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- Summary: The husband-and-wife duo's second full-length album features Sufjan Stevens as a guest musician.
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- Record Label: Sounds Familyre
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Experimental Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 6
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Mixed: 2 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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Feb 23, 2011Producer Daniel Smith ropes in hand-wrung guitars and padded pianos, balancing the boom of Ben's baritone against the golden peal of Vesper's alto. And while they manage to wile-out and get psychedelic, they're at their best when they're most vulnerable.
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Feb 23, 2011While perhaps not the most ambitious of albums, Ben + Vesper's Honors is the kind of record that shows that the artists behind it know where their strengths lie. The duo works fast and works well together, with lush, transportative harmonies that cannot be denied.
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Feb 23, 2011Ultimately, there's a sense of urgency that's missing throughout Honors. The Stampers can surround themselves with more instrumentation and a fuller band, but there's still not enough suspense on Honors to make it a consistently engaging listen.
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Feb 23, 2011Such persistent tonal shifts theoretically suit the lyrics well, but they lack oomph and often set the duo's songs to meandering when sharper contrasts might've been genuinely thrilling.
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Feb 23, 2011The lyrics are odd throughout the album but when they're dressed up with swooning harmonies, they always seem to make enough sense.
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Feb 23, 2011Their understated guitar-and keys-driven songs invite discovery and reveal intricacies upon each listen.