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Dumb Luck isn't quite as cohesive as Dntel's debut was, but it is beautiful and carefully crafted enough to show that none of Tamborello's successes are flukes.
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While some of the album's songs are terrifically cloying, I can't call it a disappointment; it's more a case of diminishing returns.
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There are a handful of moments throughout Dumb Luck where Tamborello seems to forget the burden of expectations enough to overcome his natural reticence—it is somewhat unfortunate these these moments seem to come courtesy of his guests.
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'Dumb Luck' will numb the pain for an hour, but you'll be buggered if you can remember anything about it afterwards.
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Under The RadarAnother understated success. [#17, p.84]
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Dumb Luck can't help but sound like a compilation, with peaks and valleys directly correlating to a taste for the vocals.
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SpinThe vibe here is mellow, unremarkable, and a touch contrived. [May 2007, p.85]
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The beats are so incongruous and unnecessary that the only way to read the album is as a quirky novelty.
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Alternative PressDumb Luck is likely to appeal more to the indie-rock crowd than electronica purists. [Jun 2007, p.161]
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Dumb Luck is an album that desperately tries to be spontaneous and carefree but eventually ends up sounding stunted and alienating.
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The album almost has a mix-tape esque feel to it and the staggering amount of guests has much to do with this.
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Aside from... one unstructured, unwieldy track, Dumb Luck proves highly smart and skilled.
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Everyone seems tired on this album: The songs meander, and the guest singers (including Conor Oberst) speak or moan lyrics they don't seem to care about.
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FilterWhat makes Tamborello so special is the fact that his music can stand as comfortably in a Kompakt Records compilation as it can in a room filled with indie nerds. [#25, p.102]
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Sadly, the only true victories on Dumb Luck are Tamborello's own title track and Oberst's "Breakfast in Bed."
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There are no great songs to speak of on Dumb Luck, and in fact there are just a few that I would hesitatingly call “good,” or more important, “memorable.”
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Dumb Luck has [its] share of intriguing moments, on a few shining tracks.
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UrbAt 40-plus minutes, Dumb Luck gets out just when the getting is good. [May 2007, p.93]
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It feels like a mix-tape or compilation, an in-joke or doodle between the participants rather than a completed work for public consumption.
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After several listens, the album's warm, golden melodies surface, like cream rising to the top.
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Floating somewhere in between his previous release under the Dntel name and The Postal Service, Dumb Luck will likely slightly frustrate fans of each a little bit, but in other places provide some nice payoff.
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More incoherent than Dntel’s superb debut Life Is Full Of Possibilities.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 10
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Mixed: 1 out of 10
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Negative: 1 out of 10
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johnj.Jul 13, 2007One of my favorite 2007 albums (so far).
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matta.Jun 28, 2007
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ShutupaYourfaceJun 17, 2007Not even in the same league as Life is Full of Possibilities.