Gardens & Villa
by Gardens & Villa
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. PopMatters
    Aug 2, 2011
    70
    There are enough moments on this debut to make you think that Gardens & Villa might offer an even more satisfying emotional connection on its next album, with or without the flute.
  2. Filter
    Jul 28, 2011
    72
    Their self-titled debut is filled with unexpected flourishes: a spiky Britpop guitar-riff here, a 1980s synth-refrain there; its influences are all over the board--and delightfully so.
  3. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  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.… Full Review »
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