|
New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search
Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
|
In The Mode
by Roni Size/Reprazent
| LABEL: |
Island/Def Jam |
| RELEASE DATE: |
24 October 2000 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Electronic |
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...
100
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
The album moves the way you always hope jungle will, like a cross between a tiger and a snake, yet it's also a kind of mix record, with five showcases for Reprazent's serviceable MC Dynamite, who's as useful as the inevitable Method Man in the crucial matter of providing rap sounds. Size has his own Chaka, too. Her name is Onallee, and she takes the record out.
90
CDNow
Still walking that tightrope between seductive soul and fearsome BPM counts, Size and crew grab you by the earlobe and drag you along, whether you like it or not. This time, though, they've polished their sound to a liquid smoothness and brought some friends along, namely Method Man and Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha.... At a time when drum-and-bass has lost its momentum and focus, In the Mode glimmers with brilliance simply because it's everything that drum-and-bass isn't.
90
Spin
Roni Size and Reprazent come back so fast and furious on In the Mode that their record sounds less like a jungle reinvention than a call to arms. [Nov. 2000, p.207]
90
All Music Guide
The level of punk fury and torrential modernization is high all throughout this record.... Undoubtedly, hardcore jungleists will scoff at such a high-profile, sometimes flashy presentation of drum'n'bass ethics, but this is an album full of such militant energy that it deserves to be seen as one of the strongest saving graces of jungle in years. Reprazent sounds like a band trying to make jungle's sonic equivalent to the mutinous Xtrmntr.
83
Entertainment Weekly
His latest returns a sense of urgency to a musical revolution-turned-boutique genre. The vibe's faster and gnarlier... [10/27/2000, p.120]
80
Mojo
Slimmer, leaner, more disciplined than its predecessor.
80
Vibe
Size earns his crown as he breaks through the jungle unscathed on In the Mode. He rises above mainstream neighbors Tricky and Massive Attack to take credit for an eclectic mix of what would have been one painfully long trip if left to any old Limelight DJ.
80
The Onion (A.V. Club)
In The Mode indicates the importance of Size's gift as both a bandleader and a producer: Because his music combines so many different elements (hip-hop, dub, soul, jazz, rock, ambient, techno), his uncanny ability to juggle everything makes Reprazent go down easy, considering how uniquely frenetic the stuff is.
80
Urb
In The Mode is at its most invigorating when it eschews the now tired-sounding rare groove and cool-jazz format of 'New Forms' for a sound that combines more bounce-friendly radio sounds with a hint of menace. [#79, p.136]
70
HOB.com
In The Mode is far from an innovative lyrical masterpiece. But then, it's not supposed to be. The rapping, singing, and general noisemaking of vocalists Dynamite MC, Onallee, and guests Method Man and Rahzel serve a far more critical purpose than merely adding hollow words. Unspectacular in their own right, the vocals here are what bind together the bursts of musical thought into a fluid whole.
70
Rolling Stone
Shot through with uncut techno and hip-hop, the grooves on this seventeen-track CD are hard, propulsive and irresistible.
70
New Musical Express
Dense and relentlessly angry... 'In The Mode' is an example of fierce, righteous, and - despite the American input - fearlessly British innovation.
60
Sonicnet
Rather than an abdication, In the Mode is a defiant and defensive statement.... This bristling new approach pays off well for the most part. As on New Forms, some of the best moments come when the crew mixes some soul and R&B stylings into the proceedings... At times the determination to keep the beats pounding hard and heavy leads to a slightly generic feel, especially on the instrumental cuts.
60
Select
Roni Size has abandoned his grooves for a tougher hip-hop-oriented approach. The results are hit and miss... [Nov. 2000, p.122]
60
Q Magazine
Like its predecessor, In The Mode is a sprawling tour-de-force, and its 80 minutes contain much that is breathtaking alongside the pleasant if perfunctory. [Nov 2000, p. 112]
60
Dot Music
The change is clear from the outset with 'In The Mode' sounding like an album made by an act that no longer feels the need to pamper its audience. Gone are the gently loping double bass grooves and feathery vocals, replaced by a feverishly paced percussive assault that challenges both vocalists and live instruments alike to keep up.
The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Discuss this album in our forums |
|
GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
