Let's Build A Fire - +/-
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. All Music Guide
    80
    This is by far +/-'s most mature work to date.
  2. Pitchfork
    73
    While +/- are sharp songwriters and capable mimics, they've gone through one more transformation as a band without arriving at a destination. That said, they remain a step ahead just by their modest ambitions, impulsively coloring and pushing their songs past the comfort level, always adding some detail to keep the listener's interest.
  3. Under The Radar
    70
    [It] comes across as a mix-tape of unreleased songs by your favorite bands. [#15]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Drowned In Sound
    70
    [An] inventive, if uneven collection.
  5. Prefix Magazine
    60
    All over Let's Build a Fire, +/- fails to capitalize on the moments of beauty and originality by either doing too much or doing too little.
  6. cokemachineglow
    57
    +/- have abandoned their bipolarity, which I was willing to call “complexity” or “potential” until just now, for a straightforward record that yields none of the possible benefits of a straightforward record.
  7. Stylus Magazine
    83
    One of the better American rock albums of this year.
  8. Delusions of Adequacy
    70
    One of the most accessible, pleasant releases of 2006.
  9. Magnet
    60
    Sometimes the gambles pay off... and sometimes they don't. [#74, p.108]
    All this publication's reviews
  10. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    Several cuts on +/-’s third full-length... feature tunes sturdy (and dreamy) enough to satisfy a Death Cab for Cutie fan. But Let’s Build a Fire is also full of moments that suggest Baluyut has grown tired of the straightforward indie-rock approach.
  11. Lost At Sea
    90
    With its mind-blowing dynamics and wounded memories, bandaged up in affecting, mature lyrics that dissect relationships with a therapist's perspective, the wisdom of hindsight and an artist's touch, Let's Build A Fire is almost flawless.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. ChristianR
    9
    Really great record..much more organic and a bit mellower than their previous work but to great result.s The songs on Let's Build are catchy, lyrically engaging (dare I say meaningful) and depsite decriptors by others like "pleasant", this is just as subtly subversive as the rest of their catalog and therefore moreso than most other records. Though it may not on the surface seem to tap into the national zeitgeist, can you name a band that makes simultaneously think, feel and bob your head and dance to a song in 7?… Full Review »
  2. AndyD
    9
    great record. ignore the clueless morons at pitchfork and cokemachineglow. unlike them, you should actually listen to the record. i agree with sally f that holding patterns is definitely their best release, but let's build a fire is great nonetheless. the important thing is to love is a powerful song. a classic.… Full Review »
  3. ChrisG
    8
    Good, somewhat quirky dream pop...nice stuff...melodic....and a grower.
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