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Sword Of God
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Touch and Go
Release Date: 21 August 2001
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
This is the fourth release for Quasi, which features Sam Coomes (formerly of The Donner Party, and sometimes bandmate of Elliott Smith and Built to Spill) and Sleater-Kinney's Janet Weiss.
Also By This Artist: Hot Shit When The Going Gets Dark
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...
Magnet
A wonderful album, with Coomes and Weiss at their very best. [#51, p.107]
Billboard
This is some of the most accomplished indie rock you're likely to hear.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Countless moments of sheer melodic magic. [Dec 2001, p.116]
Splendid
The more I listen to The Sword of God, the more I appreciate Quasi’s ability to create smoothly flowing, catchy songs without sacrificing their trademark complexity. My only problem with this album is that the whole package is just so drenched in irony...
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Seal The Deal opens with a rollicking piano intro that's longer than the rest of the song, guitars are abandoned in favour of exhilarating keyboard riffs, and the background use of birdsong and bagpipes is commonplace in Quasi's world. And it's a better place for it.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
It's the succinct pop of a punkier Squeeze or a sloppier, edgier Beatles that makes Sword a treasure. [Sep 2001, p.94]
E! Online
The odd combination of Coomes' rinky-dink keyboards and Weiss' booming beat is scrappy, stripped-down and still charmingly unlike anything else out there.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Self-consciously odd, but entertaining. [Sep 2001, p.98]
New Musical Express
Fundamentally, 'The Sword Of God' is a record that fumbles desperately at the door of greatness but can't quite get the key to fit. It tries hard, it's got some excellent songs on it, but it's just slightly too smarmy for its own good.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Fans who craved the melancholy love stuff may find something essential lacking as a result. But those who love the music will come away as satisfied as ever: here is the deep distortion fuzz punctuated by jangling pop and keyboard, and Coomes' high, unaffected vocals soar over the rest without any kind of effects crutch.
Read Full Review >Spin
The two have widened and lightened their sound a bit from '99's Field Studies, with more, merrier guitars and varied selection of keys. [Oct 2001, p.134]
Shredding Paper
The whole thing seems uninspired. [#11]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
As always, the marriage of hooks and psychological horror works well, but for the first time it also starts to wear a little thin. The album's second half is dominated by weaker songs and lyrics that really need a fuller range of human emotion.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Unfortunately, the efforts made by the band to expand their oeuvre on The Sword of God just fall flat. Long-winded instrumental passages, extended exploration of new instruments, and more bird noises do not a good record make, and The Sword of God makes this all too evident.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
This may not be their best offering, but it's a truly fine record that offers plenty in the way of satisfaction.
Read Full Review >CDNow
Quasi's only mistake might be that it made this album too long; it clocks in at over 50 minutes. Such tracks as "Seal the Deal" and "Little Lord Fontleroy" show the limitations of a duo, and, at times, Quasi's basic keyboard and drums approach lacks a sense of wholeness and tends to meander.
Read Full Review >Neumu.net
A jangly collection of contagious pop tunes made melancholy by a dark songwriting style.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Even at their best, Quasi can be like the same magic trick performed over and over. At first, it's marvelous and mysterious, yet with each successive time less so, until eventually you figure out how the whole thing is done and lose interest altogether.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
Think Pavement with a shake of Grandaddy and a little dash of something else low-key and lackadaisical and that's Quasi.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
peachyM F gave it a10:
melting rubix ice cubes
liz s gave it a 9:
eh decent but elliott smith is definitely the best indie rock singer
Toni K. gave it a 9:
Indie at its best. Shame to those who think otherwise. Feel-good music with vocals ala Elliott Smith.
