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by
Fol Chen
- Record Label: Asthmatic Kitty
- Release Date: Feb 17, 2009
- Summary: This is the debut album for the California band featuring two former members of the band Liars.
- Record Label: Asthmatic Kitty
- Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Pop
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 4
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Mixed: 1 out of 4
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Negative: 0 out of 4
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John Shade moves with composure and ease through arch, almost dour indie pop ("The Believers") as well as joyous dollops of Of Montreal–inspired electro pop.
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As good as "Cable TV" and "Winter, That's All" sound, John Shade's main weakness was supposed to be its strength-- during the points where the tempo dies down and the songwriting hues closer to traditional forms, there's not enough personality or character in the vocals to compensate, leading to stretches of indie promo-pile filler.
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Fol Chen's debut, Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made, is end-to-end melodrama and that's fine; so far, they're doing it right. Instead of the kind of melodrama that produces sugar and hooks, Fol Chen appears to opt for storybook.
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Q MagazineIt's certainly not a consistent album, but the best of it is unique and intriguing. [Apr 2009, p.102]