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Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
by
Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down Image
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the debut album for the British quartet led by Charlie Fink.

Top Track

5 Years Time
Oh well in five years time we could be walking around the zoo With the sun shining down over me and you And there'll be love in the bodies of the... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Alternative Press
    80
    The reason Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down works here other "buzz band" albums don't is because theirs just feels natural--NATW aren't trying to buy into any trend. They're just writing great music. [Sep 2008, p.151]
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  2. cokemachineglow
    75
    Earnestness is so damningly difficult to nail down, but Fink and his cohorts come as close as anything this year, displaying an aptness for cloying love songs minus the puppy dog eyes.
  3. musicOMH.com
    70
    It's gentle enough to be background music, lively enough to be worth listening to for the sake of it, and certainly an impressive achievement for a 21-year-old's debut.
  4. Prefix Magazine
    60
    Noah and the Whale try their best to make weighty songs (look no further than the paint-by-numbers description of a funeral on the limp “Death by Numbers”), but they’re better as a pop group that digs ukuleles and acoustic guitars.
  5. Observer Music Monthly
    60
    Their foppish indieboy spin on classic folk-rock is, more often than not, perfectly listenable. But you can't help but wonder, between all the gleeful strums and wizened howls, whether they possess the inner torment to carry off such worldly material.
  6. The Guardian
    60
    The twinkling acoustic songs, bursting with brass, keyboards and fiddle are economic and brimming with sure-footed confidence but Fink's brittle cynicism ultimately leaves Noah & the Whale stranded
  7. Pitchfork
    26
    Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, the debut LP by the London folk-pop quartet, bites its best sensitive-indie forebears and then pukes up all the most superficial chunks.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. cryhardhumor
    Jun 12, 2015
    9
    The album is rather diverse, with content (for better or worse) ranges from upbeat jams to sad break up songs. However the lyrics, vocals, andThe album is rather diverse, with content (for better or worse) ranges from upbeat jams to sad break up songs. However the lyrics, vocals, and instrumentals are all so lovingly crafted that you can't help but love and sing along with the every song… Expand
  2. Pippinseb
    Feb 12, 2020
    9
    Beautiful and light melodies for a sad and anxious soul (almost gives belle and sebastian vibes) ! Recommend ‘two atoms in a molecule’,Beautiful and light melodies for a sad and anxious soul (almost gives belle and sebastian vibes) ! Recommend ‘two atoms in a molecule’, ‘second lover’, and ‘hold my hand as I’m lowered’ (then you gotta listen to Noah and the Whale’s second album ‘first days of spring’)… Expand
  4. drlowdon
    Feb 6, 2014
    7
    Genre: Alternative
    For me there are a few to many slightly bland tunes on this album for it to be considered a true classic but a number of    Genre: Alternative
    For me there are a few to many slightly bland tunes on this album for it to be considered a true classic but a number of songs, including the joyful '5 Years Time' in particular, make it a worthwhile listen. Its probably safe to say that Noah and the Whale have released better albums since but for a debut this is a pretty good effort and they certainly offer something more interesting than the usual repetitive pop clogging up the radio stations.    … Expand
  5. XavierBlaq
    Dec 26, 2013
    4
    Though far from the worst album I have ever listened to, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down was an album that I could not force myself to listenThough far from the worst album I have ever listened to, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down was an album that I could not force myself to listen to all the way through. The mediocrity of the majority of the albums tracks was just too much. That said, the first three tracks and "Second Lover" are decent enough that this album warrants a "mixed review," but this is all that keeps me from giving it a much worse rating.… Collapse

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