Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Uncut
    100
    Here, his luxurious voice, weathered and warm, sits atop intuitive improvations from the likes of Christian Fennesz and Evan Parker. [Nov 2009, p.106]
  2. Manafon is a quiet yet forceful stunner, a recording that, if heard, is literally unforgettable.
  3. However central Sylvian’s bleak commentary, the weight and suggestiveness of this record gives it a sense of unpredictability, possibility, almost an openness beyond itself. It’s absolutely superb.
  4. Sylvian's subjects are life's loners and losers, and he regards them with a wry detachment and acute sympathy that is echoed by his collaborators. The effect in the album's 11-minute centrepiece, The Greatest Living Englishman, is devastating.
  5. Mojo
    80
    Initially baffling, Manafon richly replays further decktime. [Oct 2009, p.96]
  6. Sylvian is front-and-center on every song, which is good because he provides the only rhythmic and melodic stability, as the instrumentals dart and scratch and feedback around him.

Awards & Rankings

There are no user reviews yet.