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Gardens & Villa
by
Gardens & Villa Image
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Record Label: Secretly Canadian
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The A.V. Club
    Jul 11, 2011
    75
    The music is also catchy and a little distorted, with rhythms that lag and melodies that bloom briefly before they dead-end into monotone. The strongest knock against Gardens & Villa is that the band seems too content to linger in that slow, spacey zone, instead of hitting the highs that songs like "Black Hills" and "Thorn Castles" can reach.
  2. Beats Per Minute
    Jul 22, 2011
    71
    Where at their best, Gardens & Villa may recall the harmonies of Local Natives and the hazy qualities of The Walkmen, they are clearly not (yet) at the level of either of those bands.
  3. Pitchfork
    Jul 11, 2011
    68
    If the ambiguous quality of their sound sometimes makes it hard to become emotionally invested in Gardens & Villa, in Lynch, they're blessed with a singer who has remarkable presence and poise.
  4. AllMusic
    Jul 11, 2011
    60
    Unfortunately, there's an underlying feeling of insincerity. More often than not, the lyrics are literal interpretations of song titles.
  5. NOW Magazine
    Jul 21, 2011
    60
    If they were a little less self-conscious about their style and more comfortable with being just a good pop band, they'd have a great album in them.
  6. Alternative Press
    Jul 11, 2011
    60
    Other than the booming, Devo-ish vocal effects on "Spacetime," these songs aren't pushing the envelope--but you should still tear it open and look inside. [Aug 2011, p.114]
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  7. Consequence
    Jul 11, 2011
    40
    There are two stellar songs on Gardens & Villa, songs that show a ton of promise, but also make the rest of the uninspired filler on the album pale in comparison.

See all 17 Critic Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. XavierBlaq
    Jan 3, 2014
    5
    Gardens & Villa have a lot of potential, but it is only displayed not reached on this debut album. With a great variety in mood and lyricalGardens & Villa have a lot of potential, but it is only displayed not reached on this debut album. With a great variety in mood and lyrical content, this album has several stars tracks, but ultimately is not a complete album. However, the spacey tracks "Orange Blossom" and "Spacetime", the moody tracks "Black Hills" and "Star Fire Power", and the short but sweet "Thorn Castles" hint at potential greatness in the future. Unfortunately, the lyrics are a bit shallow at times (such as on "Cruise Ship") and the melodies are simply uninteresting on several tracks (for example, the excruciatingly boring "Chemtrails"), which combined keep this album from generally being very good. Nonetheless, this is a band to watch for in the future.… Expand

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