Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. 100
    Centralia is by far the most satisfying release to date by the Brooklyn-based minimalist post-rock duo Mountains.
  2. Feb 5, 2013
    90
    Centralia is the most sophisticated and cultivated Mountains album to date.
  3. Jan 25, 2013
    90
    Mountains is a simple name for a band. But it's also an utterly mysterious one that stretches implications across eons. In the right setting, Centralia just feels that deep and rich.
  4. Jan 22, 2013
    90
    While the album is a drone-based record, Mountains never stagnate, unafraid of abrasive movement, and their sometimes intense palette never feels out of place or unpleasant.
  5. Jan 18, 2013
    90
    Much like the best of Eno's ambient work, Centralia is captivating without demanding attention, instead letting the listener wander into its web on their own.
  6. Jan 22, 2013
    81
    Centralia is less severe than The Seer, but it's executed with the same unyielding desire to move and to feel.
  7. 80
    These seven pieces invite the listener into an engrossing experience, one that requires attention but in the end, Centralia is a moving album.
  8. The Wire
    Feb 15, 2013
    80
    Holtkamp and Anderegg have arrived at a strain of wide-eyed Americana with roots in the ashen wastes of the Pennsylvania landscape. [Feb 2013, p.58]
  9. Magnet
    Feb 11, 2013
    80
    The duo constantly varies each elements of its sound in ways most rock bands could learn plenty from. [No. 95, p.56]
  10. Q Magazine
    Feb 8, 2013
    80
    Startling, shape-shifting music by a band reaching the peak of their powers. [Mar 2013, p.108]
  11. Mojo
    Feb 6, 2013
    80
    Centralia's seven lengthy essays proffer the duo's boldest, most immersive statements to date. [Mar 2013, p.88]
  12. Feb 4, 2013
    80
    Centralia is an album of surprising, subtle depths, a spacious, psychedelic landscape where the traditional meets the modern in a dreamlike combination of familiarity and strangeness.
  13. Jan 22, 2013
    80
    The album unfurls at a leisurely pace, the band's characteristic blend of burbling electronica and acoustic instrumentation at its most formidable, and most satisfying, yet.
  14. 75
    It’s probably fair to say that if you’re not a fan of drone or ambient music then Centralia is unlikely to change your perception of the genres. However as a document of the music of Mountains, it’s their finest work to date.
  15. Jan 18, 2013
    73
    There's much beauty to be found here on the fifth Mountains LP, Centralia.
  16. Feb 1, 2013
    70
    Centralia finds Mountains in their finest form yet, indicating a new level of comfort in the space they've been carefully carving out over the past decade.
  17. Jan 24, 2013
    70
    Lines are drawn, parts are separated out. And yet, despite the breaks we get here, the whole feels stronger, more together, when its parts are identified.
  18. Jan 22, 2013
    70
    It may not be one for the impatient listener--Centralia can drone a little in places, and almost touches on music reminiscent of that you'd relax to while having a deep tissue massage. But take the time to listen properly and you'll realise it's beautifully crafted.
  19. Uncut
    Jan 18, 2013
    70
    More pastoralism wouldn't go astray, but Centralia is very charming. [Feb 2013, p.77]
  20. Under The Radar
    Jan 18, 2013
    70
    While it sometimes guilty of letting the electronic component of its electro-acoustic confluence run amok, overpowering the more subtle elements of the music, it remains a worthwhile listen for any fan of the ambient canon. [Jan-Feb 2013, p.94]
  21. Jan 18, 2013
    70
    Centralia, for the most part, goes back to the duo's tried-and-true dynamics for a seemingly exhaustive summary of the band.
  22. Jan 24, 2013
    60
    Mountains composes the soundtrack to dreams you didn't know you had.

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