Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. [A] simply dreamy album. [20 Oct 2006, p.83]
  2. 88
    Back is the blend of lo-fi and hi-fi, and back are the completely odd lyrics. [#22, p.94]
  3. You can file it alongside another notable album about finding light in the darkness, "Electro-Shock Blues" by Eels.
  4. Dreamt for Light Years proves less targeted than 2001's It's a Wonderful Life, but this is a check in the plus column: Linkous sounds best when he's warring with structure and sound, when his songs sound unsettled.
  5. Unlike its Fridmann-produced predecessor Dreamt For Light Years employs a stripped-down approach more akin to its debut.
  6. Superb stuff. [23 Sep 2006, p.33]
  7. There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe the genius of his music.
  8. 80
    Most of these 12 songs... fall within the wistful to enchanting range. [Oct 2006, p.96]
  9. 80
    It's unmistakable, unsettling, classic Linkous. [Oct 2006, p.120]
  10. 80
    The album is a more straightforward, breezier Sparklehorse, and effortlessly replayable. [Oct 2006, p.130]
  11. Sparklehorse's resulting leap transports the group away from gloomy country to a modern psychedelia that achieves its creator's ambition of "making Kid A with choruses." [Oct 2006, p.120]
  12. A lush, hazy romp around the outskirts of alt.country that shimmers with wonky pop genius.
  13. There are no earth-shattering changes to Linkous' studio-warped rock 'n' roll pastoralism. As there was nothing broken on previous Sparklehorse outings, there is little in need of fixing.
  14. While passages are lovely, the work as a whole struggles to hold the attention.
  15. While Dreamt is, perhaps, the least of the four Sparklehorse albums, that certainly does not mean that it isn't a veritable, solid album, that is better than, say, ninety -percent of most modern music. [#15]
  16. Peaceful and undeniably pretty, this is an album that should please many Sparklehorse fans, even if it doesn't challenge them the way Good Morning Spider and It's a Wonderful Life's best moments did.
  17. 70
    The sound remains crisp, ensuring that its rough-hewn beauty shines through. [Oct 2006, p.104]
  18. Thematically and structurally, this record is Linkous comfortably being Linkous.
  19. Ultimately, Dreamt will reward those who spend time with it, and Sparklehorse fans won't be disappointed.
  20. Seductive though Linkous' cushy, narcotic patter can be, his slower songs... feel like they're floating in an ocean of sleepiness.
  21. What may get lost in all this effect and craft is that at their base, many of Linkous' songs are remarkably standard rock-song constructions.
  22. Inevitably, most of the studio design on each song is greedy and belabored. Everything is in its right place, but everything is too obvious or too proportionally gaudy to warrant more than a signatory "lo-fi" moniker.
  23. Ornate but unremarkable headphone listening. [Oct 2006, p.80]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. JakeW
    10
    Sparklehorse is brilliant.
  2. MattR.
    8
    Probably more straightforward and accessible than any of the previous albums, but still a great record. A listen on headphones reveals multiple interesting layers. Full Review »
  3. geoffb
    8
    Impressing is a word. I looked it up.