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- Summary: The third full-length studio release for the indie rock band led by Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull was produced by Ethan Gruska.
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- Record Label: Loma Vista
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 6
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Mixed: 1 out of 6
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Negative: 0 out of 6
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Jun 19, 2019III is a masterpiece of modern indie folk. Bad Books have in every way lived up to the potential of a so-called “supergroup”, combining the best aspects of Andy Hull’s and Kevin Devine’s artistry, with help in no small part from Robert McDowell’s atmospheric guitar wizardry. The songs themselves are rich, lush, and flourishing – yet totally simplistic.
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Jun 19, 2019III is a record that fluctuates between the joyous and the melancholy over and over, making those many contrasts of dark and light all the more impactful.
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Jun 20, 2019Bad Books’ take on it all could technically be considered dad rock, but on III, masculinity is an afterthought. At the record’s forefront is just three friends using their respective talents to create a collection of songs about the messy business of living.
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Jun 24, 2019Without the hooks of their previous albums, never mind those of their better-known bands, the songs on III take a while to sink in. In return for the slow approach, Bad Books offer a serious body of work that can stand on its own, a testament to the friendship that brought them together in the first place.
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Jun 19, 2019The vibe of III is purposefully loose but these two thrive with structure. Bad Books remains a way to show Hull and Devine are just as effective with minimal backing but III could have released a series of singles for the same general effect.
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Jun 19, 2019While the experiment works, for the most part, in tandem with Devine and Hull's always thoughtful and occasionally profound words, the album becomes formulaic as songs reliably start as acoustic song, then gradually ascend into the atmosphere.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 1
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Mixed: 0 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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Aug 3, 2019I greatly enjoyed this album, especially "Wheel Well," "I Love You, I'm Sorry, Please Help," "I Wrote It Down For You," and "Army."
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