Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Summer in Abaddon is an album of small, but hardly insignificant pleasures, and it may be Pinback's finest work yet.
  2. Arguably their best record yet, a logical and accessible realization of a sound they've been developing for more than six years.
  3. Pinback can't be faulted for trying to capture a larger audience with their new record, because the fact of the matter is they're a good band with tremendous potential and ability. But for fans that have been following the group for some time, you'd like to see them get there already, and get on with it.
  4. Uncut
    40
    For all their deft intricacies, they're somewhat characterless. [Dec 2004, p.140]
  5. Mojo
    70
    [Pinback's] blend of warm and wistful is almost impossible to resist. [Jan 2005, p.104]
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    The stuff of jagged, ornate artistes living in a weird pop monsterland with defiantly anti-wacky lyrics. [13 Nov 2004, p.57]
  7. Under The Radar
    60
    There is some pabulum filler... But Abaddon's best moments are as good as Pinback's ever been. [#8, p.111]
  8. A triumph of intense weirdness and cosy warmth.
  9. The cleaner, more direct approach both helps and hurts. Without at least some sonic kink, Pinback drifts toward the pleasant but undistinguished; its core sound is too rarefied to snag the common rock fan.
  10. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    These catchy songs are so sonically enthralling, you could call them heavenly. [15 Oct 2004, p.72]
  11. Alternative Press
    80
    Sounds like the updated fourth side of Built To Spill's Perfect From Now On. [Nov 2004, p.142]
  12. While not really better or worse than their previous albums, Summer in Abaddon is at least pretty good -- more of exactly what fans wanted.
  13. Pinback is among a select group of indie rock bands who excel at making incredibly nuanced pop music full of graceful layers the intrepid listener can delight in sorting out.
  14. Filter
    76
    Pinback is particularly good at harnessing a laid-back vibe that ultimately soothes much more than it disappoints. [#12, p.101]
  15. While Summer in Abaddon features Pinbackā€™s by now trademarked sound and cryptic lyrics with a few nice developments, it falls victim to a sort of malaise of consistently indistinguishable mid-tempo rockers on the second half of an album that starts very strongly.
  16. Falls a few yards short of essential listening.
  17. It's quite a treat to hear the duo create such refreshingly original music with rock's "standard" instruments.
  18. Combining dramatic, ethereal pop vocals with moody guitar and piano theatrics, Summer in Abaddon recalls a tighter, smoothed-out Built to Spill, or maybe a Dismemberment Plan reunion.
  19. 100
    Summer in Abaddon delivers an all-inclusive perfection that sets it apart from any other record this year.
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 32
  3. Negative: 3 out of 32
  1. Jul 15, 2023
    8
    Pretty unique sound. I like how the vocals sound somewhat submerged in the instrumental, not sure what others think about that but IPretty unique sound. I like how the vocals sound somewhat submerged in the instrumental, not sure what others think about that but I personally enjoy it Full Review »
  2. Nov 13, 2020
    10
    an absolutely perfect and beautiful album from start to finish, just buy it you won't be disappointed, 10/10 doesn't seem quite high enough
  3. Oct 11, 2011
    10
    Nevermind the mainstream, this music is too good to get ruined by overexposure. Pinback seemed to have achieved the impossible: a truly indieNevermind the mainstream, this music is too good to get ruined by overexposure. Pinback seemed to have achieved the impossible: a truly indie record with masterful studio production; terrific musicianship that keep it loose; lyrics are obscured and seldom rhyme; cryptic yet memorable songs that are impossible to get out of your head; crisp and immediate playing; and enigmatic atmospheres. This is long-term listening, each song growing on you over time. Quite simply this or recent LCD SoundSystem will remind you or let you experience how engaging early albums by REM or U2 were, back when alternative was really, truly alternative. Full Review »