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Oct 9, 2012Shut Down the Streets is as accessible as it is rewarding, and as refreshingly idiosyncratic as it is revealing.
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Oct 10, 2012Newman's melodic gifts continue to serve the emotional core of his songs well, but he pulls his punches with opaque lyrics and too many wheelhouse-sticking power-pop cuts that keep Streets from achieving the impact it could have had.
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UncutOct 26, 2012Newman's a decent songwriter whose songs never quite ignite--their seemingly light touch feels rather hard-won. [Dec 2012, p.75]
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Oct 15, 2012Shut Down the Streets is not a record for the young--it is wisdom wrapped around the indelible songwriting skills of one of Canada's most distinctive musicians.
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MojoNov 29, 2012Forensically constructed, sad-eye pop with bright melodies of a Shins-like stripe. [Dec 2012, p.96]
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Q MagazineDec 11, 2012Thankfully, it avoids the easy traps of earnestness or tweeness, and emerges as an intriguing, convincing listen. [Jan 2013, p.108]
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Oct 10, 2012As is the case with all of Newman's work, there are plenty of surprises here, many of which reflect the surprises of the death and birth of loved ones.
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Oct 9, 2012Shut Down The Streets is worth getting over any bias, though: It's the rare adult album that isn't a self-indulgent bore.
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Oct 9, 2012By opening up, by giving a glimpse into the heart behind those heart-stopping melodies, Newman's written his best songs in nearly a decade.
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Oct 9, 2012Shut Down the Streets is a strange beast and one that will fall victim to that option that destroys the album sequence as we know it: shuffle. Fortunately, the high points are so high that they warrant a listen, even a purchase of the record as a whole.
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Oct 9, 2012For the most part, though, Shut Down the Streets manages to avoid the ennui nipping at its heels, and in its best moments, reinforces Newman as both a skillful wordsmith and a masterful purveyor of Dylan-esque folk rock.
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Oct 29, 2012[Shut Down the Streets is] a truly mature and well-rounded work, with a complete lack of pretension, and a lot of warmth and heart.
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Oct 16, 2012Newman's third album is beautifully put together, well played, slyly and cleverly worded, but it works too much on the surface.
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Oct 11, 2012Lyrically, he's still clever but also much more direct, and there's greater impact because of it.
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Oct 9, 2012While decidedly uneven and lacking in the sheer number of hooks a regular dose of Newman provides, Shut Down the Streets does have two of the best songs of his long career.
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MagnetDec 4, 2012It is, in a way, a dad-rock opus, the songs imbued with the residue of a man pondering not just the intricacies of family but the greater implications of existence that come with it. [No. 93, p.51]
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Oct 15, 2012They have that kind of hypnotic quality, a combination of strength and texture that sounds calm at every turn, which is what makes it so surprisingly volatile in its effect.
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Nov 5, 2012The melodies are still there, from gently scalloped waltzes to hearty power-pop choruses, and there's a new layer of polish on the arrangements: intros that establish atmosphere along with hooks, richer and more elegant instrumental blends, the self-effacing vocal harmonies of Neko Case from the New Pornographers.
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Oct 10, 2012Shut Down The Streets really peaks at the end with a pair of downcast slow-builders which strike just the right balance of melancholy and melody.
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Oct 12, 2012The nitro-powered esoterica of his New Pornographers days has faded, though, in favor of a more restrained beauty.
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Oct 11, 2012Shut Down the Streets successfully infuses what could fly as an intimate acoustic set with contagious pop hooks.
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Nov 27, 2012Superb album in every facet, it is the first time in a while I have been able to emotionally engage in an album right from the get go.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 7
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Mixed: 1 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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Oct 11, 2012
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Dec 6, 2012
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Oct 28, 2012