Burn Piano Island, Burn
by The Blood Brothers
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Mojo
    80
    There are no punk-lite hits here, but cult stardom is knocking at the door. [Mar 2003, p.112]
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  2. AllMusic
    60
    Kids looking to anger their parents to the point of losing it should pick up this CD, turn up the stereo, and lock the door.
  3. The A.V. Club
    70
    The album's clever turns don't take away from The Blood Brothers as a ravaging hardcore band; instead, they enlist chops in service of a manic vision all the more insinuating for its brutality.
  5. Rolling Stone
    60
    It all seems spazzy, but it's actually meticulous and crisply rendered: order through chaos.
  6. Almost Cool
    80
    I have to admit that this release usually manages to give me a little boost when I listen to it and it has the added bonus of scaring little kids.
  7. Alternative Press
    100
    The quintet's Molotov mixture of suburb surrealism and sonic extremity is the perfect scrub for everything you've been subjected to in culture and daily life. [Apr 2003, p.73]
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  8. Spin
    91
    They sound like they're too busy tearing their limbs off and hitting one another over the head with them to think about what the songs actually mean. [Apr 2003, p.102]
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  9. Drawer B
    50
    The Blood Brothers pretty much have one speed: murder. This will tire even the most patient ears after about fifteen minutes, although, the album does show signs of expanded musical breadth with slower, albeit, brief melodic interludes and unconventional instrumentation (xylophones, toy pianos).
  10. Pitchfork
    91
    Burn, Piano Island, Burn balances so perfectly between commercial appeal and untainted creativity that it's as if the band have been digitally inserted atop a mountain no man could conceivably climb.
  11. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    Whether you end up liking this album or not, it is going to be one of the most intense things you've ever heard.
  12. Splendid
    60
    Less cohesively engaging than March on Electric Children, Burn, Piano Island, Burn is, by turns, spasmodically inviting and gratingly repulsive to all but the most patient of noisemongers.
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    The Blood Brothers' take on hardcore incorporates all the shouty vocals, savage guitar riffing, and hyperspeed drumming you could ask for, but throws in two--sometimes counterproductive--vocalists, and loopy lyrics that aim for surrealist poetry and usually miss, badly. [11 Apr 2003, p.78]
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  14. PopMatters
    100
    The most prolific, beautiful, and vital statement of rock since the Stooges' Raw Power.
  15. ShakingThrough.net
    80
    It's the band's most vital disc to date, and one of the year's most memorable listening experiences.
  16. Neumu.net
    70
    In one instant, lead singer Jordan Blilie is whispering passionately in your ear. In the next, he tears into your insides with growls so piercing you'd think he'd transformed into a savage beast.
  17. Stylus Magazine
    94
    Burn, Piano Island, Burn is an album that must first be listened to twice: once to wrap your head around its peerless vigor and skull-rattling force, and again to revel in its restless creativity.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best Album of 2003

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 4 out of 31
  1. johnw
    Feb 5, 2006
    10
    fuck crimes
  2. QuelfMonger
    Apr 24, 2003
    3
    Even the open minded will want to throw this CD out of the window and run for their dear little lives. I hung in there for the most part, and Even the open minded will want to throw this CD out of the window and run for their dear little lives. I hung in there for the most part, and had a good laugh or two, but in the end, this album fails to leave a mark (or should I say: skidmark) on the map. Does it rock? Dear God yes. And if "Rawkin'" is your sole criteria in buying music, look no further, you have found it. This album rocks so hard that my mind is still numb from the experience. But the album ultimately fails from a lack of variety in songs. Quite simply, every song sounds the same, and the end result is 40 minutes of hammering on your skull. It is headache inducing dribble. Avoid it. If you're looking to shock the bleep out of your friends, this CD would work, but may I suggest: "MC HellSh**". Now, THAT'S entertainment.… Full Review »
  3. 25lateralus
    Sep 25, 2010
    10
    this album will kick the **** out of you! lyricaly, and instrumentaly. if you sample it, and decide to go buy it. i highly recommend that youthis album will kick the **** out of you! lyricaly, and instrumentaly. if you sample it, and decide to go buy it. i highly recommend that you also pick up "march on electric children" also by the blood brothers. both intelligent, and well put together albums.… Full Review »
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