Magnetic
by Goo Goo Dolls
User Score
6.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
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  1. Mab_987
    Aug 16, 2013
    5
    The first song I heard from this album was the lead single & opening track “Rebel Beat”, and even though it suffers from a bit of overproduction, I enjoyed it. It's a solid summery pop song with infectious melodies & the good kind of “party lyrics”; as in the kind that makes you feel good inside rather than the kind that makes you wanna take 20 showers in a row In order to feel cleanThe first song I heard from this album was the lead single & opening track “Rebel Beat”, and even though it suffers from a bit of overproduction, I enjoyed it. It's a solid summery pop song with infectious melodies & the good kind of “party lyrics”; as in the kind that makes you feel good inside rather than the kind that makes you wanna take 20 showers in a row In order to feel clean again. Unfortunately though, with a few exceptions I'll get into later, this album as a whole is just dull & predictable. All across this album are cliché rhymes (I'm talking girl/world level), extremely overproduced “epic” instrumentation & vocal lines, and sappy phoned-in lyrics about love, couples being in love, going through extremely vague hard times, etc. And the latter might be justifiable if it was just on 1 or 2 tracks, but making it the theme of practically the whole album just plummets the believability level. There's a term I came up with to describe a good majority of the songs here, and that term is “chick flick rock”. What I mean is that for nearly any track at any given point, it sounds tailor-made to appear in the last minute or so of the trailer for some corny chick flick, with “Bulletproofangel” being the most prime example of this. The songs just show no personality in their genericness & sameness throughout, despite trying so desperately to tug at a few heartstrings, and the band ends up simultaneously sounding like the poor man's Switchfoot, the poor man's OneRepublic & the poor man's The Script combined into one entity of mediocrity.

    However that's not to say that every track is a failure. The next one in the track list to get a positive response from me is “Bringing on the Light”, which while not too much better lyrically shows the band rocking out a bit like they did on most of A Boy Named Goo, which is refreshing. Keep in mind that I'm the last one you'll see hating an album because it's different from their previous work, but without the rock element the Goo Goo Dolls' style for the most part is left pretty bland & uninteresting. The song is also one of 2 to feature bassist Robby Takac on lead vocals, which with his rough nasally voice works much better here than on slow acoustic number “Happiest of Days”. “Last Hot Night” combines a more detailed & well-written version of their “couple tales” with the fun celebratory attitude of “Rebel Beat” & a subtle working class social commentary theme. And closer “Keep the Car Running” (which I was disappointed to learn wasn't an Arcade Fire cover) is also a solid track for similar reasons. So overall, while this wasn't the worst or most disappointing album of 2013 that I've heard, I left it for the most part unsatisfied & wanting to take more from Magnetic than it had to offer. I know these guys are talented songwriters, and it's not like any track here is downright unlistenable. They just need something to write about that involves less forced sincerity.

    Key tracks: Rebel Beat, Keep the Car Running, Bringing on the Light, Last Hot Night
    Score: 52/100    … Expand
  2. MattCrane
    Jul 1, 2013
    4
    You’ll find no “Iris” gloom here. Ten LPs in, Goo have completely traded black balloons for baby blue sparklers: rocking somewhere in between Boys Like Girls on a soft day (“When The World Breaks Your Heart”), Train at their most radio-friendly (“Slow It Down”) and vibrant, Disney synth-rock (“More Of You”)... FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/17Q3YSF
  3. Darkelf720
    Sep 20, 2014
    4
    OK, so Magnetic. I was really looking forward to this album. I really love The Greatest Hits album, so i bought this.
    Only the songs sung by their lead singer John Rzeznik are worth anything for me. Robby Takac is a fantastic Guitarist, simply makes this band whole.....but singing? Why the hell? Unfortunately this is a mix and matach of good and bad...'Caught In The Storm and Leave    OK, so Magnetic. I was really looking forward to this album. I really love The Greatest Hits album, so i bought this.
    Only the songs sung by their lead singer John Rzeznik are worth anything for me. Robby Takac is a fantastic Guitarist, simply makes this band whole.....but singing? Why the hell? Unfortunately this is a mix and matach of good and bad...'Caught In The Storm and Leave the Car Running' deffinately my choices for this album..

    In all, it's a sadly missed oppertunity. Remain as you are guys, let John do the singing...    … Expand
  4. DoraWinifred
    Oct 13, 2014
    4
    It sounds like John Rzeznik stole a 19 year old girl's notebook and subsequently penned the songs of Magnetic from those pages. A man so vapid and shallow (cute huh?) could just be genius enough to infringe on rights of others?….but I suppose that is besides the point.

    To the album ----> Rebel beat : Embarrassed and Hated this song the first moment I heard it. Horrible first song to    It sounds like John Rzeznik stole a 19 year old girl's notebook and subsequently penned the songs of Magnetic from those pages. A man so vapid and shallow (cute huh?) could just be genius enough to infringe on rights of others?….but I suppose that is besides the point.

    To the album ---->

    Rebel beat : Embarrassed and Hated this song the first moment I heard it. Horrible first song to put out. A little too Train inspired but I guess nobody told the band the many reasons why the title alone, not including the images old decrepit men 'walking the block', would never score well with an audience. The Train transition wasn't going to happen with this one. Keep hoping to intersect with that one.

    When the World Breaks your Heart:
    Love a few features from this song but ultimately I'm getting ED.

    Slow it Down:
    I really feel like this was written for or inspired by Justini Bieber….Yet I like it. Great pick for radio.

    Caught in the Storm: Can't comment because this is a rip off song. It doesn't exist.

    Bringing on the Light: Normally I dislike Robby's singing/songs but this really was a nice bright spot for the album. Clever, and yet I wonder how hard they hard to fight to get it on the album.

    Come to me: Maybe he should stop asking his girl to come to him. Duh, Einstein, take some initiative. *Radio.

    More of you: Another Radio contender.

    Bulletproofangel *R: Like it but the lyrics should change to, "How could I have ever let you pass me by"….otherwise perfect. *I want a shout out ;p The only Bubble burst for me is that I still hear justin bieber in there. I admit, We all got a little brain washed for a while there but time to put the albums down JohnnyB.

    Last hot Night: I have ED again and my girl is being subliminally messaged and sabatoged. I hear you now but Come on bro, find your own or stick to your own girl.

    Happiest of days: Festivus? *shrugs* Cool. Confused about the lyrics of the background vocals. I would really like to know what they are. I wanted back in? I want it back here? I'll isolate it later but erg.

    Keep the car running: I listened to this song once and it was when I really had to use the restroom. My environment/predicament should exclude me from commenting on this song as I have extreme bias…… BUT. It got me through a hard time, so many thanks. Rock on! (Side Note: lyric discrepancy in the first verse). Radio is not ready for it. *R at some point, a few years too late.

    Hopefully the 19 year old with the notebooks didn't end up like the original drummer and at least got some profit. Last anyone checked Rzezdick doesn't like to share. At least we know he won't waste another person's fall out.

    In closing, GREAT album title - **** up is was wasted on this type of album - and album cover - but what can you do. A more appropriate name would have been more like "Demagnitizer". Watch out boys and girls for the next album, "Demagnetizer"!!!, writings from a hobo with 20 kids, 2 ex wives, and a refugee from his home, one of our very own cities of the U.S., Bluffhalo!

    *this is not a paid review (so suck it female dog boys).    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Q Magazine
    Jul 26, 2013
    40
    Magnetic sounds like a TV talent show judge's idea of rock music from a band capable of much better. [Jun 2013, p.98]
  2. Kerrang!
    Jun 26, 2013
    60
    It'll be too sappy for anyone who likes their rock raw, but if simpler pleasures tickle your pickle, there are few bands in this sphere pulling it off as expertly as the veteran Buffalo trio. [8 Jun 2013, p.54]
  3. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Jun 26, 2013
    80
    From a technical standpoint, the album does little to challenge, provoke or push the envelope. From a thematic standpoint, there's no cerebral or overarching theme, there's no incendiary political or social statements. At its core, it is a safe, sun-kissed collection of 11 utterly harmless light rock songs about the delights of newfound love.
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