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Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom
Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 22
  3. Negative: 3 out of 22
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  1. Playlouder
    90
    Put 'Peeping Tom' on the stereo and it's as slickly dark and eminently devourable as Hip-Hop with R&B overtones can be, though whack it on the headphones and you're introduced to something infinitely superior.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    88
    It works equally as a setting for his quieter moments (the tropical "Caipirinha") and for the melodic vocal rages that defined Faith No More's hits. [4 Jun 2006]
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  3. Uncut
    80
    While poppier and more accessible than his albums fronting Fantomas, it's worth the wait. [Jul 2006, p.104]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Urb
    80
    The most palatable Mike Patton project to date. [Jun 2006, p.113]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. All Music Guide
    80
    It's quite possibly Patton's most accessible album since his Faith No More days.
  6. Alternative Press
    80
    There's hardly a stinker in the bunch. [Jul 2006, p.206]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Tiny Mix Tapes
    70
    While I would put this work near the bottom among Patton's opus, there are still some definitely enjoyable songs.
  8. Billboard
    70
    Patton is either a musical genius or one lucky mad scientist. [3 Jun 2006]
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  9. PopMatters
    70
    Peeping Tom succeeds (and wildly so, I might add) in the songs where Patton allows himself to succumb, if ever so slightly, to his more experimental tendencies.
  10. Pitchfork
    62
    For all the great ideas and fantastic moments sprinkled throughout Peeping Tom, it turns out that Mike Patton's idea of pop is as uncompromising as his other musical notions. In this case, what's great in theory doesn't work so well in practice.
  11. Q Magazine
    60
    Many of the collaborations are jarring. [Jul 2006, p.115]
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  12. Rolling Stone
    60
    Yields plenty of oddly seductive moments. [10 Aug 2006, p.99]
    All this publication's reviews
  13. Observer Music Monthly
    60
    The end result sounds much like the Red Hot Chili Peppers produced by Massive Attack.
  14. Drowned In Sound
    50
    It holds some charms, but Peeping Tom is overshadowed by Patton's previous work.
  15. Prefix Magazine
    50
    Peeping Tom's almost exclusively synth-oriented songs (save the occasional bass and guitar) are ostensibly intended to highlight Patton's voice. This only accentuates his overwrought yet indifferent performances, however.
  16. Entertainment Weekly
    50
    Once you get past the shock tactics, Peeping Tom is little more than a pile of dated Linkin Park-style sludge. [2 Jun 2006, p.83]
    All this publication's reviews
  17. The New York Times
    50
    Given his abrasive experimentations with Mr. Bungle and Fantômas, his fascination with mildly skewed beatscapes is a surprise, fun but passé. [29 May 2006]
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  18. The Boston Phoenix
    50
    The effect is as scattershot as the guest list.
  19. Mojo
    40
    Only the faithful need apply. [Jul 2006, p.101]
    All this publication's reviews
  20. NOW Magazine
    30
    A floundering mess that bores you to tears.
  21. Stylus Magazine
    25
    Past a handful of listens this becomes quickly uninspired.
  22. Slant Magazine
    20
    A collection of infantile, forgettable stripper anthems and not even guest spots from Rahzel or Kid Koala can keep this shit from sounding like Linkin Park.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. JoshC
    0
    Few musicians since Frank Zappa have confused "performance" with "self-indulgence" quite like former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. The noisy freakouts of Fantomas and Tomahawk are daring but all too often unbearably dissonant. The Beach-Boys-by-way-of-Black-Sabbath collage Mr. Bungle could be a delight, but was also a bit too goofy to be adored. As Patton's weirdo excursions are the very paradigm of "great in small doses," he works best as a collaborator adding growls and shrieks to tracks by Björk, Dan The Automator, Massive Attack, and others. So hopes for the highly collaborative Peeping Tom project are high: the guest spots are numerous and impressive (Amon Tobin! Kool Keith!), or at the very least, intriguing (Norah Jones!), and the record has been billed as Mike Patton's most accessible album since the days of Faith No More. Could this be Patton's Apostrophe or Cruising With Ruben And The Jets to make up for his years of Lumpy Gravy-esque weirdness? Nope. Instead, Patton's "pop" album is a collection of infantile, forgettable stripper anthems. After years of the vocal acrobatics of Fantomas, I wonder if Mike Patton remembers what rock singers are supposed to do exactly. Schizo opener "Five Seconds" shimmies like Ween imitating Prince before spazzing out into a slam-dance chorus counting the one, two, three, four, "five seconds to live." If only the listener were so lucky. "Five Seconds" is supposed to sound bad-ass, but it just sounds hokey—a criticism one has rarely if ever been able to levy at Patton before. The album's insufferable lameness is perhaps best summed up by its song titles: "Mojo," "Don't Even Trip," "Kill The DJ," "Celebrity Death Match," "How U Feelin?," etc. The only reason one could or should investigate Peeping Tom is to hear Norah Jones. Jones's adds some much needed sensuality to an album that at times sounds like the aural equivalent of a men's room wall, but her vocals are mixed alongside Patton's singing the same lines, thereby quashing the record's only chance at relief from Patton's one-man spotlight dance. Also, the chorus to the song sounds suspiciously like Beck's slacker anthem, but even that criticism may be giving Peeping Tom more credit than it deserves. Patton fans think this guy is John Lennon, the fact of the matter is that he's a first rate hack and a failure as spectacular as Peeping Tom sums up his entire carer.… Full Review »
  2. IllmaticNaS
    10
    An awesome, experimental album. But then again, it's Mike Patton, so that's a given. And great guests, too. Kool Keith and Dan the Automator. Awesome. This who album completely blows away anything in rock, trip hop, or punk released lately. I mean, just listen to the reheated, rehashed bull that's been coming out lately. Mike is refreshing burst of originality, as usual. And screw Entertainment!! LINKIN PARK? Are you serious? Has that critic even heard a Linkin Park album? Mike Patton never has and never will sound like Linkin Park, and this album is no different. The fact that you would even compare the two artist is ridiculous and offensive. Linkin Park rehashes the same old nu-metal. Mike doesn't.… Full Review »
  3. Marie-PierreP
    10
    EXCELLENT!!!! Very original...very Mike Patton!
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