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Between Yorn’s ingratiating tunes, Johansson’s harmonies and the lush, inventive production, Break Up ultimately succeeds in its ambitious goal of capturing the spirit--if not the sound--of the late-’60s musical partnership between Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
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Alternative PressJohansson sounds more in her element in this one, starting off strong with the bittersweat bounce of 'Relator.' The only misfire on Break Up is an overly arty rendition of 'I Am The Cosmos' by Chris Bell of Big Star. [Oct 2009, p.115]
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Johansson's throaty vocals fit Break Up's intimate vibe better than they did on her overly ambitious Tom Waits-covers album. Still, aside from the jangle 'n' twang ditty 'Relator' and remake of Chris Bell's classic 'I Am the Cosmos,' the project never really achieves liftoff.
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Yorn and Johannson cut their album long before She & Him, but surfacing in its wake, they can't help but seem a bit like the polished, polite answer to the twee, precious charms of Zooey & M. Ward. Break Up does trump Vol. 1 conceptually, chronicling the dissolution of a romance as a series of duets, and Scarlett is a more-than-worthy foil to Yorn.
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There’s a mopey, self-pitying quality to the lyrics, and the duo never once connect with or transmit the sultry passion that existed between those 60s icons [Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot].
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It is entirely listenable, but this sort of album suggests the power to either break or fortify hearts. To that extent, it does not follow through.
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Mostly, the record suffers from the same symptoms most flings do: In time, the dreaminess dissipates, leaving those involved searching for something with a little more weight to it.
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Break Up's nine songs have plenty of sweet harmonies, but there's just no sexual chemistry between these two friends.
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Eliminate the stilted pursuit of Artistry oozing out of the cracks here, and ignore the notion that there’s some sort of emphasis on an unraveling journey-through-song, and Break Up is actually a pleasant enough detour as a light-hearted, retro-pop affair.
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'Relator' aside, there's little about this duo's chemistry that lives up to Matt and Kim, let alone Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.
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Q MagazineChalk this one down purely to an arrangement of Tinseltown convenience. [Oct 2009, p.115]
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MojoThere's an absence of audible heat, no palpable anguish or tantrums. [Oct 2009. p.108]
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UncutThese tuneless songs which either brim with maudlin self-pity or bounce along with enforced jollity. [Oct 2009, p.123]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 15
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Mixed: 3 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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HelenJeSep 20, 2009
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RichieF.Sep 19, 2009
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AnieRSep 19, 2009I feel all the way that gainsbourg spirit on this album. really great i love so much the deepful voice of Miss Johansson.