So Divided
by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 31
  3. Negative: 1 out of 31
  1. Drowned In Sound
    50
    While the instrumental augmentation in most of the songs is impressive, the setlist feels less immediate than the band's past work.
  2. cokemachineglow
    49
    This loosely associated collection of songs isn't even the logical extension of some of the more unwise artistic wanderings of Worlds Apart (2005).
  3. Pitchfork
    55
    While the band once pushed forward with a strength that seemed to surprise even them, So Divided ultimately feels scattered and flaccid.
  5. musicOMH.com
    100
    Trail of Dead appear to have dropped the noise, and bought out the tunes.
  6. AllMusic
    80
    So Divided's remarkable balance between the band's grandeur and power makes it far from a disappointment.
  7. The Guardian
    80
    Sleeker and slicker than their previous works but still as jugular-grabbing.
  8. Blender
    70
    Satisfyingly sloppy.
  9. Playlouder
    60
    It's hard to truly love a band that are so chameleonic that they sacrifice signature definition for adventurousness.
  10. Rolling Stone
    60
    It's all over the place, but it packs enough sweet noise manipulation and actual songwriting to get over.
  11. Stylus Magazine
    25
    Its artistic detours are even more jarring than those of Worlds Apart. The good news is that its quality is far less erratic. The bad news is the reason why: it's almost uniformly awful.
  12. Hartford Courant
    80
    Less conceptual and experimental than its predecessor, it's a moody album, loaded with dark imagery and moments of torturous self-doubt.
  13. Village Voice
    60
    As with most things Trail of Dead, it's bloated where it thinks it's profound.
  14. Lost At Sea
    75
    It appears they’ve decided to mimic the vague Abbey Road allusions Yo La Tengo made in Beat Your Ass by giving the White Album a sideways 'you-da-man' here in So Divided.
  15. Prefix Magazine
    55
    Despite the impressive stylistic voices and rich production, there's ultimately something hollow around the project.
  16. PopMatters
    50
    So Divided is somewhere in between—something less than the bluster and chaos of the group’s major label debut, something more than the follow-up’s misguided pretension.
  17. The Boston Phoenix
    75
    [It] depends less on the band’s gear-smashing antics than on their sense of tunecraft, which isn’t as highly developed.
  18. The A.V. Club
    75
    So Divided rushes in the opposite direction, moving lyrically toward more recognizable rock themes and musically toward the center.
  19. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    They do propulsive pop-rock better than anyone. [11 Nov 2006, p.43]
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  20. Dot Music
    70
    "So Divided" sees …Trail Of Dead leaving their footprints in some intriguingly unlikely places. Whether the faithful choose to follow them or not, they deserve respect for that alone.
  21. Alternative Press
    80
    It's clear that the Trail Of Dead we once knew no longer exists. [Jan 2007, p.139]
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  22. Uncut
    70
    [It] curbs some of the excesses that made 2005's Worlds Apart so unfocused. [Dec 2006, p.101]
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  23. Urb
    70
    The path to orchestral bombast continues on So Divided. [Dec 2006, p.118]
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  24. Q Magazine
    70
    The sound of a maverick band raging against the dying of the light. [Dec 2006, p.132]
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  25. Spin
    70
    Unlike... Worlds Apart, So Divided is built less on brute force and more on hyperdetailed songwriting. [Dec 2006, p.101]
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  26. Paste Magazine
    70
    A grandiose pop album that applies certain ToD formulas to the ambitious agenda taken by bands like Mercury Rev and Doves. [Dec 2006, p.97]
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  27. Tiny Mix Tapes
    60
    Pick your adjective[:] Over-the-top, anthemic, epic.
  28. NOW Magazine
    60
    While they may never reach the heights of their Source Tags & Codes, the band can still push boundaries.
  29. Mojo
    40
    So Divided is less pompous, but the dynamic likes of Naked Sun and Stand In Silence barely atone for hamfisted stabs at chamber pop, country and The Cure. [Dec 2006, p.108]
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  30. Austin Chronicle
    78
    So Divided attempts to unify the Austin outfit's operatic songcraft with the urgency of their "Days of Being Wild" to unlock 2003's The Secret of Elena's Tomb EP and overcome the trappings of the previous year's brilliant Source Tags and Codes, from which those days sprung.
  31. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    They do... retain enough enough of their signature orchestral flourishes, grandiose choruses, and found-sound fragments to keep longtime fans satisfied. [24 Nov 2006, p.109]
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  32. Billboard
    70
    Offers a more diverse song mix than one might expect. [18 Nov 2006]
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Most Shared Album of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 45
  3. Negative: 7 out of 45
  1. BobbyK
    Mar 19, 2007
    4
    A huge disappointment. Source Tags and Codes was perhaps their defining album, but I think that it made them want to try to push their A huge disappointment. Source Tags and Codes was perhaps their defining album, but I think that it made them want to try to push their boundaries even further. While Worlds Apart wasn't particularly great, it at least was fairly consistent and had some memorable moments. This album, on the other hand, finds Trail of Dead trying to be overly creative, making all the flourishes they add to their music sound excessive. It just seems like they're trying too hard to make something totally new, when in fact all they really need to do is expand on the stuff they made in works like Sources Tags and Elena's Tomb. "Wasted State of Mind" and "Eighth Day Hell" are really the only two tracks worth listening to, and even the latter sounds like a Beatles song with ultra-exaggerated British-accented vocals.… Full Review »
  2. RalphP
    Mar 14, 2007
    1
    Its not even worth 1 dime. So mediocre and so lame.Get source tags and codes or Madonna. How dissapointing
  3. DTonning
    Feb 14, 2007
    1
    Absoulute shit compared to Worlds Apart. Not even worth mentioning in the same breath as Source Tags & Codes.
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