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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Give Up
EMAILPRINTby The Postal Service
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 103 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: 18 February 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic, Indie, Rock
Summary
One of the highlights of Dntel's 2001 debut album was "This Is the Dream of Evan & Chan," where Dntel electronica mastermind Jimmy Tamborello was joined by Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard on vocals. Satisfied by those results, the two continued to collaborate (by mail), eventually resulting in enough material for this full album that ventures more into synth-pop/new wave territory than their previous single.
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Death Cab For Cutie: Plans Death Cab For Cutie: The Photo Album Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism Dntel: Dumb Luck Dntel: Life Is Full Of Possibilities James Figurine: Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat
Also On The Web: Postal Service @ Sub Pop
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...
Entertainment Weekly
Gibbard finds the near-perfect pop record that's eluded his main group. [Listen 2 This supplement, Mar 2003, p.12]
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
Gibbard's delicate voice matches the subtle electro arrangements far more precisely than it does the folky guitars of his real group.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Like any worthy match, the coming together gives each aspect assets that they'd be wont to find otherwise, the eletroclashy bursting with depth and the indie-croon thankfully adrenalized.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
The interplay of Gibbard's shyly introspective vocals with Tamborello's dense and meticulous backdrops works surprisingly well, at times better than anything to date from Death Cab or DNTEL.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
The project is pretty perfect, really.... Give Up ultimately becomes a beautiful lesson in how to dance life's pain away. [Mar 2003, p.100]
Q Magazine
All 10 songs yield more delights with every hearing. [May 2003, p.112]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
If Pet Shop Boys recorded for Warp Records, the results might be close.
Read Full Review >Splendid
Give Up's one real pitfall is that, on the whole, it sounds almost exactly like you'd expect a collaboration between these two men would, or for that matter, should, sound -- which certainly isn't to say that the music isn't enjoyable, or memorable.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
Give Up is an outstanding, creative effort from two of indie rock's most disparate voices.
Read Full Review >Ink 19
The result is somewhere between the Pet Shop Boys' meticulous dance pop and the driving keyboard rock of acts like Zero Zero.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The core tension between Tamborello's complex, almost impossibly dense production and Gibbard's cutting voice makes Give Up a pretty damned strong record, and one with enough transcendent moments to forgive it its few substandard tracks and some ungodly lyrical blunders.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Somewhere between Faultline's bedroom-boffin invention and Stephen Merritt's pensive elegance. [May 2003, p.99]
Village Voice
album hits people who love the sound extravaganzas of overdubbed guitar symphonies, can't hang with the folkiness full-service singer-songwriters inevitably preserve, and expect melodic flair and beats, yet sometimes want to hear words.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
Some people who liked the more experimental side of Tamborello's DNTEL project will simply find it a little too boppy for their liking, but it's one of those little discs that practically drills down into your subconscious.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Never once during the course of the album’s ten songs, do its creators even graze the surface of mediocrity, instead settling in the sunny middle ground that Gibbard so often inhabits.
Read Full Review >Junkmedia
While the record isn't necessarily an instant classic, the unabashed embrace of simple pop sensibilities, both old and new, make it a record that is hard to stop listening to.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
It doesn't scale the heights of either of their main projects, but it's far more consistent and enjoyable than might be expected.
Read Full Review >Uncut
A resounding success. [Jun 2003, p.92]
Rolling Stone
Tamborello's delightful pings and whistles fit Gibbard's whimsy perfectly.
Read Full Review >Flak Magazine
A pleasurable but uneven set that makes for occasionally compelling, but not addictive, listening.
Read Full Review >Magnet
Give Up is a record that says, well, nothing. [#58, p.100]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 103 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Vladimir L. gave it a7:
Awesome music. Decent vocals. Horrendous lyrics. Annoying fans. The kind of album you never let anyone know you actually like.
alex f gave it a9:
Great album
Lukas F gave it a9:
Not only is the technopop beat addictive, but the vocals blend wonderfully into each song. Absolutely amazing.
Peter K gave it an8:
A really good album that can easily become addictive. However some of the lyrics can be a real turnoff.. If it were not for the killer minimal electro beats and composition this album would not be worth an 8
Sigurður E gave it a9:
One of the best album i know from genius
Alex S gave it a10:
Brilliant!
Ludde P gave it a10:
Best voice ever, lyrics that do mean something, and addictive rhythms.
