Brill Bruisers
by The New Pornographers
  • Record Label: Matador
  • Release Date: Aug 26, 2014
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
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  1. No Ripcord
    Sep 11, 2014
    90
    After you shake off the initial conceptual strangeness, Brill Bruisers builds up to a breathtaking whole.
  2. Alternative Press
    Aug 19, 2014
    90
    Brill Bruisers leaves a lasting impression in the best possible way. [Sep 2014, p.108]
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  3. Austin Chronicle
    Nov 6, 2014
    89
    Neko Case-sung standout "Champions Of Red Wine" levels the otherwise upbeat 13-track disc, before Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar's "War on the East Coast" returns momentum upward.
  5. Consequence
    Aug 22, 2014
    83
    All of these techniques--the streamlined mixing, the honeycombed harmonies, the poppy sci-fi synths--build a sonic unity made all the more bright when surrounded by the irreverent lyrics.
  6. Paste Magazine
    Aug 26, 2014
    82
    What subsequent listens reveal is the startling evolution of Newman’s songwriting.
  7. Spin
    Aug 28, 2014
    80
    Reversing their gradual progression toward gentler, grander grooves, the Pornographers' sixth album is both their liveliest since their first and their most immediate.
  8. Boston Globe
    Aug 26, 2014
    80
    The band has never sounded more relaxed, with a lived-in confidence.
  9. CMJ
    Aug 26, 2014
    80
    The songs are catchy and celebratory in every way we could hope, and what’s more, this album itself is a cause for celebration.
  10. American Songwriter
    Aug 26, 2014
    80
    With Brill Bruisers providing another example of their amazing chemistry, it seems more and more likely history will show that this group was meant to be their day job all along.
  11. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 26, 2014
    80
    Tinged with Grandaddy and full of hooks that twinkle like the diodes on a robot from 1984, this is an obscenely enjoyable return.
  12. AllMusic
    Aug 25, 2014
    80
    If you have a grand desire to take on the world and want a suitable indie rock soundtrack, Brill Bruisers will certainly do the trick, and if this isn't the best effort to date from the New Pornographers, it most certainly doesn't disappoint.
  13. Slant Magazine
    Aug 25, 2014
    80
    Like the band's best work, Brill Bruisers keeps you on your toes with its unrelenting minutiae.
  14. Exclaim
    Aug 22, 2014
    80
    On Brill Bruisers, the band's glory days have returned.
  15. Mojo
    Aug 20, 2014
    80
    This record [is] near the top of the band's bejewelled catalogue. [Sep 2014, p.92]
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  16. Sputnikmusic
    Aug 29, 2014
    78
    Brill Bruisers is spread everywhere at once, loud and crass and saturated with color and nearly fit to burst. It won’t make very many memories, but it will create a hell of a lot of good times.
  17. Pitchfork
    Aug 25, 2014
    77
    With the futurist sound of Brill Bruisers, the whole band embraces a more electric version of itself—bulked-up in chrome-plated armor, firing on all cylinders, and ready to steamroll anything in its path.
  18. Pretty Much Amazing
    Aug 27, 2014
    75
    It’s not so much a new sound as it is a more robust, balanced sound--a beautiful chair perfectly placed in an already beautiful room.
  19. The A.V. Club
    Aug 26, 2014
    75
    A maniac verve for hooks that returns in fine, refined form on Brill Bruisers.
  20. Chicago Tribune
    Aug 25, 2014
    75
    Brill Bruisers sounds like a bunch of friends reuniting for a long-overdue blow-out.
  21. Under The Radar
    Aug 22, 2014
    75
    It's as accomplished and engaging as anything they've done.
  22. The 405
    Aug 19, 2014
    75
    Even if they might not be able to quite recreate the same magic that they did on their early albums, The New Pornographers still behold a wealth of talent, and when it comes together just right--as it does a fair number of times on Brill Bruisers--the result is truly triumphant.
  23. Clash Music
    Sep 2, 2014
    70
    Brill Bruisers should finally see the band obtain the commercial success to match the critical acclaim they’ve accrued over the course of their last five LPs, as this is an almost perfect soundtrack to what’s left of the summer.
  24. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Aug 27, 2014
    70
    Brill Bruisers is an enthusiastic correction in course, as well as a reminder that age doesn’t always equal solemnity or, for that matter, slouching toward self-importance of any kind.
  25. Rolling Stone
    Aug 26, 2014
    70
    Final score: a dark, frothy stalemate.
  26. musicOMH.com
    Aug 20, 2014
    70
    Although unlikely to have any individual impact on CBC’s all-time song chart, it’s yet another consistently good all-round album out of Canada.
  27. Drowned In Sound
    Aug 19, 2014
    70
    Brill Bruisers--like most albums--isn’t as good as Mass Romantic. But its qualities are manifold, and it is a delight to note that after some 15 years together, the New Pornographers seems to have stopped being a supergroup and turned into a band.
  28. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 19, 2014
    70
    The electronic elements probably won’t quite be to everybody’s tastes, but even then, the energy with which they’re delivered should be enough to make up for it.
  29. Q Magazine
    Aug 29, 2014
    60
    What makes it even more interesting is that the themes and execution are unashamedly grown-up throughout. [Oct 2014, p.116]
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  30. NOW Magazine
    Aug 28, 2014
    60
    Emotionally, this album doesn’t live up to the principals’ own recent projects, but it’s an energetic, feel-good summer listen--in traditional New Pornographer’s style.
  31. PopMatters
    Aug 27, 2014
    60
    Brill Bruisers is a solid, satisfying record, one that found a fresh approach and created some more ultra-catchy pop tunes. If the freshness dulls on occasion when the new approach gets overused, you can still hear the quality underneath, even if you’re more inclined to move the needle back to the tunes that leave their bruise more immediately.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 50 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 50
  3. Negative: 2 out of 50
  1. adlai_s
    Aug 28, 2014
    7
    "Brill Bruisers" is generally light, airy and has a few very strong tracks that will stand up against the best that the New Pornographers have"Brill Bruisers" is generally light, airy and has a few very strong tracks that will stand up against the best that the New Pornographers have ever released. It doesn't knock me out start-to-finish (as some of their other albums have), but with the car windows down it'll do very nicely.… Full Review »
  2. patedugan
    Aug 26, 2014
    9
    The New Pornos sound like no other band. While it falters a little — just a little — at the end, this album is right up there with theirThe New Pornos sound like no other band. While it falters a little — just a little — at the end, this album is right up there with their strongest ones. Full of catchy hooks and addictive tunes.… Full Review »
  3. Jackoasta
    Mar 1, 2015
    9
    This album was really fun to listen to... From it's great instrumentation to Dan Bejar's ability to make the songs in this album sound so goodThis album was really fun to listen to... From it's great instrumentation to Dan Bejar's ability to make the songs in this album sound so good throughout! The New Pornographers have delivered an album that is otherwise a gem to listen to.… Full Review »
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