Content
by Gang of Four
  • Record Label: Yep Roc
  • Release Date: Jan 25, 2011
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
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  1. Mojo
    Apr 12, 2011
    60
    First album in 16 years for the post-punk maestros. Riveting and robotic. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]
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  2. Consequence
    Feb 8, 2011
    60
    Be it from an as-yet-uncertain lineup or a sign of life and things to come from this ensemble, the unknown and the unheard may be the most fulfilling aspects Content has to offer.
  3. PopMatters
    Jan 27, 2011
    60
    While it's admirable that these old dogs try to learn some new tricks, it's when they get away from what they do best that Content goes astray, particularly on the second half of the album.
  5. Slant Magazine
    Jan 24, 2011
    60
    Gang of Four, who came up in the same scene and strove for a similar brand of smart, prickly post-punk, has a little harder time with the transition to modernity on Content, a weirdly anachronistic album that retains some of the band's signature qualities while landing on a strange new sound.
  6. AllMusic
    Dec 9, 2011
    50
    Performances are generally middling, but a few songs show a glimmer of the band's former jagged glory.
  7. American Songwriter
    Jan 25, 2011
    50
    As far as this legendary foursome's new offering, Content, is concerned, well, at least they're not simply cruising on the laurels of their formidable back catalog, and to be fair, Content is no worse than other recent comeback albums by fellow post-punkers Mission of Burma, The Buzzcocks, and Wire.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Jan 25, 2011
    50
    Where Gang of Four's earlier work rode on a thrilling push-pull tension, Content either pummels your eardrums or just slogs along. It's anti-capitalist mainly because you won't enjoy owning it.
  9. NOW Magazine
    Jan 27, 2011
    40
    Jon King's vocals sound especially diminished, a reality underscored by the occasional electronic manipulation, while the cluttered mix overcompensates for repetitive songwriting. Without the vitality of youth, Gang of Four risk drowning in the sea of bands they inspired.
  10. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jan 24, 2011
    40
    Content (pronounced like the noun, not the adjective) is, in many ways, a return to form for the group.
  11. BBC Music
    Jan 19, 2011
    40
    "I Was Never Gonna Turn Out Too Good" the lone standout on an otherwise turgid record, but that's only by virtue of its sheer oddness.

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