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Dead Hand Control
by
Dead Hand Control Image
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The third full-length solo release for the Vampire Weekend bassist was recorded in London and Los Angeles.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 26, 2021
    80
    Baio’s third and latest doesn’t drastically divert from type as such but presents his songwriting at its most concrete in pace, malleability and variety.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jan 26, 2021
    80
    This album is a huge leap forward for Baoi. The record teams with hope, which couldn’t be more apt for a moment in which a new political era dawns and light, albeit slowly, finds its way through the darkness.
  3. DIY Magazine
    Jan 28, 2021
    80
    Packed full of bright ideas and moreish hooks, ‘Dead Hand Control’ is a hopeful document about finding peace in your relationships and immediate surroundings, even when the world is on fire.
  4. AllMusic
    Jan 28, 2021
    70
    Unlike his previous albums, the play times on Dead Hand Control vary widely, with tracks sometimes transitioning into one another. It ultimately has the effect of a night out at the club or, more precisely, a series of 12" extended dance mixes à la the 1980s that are cued up among radio cuts.
  5. Mojo
    Jan 26, 2021
    60
    Comes with the smart lightness of touch that's the Vampire Weekend birthright. [Mar 2021, p.89]
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  6. Uncut
    Jan 26, 2021
    60
    It's uneven in places, but "OMW" - a twinkly 10-minute closer written with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig - is a low-key delight. [Mar 2021, p.25]
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  7. Clash Music
    Feb 2, 2021
    50
    The act of combining musical stylings that range from African tribal beats through to Talking Heads inspired synth pop, with lyrics that seek to overcome a divisive social culture is an intention nothing short of universal. It’s just in the execution where he falls short, leaving little to the imagination of the listeners on an album that strikes a rather predictable tone.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. moonpie1979
    Feb 22, 2021
    10
    A rather unexpected delight - far from having the feel of a stopgap side project, the tuneful new album from the Vampire Weekend stalwart isA rather unexpected delight - far from having the feel of a stopgap side project, the tuneful new album from the Vampire Weekend stalwart is easily his best yet and deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as those from his day job. Inventiveness, experimentation and genre-hopping are all part and parcel of the VW experience - and so it is with Dead Hand Control, which bursts and twinkles with ideas. The utterly wonderful ‘Never Never Never’ brings to mind ‘Come Dancing’-era Kinks, and indeed many of the album’s most charming moments dip their toes in that early-to-mid 80s era. Some of the tracks are long but do not outstay their welcome, melding and welding ideas and styles.… Expand

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