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Little Joy - Little Joy
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. No Ripcord
    80
    Little Joy makes for a fine, self-contained little album.
  2. All Music Guide
    80
    A laid-back and easy to digest album with no grand statements to absorb or deeper meanings to dig for, it's made up of simple songs recorded simply and sung sweetly.
  3. Rolling Stone
    80
    Like Vampire Weekend, it's indie rock getting its global groove on.
  4. Tiny Mix Tapes
    80
    Fab and singer Rodrigo Amarante (of Rio De Janeiro's Los Hermanos) affect the heavy hearts of coastal lounge singers yet retain the resilience of city kids who can't be beat. Although backup singer Binki Shaprio is too feathery to really make an impact, the sum of Little Joy's sincere regret and wide-eyed optimism lend a bedroom intimacy to the group's debut.
  5. musicOMH.com
    80
    A little joy goes a long way--a long way towards one of the more carefree albums you'll enjoy this autumn.
  6. Slant Magazine
    80
    It's a sunny album with low aspirations, which in this case is a compliment.
  7. Pitchfork
    72
    Little Joy is not going to stop the world or change your life, but it's one of the sweetest, most listenable, consistently enjoyable records of the season.
  8. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    Little Joy might not quite have built a castle in the sky, but they've constructed a cosy little corner in our hearts.
  9. Under The Radar
    70
    Producer Noah Georgeson makes all the right decisions in keeping the sound warm, relaxed, and analog to cleverly use the past to give listeners an easy entry point into these pleasant, deceptively simple recordings. [Year End 2008]
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  10. Spin
    70
    Though sometimes courting sleepiness, the debut's barbershop harmonies, Hawaiian strumming, and lovesick melodies transform rock-club jadedness into an aesthetic fit for honeymoons, holidays, and other occasions where you savor small pleasures, even if they're quaintly recycled.
  11. Billboard
    70
    Nothing on the album is as catchy or as memorable as the Strokes' sharpest material, but several cuts sport a sweet Latin lilt, which helps distinguish the music from work by any number of similarly situated acts.
  12. Lost At Sea
    65
    While the similarities to Morretti's other group are what make Little Joy so easy to digest, they are also what make it seem somewhat unremarkable.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    63
    Little Joy's charmingly lazy songwriting makes no gesture at becoming anything beyond an excellent dinner-party soundtrack. But in these trying times for art and political life, such warm-hearted mood music will at least make your headaches go away.
  14. Mojo
    60
    Lovely music, no agendas. [Dec 2008, p.102]
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  15. Uncut
    60
    Ambitions here, you feel, do not extend far beyond 'a good time, all the time'-–it's probably telling that the band name derives from a cocktail lounge on Sunset Boulevard-–but then, Moretti probably wouldn't want it any other way.
  16. Q Magazine
    60
    It makes a refreshing change from the studied cool of Moretti's paymasters. [Dec 2008, p.130]
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  17. NOW Magazine
    60
    There are some really gorgeous moments here, as on sleepy waltz 'Don't Watch Me Dancing' and beautiful lazy closer 'Evaporar,' but overall the album comes off as an incomplete and thrown-together hobby project.
  18. Hot Press
    60
    Despite initial misgivings, our reviewer found that Little Joy's album delivers an old fashioned pop feel with a little DIY indie sound.
  19. Filter
    56
    This debut could've, should've and would've been more appropriate as a moody summer release for trips with the car windows down, but instead we're forced to keep 'em up as winter nags at our sleeves. [Holiday 2008, p.100]
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. frank80428
    10
    Little Joy is a name of a band and an album formed in 2007 by three members, Rodrigo Amarante, Fabrizio Meoretti, and Binki Shapiro. The band was name after a **** lounge in Echo Park, where Amarante and Meoretti met. The theme of this album expresses their excitement to begin a brand new band with different aspects and music styles, comparing to their pervious bands. I can say Little Joy is an album that audiences can flow to; the textured of music washes over us like waves and the lazy guitar takes us to a pleasant mood. All of their music pieces emphasize the importance of Amarante’s vocal, and Meroetti’s feeling printed in the lyrics. Interestingly, I think the album has many equivoques, which Merroti uses in this album to portray their little antidotes on their experiences of reforming a music group through lyrics and title of each song. The first song of Little Joy, “The Next Time Around” and the last song,“ Evaporar”, well portray their desire of starting this band and their appreciation to their fans. Through their songs, I can feel the surprises that the band tries to illustrate in each song and those surprises warm my heart. Those soft and light vocal Amarante sung, and the background music that Meoretti and Shapiro organized make me want to listen this album over and over again. Importantly, every song has somehow referred to their purpose of recording this album and their hard work is only because of this “Little Joy.”… Full Review »
  2. jkhor
    10
    Little Joy presents a laid-back lifestyle where it sends the message that people should not focus only on achieving goals but also to cherish the “little joys” of life. All of Little Joy’s songs are presented like a story and I feel that, by doing this, they become closer to the listener. The listener can easily relate to them as their songs are presented like a story and it’s like a friend telling the listeners about their trouble. Moreover, the song is more down-to-earth and that, I think, is to create intimacy between the song and the listener. It gives more emotion to the song. The music style is of typical indie rock kind of style, which is laid-back. The voice of the singer sounds as if he is telling you to “chill” and “relax”. From “The Next Time Around” to “Evaporar”, the album promotes a laid-back lifestyle sending a message on what the band thinks life should be and we should appreciate the “little” things in life like falling in love. Other than that, the album mainly consists of love songs and love is the “little joys” of life. The interesting part of the order of the songs is that it is arranged to sound like the synopsis of a love story. Each song describes a specific phase of a relationship from meeting up (“Brand new start”) to falling in love (“How to hang a Warhol” ) and then breaking up (No one’s better sake). The theme of the album is simple:” Enjoy life!!! ”. Everything in life is enjoyable including the “little” ones.… Full Review »
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