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Tiny Mix Tapes

Both infectiously danceable and highly intelligent.

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Drowned In Sound

Unlike other would-be indie-dance pretenders, this is properly danceable stuff; fat basses and catchy percussion beats are punctured by intoxicating keyboard motifs.

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Playlouder

Their zeal is such that, for the most part, we can overlook their failure to be flawless.

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Dot Music

The album's sinewy rhythms and monochrome production sheen start to fade into the background after a while, but as far as capturing a certain political and musical zeitgeist, "Stealing Of A Nation" does so accurately, and with more honesty and integrity than most.

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New Musical Express

They sound like they actually mean it. [11 Sep 2004, p.57]

Urb

Too often we get ill-fated experiments in electronic circa 1997 and overly polished replications of their biggest hit to date, "Electrify." [Sep 2004, p.116]

Splendid

If you'd never heard Gotham!, you might very well find much to like about Stealing of a Nation.

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Spin

They've de-funned rebellion and turned it into a task. [Oct 2004, p.109]

Lost At Sea

Overly polished and far too artificial.

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Under The Radar

By the time the fifth track plays, I feel like I just listened to the same song five times in a row. [#7]

Stylus Magazine

The material lacks the gauzy groove of Gotham!, replaced by techno-savvy beats and a synthetic sheen so soulless it C3PO’s all of the group’s human swagger.

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Blender

Roman's politically spiked lyrics sound shrugged-off and flimsy. [Sep 2004, p.141]

Alternative Press

Often feels like the soundtrack for a party that's running short on ideas. [Oct 2004, p.132]

Mojo

Heyes has polished the band into tedium, with live guitars and drums drowned out by high sheen studio gloss and painfully dated loops. [Sep 2004, p.104]

Q Magazine

They've lost the spark. [Sep 2004, p.122]

PopMatters

Stealing of a Nation has some nice melodies, driving rhythms, hooky choruses, and fuzzy explosive guitar, but the sameness of the beats, the laziness of the lyrics, and Max Heyes' (Doves, Primal Scream) clipped, staccato production are enough to do the album in.

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All Music Guide

Stealing of a Nation is a slick, calculated record that misses its target on all accounts.

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Rolling Stone

Radio 4 show a real lack of gusto. [28 Oct 2004, p.98]

Junkmedia

Shiny, soulless dance tracks that would have been mediocre even as Rick Astley backing tracks.

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The Guardian

However tiresome the slogans, worse is the fact that the beats are lazy.

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Pitchfork

Radio 4 can be commended for at least trying to move past the purposeful lo-fi of Gotham! and into fresher territory, but there's no bell or whistle in the world that could energize the utterly impotent songs at the core of Stealing of a Nation.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Shows how slavish reproduction curdles into artistic bankruptcy.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 5.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

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

Flinch Bot gave it a0:
The worst record I have hear din years. I wanted to turn it off after the second song, but kept it in hoping to find any redeeming value in this. I want an hour of my life back, please.

Henry B gave it a6:
Ironic now that post-9/11 political protest is in full swing Radio 4 make their most passive and soul-less record to date. You only hope that live they can salvage some of the magic displayed on 2001's 'Gotham!'

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Stealing Of A Nation

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