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May 9, 2018There’s a sense of importance and profundity that emanates from practically every groove. Stirring, striking and flush with tunefulness and tenacity, I’ll Be Your Girl is more than a promising proposition.
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Mar 28, 2018The album magnifies both Meloy’s core songwriting and the group’s gifts for bold ambitious arrangements. This brings out some dynamic juxtapositions between simplicity and elaboration that serve proceedings in a refreshing fashion.
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Mar 26, 2018It shows a refreshed band, back on the chase to find new ways of songwriting, with strong melodies and intriguing lyrics remaining a constant. I’ll Be Your Girl is the start of this new chapter, and it’s a wonderful place for them to begin again.
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Mar 13, 2018Girl or boy, The Decemberists have been there to drape a drunken arm around in the absence of fortune for the best part of 15 years now. The good news is, the tone in that arm is firmly set again. A genuine and welcome joy.
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MojoMar 5, 2018The Decemberists' ace and absorbing eighth album is rather more traditionalist than they're letting on. [Apr 2018, p.88]
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Q MagazineMar 5, 2018While they haven't lost their taste for repointing American and European folk, there's a brash, stadium-rock dazzle to these songs, proving that The Decemberists, at least, aren't taking the awfulness lying down. [Apr 2018, p.108]
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Mar 16, 2018The results are mostly successful; occasionally a strange sound seems shoehorned into a perfectly good Decemberists song.
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Mar 14, 2018I'll Be Your Girl may not be an unquestionable expression of their glam rock influences or even be their best work, but it's nice to see The Decemberists have stepped outside their comfort zone and reached back a bit to reconnect with their daring and adventurous ways without losing their distinctive charm.
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Mar 15, 2018While Meloy's lyrics are sharply honed and evocative, it's this cavalcade of sounds that not only makes I'll Be Your Girl compelling, but distinctive among Decemberists albums.
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UncutMar 5, 2018Despite also cooking up a glam stomp with "We All Die Young," it sometimes feels overly contrived. The epic "Rusalka, Rusalka/The Wild Rushes" is a notable exception. [Apr 2018, p.26]
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Mar 16, 2018I’ll Be Your Girl is a welcome sign of a veteran band eager to experiment, but it’s also the first Decemberists album where the sounds are more interesting than the songs.
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Mar 14, 2018Though it contains a number of experiments that don’t quite work, I’ll Be Your Girl offers tracks that point to a very exciting way forward for the band.
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Mar 19, 2018They’re still making some alluring music, yet their albums have never sounded more disjointed.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 25
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Mixed: 12 out of 25
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Negative: 2 out of 25
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Mar 17, 2018
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Sep 6, 2018
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May 19, 2018