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- Summary: Yes, it's *that* Soft Cell, the English band that brought you early 80s hits such as "Tainted Love" and "Sex Dwarf." Their first release since 1984's 'This Last Night in Sodom,' 'Cruelty Without Beauty' offers 12 brand-new tracks from the reunited duo of Dave Ball and Marc Almond.
- Record Label: Cooking Vinyl
- Genre(s): Rock, Alternative
- More Details and Credits »
Top Track
The Night | |
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Beware Of his promise Believe What I say Before I go forever Be sure Of what you say So he paints a pretty picture And he tells you that he needs... | See the rest of the song lyrics |
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 7
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Mixed: 3 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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With songs full of piss and vinegar, Soft Cell's return is triumphant and toxic.
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Q MagazineIt's great, with well-judged strings and horns giving full rein to some marvellously acute lyrics.... A glorious return. [Oct 2002, p.117]
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Cruelty Without Beauty is the sound of Soft Cell reclaiming the musical territory they staked out in their 1981 hit debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, offering up hooky, dancefloor-oriented synthetic soul, now jacked up into a higher gear for the clublands of the new millennium.
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UncutThe finest tracks here update the duo's attitude as well as their sound, dissecting anew cultural and emotional climate with a bittersweet detachment reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys. [Oct 2002, p.124]
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As before, attempts to explore London's seedy underbelly verge on hamfisted and voyeuristic. But, again as before, Soft Cell really flourish with Marc's relationship horror stories, which happens on two songs.
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BlenderIn updating the duo's dirty old sound, Ball makes the arrangements clunky, too clean and dangerously close to the blandness Almond bemoans. [#10, p.126]
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MixerWhat Cruelty Without Beauty lacks in originality it more than makes up for with sheer wit. [Oct 2002, p.81]
Score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 0 out of 3
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TonyBJan 3, 2003
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BTHONTHONOct 16, 2002
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MikeS.Oct 16, 2002
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