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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Sword Of God
by Quasi
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.
| LABEL: |
Touch and Go |
| RELEASE DATE: |
21 August 2001 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
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...
90
Magnet
A wonderful album, with Coomes and Weiss at their very best. [#51, p.107]
90
Billboard
This is some of the most accomplished indie rock you're likely to hear.
80
Mojo
Countless moments of sheer melodic magic. [Dec 2001, p.116]
80
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...
80
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.
80
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]
75
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.
70
Uncut
Self-consciously odd, but entertaining. [Sep 2001, p.98]
70
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.
70
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.
70
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]
60
Shredding Paper
The whole thing seems uninspired. [#11]
60
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.
60
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.
60
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.
60
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.
50
Neumu.net
A jangly collection of contagious pop tunes made melancholy by a dark songwriting style.
40
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.
40
Playlouder
Think Pavement with a shake of Grandaddy and a little dash of something else low-key and lackadaisical and that's Quasi.
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.
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