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O Image
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

  • Summary: The third album for the indie rock band was produced by Mike Mogis.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Tilly And The Wall are excellent at writing instantly infectious pop songs ("Dust Me Off" may be their best yet), and they've finally corralled a full palate to go with it.
  2. Clever, joyous and never patronising, O is a half hour bite of summer that’s perfect for fending off the darkening nights.
  3. Under The Radar
    80
    The result is an expansion of the band’s sound, which offers some pleasing diversions into the dark (musically) and profane (lyrically) to offset a tendency that often leans toward the saccharine. [Summer 2008]
  4. In contrast to the potty-mouthed numbers that precede it, the song's ['Heartbeats'] starry-eyed optimism is contagious and solidifies Tilly & the Wall's status as an indie band with dance-floor aspirations.
  5. In the end, it's not going to change the world, but it shows that the group is definitely expanding (in a good way) their sound from their early days.
  6. Now mature pop songwriters, the Omaha quintet sounds more like a conventional band on O, favoring rousing sing-along choruses, richly layered pianos and trumpets, and even standard drum kits.
  7. On the album’s strongest songs, the band displays a strong sense of self, infusing their previous sound with unexpected sonic twists and turns. On the weaker songs, however, they betray their core aesthetic, adopting attitudes and sounds that make them sound disingenuous at best and at worst, like self-conscious poseurs.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. ErikaW
    Jun 29, 2008
    9
    A great album with a couple key listening-list tracks. An improvement from their last album.
  2. ChadS.
    Jun 30, 2008
    9
    "Dust Me Off" and "Alligator Skin" are catchy, Beulah-catchy, like lost tracks from "When Your Heartstrings Breaks" with a special guest "Dust Me Off" and "Alligator Skin" are catchy, Beulah-catchy, like lost tracks from "When Your Heartstrings Breaks" with a special guest female vocalist. Tilly and the Wall have the ability to write propulsively tuneful songs that are substantially weightless. I think they're a band for hipsters who aren't afraid to admit they like Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone". In other words, the band doesn't have an ounce of pretension in them. "Potkettle Black" is the standout. Great grrr-ly vocals. They sound like one of those all-female K, or Kill Rock Stars bands from the Northwest. After the quiet opening track, it's a surprise that they rock this convincingly. Collapse
  3. TimE.
    Jul 12, 2008
    9
    AMG is the biggest hypacrit. They complain when a band sounds the same throughout their career yet they have the nerve to criticize this AMG is the biggest hypacrit. They complain when a band sounds the same throughout their career yet they have the nerve to criticize this amazing record because it's too "angry and agressive." Because the guy in the band doesn't sing any more. Guy/Girl harmonies are all you hear nowadays. That's why they changed to girl vocals. She has a better voice and it sounds best without male background vocals. If you want to hear guy/girl harmonies listern to Los Campesinos or every other british artrock band in the country. This band is about being different than all the rest and to bitch about it like AMG just tells us that they're off their game and they need to get with the times. This album is incredibly diverse and clever it's no wonder why some publications don't get them. The tapdancing replacing drums is beyond brilliant and even catchier than most drummers can play. The harmonies are as gorgeous as the band. Expect this album to be a massive hit. Otherwise you're missing out. Expand