By The Hedge
by Minks
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. AllMusic
    Feb 4, 2011
    80
    Minks leave listeners wanting more on By the Hedge, a debut that sounds timeless and surprising.
  2. Pitchfork
    Feb 4, 2011
    71
    Minks adapt the style that the Clientele matured into over their recent full-lengths, which adds a foreboding touch to these love-and-regret-focused songs.
  3. Uncut
    Feb 8, 2011
    80
    They stand out because they combine some very familiar elements with more style and grace than their peers. [Feb 2011, p.94]
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  5. Consequence
    Feb 4, 2011
    70
    There are some real pop gems on here, especially if you're fond of The Cure and their ilk. Maybe it's just me not getting that soupy gloom that seems to be out there for everyone else.
  6. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 23, 2011
    70
    Luckily, the songwriting on Minks' debut hits far more frequently than it misses. It's a solid establishment of a noteworthy sound--the proverbial "encouraging first album."
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  7. No Ripcord
    Feb 4, 2011
    70
    Yeah, Minks has churned out an enjoyable full-length debut, but there's an ever-present possibility that it'll get lost in the mess--much like the standout moments on By the Hedge, there's always a haziness enveloping everything like a dense fog.
  8. The New York Times
    Feb 11, 2011
    80
    The sound is focused, thick, lovely.
  9. cokemachineglow
    Feb 4, 2011
    80
    It is explorative, enchanting, wide-reaching, and so hopeful it ignites a tender pain all its own.
  10. Beats Per Minute
    Feb 4, 2011
    76
    Minks' devotion to mood and texture may seem redolent of My Bloody Valentine's foggy experiments, but By The Hedge isn't nearly as sonically challenging or heady as Kevin Shields's work. No, Minks have more modest goals as it turns out, their greatest inspiration comes not from the music of others but rather from within.
  11. Delusions of Adequacy
    Feb 4, 2011
    80
    His vision of the album is similarly relational, and this debut brims with variety and skill, coming off with a complex personality at turns exuberantly earnest, darkly melancholy, and dreamily coy.
  12. The Boston Phoenix
    Feb 4, 2011
    63
    Minks floats along like a Sofia Coppola movie - delicate and listless, topped with a glossy and charming overcoat, but lacking in substance.
  13. CMJ
    Feb 4, 2011
    80
    A passive 12 song set that toes the line between nostalgic sadness and bright optimism with remarkable ease.

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