Slow Focus
by Fuck Buttons
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 41
  3. Negative: 2 out of 41
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  1. MusicIsCool
    Jul 30, 2013
    9
    Slow Focus is a dense album for newcomers to the group, however for people looking for a challenging but ultimately satisfying electro album, it can't be beat.
  2. MusiclyMade
    Jul 24, 2013
    8
    One big factor of the success of this album is that Buttons are now beginning to experiment with how they can build their compositions into the monsters they become by removing drum patterns for certain segments and removing synth progressions for lengths of time to improve their already brilliant control of dynamics. They were always criticised for having that one trick of building andOne big factor of the success of this album is that Buttons are now beginning to experiment with how they can build their compositions into the monsters they become by removing drum patterns for certain segments and removing synth progressions for lengths of time to improve their already brilliant control of dynamics. They were always criticised for having that one trick of building and building, no matter how effective that trick was, but it seems that they've either listened to that criticism and taken it on board or woken up to the problem themselves.

    Prince's Prize is perhaps the only disappointing track on the entire album; it wouldn't feel part of any Buttons release that I can remember because of how unusually clean and (yep) amateur the introduction sounds. But that's only one poor moment on another solid release from the both of them. Tarot Sport was near impossible to follow up, and even though Slow Focus perhaps doesn't quite capture the galactic wonder their previous two had in abundance because of its slightly smaller sound, it's more than enough to see them around the top of a few year-end lists.    … Expand
  3. SonOfGun
    Sep 10, 2013
    0
    Here is my review of the ATP,

    ATP have got to be one of the worst bands I’ve come across. Their new song Buttons” sounds like they left a microphone in the room of a tesla coil experiment. It makes me sick, as an avid music enthusiast that there are bands like this out there who are also in profit. I can’t believe these are touring to Australia, anyone that is senseless enough to buy    Here is my review of the ATP,

    ATP have got to be one of the worst bands I’ve come across. Their new song Buttons” sounds like they left a microphone in the room of a tesla coil experiment. It makes me sick, as an avid music enthusiast that there are bands like this out there who are also in profit. I can’t believe these are touring to Australia, anyone that is senseless enough to buy a ticket to see them is a victim of a scam.

    It’s a good this that they aren’t not very well known. I would suggest that they quit while they are behind, before they fall further behind. I applaud them for trying to create something new, but at the same time, I despise ****ing bands that do this and then become self-proclaimed heroes afterwards.

    All in all, “All Tomorrow’s Parties” will leave all today’s listeners with a headache.    … Expand
  4. Derezzination
    Aug 8, 2013
    8
    Electronic Duo Buttons on their third album create a seductive sound-scape. An electronic world to fall in love with, one that slowly reveals itself. With early songs “Brainfreeze” and “Year of the Dog” it teases you, draws you in with a rough but well built sound, an interesting sound. It’s that intrigue that makes you listen to the rest of the album. Much with their past work, the soundElectronic Duo Buttons on their third album create a seductive sound-scape. An electronic world to fall in love with, one that slowly reveals itself. With early songs “Brainfreeze” and “Year of the Dog” it teases you, draws you in with a rough but well built sound, an interesting sound. It’s that intrigue that makes you listen to the rest of the album. Much with their past work, the sound of the album is atmospheric and awesome. They create fields and oceans of sounds, and it just feels so grand with “Brainfreeze” feeling like it’s moving away from the Olympics, (which got them some recognition) and moving on into the future, it builds a sound of olympic scale.

    An important factor to the album is that it sounds like a Buttons record. There is some drone, there are swirling synths and strings, the tracks are long and propels you into the future. The final two tracks “Stalker” and “Hidden XS” are very grand and mysterious, with sounds that feel like they are from electronic eras of different futures, retro-futurism almost, it’s intriguing. The album can go from the dreamy and to the soothing to the distorted in the form of “The Red Wind”.

    Overall the album is a strong 7 track album, but I feel that some of the longer tracks, like the opener can drag on a bit too much, and I think that can be a problem with experimental music, it can occasionally tend to take it’s time to climax, but it’s usually worth the wait.    … Collapse
  5. asjklasjklas
    Nov 12, 2014
    8
    It's a challenging listen for anyone who doesn't have the attention span for continuous, drone-y noises with no major structural changes—as if their band name didn't departure them enough from the mainstream demographic that considers anything instrumental "boring". But for anybody who has followed F*** Buttons from the beginning, Slow Focus is an unpredictable journey into theIt's a challenging listen for anyone who doesn't have the attention span for continuous, drone-y noises with no major structural changes—as if their band name didn't departure them enough from the mainstream demographic that considers anything instrumental "boring". But for anybody who has followed F*** Buttons from the beginning, Slow Focus is an unpredictable journey into the musicianship of a duo that never hasn't sounded so unexpectedly theirs'. It's an excellent experience for music listeners who don't just appreciate ambient/experimental electronica, but how endless the boundaries are of music that sounds so simple on the surface to begin with.… Expand
  6. wonderphone
    Jul 25, 2013
    7
    Really love how these guys are expanding their sound. Totally agree with MusiclyMade, about criticism about this band having only one trick but they have definitely risen above on this one.
  7. All_ButTrU4
    Dec 20, 2021
    7
    a grisly journey into the unknown, but an exhilarating one--if you’re willing to take it .a dense thrilling compositional stunner worth your time by a group who's discography is a minefield of gems

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Rolling Stone
    Oct 1, 2013
    60
    Fuck Buttons’ third album--a synthesis of noise, hip-hop, drone and shoegaze--is basically avant-garde weightlifting music, forgoing heart and brains in hopes that brute force alone will elevate it to heaven. Occasionally, it does.
    Read full review
  2. Slant Magazine
    Aug 23, 2013
    80
    Beyond constructing music marked by a consummate sense of craftsmanship, Fuck Buttons continue to toy with notions of what an album should be, a natural progression for a band whose only defining quality is their refusal to settle on a definitive sound.
    Read full review
  3. Delusions of Adequacy
    Aug 19, 2013
    90
    Slow Focus is a tremendously gifted album; one that remarks on what electronic music is still capable of, while knowingly realizing that the sky’s the limit.
    Read full review
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