- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Echoes of the Beatles, Harry Nilsson, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector are everywhere, and while those aren't exactly unique or even very interesting reference points in 2005, Hal again go beyond imitation and use their influences as a good band should, as guides and not blueprints.
-
There's not much drama or keeping-it-realness in Hal's golden, Beach Boys-influenced world, but who can't use a dollop of guilty pleasure?
-
So what is there to learn here? How about ‘Hal are generally good, although they’re usually better when they’re trying to blow our minds rather than win our heart’.
-
There’s nothing groundbreaking here, and this record could very well sound sickeningly syrupy come December, but Hal have found a way of reflecting the sun from a time when it wasn’t quite so poisonous.
-
You'll either find it cloying and saccharine or heartfelt and precise, or maybe a little bit of both.
-
New Musical Express (NME)The results are undeniably lush, yet slightly lacking in soul. [16 Apr 2005, p.50]
-
Naïve, twee, lacking imagination and pointlessly derivative on one hand but - with summer on the horizon and given a forgiving mood – this is also sunny, carefree and great background music to waft over your BBQ.
-
Under The RadarLushly produced bubblegum made less palatable by elementary lyrics. [#10, p.111]
-
Full of serious songs with sunny, heavily polished arrangements.
-
Hal is basically just a pleasant, fun album.
-
MojoThe melodies are so lush and the arrangements so stylish that you can't deny them. [Jun 2005, p.105]
-
UncutWhereas The Thrills' second album fizzled commercially because of an increasingly arch knowingness which many found alienating, Hal--perfectionists, eschewing irony--keep the envelope taut, the air fresh. [May 2005, p.106]
-
Q MagazineThe sort of tunes The Beautiful South mislaid on the nation's pub jukeboxes years ago, often tinged with a soulful alt-country lilt. [May 2005, p.116]
-
BlenderInstead of sunshine-pop sugar, there's the cloying tang of saccharine. [Jun 2005, p.109]
-
The record's glossy sheen and sharp nostalgia give it a calculated, lab-constructed feel.
-
Alternative PressDoesn't make many lasting impressions. [Jul 2005, p.182]
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 5 out of 6
-
Mixed: 0 out of 6
-
Negative: 1 out of 6
-
mrsoulAug 8, 2005
-
PhilMMay 24, 2005A gem of an album that reveals more hidden depth with each listen
-
AllistairMay 11, 2005