Replica Sun Machine
by The Shortwave Set
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. AllMusic
    80
    If anything, though, what Replica Sun Machine calls to mind is a previous attempt to meld aesthetics from about ten years back, the Beta Band's "Hot Shots II"--it's not a question of exact similarity by any means, but there's a similarly easygoing feel in the arrangements and the beats, something that invites drift and a steady crunch in equal measure.
  2. musicOMH.com
    80
    Let's hope they carry on with that form of expression, as Replica Sun Machine has created an early blast of summer sunshine--playful, majestic, reflective and content, all in the same record.
  3. The Guardian
    80
    It's not what you'd call a forward-looking record--these people have a more than passing familiarity with the early 70s work of David Bowie, and are in thrall to the folky psychedelia of a few years earlier than that--but it's expertly executed and swooningly gorgeous.
  5. Delusions of Adequacy
    70
    It’s definitely not album of the year (nor would it have nabbed that distinction in 2007 when it was actually released on the other side of the Atlantic), but the Shortwave Set bring just enough innovation with them to make this 45 minute disc worth your while.
  6. Dusted Magazine
    70
    If anything, it’s the failure to rise above its component parts and create a unique and recognizable sound that keeps Replica Sun Machine from being the breakthrough album this promising trio deserves.
  7. Hot Press
    50
    Quietly bucking the trend are The Shortwave Set, whose follow-up to 2005’s The Debt Collection confounds convention by actually being pretty good.
  8. Under The Radar
    40
    While certain tracks capture a melding of The Clientele's lovely melancholy and Southern California psych-pop undertones, the bulk of the album suffers from an an impenetrable mix that simply has too much going on sonically to let the band's sunny songs shine through. [Spring 2009, p.68]
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  9. Pitchfork
    35
    Replica Sun Machine is an exceedingly simple thing--with tunes so familiar-feeling to be easily ignorable--but it's presented with a false sense of intricacy, gussied up and disguised as something more than it really is.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 3 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. sandlines
    Jun 8, 2009
    8
    Forgive them (Pitchfork) as sometimes they know not of what they speak. For a while last year this was in VERY heavy rotation. it's Forgive them (Pitchfork) as sometimes they know not of what they speak. For a while last year this was in VERY heavy rotation. it's slipped off there now, but there are some sublime musical moments on this psychadelic romp - the cover paints a good picture of the kaleidoscopic sounds inside. Give it a try with an open mind - you may just find that Pitchfork were talking out of their.… Full Review »