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Oct 16, 2012Fleshed out with flecks of African-style guitar and tumbling bass...there's still the trademarked bedrock: that motor-fueled, machine-grind churn.
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Sep 21, 2012Beams, like Asa Breed, is front-loaded with the atmospheres and vocal manipulations that are bedrock to his best work. But Beams fails to evince the kind of songwriting growth that the vocal minority of his fans have been waiting for.
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Aug 31, 2012It's not that Beams is a lighter listen than Black City, but it's certainly more honest.
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Aug 30, 2012If Black City represents the dark night of Dear's soul, Beams is the neon-lit dawn of an accomplished artist at the height of his creative powers.
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Aug 30, 2012It's an incandescent release that places a heavy emphasis on subterranean bass.
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Aug 29, 2012That's what Beams is truly all about: that chance for Dear to break himself down, to boil everything he is emotionally, musically, and creatively to its most essential. With that achieved, regardless of the name its created under, you've got yourself a truly unified, coherent record.
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Aug 28, 2012It's the album's more subdued tail end, particularly "Ahead of Myself" and "Temptation," that shows a songwriter rising above his comfort zone to deliver a career-defining transition.
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Aug 28, 2012As a front-to-back experience, but album doesn't exactly stay with you.
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Aug 28, 2012Beams builds on the dense, sexy sound of Black City. Great dance music makes you feel like a beautiful Adonis, like an existential god as you jerk your body around to the rhythm.
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Aug 28, 2012Beams may not be as tantalising as 2010's excellent Black City, but it is a highly enjoyable album full of solid songwriting and that familiar sexy bass sound that should complete Dear's gradual crossover into the indie mainstream.
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Aug 28, 2012It's a record steeped in uneasiness, but still somewhat optimistic. Dear's voice might be heavy and his music might be dark, but he believes in the light.
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Aug 28, 2012Minor complaints aside, Beams is a solid record, and a pretty good Dear album is nothing to be upset about.
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Aug 27, 2012Warm and opening yet still dazzlingly inventive.
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Aug 27, 2012Dear's vocals are at their most expressive, imposing, and sinister.
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Aug 24, 2012Whilst possessing the rich production values Dear's typically celebrated for, 'Beams' sees its creator grow with confidence, slipping into James Murphy's grubby Converse with ease.
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The WireAug 23, 2012The closing track "Temptation" proves that electronic producers who refuse to be typecast are the ones who keep the music exciting. [Aug 2012, p.44]
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Aug 23, 2012There are great production touches all over Beams, but unfortunately the songwriting is just okay, and the arrangements often bury the best sonic details.
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Aug 23, 2012There's no doubt that the familiarity of Dear's style after several records means Beams has to work a bit harder to hold your attention than previous efforts..... The good news is that until that issue is resolved, there's plenty here to hold your interest.
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MagnetAug 23, 2012Sadly, Beams doesn't show Dear changing up his game in any meaningful way. [No.90 p.55]
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Aug 22, 2012Even though it's awkward to dance to, it is nevertheless a piece of work to be admired and, given the kaleidoscopic myriad of influences mentioned here, it's clear that this is something that stands on its own merits. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.116]
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Aug 21, 2012Although it's a trite concept, Dear's delivery sounds new, bathed in glowing, emerald light.
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Aug 21, 2012Beams represents a cerebral and well-balanced opus that could well represent a peerless innovator at the absolute pinnacle of his legacy.
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Aug 21, 2012Beams is an uncompromising, forceful and darkly beautiful album from a formidable musical talent.
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Aug 20, 2012While this may not be as perfectly realised as "Black City," it's still a beautiful, complex, weird and bold album.
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Q MagazineAug 20, 2012Beams is more expansive and vulnerable that the nightclubbing menace of 2010's Black City. [Sep 2012, p.99]
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Aug 17, 2012Dear's fifth album sees the songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, singer, producer, DJ and all-round clever dick making a bigger, more accessible sound.
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Aug 17, 2012At the moment, it feels like he's clinging tenaciously to the edge of disco's seamy grandeur: held there by a certain stiffness, seriousness even.
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MojoAug 17, 2012There are moments when dear slips down pop alleys, but for those following, there's a creeping sense it could turn a bit Don't Look Now at any second. [Sep 2012, p.86]
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UncutAug 17, 2012While James Murphy's homages are leavened with irony and discrete heartache, Dear is more po-faced than pomo. [Sep 2012, p.75]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 14
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Mixed: 0 out of 14
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Negative: 0 out of 14
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Sep 2, 2012