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Sep 1, 2015He’s an impossible person, by all accounts--especially his own--but also an exceptionally expressive songwriter.
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Aug 26, 2015There's little sonic variation, but that approach puts the focus where it should be: on the raw emotion of his singing.
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MojoAug 25, 2015The whole album unfolds at a pace somewhere between stately and glacial. [Oct 2015, p.93]
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Aug 24, 2015For an hour, Beal indulges the softest, most serene edge of his songwriting. His voice unspools silkily, occasionally looping into falsetto, often multitracked over itself.
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Aug 24, 2015This is a soul record that sounds pristine and yet feels raw--whatever else might’ve happened in the last couple of years, Beal’s voice--both literally and creatively--has not been withered.
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Oct 6, 2015Somehow, his voice remains--a ghostly, spellbinding croon that swims through wastelands of strings and synths, making Noctunes unfold like an alternative soundtrack to Twin Peaks.
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Sep 28, 2015His motifs are well-developed throughout, and a sonic palette is offered up without any of the odd missteps of his catalog. Never has his voice shone so brightly as an extraordinary talent, taking hold of the minimalist production and never relenting.
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Aug 28, 2015The result is not only satisfying, but adds to the already unclassifiable depth of his artistry.
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Aug 27, 2015[The] sense of resignation threatens to render Noctunes a laborious listen, but moments of lightness give the record a little bit of balance.
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Aug 27, 2015Noctunes repeatedly feels like a homecoming of sorts. It isn't, however, without its shortcomings: it's a tad prolonged (three tracks here could easily go) and there's a tendency for Beal to get comfortable in his compositions.
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Aug 26, 2015A mysterious, sprawling listen that will baffle the masses, but reward patient listeners longing for an LP that is immersive, quirky and gently haunting.
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Aug 31, 2015It’s an intriguing record, unpredictable and weird even in its simplicity.
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Aug 28, 2015It is fair to say that the album is missing hooks; it is a difficult listen and the tracks’ sparseness renders them similar. But, when the sound is so spine-tinglingly moving, that’s not too much of a problem.
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UncutAug 27, 2015Technically, he shows himself to be a better singer than we might have predicted from those early lo-fi recordings, but it all tastes a little sweet. [Oct 2015, p.71]
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Aug 26, 2015Nocturnes comes off as a monochrome drag.
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Q MagazineAug 25, 2015If, after a while, it just hangs there like a low mist, Noctunes is still a thing of impressive substance made by a very striking somebody. [Oct 2015, p.102]
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Sep 16, 2015In Beal’s attempt to exorcise old demons, the LP comes off way too moody and far too methodical to resonate long term.
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Aug 24, 2015Noctunes, unlike his previous records, is a work suspended in time, amorphous and entrancing, but ultimately too shapeless to hold its own weight. [Aug-Sep 2015, p.60]