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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Two Against Nature
by Steely Dan


8.2

based on 13 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 8 votes
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Everything Must Go

MUSIC:

Donald Fagen: Morph The Cat

The duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen return after a 20-year hiatus, with this Grammy-winning comeback album sounding as if they had never left.

LABEL:	Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE:	29 February 2000
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	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...

100

Entertainment Weekly

Their ensemble sound remains sharp and inimitable.

Village Voice

The music turns Aja's fusion-pop mode jumpier and snappier, sourer and trickier and less soothing--postfunk, whether anyone will admit it or not.

Sonicnet

Two Against Nature marks a timely return of two chilly, heartless hipsters.

All Music Guide

The most surprising thing about the album is that it sounds exactly like classic Steely Dan, but without feeling dated.

Mojo

Sharp, sleek, sophisticated, more going on (jazzy horns, juicy backing vocals, switchblade rock guitar) than a couple of spins can take in and seductive enough to keep drawing you back.

Q Magazine

They've produced a demanding slice of music, brilliantly out of sync in an age of quick fixes and plummeting attention spans.

CDNow

Becker and Fagen seem to have found their happy place during the recording of Two Against Nature. And as it's presented on this extremely infectious collection, their joy is contagious.

Wall of Sound

Familiar-sounding as these songs may be, they function as well as any blend of jazz and rock...

Spin

Unfortunately, timelessness does not always equate with flawlessness.... it is all a little too pristine and sanitized for someone's protection...

Rolling Stone

What makes Two Against Nature work isn't its cerebral ellipticity but its stunning musical clarity.

New Musical Express

Once more, we're in a world of uptight, high-gloss grooves, wry tales of dirty old men, and, of course, terrifyingly proficient guitar solos.

Checkout.com

While Two Against Nature certainly has its moments, it doesn't catch your ear with the crafty songsmith of Steely Dan past.

Pitchfork

The lengthy, indistinguishable tracks could pass for a Daniel Lanois-produced collaboration between the Dave Matthews Band and Kenny G.

The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John L gave it a9:
Most of their previous output rates a "10". They were as important an American band as their was in the 70's to be sure. I'd almost rate this an 8, but while I don't like it as much as Fagen's "the Nightfly", it is a great one to be sure. Morph the Cat is fine too, whilst the one that followed this is only good.

Kristian T gave it a 9:
Its so good to have them back. This is a great album, definatly the best album in 2000. However it isnt as good as their newest release, Everything Must Go.

Jonathan H gave it a 6:
Not bad, but forgettable

Bill S gave it a 6:
Steely Dan is the greatest band in the world. Their output in the 1970s is the perfect counterpoint of sarcastic, cryptic lyrics and beautiful, deceptive melodies. "Two Against Nature" is a good album on its own, but it simply does not hold up to the bands impossibly high standard. While the '70s albums were challenging rock albums, this one feels like lite jazz in comparison. Too much sax, not quite enough sass. In comparison to others in its genre, this is very solid, but compared to their own work, it's got to be considered somewhat disappointing.

David B gave it a 10:
Steeley Dan has still got it

Jack aSS gave it a 10:
best album

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Two Against Nature by Steely Dan

Two Against Nature
by Steely Dan