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Feb 16, 2011So, this may be Sic Alps' best album to date.
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MojoApr 4, 2011The San Francisco pair Sic Alps present 22 concise numbers and commendably few lo-fi cliches. [Feb 2011, p.99]
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Feb 16, 2011Sic Alps are clearly both miles ahead of and miles away from their peers. Napa Asylum only further proves this.
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Feb 16, 2011This sprawling mosaic of 22 songs has more room for melody and nuance than any of their previous albums, and they divine many moods and sounds within their fuzz.
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Feb 16, 2011You may stumble upon an experiment or a minute-long fragment here and there, but the deck is stacked with memorable songcraft and an attitude that understands silliness without succumbing to sketch-comic dead ends.
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Feb 16, 2011As their odd tics, off notes, and bevy of stops and starts build up, the logic of their approach becomes clearer and more addictive. In that sense Napa Asylum, with 22 songs stretched over 45 minutes, is probably the best Sic Alps full-length so far.
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Feb 16, 2011Over time Napa Asylum reveals itself as remarkably cohesive and more than willing to cede points of entry every few tracks. Still an exhausting experience, sure, but one that's often thrilling, and well worth the effort it requires of us.
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Feb 16, 2011For now, this just about gets the job done, but a little more variety, even if it's just a return to the noisier interludes of those past recordings, would be welcome next time.
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Under The RadarMar 9, 2011Spotty and shambolic, but brimming with moments of serious brilliance--this is the Sic Alps way. [Feb 2011, p.73]
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UncutFeb 25, 2011It feels like a step up in terms of songwriting. [Feb 2011, p.96]
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Feb 16, 2011Napa Asylum graces us with moments of understated beauty, and when it's not terrifying us with bad trips, leaves a feeling of contentment and fuzzy warmth with the world. However, 22 tracks is gratuitous and excessive, and the repetitiveness inherent in some of the tracks shows that quantity, and not always quality, swayed the making of the final cut.
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The WireApr 28, 2011Sic Alp's latest might make for acceptable audio wallpaper--nice tunes and all, just ragged enough to contrive an illusion of edginess--but it crumbles under closer scrutiny. [Mar 2011, p.58]
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Feb 16, 2011It's a subtly bold step and one the band should continue to investigate, regardless of the fact that it didn't quite work out in their favor here.