Paradise
by Slow Club
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Sep 29, 2011
    90
    If you have the patience to wait and persevere until Paradise fully blossoms with you into something spectacular, rest assured, it will be a record that won't stop giving when it finally does.
  2. No Ripcord
    Sep 13, 2011
    90
    They've deftly struck the balance between breaking new ground and retaining their sound while making a record that has – bold statement alert – NO bad songs on it.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Sep 12, 2011
    90
    Paradise is the sound of a more mature and confident Slow Club, but without losing that adorable edge that's so vital to them. Start clearing some space at the top of those 'Best of 2011' lists, for this is sure to figure.
  5. The New York Times
    Nov 21, 2011
    80
    Paradise is this group's second strong album in a row (including its 2009 debut "Yeah So"), but the first on which it explores tension.
  6. Q Magazine
    Sep 22, 2011
    80
    Charming without being cloying, Paradise is the work of a band beginning to stretch their wings.
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  7. Under The Radar
    Sep 20, 2011
    80
    Slow Club is aware of their twee appeal--and uses it like a double-edged sword, throwing folk guitar solos, string sections, and ballads into the mix like a particularly well-timed punchline.
  8. Uncut
    Sep 14, 2011
    80
    Sprawling, impassioned and mostly terrific. [Oct 2011, p.98]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. AllMusic
    Sep 14, 2011
    80
    Polished yet heartfelt, Paradise finds Slow Club shoring up their strengths and exploring new territory with equal
  10. BBC Music
    Sep 12, 2011
    80
    It's not sonically unique. Yet there's a charm here.
  11. The Quietus
    Sep 12, 2011
    80
    The voices are huskier, the music juicer, the innocence of yore starting to chip away as Paradise sees them explore the dark side of vice and life. They're are all the better for it.
  12. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 12, 2011
    80
    These songs rest quite naturally between the forlorn, heartbroken ballads, making this an album of exceptional and understated maturity and beauty. Sadness has rarely felt this good.
  13. Pitchfork
    Sep 20, 2011
    78
    In both songs, and throughout Paradise, Slow Club display remarkable skill in tugging at heartstrings, but they do it without being particularly manipulative or overly saccharine.
  14. Paste Magazine
    Sep 13, 2011
    76
    Slow Club dials into emotions without having to be overbearing. There is plenty of substance to latch onto on this album that leaves you wanting more.
  15. PopMatters
    Oct 10, 2011
    70
    It's a smart heart record that will bring you sunshine and inexplicably make you feel better about yourself.
  16. New Musical Express (NME)
    Sep 23, 2011
    70
    It's the sound of a band knowing exactly who they are, what they want--and how to get it.
  17. Rolling Stone
    Sep 13, 2011
    70
    At times, Watson and Taylor come off like billowy-sleeved naifs who might spend Saturday afternoons riding hither and fro through the marshes, but their Saturday nights clearly involve more carnal interests.
  18. Clash Music
    Sep 12, 2011
    70
    There's a clearly dynamism between the couple, resulting in a unified performance and all that lets them down is a weakness in some of the songs, where a greater commercial edge might have initiated more interest. Sophisticated Steel City pop.

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best Album of 2011

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