatsoever. Please don't try to convince me that THIS is the paradigm of female white suburban snob rap. There has to be something better brewing behind a Starbucks counter somewhere in Jersey.

Danielle M gave it a 10:
These girls have the smartest and funniest lyrics heard in a while. Northern State reminds us that hip hop in no longer about race or gender but providing a voice. So to all of the white suburban girls looking for their voice....look no further.

lez s gave it a 0:
i found this cd in one of those $5 bins and had heard good things about them, so i picked it up. it wasnt worth it. they are just a novelty act that doesn't work, and they suck. ewww! it just goes to show that mainstream critics are disillusioned and deaf.

Found in Library gave it a 10:
I liked this. I saw it in the library then threw it back down. Never heard of them. I check out a lot of the hit Rap garbage. Jay-Z, 50 cent, Nelly. What ever is a hit. It's all lame. I gave up on that crap. I finally decided to check this out having no idea. I figured it would be garbage. But since they were white, I figured what the hell. It's a change. I know what the blacks are gonna do. Vile, putrid, jewelry, hoes, cars, guns, drugs,partying,clowning. Tanning on the beach or by the pool in their videos. Yeah that's realistic! Lousy backing music. Tired themes. When I heard it, I was plesantly surprised. Hey hip hop and rap don't have to be exculsively done by Blacks. Why not let whites do it, without getting all over their case. This is just 3 friends from way back having a good time. If it works, fine. If it don't work, fine. I like the backing music. Not one boom-bap beat that's been done to nausiating infinity.

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Dying In Stereo

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