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  • Release Date:
Oceans Apart Image
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the third album in three years for the newly-reunited Australian duo of Grant McLennan and Robert Forster.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Mojo
    100
    A musical odyssey across a real and imagined landscape of mountains and cities, dreams and memories. [May 2005, p.95]
  2. Robert's songs more tuneful in their maturity, Grant's more atmospheric, they punch 'em all up to make a stronger impression than on their comeback album.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    They remain one of rock's most pleasurable hand-me-down discoveries. [29 Apr 2005, p.148]
  4. Magnet
    80
    Their best record since reuniting. [#68, p.95]
  5. Uncut
    80
    The band sounds re-energised by an idea of the city, the marketplace, pop ambition. [May 2005, p.102]
  6. Oceans Apart is the album that fans have been waiting for, the one that brings back the flawless production of their early releases and the cynical/idealistic tradeoff in Forster and McLennan’s songwriting.
  7. The strategy is the same: start with a basic, inoffensive and unambitious melody, repeat it over and over again, toss on a few scatting horns (between three and five notes only, please, and let’s keep dissonance to a minimum) and whatever other trinkets are in the studio, and voila! An instantly forgettable pop breeze.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 31
  2. Negative: 2 out of 31
  1. dretek
    May 13, 2005
    10
    wow consistently delivers
  2. RebeccaM
    Jun 21, 2005
    10
    Good to the marrow.
  3. Oct 7, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "I blow the dust from your lips and beg forgiveness/But there's too much moonlight on your skin/I rise and face the day/Another weary sinner/I can't feel your touch in the blaze of noon

    from "The Statue"

    Be well.

    Never far from my mind.
    Expand
  4. BJ
    May 8, 2005
    9
    Possibly their best album of their career, an amazing return to form.
  5. HamishW
    Jun 6, 2005
    8
    The best of the reformed G-Bs albums by some distance and almost back to the brilliance of Liberty Belle etc
  6. StevenP
    May 12, 2005
    8
    Return to form after a couple of weaker albums.
  7. MikeL
    May 5, 2005
    0
    sucks

See all 31 User Reviews

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