Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. Uncut
    90
    This is adventurous modern music which uses old rock and singer-songwriter traditions as the raw material to be manipulated. [Album Of The Month, Feb 2002, p.110]
  2. 'Insignificance' is an album fraught with contradictions: tightly funky guitars sit alongside angelic piano and crunching 70s rock riffs shoulder belligerently up to honeyed pop harmonies. These are fascinating contradictions glued together with a binding harmonic honesty.
  3. Insignificance is the release that finds him hitting his stride completely, seemingly mixing little bits of all the different styles that he's poked around with and boiling it all down into a cohesive little release.
  4. A shockingly insightful and resonant look at the workings of a musician generally more given to hiding behind absurdly twisted turns of musical phrase than letting us in on the inner-workings of his mind.
  5. Insignificance’s length of less than 40 minutes perhaps indicates that O’Rourke is not as serious about producing a pop opus as he is interested in getting a kick out of screwing around with pop song writing.
  6. Q Magazine
    80
    O'Rourke revisits the lush orchestration and dreamy atmospherics he pioneered in Gastr Del Sol, but hanging out with Thurston Moore also appears to have had an effect. [Dec 2001, p.128]
  7. Mojo
    80
    The only gripe is that at 38 minutes, Insignificance is too short. [Feb 2002, p.92]
  8. 'Insignificance' lays down an awesome challenge to other guitar records - it contains more great ideas than most bands have in their entire career. It's the first unequivocal classic album of the new year.
  9. The fly in the ointment is the lyric content, which plumbs depths of misanthropy that make labelmate Bill Callahan (Smog) sound like Bobby McFerrin.
  10. Magnet
    80
    The jaunty-yet-subtle tunes sneak up on you slowly, so you don't notice O'Rourke's corrosively misanthropic lyrics until they're inextricably lodged in your head. [#53, p.86]
  11. Rarely has the indulgence of rock ‘n roll dreams sounded this concise.
  12. Overall, the melodies are so tight they seem vacuum-packed, and the album delivers a platter of faultless rock songs.
  13. Spin
    70
    Proof that simple pleasures always beat academic detachment. [March 2002, p.137]
  14. Insignificance's ingeniously subtle songwriting project is one of O'Rourke's most affecting yet.
  15. The Wire
    70
    A pleasurable collection of comfortably played, understated, slightly skewed songs with smart lyrics. [#214, p.52]
  16. His least demanding work ever, steeped in the traditions of pop and rock.

Awards & Rankings

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Jan 3, 2023
    10
    Was für Erinnerungen, hab die Platte gegen eine schwenkende Glühbirne gesungen, ein „Paar“ wollte die Birne küssen, hab das Frauenzimmer nichtWas für Erinnerungen, hab die Platte gegen eine schwenkende Glühbirne gesungen, ein „Paar“ wollte die Birne küssen, hab das Frauenzimmer nicht ganz gezwungen, später habe ich alle Lampen heruntergerissen. Für Text und Stimme volle Wertung. Full Review »
  2. May 8, 2022
    6
    Not bad at all but also not memorable (beyond the cover art) . This is fun a fun follow up to EUREKA but doesn't feel as essential.
  3. JamesD.
    Aug 7, 2002
    10
    Although there are more exceptionally compelling moments on O"Rourke's "Eureka", "Insignificance" is the most consistently satisfying Although there are more exceptionally compelling moments on O"Rourke's "Eureka", "Insignificance" is the most consistently satisfying his pop-era years to date. (Nearly) absent are any traces of his earliest chaos-theory inspired noise of his early years; moreover, his infatuation with '70's MOR radio sounds far less cloying than examples of such off of his recent solo efforts (if just as ironic). And his lyrics are easily as entertainingly misanthropistic as ever. Plus, it Seriously Rocks. Do yourself a favour and give it a listen. Full Review »