- Record Label: Virgin
- Release Date: Sep 2, 2003
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Under The RadarWhere B.R.M.C. merely boiled, Take Them On is positively frothing. [#5, p.100]
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This is still an excellent band composed of three excellent musicians who can produce one hell of a noise.
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In streamlining the elements of B.R.M.C., it jettisons the wrong half of the equation, eschewing substance for angular, affected form.
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The band's equally impressive second album grooves with both a Detroit hipster sound and some spacey atmosphere.
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The band sounds filthy and scorching.
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Anyone with any vague taste in good music needs to own this album, right now.
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The sheer mass of sound, the density, the volume, the elaborate little codas at the end of every song are designed to impress and certainly do.
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FilterEven though it's more than good, you eventually find yourself thumbing through your CD piles in search of that first record. [#7, p.87]
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UncutThey run out of steam completely towards the end.... But there's still plenty here to justify giving up your heart to that simple chord all over again. [Sep 2003, p.110]
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Fortunately, there are a handful of transcendent moments to be found, provided you're willing to invest the time it takes to sniff them out-- which you should, since this is one of those records that matures with subsequent spins.
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Entertainment WeeklyForm largely trumps meaning here: Take Them is as well suited to making out or breaking the speed limit as soundtracking an antiwar rally. [5 Sep 2003, p.74]
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More gutsy, more aggressive, and more dynamic than B.R.M.C.
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Original it's not. But it still sounds awfully good while it's happening.
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MojoPowerful and anthemic, the trio's driving, Goth-forsaken rock can also be overwhelming and cloying. [Sep 2003, p.99]
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Alternative PressTake Them On... repeats the San Francisco trio's bombast, peppered with slower tunes styled after Jesus And Mary Chain's dewy psychedelia, the Verve's noise-drenched moments and even Ride's droning perfection. [Oct 2003, p.134]
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More varied and satisfying than its predecessor.
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'Take Them On, On Your Own' is a masterpiece. You should get hold of it as soon as possible.
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The slower numbers (“Ha Ha High Babe,” “Shade of Blue”) rely less on showy atmosphere and more on loose guitar accents, which makes the whole affair earthier, rawer, more real.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 18 out of 19
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Mixed: 0 out of 19
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Negative: 1 out of 19
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KarlMarxMay 30, 2005
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ShireenHMay 22, 2004
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joycewNov 20, 2003I've never heard their first cd but after hearing "Take Them On..." I've got to go buy the first. They have got a dark sound that I love.