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HoboSapiens Image
Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: Produced by Nick Franglen of Lemon Jelly, 'Hobo Sapiens' finds the 61-year-old Cale still willing to explore new musical territory. Note that none of the 12 songs here were on the "5 Tracks" EP released earlier in 2003.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Uncut
    100
    It is music whose scope, erudition and vitriol makes everything else in this year of exceptional musical timidity seem puny. [Nov 2003, p.106]
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    An audacious marriage of restless experimentalism and eloquent melodic craft. [10 Sep 2004, p.165]
  3. This is the Welsh iconoclast at his most elegant, energetic, and innovative.
  4. There's an unwavering confidence and muscular focus behind the music that holds from start to finish.
  5. HoboSapiens is still dense and difficult for much of its running time, but the challenge comes from following the author through his many compositional twists rather than sitting through passages that drone on far too long.
  6. Rolling Stone
    80
    A luxuriant union of black-ice electronics and chamber-pop instrumentation. [14 Oct 2004, p.98]
  7. About half of it works reasonably well, though the end result is somehow closer to Low-era Bowie or Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain than anything truly contemporary or avant-garde.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. MichaelM
    Mar 1, 2004
    10
    Remarkable album, darkest blacks and crispest whites sitting together but never blurring to grey, with songs and remarkable production that Remarkable album, darkest blacks and crispest whites sitting together but never blurring to grey, with songs and remarkable production that reveal greater depths each time I listen to it. Expand
  2. JohnK
    Dec 29, 2003
    10
    An incredibly strong album, possibly the best of his long career. Gets better with each listen. Remarkable depth and beauty. I do not give An incredibly strong album, possibly the best of his long career. Gets better with each listen. Remarkable depth and beauty. I do not give out a 10 lightly, but this is probably the best album of the year. Expand
  3. Feb 3, 2013
    10
    Thank goodness I recently discovered this album. It's extraordinary. John Cale is amazing and displays his instrumental complexity, lyricalThank goodness I recently discovered this album. It's extraordinary. John Cale is amazing and displays his instrumental complexity, lyrical talents and wonderful voice on this album with moving effectiveness. I hope more people check out this striking collection of hauntingly beautiful songs, as well as the complete body of works by John Cale, a most-distinguished and accomplished artist. He is a true musical pioneer who never stops creating and growing, as evidenced by his latest album, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood (love it also). Expand
  4. GEORGED
    Jun 1, 2004
    10
    Good as always
  5. danielr
    Sep 12, 2004
    10
    Deepening with each listen, a playful, dark, haunting journey past Mondrian and Archimedes to Charlie Brown. Good grief.
  6. BJMorgan
    Oct 6, 2004
    10
    This album, while a departure for Cale at times, is a fantastic masterpiece. It makes me wish Lou Reed could put out a cohesive, meaningful, This album, while a departure for Cale at times, is a fantastic masterpiece. It makes me wish Lou Reed could put out a cohesive, meaningful, and stunning like this. At this point, John Cale?s solo recordings far surpass that of his VU-counterpart. This record is evidence of a master songwriter. Expand
  7. xcxc
    Nov 18, 2003
    8
    real good totally different from the velvet underground. Yet still manages to sound real creative and extremely druggy.

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