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- Summary: The indie rock trio returns with its original lineup to release its first new album in 10 years.
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- Record Label: Merge
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 8
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Mixed: 1 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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Older, wiser, and a little weathered around the edges, Versus no longer has time for irony or niceties. Accordingly, On The Ones isn't a nostalgic tickle--it's a wake-up punch.
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While this is a darker album in some ways than their earlier work, there's no bummer vibe here. Lyrically, it's obvious that these are songs written by someone who has seen a few years come and go, and their pop sense has been burnished and built into the songs of a group that knows how to make a trio memorable.
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The twinkles of music past have been removed, and in their place, gravel has been thrown across the guitars--darkness creeps forward and the album builds and crashes with fervor.
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Weirdly calm yet supremely uneasy, On the Ones and Threes fluctuates constantly from folk to psychedelia to grunge, often in a single song.
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The album may have its bumps, but the unassuming charm these guys have always brought to their records comes through more often than not.
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Even if this album plays hard to get, there's plenty to love for those willing to listen.
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Even in the heavier moments, the album plays with a cool, unruffled composure that seems more easygoing than prior outings, making for a comfortable, welcome return.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 1
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Mixed: 0 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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Dec 30, 2011
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