It's All Around You
by Tortoise
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Stylus Magazine
    60
    Too many tracks on It’s All Around You don’t quite measure up to the compositional quality or imagination of previous works.
  2. AllMusic
    60
    It's All Around You soon becomes just another Tortoise record, so close to previous records in composition and execution that it's virtually deja vu for any listeners who know the band well.
  3. Blender
    60
    The formula gets a bit stale. [May 2004, p.133]
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  5. PopMatters
    60
    Review #1: It fails to engage listeners in a way that makes for a satisfactory listening experience all on its own. [score=50]; Review #2: While It's All Around You doesn't break much new ground for the group, it doesn't disappoint. [score=70]
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  6. Nude As The News
    60
    It's an improvement over Standards, which sounded unfinished, but it's nowhere near the peaks of Millions, TNT, or even the self-titled first album's great "Tin Cans And Twine."
  7. Dusted Magazine
    60
    While nothing on TNT or Standards was as influential as Tortoise's earlier work, those records succeeded largely because they marked new stylistic departures for a group that sounded genuinely excited by that prospect. Too many moments on It's All Around You lack that excitement.
  8. Mojo
    60
    It drifts rudderlessly in places, but at its best... it's among Tortoise's most persuasive music to date. [Apr 2004, p.108]
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  9. Pitchfork
    52
    Like Japanese toys-- The Dream Workshop, and the Furby and Tamagochi before it-- Tortoise obviously spend hours in the lab honing the science, but the finished product comes with a one-time novelty factor.
  10. Playlouder
    50
    In fairness, if they'd released this in place of, say 'TNT' we'd probably have been all set to hail it as a truly delightful and conceivably seminal record. Instead, we find familiarity breeding just a touch of unexpected contempt.
  11. Uncut
    40
    Documents a continuing decline. [May 2004, p.93]
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  12. Q Magazine
    40
    Pretty yet inconsequential, like a collection of half-finished spy film themes. [May 2004, p.108]
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  13. Tiny Mix Tapes
    40
    It's All Around You middles about with infuriatingly placid tracks that suggest a fading band merely treading water.
  14. Alternative Press
    40
    A dozy dud. [Jun 2004, p.98]
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Jessie
    May 5, 2007
    10
    Excellent!
  2. DugginsB
    Nov 14, 2006
    9
    Excellent album.
  3. MIKEW
    Jan 23, 2006
    9
    one of the best albums as a whole i've ever heard. the songs piece together as in Pink Floyd's dark side of the moon. there is no one of the best albums as a whole i've ever heard. the songs piece together as in Pink Floyd's dark side of the moon. there is no star of the band in tortoise. the band is one solid mass that can communicate better than most bands without using a single word.… Full Review »
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