Both Lights
by Au
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
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  1. PopMatters
    Apr 26, 2012
    70
    With individual tracks as strong as "Solid Gold", "The Veil", and, particularly, "Epic", Both Lights is a terrific collection, and that may be enough for some people. But its failings in terms of flow, the inclusion of jarring throwaways like "Today / Tonight", and some unflattering track juxtapositions make for an album best consumed in small bites.
  2. Beats Per Minute
    Apr 12, 2012
    80
    Crafting an album that's bold and expansive but manageable and narratively sound is no easy task, and that's exactly what AU have done.
  3. BBC Music
    Apr 10, 2012
    80
    It's a tight 40 minutes of compacted, runaway virtuosity.
  5. Magnet
    Apr 6, 2012
    80
    A sensational album by a band willing to take risks, Both Lights offers an exhilarating glimpse at pop music's future. [#86, p.52]
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  6. The Quietus
    Apr 5, 2012
    70
    Here is a group that doesn't seem to know where it fits; it can't decide whether it wants to rack itself freak-folk, or avant-noise, or post-rock, or even neo-classical. But it also understands that, actually, you don't have to choose.
  7. Clash Music
    Apr 4, 2012
    80
    Expansive and exploratory, powerful and hymnal.
  8. Delusions of Adequacy
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    Both Lights goes a step further in cementing their reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest's best kept secrets.
  9. DIY Magazine
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    There is a lot to take in here but certainly a lot of fun to be had in the process as well.
  10. AllMusic
    Apr 2, 2012
    70
    Both Lights isn't always completely on the money.
  11. musicOMH.com
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    Both Lights [is] both a complex and fascinating listen in equal measure.
  12. New Musical Express (NME)
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    Every track brims with exuberant life. His first true masterpiece.
  13. No Ripcord
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    It's endlessly fascinating... [However] the album occasionally com[es] across as wilfully obtuse.
  14. Pitchfork
    Apr 2, 2012
    66
    Both Lights may be plenty gorgeous, but in Wyland's never-idle hands, that beauty proves fleeting.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. AlexxTrusc
    May 26, 2012
    7
    What we'll find on the album - "Both Lights" is best expressed by the song "Epic" - with a very appropriate title. The material on the albumWhat we'll find on the album - "Both Lights" is best expressed by the song "Epic" - with a very appropriate title. The material on the album is an experimental alternative in a very pompous edition. Even on seemingly so simple structurally compositions as "The Veil" hybrid elements are involved, so that songs takes different, unpredictable - but also a very interesting shape.… Full Review »