Rated O
by Oneida
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Q Magazine
    60
    Though the quality rarely dips, at almost 2 hours long it does get rather wearing. [Aug 2009, p.110]
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  2. Uncut
    60
    Rated O delivers more often than falters. [Aug 2009, p.98]
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  3. NOW Magazine
    80
    The album’s creeping ambience and modest pace make it great background music at work, but its many sub-themes and intricacies also make it a rewarding sit-down listen if you can spare an hour and 40 minutes.
  5. The New York Times
    60
    The cuts are manic psychedelic jams--there’s even a sitar--riding electronic drones and throbbing, insistent riffs. Timbres of instruments are barbed with fuzz tone and static; the voices that infrequently appear might be shouting unintelligibly or nearly buried in the mix.
  6. Slant Magazine
    80
    Spread out over three discs for maximum inefficiency, Oneida's Rated O seems to thrive on its own difficulty, both in sprawling presentation and a strident, noisy sense of sonic resistance.
  7. Spin
    60
    Of course, it’s much too much, but the fact that it works at all is a testament to their commitment to well-honed rock hypnosis. Good luck finding the front door when it’s done.
  8. The Guardian
    80
    Oneida's show-your-working approach undoubtedly justi?es judicious use of the skip button, but the best bits of Rated O are well worth digging for.
  9. Tiny Mix Tapes
    50
    While the latter two discs have their moments, they’re all too predictable when held up against the first disc’s ambitious blend of noise and dance.
  10. Urb
    90
    Rated O is relentless enough and mean enough and playful enough to rope us in for 3 albums worth of music.
  11. Drowned In Sound
    70
    Why Oneida need a concept to rock out for two hours is still a bit of a mystery, but it never tires... if only all shameless self-indulgence sounded this good.
  12. No Ripcord
    60
    The triple LP effect doesn’t ruin the album, but it would have been stronger had they edited the whole thing down to the best songs that could fit on one disc.
  13. Pitchfork
    84
    Oneida are the only band running that I could tell a listener with a straight face, yes, it's worth three discs, and it's worth your time.
  14. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    The fact that this mad man’s breakfast is actually nothing short of jaw-dropping should be the cause of spontaneous mass copulation in the streets.
  15. PopMatters
    50
    Over the course of three fuzzed-out discs, there’s one solid Oneida album to be found in here. You just have to wade through some indulgent, excessive, and flat-out boring instrumental passages to get to it.
  16. Under The Radar
    80
    You've got another crowning acheivement from a band who sees its ideas all the way through, no matter how wyward or ambitious they may be. [Summer 2009, p.62]
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  17. Mojo
    80
    Oneida may well be evil geniuses in the midst of creating a classic, multi-album masterpiece. [Aug 2009, p.103]
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  18. cokemachineglow
    75
    It’s not that Rated O isn’t a good album. At least half of it is one of the best albums of the year. It’s that Rated O is just good enough and in a straightforward enough way to make you miss the Oneida that was about joyous, staggering confusion.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. trafficsounds
    Aug 11, 2009
    8
    Long live the O.
  2. Kid_Napindajauz
    Jul 29, 2009
    10
    O to the vein and mind.
  3. LeobenC
    Jul 15, 2009
    10
    Pure O.
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