- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
[Rainer Maria] drapes songs in atmospheric echo while maintaining a steady, urgent beat--all of which provides a stage for Caithlin De Marrais' earnest, fully engaged voice.
-
Catastrophe Keeps Us Together is the most Rainer Maria has sounded like themselves since the Atlantic EP and is more daring than we could have hoped.
-
A terrific collection of thoughtful, energetic rock songs.
-
The New York TimesA good, sometimes glorious collection of loud pop songs and quiet punk songs... after 11 years, they've made their most exuberant, most youthful-sounding album. [13 Apr 2006]
-
Alternative PressThe band sound bigger and and more self-assured than ever. [Jun 2006, p.190]
-
Paste MagazineBrightly chiming and tensely foreboding in equal measure, the group has never sounded more poised for a breakthrough. [Jun/Jul 2006, p.129]
-
Entertainment WeeklyOften echo[es] early R.E.M. with better articulation. [7 Apr 2006, p.59]
-
In a genre dominated by sensitive boys in sneakers and second-hand cardigans, Rainer Maria have had an edge: ... There’s barely a male voice to be heard on Catastrophe Keeps Us Together.
-
At this point it seems that Rainer Maria are much more modern rock than emo, but that doesn't mean that Catastrophe Keeps Us Together isn't a good album.
-
Under The RadarA heartfelt, accessible rock record for emo kids who can't stand eyeliner. [Summer 2006, p.93]
-
Too many songs are caught between the band’s fading post-punk tension and their more professional desires.
-
The band has... streamlined their songwriting, whittling away the unconventional turns and multiple pre-choruses that made their earlier material more interesting, leaving emotionally aerodynamic compositions free of atonal snags or polyrhythmic left-turns.
-
As bland and timid a record as likely to come out in the strikingly boring year of 2006.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 3 out of 3
-
Mixed: 0 out of 3
-
Negative: 0 out of 3
-
DrunkenMasterApr 20, 2006Shimmering and gorgeous. A great record.
-
MattD.Apr 18, 2006Terrific melodic rock. They have strayed from their emo roots, but you can still hear a lot of passion.