Hearts Of Oak - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Alternative Press
    100
    On Hearts, riffs exist in cutting words and soulful guitar lines, not glittery axe solos; and every intricately timed punch to the throat is mastery. [Feb 2003, p.64]
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  2. Nude As The News
    100
    Hearts Of Oak is one of those albums on which each song has the power to get you thinking, and the hooks to resonate inside your head long after it's through playing.
  3. Junkmedia
    100
    There have been releases that have excited me so far, but none that have completely recharged my faith in intelligent rock music. This is the first essential album of the year.
  4. Billboard
    90
    He just may be to indie rock what Springsteen was for rock'n'roll in 1973 -- a strong, original voice whose honest and painstakingly crafted art seems destined to be a benchmark for future generations as well as encouraging the current one to stand up and testify.
  5. Spin
    90
    The songs are flat-out rollicking, like what Fugazi might come up with if their tour-van radio got stuck on the classic-rock station. [Feb 2003, p.98]
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  6. Splendid
    90
    If he's not this generation's most raggedly refined songwriting presence, then he's certainly in the top ten percent of his class -- a bona fide show-stopping tunesmith on a par with giants Elliott Smith, Ron Sexsmith and Richard Davies.
  7. Austin Chronicle
    89
    Any rock album that tackles such a wide spectrum without compromising the music deserves respect.
  8. Pitchfork
    83
    Eschewing pretentious unpretentiousness for unguarded passion, strict 77-82 influences for the classic rock stop on the FM dial, calculated instrumental inadequacy for guitar solos that are less technical flaunting (looking at you, Malkmus) than skillful, noisy exorcisms, Ted Leo makes a sound filled with so much authentic abandon, the British mags probably can't handle it.
  9. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Ted Leo turns gasping, insistent vocals into narratives that are political and pop, never compromising one for the other. [21 Feb 2003, p.150]
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. MoiraD
    10
    Wonderful. I love Ted Leo. His music is intricate and more complicated than any recent rock I've listened to, but the lyrics are absolutely fantastic. Thumbs up for Ted Leo & The Pharmacists.… Full Review »
  2. BenH.
    9
    A great ablum, a number of profound lyrics on it. But it isn't one of Ted Leo/RX most tuneful albums.
  3. DaneD
    9
    "Hearts of Oak" is my favorite Leo/Rx album. Not many critics share my opinion on the matter, preferring instead the tunefulness of "The Tyranny of Distance" or the stylistically unified "Shake the Streets". However, "Hearts..." has a spontaneity and experimentalism not captured by either of the other two albums, employing unpolished-yet-captivating production throughout that never sheens off the emotional bite of the arrangements. In comparison to "Tyranny...", this disc offers more confidence without the stylistic self-awareness of Leo/Rx's latest work.… Full Review »
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