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In Advance Of The Broken Arm Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

  • Summary: New York guitarist Stern (who blends harder, experimental rock with more typical indie-rock tunes) makes her debut with this 13-song set co-produced by Zach Hill (Hella).
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Most of it... feels as weighty and emotive as Sleater Kinney, or as seductive as Mary Timony in the mid-90s: fully-formed, feminine indie rock.
  2. The year’s most exciting rock ’n’ roll album. [26 Feb 2007]
  3. In Advance of the Broken Arm is at least two songs too long. Yet Stern's manner of weaving together fiercely subjective, lyrical daydreaming with Olympus-level fret-searing finally means that the album justifies the majority of its many decisions.
  4. Uncut
    80
    Combine[s] utterly maddening complexity with candyfloss pop hooks. [Jun 2007, p.108]
  5. Unfortunately, In Advance isn't an EP, and things falter a bit past the halfway mark.
  6. With Broken Arm, Marnie Stern has delivered a frenetic and ridiculously entertaining debut.
  7. Ultimately, "Broken Arm" is more about indulging a massively skewed sonic perspective than a collection of songs.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 2 out of 7
  1. JohnJ
    Mar 15, 2007
    10
    Awesome!!!!! It takes a few listens to get into it, but once you get used to it, it becomes hard to listen to anything else. It is all I have Awesome!!!!! It takes a few listens to get into it, but once you get used to it, it becomes hard to listen to anything else. It is all I have listened to for 2 weeks. Collapse
  2. greg
    Mar 2, 2007
    10
    yowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
  3. Edward
    Mar 10, 2007
    10
    Stern is an inspirational guitar goddess. I mean who else sounds like this when they're shredding. Best debut of the year so far. She rocks!
  4. [Anonymous]
    Mar 26, 2007
    9
    Marnie Stern is, as said below, a guitar goddess. This album's a bit long, but there's tons of energy just bursting from the seams Marnie Stern is, as said below, a guitar goddess. This album's a bit long, but there's tons of energy just bursting from the seams on each track, and it makes it somewhat listenable, even though it shouldn't be. Sometimes it's very, very strange, but after a few listens you will fall in love with it. Expand
  5. DebiB
    Mar 28, 2007
    9
    It took more than one listen to get into her sound, but I love, love, love it now. I don't like every single song on the cd, but I It took more than one listen to get into her sound, but I love, love, love it now. I don't like every single song on the cd, but I can't stop listening to at least half of them -- which is better than average compared to most albums I buy. Expand
  6. MattD.
    Mar 7, 2007
    1
    It's like Yoko Ono fronting a frenetic Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Nearly unlistenable.
  7. Tuna
    Mar 31, 2007
    1
    Just what the world needs, a female indie rock Yngwie Malmsteen. Talk about the Emporer's New Clothes...