Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Negative: 0 out of 11
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. May 15, 2014
    90
    This could be the biggest revelation of the lot. It simply does not get any better than Love.
  2. May 15, 2014
    90
    It’s a masterclass in formal brilliance meeting dogged idiosyncrasy on equal footing.
  3. The Wire
    Jul 17, 2014
    80
    Despite the dubious company he keeps, McMahon's ambient folk pop remains beguiling. [May 2014, p.70]
  4. Jun 20, 2014
    80
    Though they are very different albums, one way that Love carries on where Through Donkey Jaw left off is that it is deeply hypnotic.
  5. May 13, 2014
    80
    This is easily some of McMahon's prettiest and most accessible music, and it's also some of his finest. In its own simple, graceful way, Love adds more depth to the rest of Amen Dunes' work.
  6. 80
    Love is a lush, romantic, folk-driven collection that moves away from his earlier, more psychedelic work.
  7. May 13, 2014
    78
    As long as McMahon is singing, Amen Dunes will never sound quite like anyone else--and on Love, he sings better and more ambitiously than ever.
  8. May 15, 2014
    75
    McMahon’s a constantly improving songwriter, and with Love, he’s created his most fully realized and purposeful batch of songs yet.
  9. May 14, 2014
    70
    The resulting album has been arranged with such care and attention to detail that each track--from the quivering sighs of "Splits Are Parted" to the frayed guitar strums of recent cut "I Can't Dig It"--is capable of conveying the most complex of human emotions in but one refrain. An entire album's worth is almost too much to handle.
  10. May 13, 2014
    70
    McMahon’s takes the plainspoken and renders it into poetry on his new album, and where previous records coiled in on themselves in interesting ways, this one reaches out to a newfound and bright future.
  11. 60
    There is no question that this is a work of devotion, even a work of love, but as a document of raw emotion, it is lacking, it feels overly considered.
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Oct 21, 2018
    8
    There seems to be a wide range in opinions on this album. I don't share the opinion of the people giving it full marks and saying its amazing,There seems to be a wide range in opinions on this album. I don't share the opinion of the people giving it full marks and saying its amazing, for me "Love" is a good, enjoyable listen but not really that engaging. Having said this, I don't imagine the album was made with the intention of grabbing you, more a style of music that gradually seeps into your consciousness. The sound of Amen Dunes is quite unique and certainly brings something different to the folk table. Full Review »