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Beyond The Neighbourhood - Athlete
Metascore
48 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
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  1. Hot Press
    70
    Athlete's third effort Beyond The Neighbourhood goes some way to restoring their initial well-deserved kudos.
  2. Filter
    66
    Beyond the Neighborhood is somewhere in between, melding studio tweakery with the kind of sweeping melodies that never seem to go out of fashion.
  3. Dot Music
    60
    The self-produced Beyond The Neighbourhood balances its meat and veg indie with enough electronic textures and hip hop beats to (sort of) catch the ear.
  4. All Music Guide
    60
    The album is mostly about emotion and expressing emotion, and finding the right driving piano hooks and reverbing guitar chords to enhance such feelings. All of which means that Beyond the Neighbourhood is not particularly extraordinary.
  5. NOW Magazine
    60
    Beyond The Neighbourhood isn't Athlete's triumph, but with far more rock moments, spacey sounds and well-placed hooks, as on the driving anthem Hurricane and the dreamy Airport Disco, they've redeemed themselves a little.
  6. PopMatters
    60
    There aren't too many instances of musical weakness on the record, though a few tracks are mediocre in comparison with the album's most winning moments.
  7. Sputnikmusic
    50
    It sounds like the work of a band who are simply trying to get their feelings off their chest, rather than one trying to sell records.
  8. Under The Radar
    40
    As talented as these guys are, they still can't write a song that stays with you. [Fall 2007, p.78]
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  9. Drowned In Sound
    40
    Again Athlete have purported a musical equivalent to a blank stare. It is there, it may intend to disperse meaning, but in the end it does nothing much, if anything at all. Blah, indeed.
  10. Uncut
    40
    Their third album is sprinkled with sensitive instrumental textures and plaintive tinkling noises, but their music remains utterly devoid of personality, not least because of Joel Potts' vapid vocals, while not even the best efforts of Gil Grissom and his eager CSIs could unearth a sniff of a decent tune. [Oct 2007, p.83]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. Q Magazine
    40
    The result is a too quiet, curiously unfinished-sounding album with barely a moment to remember, let alone cherish. [Oct 2007, p.96]
    All this publication's reviews
  12. The Guardian
    40
    As you listen to Beyond the Neighbourhood, you find yourself spending an awful lot of time asking yourself whether you're feeling anything yet.
  13. Pitchfork
    28
    Beyond the Neighbourhood is the sonic equivalent of a beautiful coffin.
  14. Prefix Magazine
    25
    Mired in the generic neo-new-wave and self-consciously emotive yawn of contemporary fashion indie rock, Athlete's unimaginative music matches up nicely with the shallow lyrics.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Daves
    9
    Strange...i read really good reviews for this in the observer, mojo and time out. Why are these not included? great album.
  2. GarryK.
    10
    Throughly enjoyed this album as all the songs are very down-to-earth and catchy. I was very disappointed when looking at the critics remarks as I firmly believe it is there best album out.… Full Review »
  3. FredR.
    6
    Sure, self-producing you're own album is going to have its downfalls, athlete are no longer producing a record to benefit their own sales. therefore, to state the obvious "it will sell less" however sales aren't everything in building a bands population. i think by self-producing an album they have set a standard for what is to come, and i think they've done well.… Full Review »
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