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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Pale Young Gentlemen
EMAILPRINTby Pale Young Gentlemen
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 14 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Pale Young Gentlemen (self-release)
Release Date: 23 March 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie, Pop
Summary
The quintet from Madison, Wisconsin self-releases their debut album.
Also By This Artist: Black Forest
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...
Lost At Sea
Thoroughly theatric, Pale Young Gentlemen's measured approach is channeled by the bricolage upshot of their composition.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
It’s a classic first album: A band unpretentiously tangling various genres they--or even listeners--thought would never sound so brilliant together.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
Pale Young Gentlemen–-as an album--is musical theatre. Switching between moments of mid-tempo melancholy to upbeat cabaret, they strike a perfect juxtaposition.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
There's a refreshingly human scale to everything on Pale Young Gentlemen--the songs are so strong that the crack of a snare drum and the bowing of a cello, simple gestures as they are, can achieve the band's grand theatrical ambitions.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
The band's eponymous debut is a classy, memorable, and swooning collection of sophisticated pop.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
The Gents waltz their way through these ten sturdy, mid-tempo numbers rarely striking a bum note.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
This music on this self-titled release is perfectly and tightly composed and arranged.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
As a whole, the release is a bit stronger on the front end, but it's charming enough for the duration that a couple weaker (and somewhat repetitive, given the bands thus-limited oeuvre) tracks don't hold it back too much.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
While Pale Young Gentlemen is frontloaded and slightly naïve like a record of this sort should be, there's more than enough reason to anticipate what they're capable of when they decide to get darker, older, and less gentle.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
David G gave it a9:
This album will eventually go down as among the year's 10 best albums. The Pale Young Gentlemen execute the inspired, fresh song-writing of Mike Reisenauer brilliantly. I can't help echoing the sentiments that Pale Young Gentlemen have been unfairly ignored by a music industry (labels, media outlets, radio) too rigidly self-satisfied to recognize a new talent unbelievably still under the radar. If music industry hype magazines and websites truly want to seem like cutting edge journalism uncovering "lost gems," they should take note. What could attend to your media's credibility moreso than the initial recognition that opened up your grateful audience's attention to a great band? Some of the alleged influences given by various websites seem forced. But I will echo a few: the comparison to a young Randy Newman (the songwriter) is apt -- the lyrics often ring bittersweet and ironic, while the music is varied, well structured, with alternating touches of the melancholic and the madcap. The band is more interested in great music than hype. Also, I cannot help likening them to a couple of my favorites: The Kinks and Nina Simone. Both examples performed compositions from various genres, making something new and timely out of older forms. Furthermore, it's probably fair to say that Pale Young Gentlemen will be similarly misunderstood by the same media outlets that try to pigeon-hole musicians into a marketable commodity. Unfortunately, this leads to everyone losing. Check these guys out and you'll, no doubt, want to purchase this self-released album. Unlike all of the musicians that their music is compared, all of your purchase dollars will go directly to the band and their musical growth instead of into the pockets of one of the major labels. With this debut record, they have emerged as a real artistic presence into the world of music.
Faris R. gave it a10:
Pale Young Gentlemen are a pleasure to listen to. Really, what beats "Clap Your Hands"?
carlo gave it a10:
This album is a great surprise from this young Madison band. Definitely worth the rating.
Shane W. gave it a9:
I really like this release. Very fun and upbeat. Don't miss their live show if they come to your town. Every time I see them they get better.
Bessie C. gave it a10:
Pale Young Gentlemen are hands down the best band to come out of Madison in years, if not ever. Their live shows are brilliant and their self-released album holds its own against any major label indie-rock release this year.
Erik H. gave it a9:
The most fun album of the year and also one of the year's best. Go buy it today! The best song is "Saturday Night".
Jesse R. gave it a10:
I've been following Pale Young Gentlemen since their first show here in Madison more than two years ago. In addition to having in my opinion one of the most unique albums of the year, they also put on pne of the best performances. The band's line up now consists of a cello and three violins in addition to the piano guitar and drums.
