Mouthfuls - Fruit Bats
Mouthfuls Image
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 4 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Yet another experimental indie band to arise out of the Chicago scene, the Fruit Bats are the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Eric Johnson, who has played with Ugly Casanova, I Rowboat, and Califone. On this second Fruit Bats LP, he is joined by Gillian Lisee and producer Brian Deck.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. PopMatters
    90
    Lyricist [Eric] Johnson's faculties for observation are what turn sonic pleasantries into vehicles of magic and myth.
  2. Q Magazine
    80
    Beautiful stuff: sunny with a sad undertow, like The Beach Boys, Beck and The Beatles put in a blender. [Nov 2003, p.110]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Launch.com
    80
    Beautiful, sparkling folk-pop reminiscent of Velvet Underground's Loaded era, but with distinctive swooning melodies.
  4. All Music Guide
    80
    When an album is as effortlessly warm and pretty as this one is, it's hard to begrudge the band a return to more familiar sonic pastures, and even more so when Mouthfuls suggests that the Fruit Bats' next album will be even more winning.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. thomasm
    9
    I saw the show first, and found Fruit Bats totally enchanting. I was amazed that they could make themselves so vulnerable and emerge with my full respect. Johnson's big, open, pleasantly metallic voice is the key. The instrumentation, the burden of which the two principals share evenly, well varied throughout their show/album. The crisp and simple production value is easy for me to visualize geometrically, if you dig. I like that they seem to tease you with the refrain payoff by sticking it in the second verse, as in the song about killing swans--the name escapes me. Great lyrics--Union Blanket is a good on for that, with its spilt rivers and such. Anyway, I bought the album the next day, and it has become the new St. Thomas: I'm Coming Home--wonderful drunk music. Wait--great waking up music, too.… Expand
  2. TimS
    9
    I was very impressed with this album. If you are sick of everything else that is coming out, you should try this, it is great!
  3. MikeF
    9
    This may be my favorite cd of the year. I've been falling asleep to it ( a good thing) every night for the past week. Great vox and lyrics.
  4. KM
    6
    CD is good, the live show was very boring.

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