Jewellery
by Micachu & the Shapes
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. AllMusic
    80
    A wild funhouse of an album, Jewelleryis more challenging and idea packed (not to mention more fun) than a lot of self-proclaimed experimental music.
  2. Blender
    80
    Micachu has made one of the strongest debuts of the year.
  3. cokemachineglow
    86
    Micachu’s album has all the markers of quirky chic--an unusual voice, a fairly well-known producer, and a distinctive approach centered around pastiche.
  5. Dot Music
    70
    Jewellery then is not quite the set of glittering pop gems its title implies but boasts a handful of rough diamonds nonetheless, fidgety and uncompromising though all the more enjoyable for it.
  6. Drowned In Sound
    80
    Thrillingly improbable pop made by a grade-A maverick. Three cheers to that.
  7. Dusted Magazine
    80
    Despite the up-tempo spunkiness of half the album’s songs, the prevailing tone seems to be that of a musical android--equal portions ukulele and digital distortion.
  8. Hartford Courant
    80
    The shambling London trio Micachu & the Shapes embrace all manners of homemade noises on this cheeky debut, surprisingly produced by electronic experimentalist Matthew Herbert.
  9. Hot Press
    80
    21-year-old future-dystopian grime DJ breaks new ground.
  10. musicOMH.com
    80
    It's a joyful sound when she cuts loose, and wedded to an attitude you wouldn't mess with, works a treat.
  11. Pitchfork
    79
    Levi and her band sound more like the future than the past, at a moment when we desperately need some more future, and as much as I've come to dig this album's awkward, brash cacophony, I want to hear what they do next even more.
  12. PopMatters
    70
    At first, the overwhelming weirdness—whether the listener finds that good or bad--precludes listening more analytically, and the whole experience seems crowded with random experimentation for its own sake. With a little patience, however, Jewellery soon orders itself.
  13. Prefix Magazine
    80
    Anyone who has found beauty in a chipped tooth or a grazed knee will find much to love here. Jewellery certainly doesn’t suffer from a paucity of ideas, and the lyrical subjects are more than a match for the band’s heterogeneous musical leanings.
  14. Q Magazine
    80
    Jewellery is an extraordinary introduction to a unique talent. [Mar 2009, p.101]
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  15. Rolling Stone
    80
    The 13 songs here average just 2:30 in length, but they cram a lot in.
  16. Spin
    70
    Mica Levi leads her trio through this 28-minute cockeyed burst, each song a bizarre little post-punk contraption that sounds like it’s ready to fly apart and wreak havoc. Yet her debut is also insanely disorienting fun.
  17. Sputnikmusic
    90
    Without hyperbole, it is one of the most fun, vibrant, rewarding, intelligently structured pop records to shimmy through these parts in quite some time, taking cues from whichever electro-punk-pop-DIY-indie-sludge-rock hybrid 21-year-old Londoner Mica Levi fell in love with when she was 14.
  18. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    Levy's unorthodox and, in some cases, homemade instruments strum and stutter with calculated abandon; her heavy British accent slumps itself across this glitchy bubblegum arcade and blunts it.
  19. The Guardian
    80
    Combining hard experimentation with soft introspection, her scrappy, lo-fi production wrapped in warmth, Micachu's sparkling pop will leave Little Boots shaking in her shoes.
  20. Uncut
    60
    Levi's eclectic debut strikes a winning balance between electro-glitch cacophony and shouty grrrl-pop. [Mar 2009, p.92]
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  21. Under The Radar
    40
    The record is admirable for its crashing ambitions, but it unfortunately devolves into a tuneless, nearly unlistenable mire of avant-noise fragments. [Spring 2009, p.77]
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  22. Urb
    30
    Jewellery, their latest album, plays like an act in a high school battle of the bands.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 4 out of 18
  1. orcaaaaaaaaaa
    Dec 13, 2012
    10
    i only ever write a review if an album is distinctly good, or distinctly bad. in the case of Jewellery, it is of the case of good. and noti only ever write a review if an album is distinctly good, or distinctly bad. in the case of Jewellery, it is of the case of good. and not just good.... fantastic! this is one of the most exciting and creative albums i have honestly heard in my life! there is a no holds back feel about it that makes this album magical. the tracks 'calculator' and 'turn me well' will be on repeat for hours and when you have finally managed to separate yourself from them they will haunt you for hours after! this album shows so much promise for this relatively unknown band. i am just waiting for the first real breakout song from this band then Micachu and the shapes will be a household name! i would almost be willing to bet money on it! i think this is the only band that can incorporate a vacuum solo and get away with it. do yourself a favor and get this album!… Full Review »
  2. unmanifest
    Dec 5, 2018
    10
    This is my favorite album of all time. Very unique and interesting compositions. I've listened to it countless times.
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