Give Up
by The Postal Service
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Feb 18, 2003
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Almost Cool
    78
    Some people who liked the more experimental side of Tamborello's DNTEL project will simply find it a little too boppy for their liking, but it's one of those little discs that practically drills down into your subconscious.
  2. Pitchfork
    80
    The core tension between Tamborello's complex, almost impossibly dense production and Gibbard's cutting voice makes Give Up a pretty damned strong record, and one with enough transcendent moments to forgive it its few substandard tracks and some ungodly lyrical blunders.
  3. Mojo
    80
    Somewhere between Faultline's bedroom-boffin invention and Stephen Merritt's pensive elegance. [May 2003, p.99]
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  5. Stylus Magazine
    76
    Never once during the course of the album’s ten songs, do its creators even graze the surface of mediocrity, instead settling in the sunny middle ground that Gibbard so often inhabits.
  6. Ink 19
    80
    The result is somewhere between the Pet Shop Boys' meticulous dance pop and the driving keyboard rock of acts like Zero Zero.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    Gibbard finds the near-perfect pop record that's eluded his main group. [Listen 2 This supplement, Mar 2003, p.12]
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  8. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    Give Up is an outstanding, creative effort from two of indie rock's most disparate voices.
  9. Junkmedia
    70
    While the record isn't necessarily an instant classic, the unabashed embrace of simple pop sensibilities, both old and new, make it a record that is hard to stop listening to.
  10. Drawer B
    80
    Give Up is pure, unadulterated dance pop from start to finish.
  11. The A.V. Club
    80
    If Pet Shop Boys recorded for Warp Records, the results might be close.
  12. Splendid
    80
    Give Up's one real pitfall is that, on the whole, it sounds almost exactly like you'd expect a collaboration between these two men would, or for that matter, should, sound -- which certainly isn't to say that the music isn't enjoyable, or memorable.
  13. PopMatters
    90
    Like any worthy match, the coming together gives each aspect assets that they'd be wont to find otherwise, the eletroclashy bursting with depth and the indie-croon thankfully adrenalized.
  14. AllMusic
    70
    It doesn't scale the heights of either of their main projects, but it's far more consistent and enjoyable than might be expected.
  15. Uncut
    70
    A resounding success. [Jun 2003, p.92]
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  16. Alternative Press
    80
    The project is pretty perfect, really.... Give Up ultimately becomes a beautiful lesson in how to dance life's pain away. [Mar 2003, p.100]
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  17. Q Magazine
    80
    All 10 songs yield more delights with every hearing. [May 2003, p.112]
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  18. Dusted Magazine
    90
    The interplay of Gibbard's shyly introspective vocals with Tamborello's dense and meticulous backdrops works surprisingly well, at times better than anything to date from Death Cab or DNTEL.
  19. Rolling Stone
    70
    Tamborello's delightful pings and whistles fit Gibbard's whimsy perfectly.
  20. Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
    91
    Gibbard's delicate voice matches the subtle electro arrangements far more precisely than it does the folky guitars of his real group.
  21. Village Voice
    80
    album hits people who love the sound extravaganzas of overdubbed guitar symphonies, can't hang with the folkiness full-service singer-songwriters inevitably preserve, and expect melodic flair and beats, yet sometimes want to hear words.

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Most Discussed Album of 2003
44
#44 Most Shared Album of 2003

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 142 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 130 out of 142
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 142
  3. Negative: 8 out of 142
  1. kheas
    Dec 26, 2017
    10
    The album itself is a bit of a departure from my usual fare. Very heavy on the pop-electronica it would typically not be something I wouldThe album itself is a bit of a departure from my usual fare. Very heavy on the pop-electronica it would typically not be something I would have chosen for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I dig electronic music but more of the Nine Inch Nails variety. However, after diving into this one, I was hooked. This album would later lead me to finding another band by the name of Sky Sailing (aka Owl City), and the rest they say is history. For Full Review: https://wp.me/p93it6-1Vw… Full Review »
  2. ladeezus
    Jun 18, 2015
    10
    Easily one of the greatest albums I have ever heard in my life. It is a shame these guys will never reunite for a follow up of this. I loveEasily one of the greatest albums I have ever heard in my life. It is a shame these guys will never reunite for a follow up of this. I love every song on this album, but "Clark Gable" and "We Will Become Silhouettes" are my two personal favorites.… Full Review »
  3. RecycledAir
    Oct 2, 2013
    10
    Unique, pure, astonishing and original. This is the only album that The Postal Service has ever released, but it's an absolute work of art.Unique, pure, astonishing and original. This is the only album that The Postal Service has ever released, but it's an absolute work of art. With its unique synthesized tracks to it's well written songs delivered by the lead singer from Death Cab For Cutie. Sadly, this album as well as the artist is not as well known as it should be, they get credibility for their most famous song "Such Great Heights" and pretty much nothing else. This album combines melancholy with happiness and the two mix perfectly, and create some of the most absurdly catch tracks I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.… Full Review »
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