Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Oct 29, 2013
    90
    John Wizards contains a surplus of happiness spilling out all over the place, but there is also a haunting sadness on many of these tracks, one often turning on a dime into the other.
  2. Magnet
    Sep 20, 2013
    90
    This is music that's instantly, wordlessly evocative while also invitingly open-ended. [No. 102, p.57]
  3. 90
    Its stylistic diversity can be off-putting at first. But the more you listen, the more it all comes together.
  4. Dec 3, 2013
    80
    You'll be treated to one of the most exciting debuts of the year--a consistently surprising and joyous album, which only improves with each listen.
  5. Mojo
    Oct 16, 2013
    80
    Every one of its 15 tracks brings something new to the table. [Nov 2013, p.90]
  6. Sep 20, 2013
    80
    With John Wizards, Nzaramba and Withers have arrived.
  7. Sep 12, 2013
    80
    For a jingle writer whose album is almost relentlessly upbeat, his music can cut surprisingly close to the bone.
  8. Aug 30, 2013
    80
    It's guileless, naive music, with melodies that shyly curl up to you, or, as on glorious earworm iYoungwe, strut with the adorably ungainly confidence of juvenile mammals.
  9. Aug 30, 2013
    80
    There’s a lot to like about this summer soundtrack packed to the left of your luggage.
  10. Aug 30, 2013
    80
    If the sign of a good LP is no standout tracks then John Wizards is certifiably brilliant, a collage of brightly-coloured chamber pop where modern synths get a look-in too.
  11. Sep 3, 2013
    75
    As it is now, John Wizards is an effortlessly fun, pan-global pop record that stands on its own, no qualification needed.
  12. Sep 3, 2013
    74
    John Wizards is, to paraphrase the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss' opinion on animals, "good to think with." But that won't make people want to listen to it. What will is its hip diversity, sunny disposition, and the fact that Withers never asks more of his audience than he's willing to give: A man of contract, he puts his clients first.
  13. There’s so much packed into these 15 lush, context-evading songs, though, that map references are pretty futile.
  14. Sep 3, 2013
    70
    Whether John Wizards’ debut album has lasting power is impossible to know, but for the moment, they’ve wholly succeeded in at least making something to appreciate.
  15. Aug 30, 2013
    70
    John Wizards is a sonic journey both geographically and temporally, without being an exercise in musical channel surfing.
  16. Uncut
    Aug 30, 2013
    60
    While it's not a great record, the world would be a marginally better place if people were drooling over John Wizards rather than Vampire Weekend. [Sep 2013, p.90]

Awards & Rankings

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Sep 5, 2013
    8
    Super fun album, super groovy and great to listen to when it's hot and sunny outside. Very creative and out of the ordinary also. Will beSuper fun album, super groovy and great to listen to when it's hot and sunny outside. Very creative and out of the ordinary also. Will be looking forward to the next album! Full Review »